Teacher’s Guide
Drafting Board: Community Service
Time Needed: 3 to 5 class periods
 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons
Materials Needed:
 Computers or tablets with internet
access (external keyboard helpful with

iCivics student usernames/passwords
Student worksheets
Challenge Mode Guide (for yourself)
Claim Creator Help Guide (for yourself)



tablets)




Copy Instructions:

 Brainstorm or Mind Map pre-write




Learning Objectives. Students will be able to:
activity (half-sheet; class set)
Glossary (1 page; class set)
Evidence Guide (4 pages; class set)
Progress Tracker (3 pages; class set)
Peer Edit Guide (half-sheet; class set)


and relevant evidence.
Draw evidence from informational texts to support
analysis and reflection
Organize reasons and evidence logically
Develop a counterclaim
Use words and phrases to create cohesion and clarify
the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims,
reasons, and evidence
Produce clear and coherent writing with appropriate
development, organization, and style
Articulate arguments for and against a community
service graduation requirement in schools
Identify ways that young people contribute as citizens of
their homes, schools, and communities
STEP BY STEP
TEACHER PREP
A few easy steps will make the Drafting Board experience go smoothly:
 Make sure your students know their iCivics.org usernames and passwords.
 Preview the Challenge Mode Guide. Decide which level is best for most of your
class, and plan which students you will assign a more or less challenging level.
 Preview and choose a pre-writing activity for the class to complete.
 Copy all needed materials.
 TELL
students that in this version of Drafting Board, they will be writing about whether
community service should be a high school graduation requirement.
 DISTRIBUTE
the pre-writing activity to the class and give five minutes for the students to
brainstorm. When the time is up, you may ask students to share with the class.
 PRETEACH
the vocabulary if you wish, using the printable glossary. (Glossary words are
highlighted and accessible within Drafting Board itself.)
 DISTRIBUTE
one Progress Tracker and one Evidence Guide to each student.
 SHOW
students where to write their usernames and passwords on the Progress Tracker.
 PREVIEW
the objectives for each tool and explain that this is a multi-day tool that will
take a number of class periods. The Progress Tracker will help them keep track of
each visit to Drafting Board. (Don’t worry, Drafting Board will remember where
they left off.)
 WRITE
on the board or tell students which scaffolding level you want most of the class to
use. Tell them you will circulate to let individual students know if they should
choose a different level. (Be prepared with your Challenge Mode Guide!)
This guide is part of Drafting Board by iCivics, Inc. a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civic education. For more resources, please visit
www.icivics.org/teachers, where you can access the state standards aligned to this lesson plan. Provide feedback to [email protected].
©2012 iCivics, Inc. You may copy, distribute, or transmit this work for noncommercial purposes if you credit iCivics. All other rights reserved.
Teacher’s Guide
Drafting Board: Community Service
 ASK
students to log in and launch Drafting Board. The first screen will ask them to
select the challenge mode.
 CIRCULATE
to assign individual challenge modes if you wish (do this immediately) and to
monitor students’ progress and help students as needed. ** This is important!
** Drafting Board is not a game. Students will not benefit as much if they speed
through the tool unsupervised.
 CLOSE
each day by giving the students a 3 minute warning and asking them to note on
the Progress Tracker where they left off. Collect packets for the next Drafting
Board session.
 REVIEW
student progress each day. Intervene either with the whole class or with individual
students if necessary.
 PRINT
or export student essays once they have finished Drafting Board to prepare for the
student editing activity.
 DISTRIBUTE
a peer editing half sheet to each student. (optional)
 PAIR
students and have them exchange essays for peer editing. Tell students to follow
the directions on the half sheet, or have students peer edit according to methods
you have previously taught.
A FEW IMPORTANT REMINDERS...
Drafting Board is not a game. You can put your kids in front of Drafting Board and walk away, but
you probably won’t like the results. Teachers who get the most out of Drafting Board make use of the
supplemental printed materials and circulate the room while students are working. This way, you can be
available to prompt students who have questions and you can make sure students are doing their best
work in the free-response portions of the essay. Using the support materials to facilitate discussions on
the topic and the writing process reinforces the experiences students have with Drafting Board.
Student finish times will vary. Each module inside Drafting Board will take between 10 and 20
minutes, but students may progress at a faster or slower pace.
 For students who finish early: Assign the game Activate on iCivics.org, which follows a
community service project from one student to a national effort.
 For students lagging behind: Students need internet access in order to finish Drafting
Board. Students with internet access outside school can log in and work remotely from home
or from a library. Otherwise, you may need to help students find additional computer access
at school.
Reports are available through your MyiCivics account from the Drafting Board page. By
clicking “View Report,” you can follow your students’ progress while they are still working on Drafting
Board. Once they are finished, you can print or download their essays and you can view or download a
spreadsheet that shows you how well they did at matching the evidence.
This guide is part of Drafting Board by iCivics, Inc. a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civic education. For more resources, please visit
www.icivics.org/teachers, where you can access the state standards aligned to this lesson plan. Provide feedback to [email protected].
©2012 iCivics, Inc. You may copy, distribute, or transmit this work for noncommercial purposes if you credit iCivics. All other rights reserved.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
** Teacher Guide **
CHALLENGE MODE GUIDE
The first screen of Drafting Board asks students to select a challenge mode. The challenge mode
determines how much scaffolding Drafting Board provides in the Paragraph Constructor module, which
is the part of Drafting Board where students write the essay’s three body paragraphs. There are three
(3) possible scaffolding types:
 Auto-complete. This is the highest level of scaffolding. The paragraph is pre-written and
contains blank spaces. As students click highlighted sentences in the evidence, Drafting Board
auto-completes the space. Students must determine if the auto-complete response makes sense.
 Paraphrase. This is the mid-level scaffolding. The paragraph is pre-written and contains blank
areas. Based on the evidence, students must complete the blank areas in their own words.
 Write-it-yourself. This level offers no scaffolding. Except for the topic sentence, students write
the paragraph completely on their own based on information in the evidence.
Challenge
Mode
Use this mode when...
Paragraph Paragraph Paragraph
1
2
3
 Student needs to learn the structure of an
DEFAULT
evidence-based argumentative paragraph
 Student will be ready to write a paragraph
Autocomplete
Paraphrase
Write-ityourself
Autocomplete
Paraphrase
Paraphrase
Paraphrase
Paraphrase
Paraphrase
Paraphrase
Paraphrase
Write-ityourself
Paraphrase
Write-ityourself
Write-ityourself
Write-ityourself
Write-ityourself
Write-ityourself
without help after two examples
 Student needs to learn the structure of an
evidence-based argumentative paragraph
LEVEL 1
 Student needs a structured example before
attempting to locate information in a text and
synthesize ideas independently
 Student needs to learn the structure of an
LEVEL 2
evidence-based argumentative paragraph
 Student can locate information in a text and
synthesize ideas independently
 Student needs to learn the structure of an
evidence-based argumentative paragraph
LEVEL 3
 Student will be ready to write a paragraph
without help after completing two examples with
help
 Student is familiar with the structure of an
LEVEL 4
evidence-based argumentative paragraph
 Student could use a reminder of that structure
before writing paragraphs without help
 Student understands the structure of an
argumentative paragraph
LEVEL 5
 Student is familiar with Drafting Board
 Student needs no help writing evidence-based
paragraphs
Drafting Board | Challenge Mode Guide
** Teacher Guide **
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Claim Creator: Help for Struggling Students
In the main part of the Claim Creator, students must find two
pieces of evidence to support each of their reasons.
 AUDIO BUTTONS in Drafting Board let students listen to a
read-aloud version of the evidence and their reasons.
 HOVER DEFINITIONS in the evidence explain difficult words.
 GUIDING QUESTIONS (below) help you direct students to
the correct evidence. First give them the key words and
phrases to look for, then use the last two questions to help
them narrow down the options.
CLAIM: Schools should require community service for graduation.
Reason
Key Words & Guiding Questions
 Key words and phrases: helping people; positive relationships
Community service helps
students build positive
relationships with their
community.
 Is there an example of a kid building a good relationship with a
local organization, like a food bank? (Letter:“Food Friday”
Coordinator)
 Do you remember any evidence about students developing
positive relationships with senior citizens? (Interview: Local
Librarian)
 Key words and phrases: learning; employment; experience
Participating in service
activities helps students gain
job skills and discover new
interests.
(implied)
 Is there any piece of evidence that discusses all the job skills
you can learn from volunteering? (Guidance Counselor Email)
 Are there any examples of a kid learning a new skill and
becoming really successful? Maybe even ending up on TV?
(“Cooking with Cherie”)
 Key words and phrases: businesses; stores; community works
Community service helps
students understand and care
about how their community
works.
together
 Is there any example of a student learning about businesses in
her community? (Chamber of Commerce Volunteer)
 Are there any pieces of evidence that describe a student who
learned more than he expected by delivering meals? (Meals on
Wheels Volunteer)
 Key words and phrases: entertainment; social media;
interpersonal communication
Kids need the face-to-face,
real-world interaction they
get from volunteering.
 Where in the evidence do you learn about how much time kids
spend on media entertainment instead of real-world
interactions? (Study: Too Much Entertainment)
 Does any evidence talk about the importance of learning how
to communicate with others? (Website: Life & U))
Drafting Board | Claim Creator Help Guide p.1
** Teacher Guide **
COMMUNITY SERVICE
(Claim Creator: Help for Struggling Students, cont.)
CLAIM: Schools should not require community service for graduation.
Reason
Key Words & Guiding Questions
 Key words and phrases: time; homework; hardship
Students are busy with their
school and home lives and
don’t have extra time for
community service.
 Was there any evidence of parents being upset about the
community service requirement? (Complaint to School Board)
 Was there an example of a student having a lot of family
responsibilities and no spare time to volunteer? (Waiver
Request)
 Key words and phrases: talent; expert; practice; training
Students should be free to
use their time to develop
their talents and build skills
they really care about.
 Are there any examples of a student working school around a
practice schedule so he could become really good at
something? (Bio: Olympic Medalist)
 Is there any evidence of how much time and practice it takes
to become an expert at something? (Study: 10,000 Hours of
Practice)
 Key words and phrases: sports; clubs; teamwork; customers
Other activities do just as
much to develop a student’s
skills and benefit the
community.
 Does any of the evidence describe other beneficial activities
students can participate in? (Sports and Clubs Flyer)
 Is there a student who interacts with community members
while she’s at work? (Performance Review)
 Key words and phrases: forced; negative experience; exploited
Forced community service
can leave students with a
negative attitude that makes
them less likely to volunteer
in the future.
 Is there any example of a student whose volunteer experience
was nothing like she thought it would be? (Hospital Volunteer)
 Has there been any research or a study done on this? (Study:
Australian Community Service)
Additional, built-in Claim Creator “help” features:

“DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?” POPUP lets students check their reason against a summary of the evidence they are about to match before they assign the evidence.

“REMOVE” BUTTONS let students change their mind after they have matched evidence to a reason.

END-OF-TOOL FEEDBACK tells students which pieces of evidence have been mismatched, but only
after they have chosen evidence for each reason.

HINTS guide students toward the correct evidence as part of the end-of-tool feedback.
Drafting Board | Claim Creator Help Guide p.2
GLOSSARY: COMMUNITY SERVICE
absentee ballot: A printed ballot that a voter
receives before election day and may fill out and
return on or before election day
homebound: Unable to leave one's home
amateur: Someone who engages in an activity
as a pastime and not as a profession; someone
who enjoys an activity but does not have
professional-level skill
mandatory: Required
Chamber of Commerce: A volunteer
organization of business owners in a community
who come together to promote their businesses
as well as the interests of their community
community service: Volunteer work to help
one's community
deliberate: Planned in advance; carefully
thought out
detail-oriented: Paying close attention to the
details that are required to do an excellent job
completing a task
interpersonal: Happening between people
Meals on Wheels: An organization that supports
Senior Nutrition Programs by serving meals at
community centers and/or taking meals to senior
citizens who can't leave their homes
people skills: Skills that let a person get along
and communicate well with others
short-track skating: A type of competitive speed
skating where skaters race around an oval ice
track
soup kitchen: A place where people who are
hungry can receive food for free or for a reduced
price; usually they receive a meal that has been
prepared.
enrich: To make something more meaningful or
rewarding
expert: Someone with a high level of skill or
knowledge in a particular activity or subject area
exploit: To take advantage of someone,
especially for selfish reasons
food bank: A place where people can receive
food for free or for a reduced price; usually the
food has not yet been prepared.
geology: The scientific study of the Earth's
origin, including rocks, minerals, and land forms
Drafting Board | Glossary
Community Service
Name:
Brainstorm. Read the prompt below and brainstorm as many answers as you can think of until your
teacher tells you to stop. Make notes quickly, and don’t worry about spelling. Use the back for more space.
What do students have to accomplish in order to graduate?
Drafting Board | Pre-Write Activity (Brainstorm)
Community Service
Name:
Brainstorm. Read the prompt below and brainstorm as many answers as you can think of until your
teacher tells you to stop. Make notes quickly, and don’t worry about spelling. Use the back for more space.
What do students have to accomplish in order to graduate?
Drafting Board | Pre-Write Activity (Brainstorm)
Community Service
Name:
Mind Map! Think about the term in the center of the page. BRAINSTORM all the ideas you can think of
that are related to this word. BOX each idea you add and DRAW A LINE to connect it to the main phrase
(or to another idea you added). KEEP BRAINSTORMING until you run out of room or time.
Community
Service
Drafting Board | Pre-Write Activity (Mind Map)
Community Service
Name:
Mind Map! Think about the term in the center of the page. BRAINSTORM all the ideas you can think of
that are related to this word. BOX each idea you add and DRAW A LINE to connect it to the main phrase
(or to another idea you added). KEEP BRAINSTORMING until you run out of room or time.
Community
Service
Drafting Board | Pre-Write Activity (Mind Map)
EVIDENCE: COMMUNITY SERVICE
LETTER: “FOOD FRIDAY” COORDINATOR
INTERVIEW: LOCAL LIBRARIAN
Dear Myra,
Great news! We’ll be getting more fresh produce
for our Food Friday program next year. I told you
about Chad, the kid from Landiston High who
decided to grow a garden for his community service
project. He’s been bringing all the veggies here to
the food bank on Food Fridays. He said he really
loved helping people this year, and he’s going to
grow another garden next year. Looks like we’ve got
a great relationship going here!
Thanks so much,
Alex
Food Friday Volunteer Coordinator
Reporter: I hear you’ve got high school students
volunteering at the Landiston Public Library.
How’s that working out?
Librarian: It’s great. Here at the library, we teach
seniors how to use computers. Many seniors
aren’t very comfortable with computers, but kids
are great with them. It just makes sense to have
teens and seniors work together.
Reporter: It sure does.
Librarian: Along with learning computers, the
seniors also develop a more positive opinion of
teenagers. I had one senior citizen who wanted to
learn Microsoft Word. The student volunteer had
answers for all of the senior’s questions, and the
senior was so impressed.
Reporter: It’s great to see positive interaction
between the generations. So many older people
think all teenagers have attitudes and cause
trouble.
Librarian: That’s right. The reaction has been so
positive, I’ve heard some of the nursing homes are
interested in forming relationships with high
school students, too.
GUIDANCE COUNSELOR EMAIL
Misty,
Thanks for emailing me with your question about
community service. Yes, community service is a
great way to gain job skills. Students learn a lot,
even from service that doesn’t seem related to
future employment. Almost all volunteering helps
your communication and people skills, which are
required in any job. You can also learn how to be
organized, how to be detail-oriented, how to work
with others and share creative ideas . . . The list goes
on. Learning to follow directions, ask for help, and
problem-solve are all skills that will transfer
anywhere.
Let me know if you need help deciding where to
volunteer.
Ms. Pollard
Guidance Counselor
Landiston High School
STUDY: TOO MUCH ENTERTAINMENT
A 2010 survey of over 2,000 kids from age 8 to 18
shows that kids spend 53 hours a week
consuming media entertainment on their cell
phones, computers, and televisions. That’s the
same as 7 hours and 38 minutes a day, 7 days per
week. Kids today are spending more time than
ever playing video games, socializing online,
listening to music, and watching shows. Some find
these numbers alarming, and wonder how kids
are going to learn to interact in the real, face-toface world.
--from the Kaiser Foundation
Drafting Board | Evidence Guide p.1
EVIDENCE: COMMUNITY SERVICE p. 2
“COOKING WITH CHERIE”
MEALS ON WHEELS VOLUNTEER
Chef Cherie: My guest today is Jared Trang, a
junior at Landiston High School. Jared, you’ve
become quite a chef. How did that happen?
Jared: I had to do a community service
requirement for school, so I volunteered at a local
soup kitchen. I figured I’d end up washing dishes,
which I did, but I also got to help cook.
Chef Cherie: So you first learned about cooking at
a soup kitchen? That’s awesome!
Jared: Yeah. The main cook was into trying out
recipes from around the world. I guess he
thought just because these people need food
doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get to try new
things.
Chef Cherie: Bravo!
Jared: Cooking was totally new for me. I’d never
tried it before. But it was really fun helping create
these new international recipes. I went online
and found some recipes from all over the world,
had a blast cooking them at home . . . and now I’m
here. Who knew cooking was this much fun?
Before I started volunteering with Meals on
Wheels, I had no idea there were so many seniors
who aren’t able to leave their homes. I can’t drive
yet, so I go along with my uncle. I help him take
hot meals inside to the homebound seniors. I
never thought about it, but there are a lot of
things you can’t do if you can’t leave your house.
Like vote. Before the election, we also brought
absentee ballots to the homebound seniors. I
didn’t even know there was such a thing as an
absentee ballot. I thought you had to go
somewhere to vote. Now I understand how the
community works together to help people like
this who can’t get around.
--Clint LeBlanc
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VOLUNTEER
After I volunteered at the Landiston Chamber of
Commerce, I understood how the businesses in
my community depend on each other. I never
knew how that worked--I always thought a store
was just a store. But when I helped get materials
ready for lunchtime workshops, I found out
business owners spend time talking to each other
and learning how to be more successful. By
helping answer the phone, I learned that lots of
tourists call the Chamber to find out where to
stay and what to do in town. I never understood
how important businesses are to our community
and all the things businesses do that help our city
be successful.
--Karina Ivanov
WEBSITE: LIFE & U
Interpersonal Communication: You Need It!
You can’t be successful in life without knowing
how to communicate with others. Your
interpersonal communication skills let you tell
others about your needs, wants, and feelings.
They also let you understand what other people
need, want, and feel.
Interpersonal communication involves both
speaking and listening. There are specific
techniques you can learn that will help you be a
better listener and a better communicator. You
can also learn ways to help you interact with
others in difficult situations. But it’s not enough to
read about these skills. You have to practice! The
more you interact with people, the more effective
you’ll be at communicating… and the more
success you’ll have in every part of your life.
Drafting Board | Evidence Guide p.2
EVIDENCE: COMMUNITY SERVICE p. 3
COMPLAINT TO SCHOOL BOARD
WAIVER REQUEST
I’m here tonight because I’m really upset about
the Landiston School District’s new community
service requirement for graduation. I would like
to know when kids are supposed to have time for
one more requirement. My kids have sports
practice after school, and we all get home every
night at six. They have so much homework that
most nights I’m up until 9 or 10 o’clock helping
them get it done. On the weekends my oldest
goes to classes to prepare for the SAT test. There
are projects due, tests to study for -- and don’t
even get me started about housework and other
chores. We hardly get any family time as it is. My
kids are too busy. There isn’t room for anything
else.
Dear Principal Trent,
I am writing to request a waiver from the
community service requirement because of
hardship. I have five little brothers and sisters,
and we all live with my dad. He works at the minimart during the day, and then he works as a
janitor from 10 at night until 6 in the morning. I’m
the only person home after school to take care of
my brothers and sisters, plus I have a job on
weekends to help bring in more money. I cook, do
the laundry, the housework, and
everything. Sometimes I already don’t know how
I can make it. There is too much to do and nobody
else to help. If I have to work community service
hours for free, I don’t know what we’ll do.
Sincerely,
Robert Rhoads
STUDY: 10,000 HOURS OF PRACTICE
Research has shown that if you want to become
expert at something, time is the key. More
important than talent, “deliberate practice” is
what’s required to become one of the best.
Researchers studied a group of musicians and
found these statistics:
Level of
Accomplishment by
Age 20
# of Hours of
Deliberate
Practice
Experts at highest level
10,000
Experts at lowest level
5,000
Serious amateur
2,000
BIO: OLYMPIC MEDALIST
Apolo Ohno has won 8 Olympic medals in shorttrack skating since 2002. He won his first overall
U.S. championship at age 14, and at age 19 he
won both a gold and a silver medal at the
Olympics. How did he do it? Hours and hours of
practice! Every day, he spent hours skating,
working out, and watching training videos. He
took advantage of his school district’s Internet
Academy so that he could make school work with
his training schedule. All that drive paid off. As of
his retirement in 2013, Apolo had won more
medals than any other U.S. athlete in the Winter
Olympic Games.
Drafting Board | Evidence Guide p.4
EVIDENCE: COMMUNITY SERVICE p. 4
SPORTS AND CLUBS FLYER
HOSPITAL VOLUNTEER
THREE REASONS TO JOIN A SPORT OR CLUB
Landiston High School
Discover a new interest. Ever thought you might
like rocks? Taking pictures? Being in the water?
Then the Geology Club, the Photography Club,
and the swim team might just be for you. Try one-you might find something you love!
Develop your real-world skills. Being part of a club
or sport helps you learn teamwork, cooperation,
and other “people skills.” Knowing how to work
with others is an important life skill.
Benefit the community. Teams and clubs interact
with the larger community. Whether it’s
participating in the annual Photography Club Art
Show at the community center, the Spanish Club
community dinner, or playing in a Friday night
football game, when you participate in a team or
club you’re enriching the community.
Clubs and Sports--More Than Just a Way to
Spend Your Time!
Volunteer in the future? Are you kidding me?
They forced me to do this community service
requirement, and it was awful. I decided to
volunteer at the hospital because at least I’d get
to see what it’s like to be a doctor or a nurse. I’ve
been thinking about going into the medical
field. But all I got to see was the inside of a filing
cabinet! Every time I showed up to volunteer,
they had a mile-high stack of papers waiting for
me. It was boring, and it took up the time I could
have used for a paying job. The only thing
volunteering gets you is a whole lot of nothing.
-- April Quinn
STUDY: AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY SERVICE
In 2003, researchers interviewed focus groups of
Australian students involved in mandatory
community service. These students did not feel
that mandatory service was the same as
“volunteering,” and they had “a negative attitude
from the beginning.” Students felt exploited, and
they were angry that they did not get to make
their own decisions about volunteering.
According to the researchers, “many suggested
that they will be even less likely to volunteer in
the future because of their negative experiences.”
PERFORMANCE REVIEW
Performance Review
6-Month Performance Review
Employee: Tara Robinson
Position: Grocery bagger
Tara is a student at Landiston High. She has
worked with the company for 6 months. At first,
Tara would sometimes be a few minutes late and
would spend too much time chatting with other
employees. I had a few talks with her, and now
Tara is the most dependable bagger we have. She
always arrives a few minutes early and she has
learned how to pay attention to what the
customers need. Tara is especially good with kids,
and she is a great help to moms trying to juggle
tons of grocery bags and several children. As she’s
taking out the bags, I overhear her talking with
customers about things that are happening in the
community. Customers seem to really appreciate
that.
Drafting Board | Evidence Guide p.4
TOPIC: COMMUNITY SERVICE
Use this worksheet to keep track of your progress in Drafting Board.
Name
Class
iCivics Username
iCivics Password
Issue Analyzer
In the Issue Analyzer, you will investigate
both sides of the issue. By filling in the
missing pieces of a news article, you’ll get
to preview some of the evidence you’ll use
to write your essay. You’ll also get to know
the issue!
Claim Creator
In the Claim Creator, you will choose three
reasons to support the claim you made at
the end of the Issue Analyzer. These reasons
will become the topics of your three main
paragraphs. You’ll also search your evidence
to find support for each reason.
 READ the article’s introduction
 CHOOSE your reasons
 COMPLETE the story chunks
 FAVORITE your strongest reason
 CORRECT any mistakes
 FIND two pieces of evidence that
support each reason
 CHOOSE a side of the issue
Date Completed: _________________
Date Completed: _________________
Use this space to write down the basics of your essay.
Choose a Side: Should schools require community service for graduation?
 Yes
 No
My Claim: ____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Drafting Board | Progress Tracker p.1
TOPIC: COMMUNITY SERVICE
Name:
Paragraph Constructor — Paragraph #1
The Paragraph Constructor helps you write the main “body” paragraphs of your essay.
Each paragraph starts with one of your reasons.
Paragraph type:
 USE YOUR EVIDENCE to complete the paragraph
 Auto-fill
 MAKE SURE your paragraph supports why the reason is true
 Fill-in-the-blank
 ADD TRANSITIONS to connect your ideas
 Write from scratch
 RE-READ the paragraph to be sure it makes sense
 EDIT the paragraph to add your ideas or correct mistakes
 EVALUATE how well you wrote the paragraph
Date Completed: ____________________
Paragraph Constructor — Paragraph #2
The Paragraph Constructor helps you write the main “body” paragraphs of your essay.
Each paragraph starts with one of your reasons.
Paragraph type:
 USE YOUR EVIDENCE to complete the paragraph
 Auto-fill
 MAKE SURE your paragraph supports why the reason is true
 Fill-in-the-blank
 ADD TRANSITIONS to connect your ideas
 Write from scratch
 RE-READ the paragraph to be sure it makes sense
 EDIT the paragraph to add your ideas or correct mistakes
 EVALUATE how well you wrote the paragraph
Date Completed: ____________________
Paragraph Constructor — Paragraph #3
The Paragraph Constructor helps you write the main “body” paragraphs of your essay.
Each paragraph starts with one of your reasons.
Paragraph type:
 USE YOUR EVIDENCE to complete the paragraph
 Auto-fill
 MAKE SURE your paragraph supports why the reason is true
 Fill-in-the-blank
 ADD TRANSITIONS to connect your ideas
 Write from scratch
 RE-READ the paragraph to be sure it makes sense
 EDIT the paragraph to add your ideas or correct mistakes
 EVALUATE how well you wrote the paragraph
Date Completed: ____________________
SELF-EVALUATION CHECKLIST: Did you . . .
 Use several details to explain how each piece of evidence supports your reason?
 Put the ideas from the evidence into your own words?
 Read your paragraph out loud to make sure the ideas flow together and make sense?
Drafting Board | Progress Tracker p.2
TOPIC: COMMUNITY SERVICE
Critic Crusher — Practice Paragraph
The Critic Crusher shows you how to
“counter” an argument for the other side of
the issue. The first part walks you through
each sentence in the paragraph. Pay close
attention! You’ll have less help next time.
Name:
Critic Crusher — Essay Paragraph
Now you’ll crush their reason again, but
you’ll use different evidence. This paragraph
will appear in your essay. Remember the
purpose of each sentence:
 “SMACK DOWN” their reason
 FIND the other side’s claim
 COUNTER their evidence with yours
 CHOOSE a reason to “crush”
 POINT TO A DETAIL in your evidence
 “SMACK DOWN” their reason
 DELIVER the final “crusher” sentence
 COUNTER their evidence with yours
 POINT TO A DETAIL in your evidence
 DELIVER the final “crusher” sentence
Introduction Introducer
In the Introduction Introducer, you will
learn how to grab the reader’s attention at
the very start of your essay. You will learn
the format for an effective introduction
paragraph.
 CATEGORIZE the five hooks
 CHOOSE a hook & bridge pair
 READ your intro paragraph
 ADD transitions
 EDIT the paragraph
Date Completed: _________________
Date Completed: _________________
“HOOK” CATEGORIES
Background Info: Offer historical information or a
piece of deeper information about the issue
Statistics: Give numbers or data, especially if the
numbers will shock or surprise the reader
Quote: Use a famous person’s exact words
Question: Ask something the reader may not have
thought about
Scenario: Make the reader imagine something
Conclusion Crafter
In the Conclusion Crafter, you will learn the
structure for an effective closing paragraph.
You’ll learn how to end your essay with
information your reader wont’ forget.
 RESTATE your claim
“CLINCHER” CATEGORIES
 RESTATE your reasons
Consequences: Show the reader what might happen
if your side of the issue is not successful
Statistics: Give numbers or data that show once and
for all that your side is right!
Quote: Use a famous person’s exact words to make
a final point in favor of your side
Next Steps: Tell the reader what should be done
next to further your cause
 CATEGORIZE the clincher sentences
 CHOOSE a clincher for your essay
 ADD transitions
 EDIT the paragraph
Date Completed: _________________
Drafting Board | Progress Tracker p.3
Peer Editing
Name:
1) GIVE COMPLIMENTS. Mark places in the
text where the writing is effective.
2) MAKE SUGGESTIONS. Offer specific ideas
for how to improve the writing.
Easy to Understand. Are there places where
Confusion. Are there confusing parts? Figure
the writing is really clear? Compliment the writer
on things like...
 Good use of details
 Effective organization of ideas
 Sticks to the topic — no unrelated ideas
out why you are confused. Should the writer...
 Add some details?
 Organize the ideas in a clearer sequence?
 Stick to the topic and cut ideas that don’t fit?
Word Choice. Could the writer spice up the
Great Words. Has the writer chosen some
writing by choosing more interesting words?
Mark boring words (such as bad or nice) so the
writer can find a more descriptive alternative.
words that really sparkle? Circle great word
choices and mark them with a star.
Sentence Flow. Does the writing read
smoothly? Mark places where the writer has...
 Used transitions effectively
 Used a variety of sentence lengths
 Done anything you think works well!
Sentence Flow. Does the writing read
smoothly? If not, figure out why:
 Do any sentences seem way too long?
Suggest a way to break them up.
 Are too many sentences really short?
Suggest a way to connect some of them.
3) MAKE CORRECTIONS. Check the essay for problems with spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, capitalization, punctuation, and other technical errors. Mark these on the text.
Drafting Board | Peer Edit Guide
Peer Editing
Name:
1) GIVE COMPLIMENTS. Mark places in the
text where the writing is effective.
2) MAKE SUGGESTIONS. Offer specific ideas
for how to improve the writing.
Easy to Understand. Are there places where
Confusion. Are there confusing parts? Figure
the writing is really clear? Compliment the writer
on things like...
 Good use of details
 Effective organization of ideas
 Sticks to the topic — no unrelated ideas
out why you are confused. Should the writer...
 Add some details?
 Organize the ideas in a clearer sequence?
 Stick to the topic and cut ideas that don’t fit?
Word Choice. Could the writer spice up the
Great Words. Has the writer chosen some
writing by choosing more interesting words?
Mark boring words (such as bad or nice) so the
writer can find a more descriptive alternative.
words that really sparkle? Circle great word
choices and mark them with a star.
Sentence Flow. Does the writing read
smoothly? Mark places where the writer has...
 Used transitions effectively
 Used a variety of sentence lengths
 Done anything you think works well!
Sentence Flow. Does the writing read
smoothly? If not, figure out why:
 Do any sentences seem way too long?
Suggest a way to break them up.
 Are too many sentences really short?
Suggest a way to connect some of them.
3) MAKE CORRECTIONS. Check the essay for problems with spelling, grammar, sentence
structure, capitalization, punctuation, and other technical errors. Mark these on the text.
Drafting Board | Peer Edit Guide