New Jersey GEPA Language Arts Literacy Assessment Tutorial
Sample Prompts
WRITING SITUATION:
Your school newspaper recently published student writing samples from the Writer's Club for Black History Month. Many wonderful pieces were showcased to the school community. However, one poem entitled "World Dream" caught the eye of the principal because it seemed familiar. When the principal did a first line search in a poetry index, he found that the poem was very similar to a poem by Langston Hughes titled "I Dream a World." In fact, most of the poem captured the exact essence of the poem by the famous Harlem Renaissance writer. Your principal is appalled that a student would intentionally copy the work of someone else. Your principal is following through with the school policy on cheating; five days of suspension AND automatic removal from extra-curricular activities for the remainder of the school year.
DIRECTIONS FOR WRITING:
The editor of your school newspaper is concerned that this punishment is too harsh for this budding poet. The editor is afraid that other students might not want to contribute to the newspaper in future issues because of fear that the principal or other teachers will think that the writing is not original in thought or content. Write a letter to the editor of your school newspaper with your opinion of the punishment for the student who was found guilty of plagiarism. Is this the correct punishment? Has the principal forgotten that one time he too was a student? Back up your opinion with facts, evidence, or anecdotes. Begin your letter with:
Dear Editor:
Use this space for prewriting
