Composition Writing

We are going to work on skills related to composition development. Key elements include:

• An attention-grabbing opening paragraph that also focuses the piece
• Details that support your position or your main idea. Use historical events, data, discoveries, and/or experiences to provide supportive details.
• Good transition sentences so that one paragraph or one idea flows well into the next.
• A conclusion that summarizes key ideas and ties the composition together
• Good grammar, correct spelling and proper punctuation

Here is a prompt like those used for the Governor's Cup competitions. Write a 250 word composition on this topic and email it to me as an attachment.

Many of the problems in the United States are directly related to illiteracy. Illiteracy is passed along by parents who cannot read so that a family may have several generations of non-readers. Research shows that two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by age nine will end up in jail or on welfare. The fourth grade is the watershed year.


Why are students not learning to read in elementary schools and what do you think can be done to improve the lives of the illiterate?