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Writing a “Timed” State Essay using HOT TEE x’s



The pic above is my first sketched version to guide students through their first paragraph. Obviously, this is the H.O.T. part of the acronym. T.E.E. x’s 2 will follow in my next blog, that I will post within the next day or two. 


“A cuppa’ tea, please?” 

As teachers of English, one of the most difficult standards to teach to any student is how to write a TIMED Essay for a standardized test. The idea I am about to share made my job teaching timed writing for the state test less of a hassle than any year, in the past!! 

With 28 years of teaching behind me, as a secondary teacher, I can say I have been there and done that, and I still do not have a monopoly on the way a teacher should prepare students for writing a a timed essay on the standardized writing test.  

One obvious problem is the fact that nothing remains constant in education and the focus for this particular test, often changes when an upgraded model comes along- or in some cases, a totally new model.  However, teachers remain resilient and flexible and often finding themselves “throwing out” the materials that worked last year, in order to satisfy a new set of standards.  

This blog will be relatively short, because I am working on a model, for what I believe can cross many types of writing standards and could possibly be something teachers can use, no matter the set standards for writing at any given time.  However, since I know the end of school is upon us, and many teachers are scrambling for that last minute miracle to help students, of any background, at least gain SOME points on the writing portion of the test.  

One day in class this year,  I was creating an anchor chart and I was trying to make-up an acronym for students to use when they are faced with a writing prompt, text article(s), and a clock ticking the time away.  In this struggle to help my students, I used the following acronym: H.O.T. T.E.E. x’s 2.  At the time, I did not think it would become one of the best tools, ever, for a student to use writing a timed test.  

I am preparing a product for TPT, but I decided to go ahead and share the messy, first drafts of my idea.  If you use any part of this idea, please give me honest feed-back on how it may or may not have worked for you.  

Look for Part 2 of this post in the next day or two!! 

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