This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.
This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.
1. | Prepare for the game students play during Session 1. Divide the class into teams of four or five. Choose a prize for the winning team (e.g., extra time at recess, a chance to be first in the lunch line, a special snack, a certificate you create, or the chance to bring a special book home). If possible, arrange for another teacher or an administrator to come into your class at the end of the game to act as a judge. For Session 3, assign partners and pick a second prize for the group that wins the game. |
2. | Make one copy of the sheet for each group and pair of students. (You will use this sheet to record your observations while students are working during Session 1 and presenting during Session 4.) Make one copy of the , , and the for each student. Make enough copies of the sheet so that every student has a checklist for each set of partners that presents (see Session 4). |
3. | Make a two-column chart for Session 1. Write at the top of the chart. Write at the top of one column and at the top of the other. |
4. | If you do not have classroom computers with Internet access, arrange to spend one session in your school’s computer lab (see Session 3). Bookmark the on your classroom or lab computers, and make sure that it is working properly. |
5. | Preview the and bookmark it on your classroom computer. You will be sharing this with students during Session 2 and may want to arrange to use an LCD projector or a computer with a large screen. |
Students will
1. | Post the chart you created where students can see it (see Preparation, Step 3). Distribute sticky notes, and ask students to write their names on the notes. Call students up to the chart to place their notes in the column that expresses their opinion. |
2. | After everyone has had a chance to put their name on the chart, look at the results and discuss how people have different views about various topics and are entitled to their opinions. Give students a chance to share the reasons behind their choices. |
3. | Once students have shared, explain that sometimes when you believe in something, you want others to believe in it also and you might try to get them to change their minds. Ask students the following question: “Does anyone know the word for trying to convince someone to change his or her mind about something?” Elicit from students the word . |
4. | Explain to students that they are going to play a game that will help them understand how persuasive arguments work. |
5. | Follow these rules of the game: While students are working, there should be little interference from you. This is a time for students to discover what they already know about persuasive arguments. Use the handout as you listen in to groups and make notes about their arguments. This will help you see what students know and also provide examples to point out during Session 2 (see Step 4). |
Home/School Connection: Distribute Persuasion Is All Around You . Students are to find an example of a persuasive piece from the newspaper, television, radio, magazine, or billboards around town and be ready to report back to class during Session 2. Provide a selection of magazines or newspapers with advertisements for students who may not have materials at home. For English-language learners (ELLs), it may be helpful to show examples of advertisements and articles in newspapers and magazines.
1. | Begin by asking students to share their homework. You can have them share as a class, in their groups from the previous session, or in partners. |
2. | After students have shared, explain that they are going to get a chance to examine the arguments that they made during Session 1 to find out what strategies they already know how to use. |
3. | Pass out the to each student. Tell students that you are going to explain each definition through a PowerPoint presentation. |
4. | Read through each slide in the . Discuss the meaning and how students used those strategies in their arguments during Session 1. Use your observations and notes to help students make connections between their arguments and the persuasive strategies. It is likely your students used many of the strategies, and did not know it. For example, imagine the reward for the winning team was 10 extra minutes of recess. Here is one possible argument: “Our classmate Sarah finally got her cast taken off. She hasn’t been able to play outside for two months. For 60 days she’s had to go sit in the nurse’s office while we all played outside. Don’t you think it would be the greatest feeling for Sarah to have 10 extra minutes of recess the first week of getting her cast off?” This group is trying to appeal to the other students’ emotions. This is an example of . |
5. | As you discuss the examples from the previous session, have students write them in the box next to each definition on the Persuasive Strategy Definitions sheet to help them remember each meaning. |
Home/School Connection: Ask students to revisit their persuasive piece from Persuasion Is All Around You . This time they will use Check the Strategies to look for the persuasive strategies that the creator of the piece incorporated. Check for understanding with your ELLs and any special needs students. It may be helpful for them to talk through their persuasive piece with you or a peer before taking it home for homework. Arrange a time for any student who may not have the opportunity to complete assignments outside of school to work with you, a volunteer, or another adult at school on the assignment.
1. | Divide the class into groups of two or three students. Have each group member talk about the persuasive strategies they found in their piece. |
2. | After each group has had time to share with each other, go through each persuasive strategy and ask students to share any examples they found in their persuasive pieces with the whole class. |
3. | Explain to students that in this session they will be playing the game they played during Session 1 again; only this time they will be working with a partner to write their argument and there will be a different prize awarded to the winning team. |
4. | Share the with students and read through each category. Explain that you will be using this rubric to help evaluate their essays. Reassure students that if they have questions or if part of the rubric is unclear, you will help them during their conference. |
5. | Have students get together with the partners you have selected (see Preparation, Step 1). |
6. | Get students started on their persuasive writing by introducing them to the interactive . This online graphic organizer is a prewriting exercise that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay. or stance that they are taking on the issue. Challenge students to use the persuasive strategies discussed during Session 2 in their writing. Remind students to print their maps before exiting as they cannot save their work online. |
7. | Have students begin writing their persuasive essays, using their printed Persuasion Maps as a guide. To maintain the spirit of the game, allow students to write their essays with their partner. Partners can either write each paragraph together taking turns being the scribe or each can take responsibility for different paragraphs in the essay. If partners decide to work on different parts of the essay, monitor them closely and help them to write transition sentences from one paragraph to the next. It may take students two sessions to complete their writing. |
8. | Meet with partners as they are working on their essays. During conferences you can: |
1. | During this session, partners will present their written argument to the class. Before students present, hand out the sheet. This checklist is the same one they used for homework after Session 2. Direct students to mark off the strategies they hear in each presentation. |
2. | Use the sheet to record your observations. |
3. | After each set of partners presents, ask the audience to share any persuasive strategies they heard in the argument. |
4. | After all partners have presented, have students vote for the argument other than their own that they felt was most convincing. |
5. | Tally the votes and award the prize to the winning team. To end this session, ask students to discuss something new they have learned about persuasive arguments and something they want to work on to become better at persuasive arguments. |
The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.
This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.
Persuasive essay examples & writing tips.
At some points in middle school, schoolchildren will be made to write essays to prove points and convince their readers. These essays, called persuasive essays, help the students become decisive and to stand by their choices. They also help build the charisma and morale needed to convince other people of their choices.
An example of such is the persuasive essay rubric middle school students are made or encouraged to write.
Choosing the right persuasive essay topic is as important as writing a good essay. This is because right from the topic you choose, you must be able to convince your readers to pick up your essay and read till the end. This article provides 75 persuasive essay topics for middle school students or persuasive essay ideas for middle school students.
Below is a compilation of topics for persuasive essay rubric middle school and other middle school students can choose from:
All these topics are good enough for you to write a convincing essay about, so pick whichever you feel comfortable with.
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Published on September 18, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.
The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction , a body , and a conclusion . But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body.
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The basics of essay structure, chronological structure, compare-and-contrast structure, problems-methods-solutions structure, signposting to clarify your structure, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay structure.
There are two main things to keep in mind when working on your essay structure: making sure to include the right information in each part, and deciding how you’ll organize the information within the body.
The three parts that make up all essays are described in the table below.
Part | Content |
---|---|
You’ll also have to consider how to present information within the body. There are a few general principles that can guide you here.
The first is that your argument should move from the simplest claim to the most complex . The body of a good argumentative essay often begins with simple and widely accepted claims, and then moves towards more complex and contentious ones.
For example, you might begin by describing a generally accepted philosophical concept, and then apply it to a new topic. The grounding in the general concept will allow the reader to understand your unique application of it.
The second principle is that background information should appear towards the beginning of your essay . General background is presented in the introduction. If you have additional background to present, this information will usually come at the start of the body.
The third principle is that everything in your essay should be relevant to the thesis . Ask yourself whether each piece of information advances your argument or provides necessary background. And make sure that the text clearly expresses each piece of information’s relevance.
The sections below present several organizational templates for essays: the chronological approach, the compare-and-contrast approach, and the problems-methods-solutions approach.
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The chronological approach (sometimes called the cause-and-effect approach) is probably the simplest way to structure an essay. It just means discussing events in the order in which they occurred, discussing how they are related (i.e. the cause and effect involved) as you go.
A chronological approach can be useful when your essay is about a series of events. Don’t rule out other approaches, though—even when the chronological approach is the obvious one, you might be able to bring out more with a different structure.
Explore the tabs below to see a general template and a specific example outline from an essay on the invention of the printing press.
Essays with two or more main subjects are often structured around comparing and contrasting . For example, a literary analysis essay might compare two different texts, and an argumentative essay might compare the strengths of different arguments.
There are two main ways of structuring a compare-and-contrast essay: the alternating method, and the block method.
In the alternating method, each paragraph compares your subjects in terms of a specific point of comparison. These points of comparison are therefore what defines each paragraph.
The tabs below show a general template for this structure, and a specific example for an essay comparing and contrasting distance learning with traditional classroom learning.
In the block method, each subject is covered all in one go, potentially across multiple paragraphs. For example, you might write two paragraphs about your first subject and then two about your second subject, making comparisons back to the first.
The tabs again show a general template, followed by another essay on distance learning, this time with the body structured in blocks.
An essay that concerns a specific problem (practical or theoretical) may be structured according to the problems-methods-solutions approach.
This is just what it sounds like: You define the problem, characterize a method or theory that may solve it, and finally analyze the problem, using this method or theory to arrive at a solution. If the problem is theoretical, the solution might be the analysis you present in the essay itself; otherwise, you might just present a proposed solution.
The tabs below show a template for this structure and an example outline for an essay about the problem of fake news.
Signposting means guiding the reader through your essay with language that describes or hints at the structure of what follows. It can help you clarify your structure for yourself as well as helping your reader follow your ideas.
In longer essays whose body is split into multiple named sections, the introduction often ends with an overview of the rest of the essay. This gives a brief description of the main idea or argument of each section.
The overview allows the reader to immediately understand what will be covered in the essay and in what order. Though it describes what comes later in the text, it is generally written in the present tense . The following example is from a literary analysis essay on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .
Transition words and phrases are used throughout all good essays to link together different ideas. They help guide the reader through your text, and an essay that uses them effectively will be much easier to follow.
Various different relationships can be expressed by transition words, as shown in this example.
Because Hitler failed to respond to the British ultimatum, France and the UK declared war on Germany. Although it was an outcome the Allies had hoped to avoid, they were prepared to back up their ultimatum in order to combat the existential threat posed by the Third Reich.
Transition sentences may be included to transition between different paragraphs or sections of an essay. A good transition sentence moves the reader on to the next topic while indicating how it relates to the previous one.
… Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others.
However , considering the issue of personal interaction among students presents a different picture.
If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!
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The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.
The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.
An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarized in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.
The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.
Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:
It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.
You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Structure an Essay | Tips & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved August 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/essay-structure/
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Argumentative essays play a significant role in helping students develop critical thinking and persuasive writing skills. Middle school is the perfect time to introduce young learners to practice writing well-structured argumentative essays. In this article, we’ll give you some short argumentative essay samples for middle school students.
Argumentative essays serve as a powerful tool in the middle school curriculum for several reasons:
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You can see the following argumentative essay samples which are really relatable to your homework, project, assignments or personal practice to develop your skills in writing an effective argumentative essays.
Should students be allowed to have cellphones in school?
Have you ever left one of your books at home when you needed it in the class? You might answer ‘yes’ to the question, but this problem won’t be a big deal if you can just call your family home, right? However, there are some schools that do not allow you to bring your cellphone to school. This situation has created the question of whether students should be allowed to have cell phones in school or not. While some argue that cell phones are disruptive and can hinder learning, I believe that there are strong reasons to support their use in educational settings.
One of the primary reasons students should be allowed to have cell phones in school is for communication purposes. In emergency situations, having a cell phone can be a lifesaver. Parents can reach their children in case of unforeseen circumstances, ensuring their safety. Moreover, students can communicate with their peers and teachers, fostering a collaborative and communicative learning environment.
Cell phones offer access to a vast array of educational resources. With the internet at their fingertips, students can easily look up information, conduct research, and access educational apps. This access can significantly enhance their learning experience, allowing them to delve deeper into subjects and explore a wealth of knowledge beyond traditional classroom materials.
Permitting cell phones in schools can also be a valuable lesson in responsibility. Students must learn to manage their devices appropriately and refrain from using them during class unless instructed otherwise. This promotes self-discipline and helps prepare them for responsible technology use in their future careers.
It’s true that cell phones can be a source of distraction. Critics argue that students may use them to text, play games, or engage in social media during class, diverting their attention from the lesson. However, this challenge can be effectively addressed through policies and guidelines that restrict cell phone use during the class. For example, teachers ask students to collect their cell phones on the designated shelf in the class. At recess, the students can have the phone and use it. When the break time is over, they have to put the phone back; therefore, there will not be any distraction during the next classroom activities.
In conclusion, allowing students to have cell phones in school can be a wise decision if managed effectively. These devices can enhance communication, provide access to educational resources, and teach responsibility. While concerns about distractions are valid, they can be reduced with well-defined guidelines and supervision. Ultimately, embracing technology in the classroom can help students prepare for the digital world they will encounter in the future.
Is homework necessary for student success, or should it be eliminated?
Homework has long been a subject of debate in our school. Some argue that it is a fundamental component of our success, while others believe it should be eliminated. In my opinion, the merits of homework as a tool for enriching our achievements are irreplaceable.
Homework fosters our responsibility and time management skills. It encourages us to allocate our time wisely, ensuring that we complete our assignments within the given deadlines. These skills are invaluable in the real world, where meeting deadlines and managing one’s time efficiently are crucial. As we know, if we cannot meet the deadline, problems will arise. These problems teach us to avoid delaying something. At the end of the day, the time management skills we learn from doing homework are really crucial in our daily lives.
Homework reinforces what we have learned in the classroom. Repetition is an essential aspect of learning, and homework provides us with the opportunity to practice what we have been taught. This practice leads to better retention of information and an improved understanding of the subject matter. The more we practice, the better we understand the matter. On top of that, some of us might miss something the teacher explains to us. By doing homework, we can get the point that you have missed. Personally, I often feel that I understand more after doing homework.
Homework promotes independent learning. It allows us to dig deeper into a topic, conduct research, and develop problem-solving skills. Independent learning is an invaluable skill that empowers us to take charge of our education and prepares us for lifelong learning.
However, some of us argue that homework can lead to stress and burnout. It is important to acknowledge this concern, but the key is to strike a balance. Teachers should assign reasonable amounts of homework, taking into consideration of our age and extracurricular activities. Additionally, teachers should also design homework that is interesting to do. Therefore, we can enjoy doing the task. Besides, teachers should also wisely provide enough time for us to do the homework. Giving enough can reduce the pressure that the homework might cause. So, we can avoid stress and burnout if teachers properly manage the homework.
To summarize, homework plays a vital role in enhancing student success. It instills responsibility, reinforces learning, and promotes independent study. While concerns about excessive homework are valid, the solution lies in thoughtful assignments and effective time management. Homework is not an enemy but a valuable ally in the pursuit of academic excellence.
Best Books to Improve Communication Skills in English .
Should school uniforms be mandatory?
In recent years, people debate over whether school uniforms should be mandatory or not. Some argue that uniforms can create a sense of belonging, improve discipline, and reduce socio-economic inequalities. On the other hand, opponents contend that they limit self-expression and can be costly for families. In my opinion, we, students, must wear uniforms for many beneficial reasons.
To begin with, mandating school uniforms can foster a sense of belonging among us. When we wear the same attire, it reduces the visibility of economic disparities, making us feel equal. This, in turn, can contribute to a more inclusive and cohesive school environment. By having uniforms, we feel that we belong to one another. We feel like we are one family.
Uniforms can be a tool for improving discipline, safety, and security. First, when we are dressed uniformly, it becomes easier to identify outsiders, reducing the likelihood of intruders on school grounds. This enhanced security can contribute to a safer learning environment. Secondly, wearing uniforms train us to abide by the rules and regulations. Having uniforms teaches us discipline because we realize that only certain dress is allowed at school. Finally, having a well-designed uniform can also improve our safety. The connection between the dress materials, the size, and the style with types of motion and activities the students do can only be measured by design experts. Not having uniforms will lead us to carelessly choose what kind of dress we wear. At the end of the day, it will reduce our safety. So, I think it is safer to wear school uniforms.
School uniforms can help reduce socio-economic inequalities. Without the pressure to wear expensive, trendy clothing, we can focus on their studies rather than competing in the fashion arena. This levels the playing field, ensuring that we are not judged based on our clothes. As we know, people always want to be the center of attention. School uniforms prevent us from abusing the capability of purchasing attractive clothes, which will demotivate some of us who have less money.
Some people claim that uniforms limit self-expression. While this is an understandable concern, it is important to note that self-expression can still thrive through various means, such as creative accessories or personal grooming choices. Uniforms need not suffocate individuality. Students also have a lot of chances of wearing their favorite clothes outside the school.
To sum up, the mandatory use of school uniforms can create a sense of belonging, improve discipline, and reduce socio-economic inequalities. The benefits of school uniforms in fostering a positive educational environment are vital.
See Descriptive Essay here, or a comparison and contrast essay example here.
Creating effective short argumentative essay samples for middle school students is a vital step in their academic development. These essays not only sharpen critical thinking and writing skills but also prepare students for the challenges of the real world. By choosing relevant topics, maintaining a clear structure, and encouraging thoughtful arguments, educators can help middle school students become proficient in the art of persuasion and critical thinking.
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See story elements here.
Argumentative Essay on Death Penalty
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A lesson teaching middle school students how to write a thesis statement should use a simple step-by-step process that teaches them exactly what a thesis statement is, explains the difference between argumentative statements and facts, and encourages the class to become an active part of the learning process through collaboration and discussion. By the end of your lesson, students should be able to write their own thesis statements at home.
Write a factual statement on the board, such as "The sky is blue." Then write an argumentative statement, such as "The sky is bluest in the summer." Show the students the difference between the two statements and explain that a thesis must an arguable statement.
Write a broad question on the board, such as "What would make school less boring?" Call on students to offer answers, and list some of the best on the board.
Turn the answers into arguments by combining them with the question to form a single thesis sentence, such as "School would be less boring if group work was maximized in the classroom."
Assign a separate topic and instruct students to brainstorm and develop their own thesis statements at home.
How to write an opinion paragraph, how to write a rebuttal speech.
How to write an essay with a thesis statement.
Neil Richter began his writing career in 2007. He has served as a writing tutor and published reviews in the local Illinois newspaper "The Zephyr." Richter holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in English literature and film from Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.
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Update, Aug. 3, 2023: Find our 2023-24 writing curriculum here.
Our 2019-20 Writing Curriculum is one of the most popular new features we’ve ever run on this site, so, of course, we’re back with a 2020-21 version — one we hope is useful whether you’re teaching in person , online , indoors , outdoors , in a pod , as a homeschool , or in some hybrid of a few of these.
The curriculum detailed below is both a road map for teachers and an invitation to students. For teachers, it includes our writing prompts, mentor texts, contests and lesson plans, and organizes them all into seven distinct units. Each focuses on a different genre of writing that you can find not just in The Times but also in all kinds of real-world sources both in print and online.
But for students, our main goal is to show young people they have something valuable to say, and to give those voices a global audience. That’s always been a pillar of our site, but this year it is even more critical. The events of 2020 will define this generation, and many are living through them isolated from their ordinary communities, rituals and supports. Though a writing curriculum can hardly make up for that, we hope that it can at least offer teenagers a creative outlet for making sense of their experiences, and an enthusiastic audience for the results. Through the opportunities for publication woven throughout each unit, we want to encourage students to go beyond simply being media consumers to become creators and contributors themselves.
So have a look, and see if you can find a way to include any of these opportunities in your curriculum this year, whether to help students document their lives, tell stories, express opinions, investigate ideas, or analyze culture. We can’t wait to hear what your students have to say!
Writing prompts to help students try out related skills in a “low stakes” way.
We publish two writing prompts every school day, and we also have thematic collections of more than 1,000 prompts published in the past. Your students might consider responding to these prompts on our site and using our public forums as a kind of “rehearsal space” for practicing voice and technique.
Daily opportunities to practice writing for an authentic audience.
If a student submits a comment on our site, it will be read by Times editors, who approve each one before it gets published. Submitting a comment also gives students an audience of fellow teenagers from around the world who might read and respond to their work. Each week, we call out our favorite comments and honor dozens of students by name in our Thursday “ Current Events Conversation ” feature.
Guided practice with mentor texts .
Each unit we publish features guided practice lessons, written directly to students, that help them observe, understand and practice the kinds of “craft moves” that make different genres of writing sing. From how to “show not tell” in narratives to how to express critical opinions , quote or paraphrase experts or craft scripts for podcasts , we have used the work of both Times journalists and the teenage winners of our contests to show students techniques they can emulate.
“Annotated by the Author” commentaries from Times writers — and teenagers.
As part of our Mentor Texts series , we’ve been asking Times journalists from desks across the newsroom to annotate their articles to let students in on their writing, research and editing processes, and we’ll be adding more for each unit this year. Whether it’s Science writer Nicholas St. Fleur on tiny tyrannosaurs , Opinion writer Aisha Harris on the cultural canon , or The Times’s comics-industry reporter, George Gene Gustines, on comic books that celebrate pride , the idea is to demystify journalism for teenagers. This year, we’ll be inviting student winners of our contests to annotate their work as well.
A contest that can act as a culminating project .
Over the years we’ve heard from many teachers that our contests serve as final projects in their classes, and this curriculum came about in large part because we want to help teachers “plan backwards” to support those projects.
All contest entries are considered by experts, whether Times journalists, outside educators from partner organizations, or professional practitioners in a related field. Winning means being published on our site, and, perhaps, in the print edition of The New York Times.
Webinars and our new professional learning community (P.L.C.).
For each of the seven units in this curriculum, we host a webinar featuring Learning Network editors as well as teachers who use The Times in their classrooms. Our webinars introduce participants to our many resources and provide practical how-to’s on how to use our prompts, mentor texts and contests in the classroom.
New for this school year, we also invite teachers to join our P.L.C. on teaching writing with The Times , where educators can share resources, strategies and inspiration about teaching with these units.
Below are the seven units we will offer in the 2020-21 school year.
September-October
This special unit acknowledges both the tumultuous events of 2020 and their outsized impact on young people — and invites teenagers to respond creatively. How can they add their voices to our understanding of what this historic year will mean for their generation?
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This year, my 11-year-old heads to middle school. She’s nervous and excited. She already joined the field hockey team and rented a flute for the band. At this point, she and I almost wear the same shoe size, and I can no longer carry her up the stairs. A lot of change is coming quickly for our family. And as first-time middle school parents, her dad and I attended middle school orientation this summer to learn about the routine, academics, and tips to prepare for middle school.
it's the perfect time for a wardrobe refresh 🍂
We filed into the gymnasium and heard from teachers, counselors, and the administration. The student in me wished I’d brought a notebook to take notes. There was so much information we were grateful to learn, but a few things really surprised me at middle school orientation. Here, with the help of a middle school teacher, are some tips for elementary school parents and parents preparing to hit the middle school or junior high milestone.
Lori Singaraju is a middle school English teacher who lives with her husband and two daughters wherever the Navy sends them. When not busy attempting to get preteens to punctuate their sentences, she enjoys traveling, reading, and couch snuggles with her girls. She writes about parenting, teaching, and what she’s read lately.
With two working parents in our house, staying firm on the after-school homework routine for our kids has been a challenge for us. So many times in fourth and fifth grade, my kid and I ended up near tears too late in the evening trying to figure out her math homework that we could have started earlier. In middle school, we have to be firm because she could have over an hour of homework to do each night on top of after-school activities. Elementary school parents: Don’t make the same mistake I made. Even if you think homework should be optional in elementary school, you have to get kids in the routine early so it won’t be such a shock once they reach middle school. Lori Singaraju, a teacher who recently had her letter to middle school parents go viral on Facebook , offered some helpful tips on homework.
My #1 tip for helping kids succeed with homework is to be involved as a parent.
Find out from your child’s teachers how work is posted—to Google Classroom, for instance—and keep an eye on the online gradebook if you have access. If the school doesn’t provide a planner, make sure your child has one and is filling it in.
The transition from elementary to middle school is a huge one in terms of students having to keep track of multiple assignments with different due dates to different teachers. So many of the parents we bring in for conferences when their children are failing tell us they thought sixth grade would be the time to step back and put more of the responsibility on the child to independently manage the work. Unless and until your child proves they can handle it, please do continue to be involved.
On the other hand, understand that we do need to see your child’s best effort, not your own perfectly done work. Your priority may be for your child to get good grades, but ours is for your child to learn the material, and when you do the work for your child, you rob them of the opportunity to learn.
In my class, almost all homework is actually classwork that students didn’t finish because they chose not to use the time I gave them. This means that if they don’t do it as homework, they won’t have done any independent practice on the skill we’re learning, and I have no means to know whether they are grasping it. I know there’s a popular sentiment among parents that we teachers have kids all day and should use our time effectively so we’re not sending homework that intrudes on kids’ family time. After all, adult jobs don’t send homework! Except if we adults waste our time at work and have tasks that must be completed, they do, in fact, still need to be completed outside of our work hours.
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s homework, please contact the teacher directly. We are happy to explain and work with you on how best to help your child succeed.
As part of the preparing for middle school, our almost 12-year-old has been asking for a phone. We’re not ready to get her phone yet but are considering smartphone alternatives like a refurbished Apple Watch. However, many of her friends already have phones, and they currently text her via my phone—which is endearing (their conversations are still so innocent) and totally embarrassing (according to her).
Many schools are considering phone bans , including New York City public schools. Our middle school doesn’t have a phone ban (yet) but requires students to keep them in their lockers. However, the school staff said it’s often the parents who are the worst offenders texting their kids in the middle of the school day expecting responses. And alternatively, with parents only a quick text message away, kids can quickly send off gripes, things they forgot, etc.
The teachers encouraged parents to set the expectation that all communication should come through the school office—which is how it was done in elementary school . Of course, we all want to be able to reach our child if the worst should happen at school, but at what cost? According to a Pew Research study, 72 percent of U.S. high school teachers and 33 percent of middle school teachers say cell phone distraction is a major problem in the classroom.
“I do believe, though, that not allowing phone use during the school day, to include lunch, does result in more face-to-face interaction and creative thought,” said Singaraju. “I know we teachers would appreciate it if parents could keep their school day texts to a minimum. Especially if your child’s school policy is like mine, please don’t expect to hear back from them until the final bell. Otherwise, you’re asking them to break the rules on your behalf.”
Many fellow millennial parents rarely had mental health discussions with our own boomer parents in childhood, so we’re attuned to our kid’s mental health in ways previous generations weren’t. But in some cases, it can backfire. Giving your kid mental health days can quickly turn into school avoidance behavior. As a parent who repeatedly dropped off her anxious child late to elementary school, this hit me hard. The middle school counselors shared that by allowing more than the occasional mental health day, kids can start to take advantage—whether consciously or unconsciously. The counselors at our school have even gone so far as to meet school-avoiding middle schoolers at their homes and help walk them to school (hooray teachers, but that seems like a little much).
The teachers and counselors reiterated that getting them through the school doors is key. Once they’re inside, they’re usually fine (of course, there are exceptions that can indicate bigger issues). They added that if kids are allowed to stay home, it should not be a “fun day”—no shows, no phone, no special outings. The expectation should be that they must go to school, it’s the law.
“I think there is a difference between genuinely needed mental health days and allowing a student to stay home when they just don’t really feel like going,” said Singaraju. “You know your child best and should be able to determine how crucial the time off might be. Chronic poor attendance is a problem that has serious consequences for student learning and success. When middle schoolers get a little bit behind, it often snowballs until they feel they have no chance of ever catching up, which causes even bigger mental health struggles. I would caution parents to think carefully about the impact of missing school versus the need for a day of rest when making decisions about mental health days.”
It’s tough to remember where and when we learned to properly take care of ourselves. Was it in the American Girls book The Care & Keeping of You? Something we read in Seventeen or YM magazine? Or was it your mom suggesting more frequent showers or actually using the Teen Spirit deodorant she bought? Whether your kid is a Sephora tween , a sweaty sports player, or a library bookworm, they’re likely going to start (or continue) going through puberty in the middle school years. The teachers kindly reminded parents that we might need to encourage them a bit more on the grooming habits for their changing bodies.
“Kids just really need to know that they must shower regularly, wear deodorant every day…” said Singaraju. “I hate to see kids picked on or avoided by peers just because they aren’t managing their new hygiene needs.” She added, “And Axe Body Spray is not a substitute!”
A mom of two, Kathy is passionately committed to sharing the honest, helpful—and often humorous—stories of motherhood, as she navigates her own everyday adventures of work, marriage, and parenting. She honed her creative and strategic skills at advertising agencies in Detroit and Chicago, before pivoting from marketing to editorial. Now instead of telling brand stories, she’s sharing her own, with articles published across popular parenting sites—including hundreds of stories on The Everymom.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, choosing a progressive yet plain-spoken VP candidate from America’s heartland to help her win over rural, white voters.
“I’m pleased to share that I’ve made my decision: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will join our campaign as my running mate,” Harris said via text to supporters. “Tim is a battle-tested leader who has an incredible track record of getting things done for Minnesota families. I know that he will bring that same principled leadership to our campaign, and to the office of the vice president.”
We look at Walz, a 60-year-old U.S. Army National Guard veteran, and his military career over the years.
More: Tim Walz is Kamala Harris' VP pick: Minnesota governor named running mate: Live updates
Walz served in the military for 24 years, enlisting in the Nebraska National Guard at 17 in 1981 and then transferring to the Minnesota National Guard in 1996. He retired in 2005 to begin his successful run for the U.S. House, representing Minnesota as command sergeant major, among the highest ranks for enlisted soldiers. His battalion went on to deploy to Iraq shortly after Walz's retirement.
Walz specialized in heavy artillery and had proficiency ribbons in sharpshooting and hand grenades.
But during the 21 years that Walz spent working with large artillery pieces, he suffered hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears, Minnesota Public Radio reported. He was allowed to continue his service after undergoing surgery, which partially resolved his hearing loss.
During his service, Walz responded to natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes in Minnesota and Nebraska, and was deployed overseas for months at a time, according to MPR.
In 2003, he was sent to Italy, where he served with the European Security Force to support the war in Afghanistan. He was also stationed in Norway for joint training with other NATO militaries.
Walz told MPR that he reenlisted in the National Guard after the September 11 attacks but never saw active combat in his years in the military.
Stars and Stripes reported in 2020 that Walz credited his Army experience with helping him steer Minnesota through the COVID-19 pandemic as governor.
As governor of Minnesota, Walz is commander in chief of the 13,000-soldier Minnesota National Guard. “I’m certainly proud of my military service, but it’s one piece of me,” he told Minnesota Public Radio in 2018. “It doesn’t define me.”
Reuters and USA TODAY reporter Tom Vanden Brook contributed to this story.
Middle school narrative writing made simple.
For the first few years that I taught, I hated teaching narrative writing to my middle schoolers. Writing days meant endless stress. Students were constantly calling my name. There were nonstop problems. Students hardly made progress with their narrative essays because they didn’t know what to do or were waiting on me to help them. It was terrible!
Fast forward to the present day, I look forward to narrative writing in my classroom. Writing days often mean a lot of productivity and a rather calm classroom. So, what has changed to transform my opinion on writing days?
I began using reference sheets! Throughout this blog, I’ll share how reference sheets for narrative writing are the way to a simple, productive middle school writing unit.
What is narrative writing?
Before I dive too deep into reference sheets, I want to make sure we are on the same page with narrative essays. A narrative essay can be fiction or nonfiction . Sometimes narratives are called short stories or personal narratives. Essentially, narratives are stories.
What makes narrative writing so exciting for students is the opportunity to create a detailed story. Whether the story is fiction or nonfiction, the space to add imagery, details, and imagination are huge perks for more creative students.
The downside is that many students can get lost in narratives. For some, the ability for your creativity to run wild can leave them with option paralysis. For others, they are so excited to tell their story that they leave every grammar and language rule behind.
What are reference sheets?
As I spoke about, writing used to be a chaotic experience for me (and my students). I decided I either had to clone myself to help more kids or find a way for the kids to help themselves (and since cloning wasn’t an option…). Enter the reference sheets.
A reference sheet is probably what it sounds like. They are pages of notes that students can reference for information . You can actually snag ALL my narrative writing reference pages in a cute booklet FOR FREE by clicking HERE .
The goal is that students use these reference pages when they are stuck or have questions during writing. Instead of you being the first person they get information from, the reference sheet becomes their guide. Kinda like that three before me rule.
These reference guides can have anything you want in them, but you want to stick to key, need-to-know information. For narrative essays, this might look like dialogue, writing an introduction / body / conclusion, editing, and so forth. The reference page should be easy to find and read through. It can even contain examples for students to reference and model their essay after.
How Reference Sheets Saved my Writing Unit
Before reference sheets, I could easily earn 10,000 steps walking circles around my classroom. I never actually sat down with a student for long to dig deep into their writing. Instead, I was just trying to keep students motivated to write or answer questions like, “Do I put a comma here?”
With reference sheets, my writing routine changed. Here’s what my class now looks like during narrative writing.
This type of structure on a writing day would not be possible without my students being able to help themselves and have quick access to information. It’s all thanks to a reference page. Wanna learn more about how I plan my narrative writing units? Check out my other blog post!
If you want to try out reference pages in your own classroom, I have a narrative writing reference booklet ready with all the essential information your students will need. . It will save you time and sanity on your writing days. You can check out that resource here. It includes skills such as plot, details, transitions, dialogue, and much more.
I hope you try out reference pages of your own to see the magic happen in your classroom! If you aren’t sure where to start, try the writing day schedule I wrote about above. You can tweak it for your own students.
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Welcoming environments, clear expectations, and consistent routines can help middle school students thrive from day one.
By setting up a calm and organized classroom, communicating clear requirements and predictable approaches from the start, and working with grade-level colleagues to build consistency across classes, teachers can create positive learning environments to make the transition to middle school easier for students.
To find more tips for kicking the year off right for middle school students, read Ann Gilcrease’s article for Edutopia titled “ Creating an Effective Middle School Learning Environment .”
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We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test , and we know our roles in a Turing test . And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT . We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.
In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we’ll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor and student questions. As always, defer to instructor guidelines when writing student papers. For more about guidelines and policies about student and author use of ChatGPT, see the last section of this post.
If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.
Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications , with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation.
When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.
When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).
The in-text citations and references above are adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10). Although here we focus on ChatGPT, because these guidelines are based on the software template, they can be adapted to note the use of other large language models (e.g., Bard), algorithms, and similar software.
The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:
Let’s break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):
Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.
Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.
Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.
The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.
Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.
Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat . For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage).
You may have noticed the confidence with which ChatGPT described the ideas of brain lateralization and how the brain operates, without citing any sources. I asked for a list of sources to support those claims and ChatGPT provided five references—four of which I was able to find online. The fifth does not seem to be a real article; the digital object identifier given for that reference belongs to a different article, and I was not able to find any article with the authors, date, title, and source details that ChatGPT provided. Authors using ChatGPT or similar AI tools for research should consider making this scrutiny of the primary sources a standard process. If the sources are real, accurate, and relevant, it may be better to read those original sources to learn from that research and paraphrase or quote from those articles, as applicable, than to use the model’s interpretation of them.
We’ve also received a number of other questions about ChatGPT. Should students be allowed to use it? What guidelines should instructors create for students using AI? Does using AI-generated text constitute plagiarism? Should authors who use ChatGPT credit ChatGPT or OpenAI in their byline? What are the copyright implications ?
On these questions, researchers, editors, instructors, and others are actively debating and creating parameters and guidelines. Many of you have sent us feedback, and we encourage you to continue to do so in the comments below. We will also study the policies and procedures being established by instructors, publishers, and academic institutions, with a goal of creating guidelines that reflect the many real-world applications of AI-generated text.
For questions about manuscript byline credit, plagiarism, and related ChatGPT and AI topics, the APA Style team is seeking the recommendations of APA Journals editors. APA Style guidelines based on those recommendations will be posted on this blog and on the APA Style site later this year.
Update: APA Journals has published policies on the use of generative AI in scholarly materials .
We, the APA Style team humans, appreciate your patience as we navigate these unique challenges and new ways of thinking about how authors, researchers, and students learn, write, and work with new technologies.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
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Democratic vp pick Tim Walz served for decades in the Army National Guard, serving in the U.S. and overseas.
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Middle School Narrative Writing Made Simple For the first few years that I taught, I hated teaching narrative writing to my middle schoolers. Writing days meant endless stress. Students were constantly calling my name. There were nonstop problems. Students hardly made progress with their narrative essays because they didn't know what to do or were waiting on me to help them. It was terrible!
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