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Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step
MERIT SOFTWARE | Have a question? Call us toll free: (800) 753-6488 | www.meritsoftware.com
Book Punch
Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 2
Teacher Orientation to Book Punch Structure or "Anatomy of the Program"The following pages show the steps students work through to write their paragraphs.
“My Progress” across the top of the screen indicates the section on which the student is working.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 3
INTRODUCTIONIntroduces the book on which the writing prompts are based.
First students will see a series of introductory screens.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 4
TOPICStudents are given several writing prompts and are asked to choose one as the focus of their paragraph.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 5
TOPICStudents personalize Text-to-Self Topics
In the Text-to-Self writing prompts,
students are asked to enter their own
personalized subject, which will be the
topic of their paragraph.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 6
PRE-WRITINGA series of questions encourage students to brainstorm about the topic they have chosen to write about.
Tips are available if the student wants help.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 7
PRE-WRITINGThe program places students' answers in the Pre-Writing Notepad.
The program places students' answers
in the Pre-Writing Notepad.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 8
PRE-WRITINGStudents are encouraged to think about the topic and list all of their ideas.
After students have answered the pre-
writing questions they are asked if they
have more ideas to add.
The program engages advanced
students by encouraging them to add
more ideas on the topic.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 9
WRITING - OPENING SENTENCEThe program provides sample opening sentences.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 10
WRITING - OPENING SENTENCEAfter viewing sample sentences, students write an original opening sentence to introduce their paragraph.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 11
MORE PRE-WRITINGStudents look at their opening sentence together with their pre-writing items.Students are asked if they wish to list more pre-writing items to support their main idea.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 12
MORE PRE-WRITINGStudents review the pre-writing items for relevance to the opening sentence.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 13
WRITING - BODYStudents write sentences for the body of the paragraph.
The Pre-Writing Notepad reappears with
the Writing Notepad next to it. The
student's opening sentence appears in
the Writing Notepad.
Students begin the body of the
paragraph by choosing an item from the
Pre-Writing Notepad. Then they use
this item in a sentence, which is saved
in the Writing Notepad.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 14
WRITING - BODYStudents write sentences for the body of the paragraph.
Students are encouraged to write
complete sentences. The sentence
must begin with a capital letter, have
appropriate end punctuation, and
include at least two words.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 15
WRITING - BODYStudents write sentences for the body of the paragraph.
Students continue to choose items and
write several sentences to complete the
body of the paragraph.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 16
ORGANIZINGStudents decide which sentences to use and in which order.
The Writing Notepad containing the
student's sentences appears on the left
half of the screen. A Paragraph
Notepad with the student's topic
sentence is on the right half of the
screen.
Students transfer sentences from the
Writing Notepad and arrange them in
the Paragraph Notepad, deciding which
sentences to use and in which order.
All the sentences do not have to be
used, but at least four must be chosen
for the student to proceed.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 17
ORGANIZINGStudents review their work in paragraph form.
In the second step of the Organizing
section, students see their work for the
first time in paragraph form in the
Paragraph Draft Box.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 18
ORGANIZINGStudents add transitional words.
Students are encouraged to add
transitional words to help the sentences
flow smoothly from one thought to the
next. The program includes examples
of how to connect ideas in different
ways.
From this point on, students may print
their work. (The printout will show the
section of the program from which the
work was printed.)
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 19
WRITING - CLOSING SENTENCEThe program provides sample closing sentences.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 20
WRITING - CLOSING SENTENCEAfter viewing sample sentences, students write an original closing sentence to end their paragraph.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 21
REVISING - OVERVIEWStudents review their whole paragraph in the Paragraph Draft.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 22
REVISING - OVERVIEWThe program guides students in the use of the Add, Change text, Remove, or Move buttons.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 23
REVISING - OVERVIEWA series of screens asks students to check their work and suggests places to use the editing tools to make changes.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 24
OPTIONS MENUStudents are presented with optional lessons to help them improve their writing.
The Options Menu contains four
subsections: STYLE, SENTENCE
STRUCTURE, GRAMMAR AND
PROOFREADING.
Each subsection contains lessons
designed to help students improve their
writing.
The record-keeping program lets the
teacher know which subsections the
students have completed.
The Reading Check does not include
the Options Menu.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 25
STYLEStudents are encouraged to review their choice of nouns, adjectives and verbs.Examples show how changes can make paragraphs more interesting to read.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 26
SENTENCE STRUCTUREThe program reminds students about the common sentence structure problem of run-on sentences.Examples show how to correct them.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 27
GRAMMARStudents are encouraged to improve their use of commas.Examples show some of the many ways to use commas in a paragraph.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 28
PROOFREADINGThe program reminds students about the proper use of capital letters.Examples show students how to use capital letters correctly.
In the first proofreading screen, students
see their work in paragraph form in the
Paragraph Draft Box.
After reading their paragraph students
review their use of capital letters.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 29
PROOFREADINGStudents revisit their paragraph for spelling errors. Spell checking is available here as a review tool.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 30
PUBLISHINGStudents are given the opportunity to continue revising their work before publishing.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 31
PUBLISHINGStudents have a final opportunity to review their work before saving it.
The Publishing Menu has three choices:
Review:
Review the revising sections again.
Spell check:
This is a final opportunity to review
spelling.
Save:
This saves the student’s work to the
student’s online portfolio.
After students save their paragraphs the
Publishing Menu changes allowing them
to print out their completed work.
Merit Online Learning User Guide for Teachers – Book Punch Paragraph Writing Topics Step by Step page 32
PUBLISHINGAfter students save their work they are congratulated and presented with new choices in the Publishing Menu.
After the students' paragraphs are
saved, students are presented with
these options:
Print:
The student’s work appears in a
browser window for printing. Name and
date appear at the beginning of the
printout. Ther Reading Check printouts
report the student’s key point score. The
student’s Evidence and Inference
paragraphs display the topic’s pre-
writing prompts.
Word Processor:
Copies the student’s work to the
Clipboard so that it can be pasted into a
word processor document.
New Topic:
This button allows students to start a
new topic without going back to the
Learning Center.