Most Common Quiz Mistakes.....this was the easiest one....

1. Major errors in spelling and grammar (for 12th grade):

• Two qualities or characteristics the author want John Hopkins to see....
• Two qualities the author has are she is confident.

2. Incomplete/Inaccurate Answer (did not answer all parts of the question):

• Most people that did this skipped the section about why a college would want a person like this.
• Others analyzed literary elements and techniques in the writing. Nice, but not what it asked.

3. Incorrect/Incomplete RACE strategy:

• Most people that made this error skipped the explanation--they did not explain how their textual evidence supported their claim (their adjectives).
• In the future, I would recommend using your highlighters to make sure you are completing it correctly; this will only get much harder.

4. Talking during the quiz/Lack of effort or preparation:

• Some people had no notes or any idea what RACE was, nor did they take the time to look.
• Some of you read it once, proclaimed it was "too hard" and gave up. Wow, already.
• Others, for some reason or another, refused to listen to the request to be courteous---this immature behavior will not be tolerated in this room. You can't do your best work, and either can those around you. More importantly, it tells me as your teacher that you are really not concerned with my respectful request, and you do not care about your work or the rest of us. At this stage of my life, I would start being conscious of the image I project to others. End of lecture.

Here is a student sample that was done well: (color-coded for your benefit):

     Two characteristics that the author wants Johns Hopkins University to see about her is that she is determined and proud of her struggles because they have made her who she is today. The author states that it took her, "Nine years of voice therapy, nine years of learning how to project and nurture my one working vocal cord" because of being born prematurely. This would show a college that she is not willing to give up no matter what. This would help her in college because they would want someone who was determined to succeed despite the odds against them. 
      Even though she had issues, she is proud of who she has become because of them. In paragraph 7 she states, "Where we come from and how we got here makes us who we are in this moment. That’s the purpose of our story; that’s what I want others to know." This shows the readers that Jacqui is not ashamed of her problems, but instead has used them to become a stronger person. Johns Hopkins would want someone like this because everyone will most likely have a problem in life. This would tell them that when she does have a problem, it won't stop her from being successful in her classes and graduating from college. She wouldn't be ashamed to ask for help and work through it.