CBSE Class 8 English The Writing Process Worksheet

CBSE Class 8 English The Writing Process Drafting Worksheet

After you have decided on your topic and purpose and gathered ideas and details for writing, you can begin drafting. Drafting is writing about your topic in paragraph form.

The first paragraph of your draft should include a thesis statement, which is a sentence that presents the theme, or main point you want to make. The other paragraphs each develop a main idea related to the theme.
 

Exercise 1 Underline the thesis statement that best expresses each theme.'

Theme: the appeal of computer games

Computer games can be very expensive.

My favorite computer game is Donkey Kong.

Someday I hope to design a computer game.

Computer games involve the hand, the eye, and the mind.
 

1. Theme: the benefits of some bacteria

Some bacteria are harmful.

Many kinds of bacteria are useful to humans.

Bacteria are very tiny, single-celled organisms.

Some helpful bacteria live in the human digestive tract.
 

2. Theme: the satisfactions of volunteering at the cat shelter

Sign up at the front desk if you want to volunteer at the cat shelter.

The cat shelter is a place where you can go to adopt a cat or kitten.

I like cats because they are like miniature lions.

I like volunteering at the cat shelter because I know I’m helping animals as well as our community.
 

3. Theme: the health benefits of cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing offers fun for people of all ages.

Cross-country skiing develops the heart and lungs as well as the body.

Cross-country skiing is an extremely popular sport in Norway.

Cross-country skiing is much safer than downhill skiing.
 

4. Theme: the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet

Bicycle helmets are not suitable for motorcyclists.

Most bicycle helmets have a sleek shape to lower wind resistance.

Bicyclists who have their heads on straight always wear helmets.

Bicyclists who are safe riders always use hand signals when making turns.
 

5. Theme: the humor in a movie you saw recently

Half of the characters in the movie Bonzo Goes Bananas are apes.

Bonzo Goes Bananas is funnier than Bonzo Goes Ape.

If you like slapstick humor, you’ll love the movie Bonzo Goes Bananas.

The movie Bonzo Goes Bananas won’t appeal to everyone.
 

Exercise 2 Underline the three main ideas that support the thesis statement provided.

Thesis statement: My first trip in an airplane went smoother than I expected.
Main ideas: Airports are busy places these days.
                    I was a little nervous at first.
                    I spent the middle part of the trip studying the landscape far below.
                    The descent and landing were exciting.

1. Thesis statement: Building a bluebird house is not difficult.
Main ideas: Assemble your materials.
                    Construct the house.
                    Paint or stain the house.
                    Feed the bluebirds.

2. Thesis statement: This model is a replica of a medieval castle.
Main ideas: The design is typical of twelfth-century English castles.
                    Women in medieval society were in charge of household tasks.
                    The rooms are authentically furnished and decorated.
                    The tiny figures represent the royal family, their knights, and servants.

Each paragraph has a topic sentence which states the main idea. Other sentences in the paragraph contain details that support the main idea.
 

Exercise 1 Write three related sentences that provide details to support the topic sentence.

1. Immigrants to the United States sometimes have difficulty adjusting to their new country.

2. The Underground Railroad was a secret network that allowed slaves to travel north to freedom.

3. Sometimes a younger brother or sister can be a bother.

4. Native Americans are sometimes called the first Americans

5. A sixth grader needs to have some private time.

6. Black Studies Week is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans.

7. Students and teachers should treat one another with respect.

8. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

CBSE Class 8 English The Writing Process Editing Worksheet

After you have made a clean copy of your revised draft, you should proofread it for errors in spelling, grammar, usage, and mechanics. Check for correct subjectverb agreement, correct verb tenses, and clear pronoun references. Also check for run-on sentences and sentence fragments. Use the following proofreading marks to make corrections. If you replace words or phrases, draw a line through them and write the new words just above them.

Exercise 1 Edit each sentence for correct spelling, grammar, usage, and mechanics.

         will
What did you do tomorrow?

1. To a botanist, a tomato are a fruit.

2. You, to, can learn Japanese calligraphy.

3. The boy holding the white persian cat is my brother.

4. Nathaniel Jacob and play in the YMCA Basketball League.

5. I didn’t care for the television show, so I altered the channel.

6. My best friend be Troy.

7. Mary watched the Experiment with great interest.
8. The car I really like is the Porsche it’s very sleek.
9. Pre writing is the first stage of the writing progress.
10. Prewriting is a time for gathering writingideas.
 

Exercise 2 Edit the paragraph for correct grammar and word usage.

Last Saturday knight I went on an owl walk for the first time. February is the matingseason for Owls in this part of the state, so we herd many owls calling. If you imitate an owl’s call, some times it calls back.
 

Exercise 3 Proofread each sentence to correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization errors.

In my neighbors small orchard, you can find apples, peaches, and pears.

1. dogs seem to understand what wee say to them.

2. Ben is president of the agassiz club, our school science club.

3. Because the nightsky was so clear, we could see the constellations.

4. Do porposses swim with a sense of purpose?

5. The Great Saltlake in Utah is a beautiful place.

6. Mr. Decker’s tree farm has white pines, and blue spruce s.

7. Jean said, “Please, mother, let me get my ears peirced.

8. Autum,not spring, is my favorite season.

9. Tiffanys swaeter matches our school colors.

10. I looked for the lost key on my dresser,in the car,and in my cote pockets.

CBSE Class 8 English The Writing Process Presenting Worksheet

When you have completed a piece of writing, you may decide to present your work to others. How you will present your writing depends on the audience you selected during prewriting and the nature of the material.

An outlet for presenting your writing to a specific audience is called a market. Many different markets are available to sixth-grade students. Among these are school newspapers and classroom presentations; community groups, newspapers, and radio stations; local and national contests; and magazines that feature the work of young people. The Market Guide for Young Writers, available in many libraries, can give you some ideas for marketing your work.

To decide how to present your piece, analyze your audience; then search for an outlet that serves that audience. Some outlets, such as radio programs or speech contests, offer a chance for oral presentation. In these cases, visual aids may add to your presentation.
 

Exercise 1 Suggest an outlet or market for each piece of writing described below. 

a poem about school spirit school newspaper

1. a speech about democracy community group meeting, school assembly

2. an opinion piece about the quality of school lunches school paper

3. an essay about how the first day of spring makes you feel magazine contest, the school newspaper

4. words for a song school talent contest, sheet music publishing company

5. a set of ten tongue twisters class presentation, young writers’ magazine

6. a one-page short story school literary magazine, young writers’ magazine

7. a scary story with numerous sound effects campfire presentation, local radio program

8. a book review class presentation, local public television spot

9. an opinion piece about whether community basketball courts should be repaired local newspaper, letter to city council

10. a poem about a historical event school assembly, classroom presentation
 

Exercise 2 Suggest a visual aid that could increase the effectiveness of each presentation below.

1. a speech to a science class about the 1994 flood of the Mississippi River large map showing river before flood and flooded area

2. a profile of your school for new students photographs of different school activities and facilities

3. an original cowboy song presented at a school talent show a cowboy outfit, guitar for accompaniment

4. an oral reading of a poem that has animal characters animal masks

5. a classroom presentation about smoking among teenagers a graph showing the recent trend, illustrations or photographs of lung damage

6. an oral presentation about foods from India samples of food, photographs

7. an original speech by Sir Winston Churchill a suit like that worn by Churchill, an illustration or photograph of him

8. a report on how lawn mowers contribute to air pollution a labeled diagram of a lawn mower engine or chart showing what percentage of pollution comes from lawn mowers
 

Exercise 3 Think of an idea for a piece of writing intended for a specific audience.

Then, in a short paragraph, describe how you would present the piece.

Idea: nursery rhymes rewritten with new, humorous endings

Intended audience: students in grades 2–6

Form of presentation: The rhymes will be presented as short plays. Then the narrator will recite the poem while the actors mime their parts. The characters will carry a simple prop or wear an article of clothing that identifies them. The plays would be presented in individual classrooms at different grade levels.

Idea: ....................................

Intended audience: ...............................

Form of presentation: .............................

CBSE Class 8 English The Writing Process Prewriting Worksheet

During the prewriting stage, you plan what you will write. You choose a topic, or subject about which you will write. You can get ideas for topics in any of the following ways:

• Freewrite Write for several minutes, nonstop, about whatever comes into your mind.
• Collect information Gather facts and information from various sources.
• Make a list of events, experiences, people, or ideas that interest you.
• Ask questions Think of a question that you would like to answer.

The topic you select may cover too much information for you to use in one piece of writing. When that is the case, you continue to ask questions or group the information into related items. When the information is cut down to a more suitable size, your topic will be narrow enough to write about.
 

Exercise 1 Spend five minutes prewriting. Continue writing the entire time. Then look over your freewriting and circle any ideas that you might use as writing topics.
 

Exercise 2 For each general topic, list two narrower topics related to it that interest you.

Volunteering Why do people like to volunteer?

Volunteering at the cat shelter.

1. Dancing .................................................

..................................................................

2. Junk food .................................................

..................................................................

3. Your community .................................................

..................................................................

4. Pets .................................................

..................................................................

5. Math .................................................

..................................................................

6. Privacy .................................................

..................................................................

7. Self-confidence .................................................

..................................................................

8. Field trips .................................................

..................................................................

9. Movies .................................................

..................................................................

10. Computers .................................................

..................................................................

11. Jokes .................................................

..................................................................

12. Winter .................................................

..................................................................

During prewriting, you also choose a purpose—the goal you want to accomplish by writing about your topic. Your purpose might be to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to create a work of art, or perhaps a combination of these. Finally, you select and analyze your audience, those who will read or hear your work. Knowing your audience will help you decide what information to include and what writing style to use, such as formal or informal.
 

Exercise 1 Rewrite each word, phrase, or sentence for the audience named in parentheses.

The new rule at school really bugs me. (Rewrite for an audience of parents.) The new rule at school is very unfair.

1. Manuel hit a homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. (Rewrite for an audience who knows nothing about baseball.) Manuel scored the winning point by hitting the ball over the fence late in the game.

2. Listen up, dudes. (Rewrite as a statement to a noisy roomful of students during a class.) Listen, everyone.

3. During the 1995 annual period, the corn crop had an extremely high yield. (Rewrite as an explanation for a fellow student.) During 1995 the corn crop was plentiful.

4. No suds. No clean duds. (Rewrite as a note for someone about to go to the laundry.) Don’t forget the detergent when you wash the clothes.

5. This bread is made with 3 cups of flour, a stick of melted butter, 2 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. (Rewrite as a description for someone who does not intend to make the bread.) This bread is made with flour, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon.

6. Give the dog some drops of this medicine in his ears. (Reword as a veterinarian’s instructions to the dog’s owner. Invent any missing details.) Put three drops of the medicine in each ear once a day.

7. That cap is radical, man. (Rewrite as a statement to a teacher.) Your cap is really nice.

8. Send me some stuff about Egyptian mummies. (Rewrite for a letter to the head of the education department at a natural history museum.) Could you please send any printed information you have about Egyptian mummies?
 

Exercise 2 Write the purpose of each of the following types of writing: to inform, to persuade, to entertain, or to create a work of art. Some items may have more than one purpose.

a retelling of a funny scene from a movie to entertain, to inform

1. an account of what happens during one scene of a play to inform

2. a short story about a frog-jumping contest to entertain

3. several paragraphs in which the speaker pretends to be a speck of dust to create a work of art

4. a speech you will read to a community group about why your school needs more classrooms to persuade

5. a riddle to entertain

6. a note giving instructions on where to find a hidden object to inform

7. a review of a movie to inform, to persuade

8. a letter to a college that is sent along with an application to persuade

9. a poem about a historical event to create a work of art, to inform

10. a composition comparing funny jokes and jokes that aren’t funny to inform, to persuade

11. a report on how different animals hibernate to inform

12. an announcement in a magazine about a writing contest to inform

13. an editorial in the school paper about student safety at school to persuade

14. a newspaper article about last Friday’s basketball game to inform

15. a paragraph written for a parent explaining why the writer should get a larger allowance to persuade

16. a speech made by a candidate for mayor to persuade

CBSE Class 8 English The Writing Process Revising Worksheet

After you complete a first draft, you will want to revise, or improve your writing. Begin by looking at each individual paragraph. The topic sentence should clearly state what the paragraph is about. Each of the other sentences should support the topic sentence and work together to develop the topic in a clear, interesting way.

If you find a sentence in your paragraph that does not support the topic, either move it to a paragraph where it would make sense or do not use it at all. If your sentences fit the topic but do not flow together smoothly, try adding a transition word such as first, next, or finally.

Greta had a busy day. She played tennis all morning. She had lunch with Aunt Susan. She visited the aquarium in the afternoon, and she called me tonight. Greta had a busy day. First, she played tennis all morning. Next, she had lunch with Aunt Susan. She visited the aquarium in the afternoon, and, finally, she called me tonight.

Exercise 1 Revise the following paragraph.

The Venus flytrap is a plant that can be grown indoors. The Venus flytrap is a plant that can move fast to catch insects. If you want help catching insects in your home, you might want to get a Venus flytrap. I have a cactus. The tip of each leaf of the Venus flytrap has two pads that hinge at the base. Each pad has sensitive hairs on its surface. When an insect lands on a pad, these hairs move slightly, causing the pads to snap shut. The long “teeth” at the edges of the pad interlock to keep the insect from escaping.

If you want help catching insects in your home, you might want to get a Venus flytrap. The Venus flytrap is a plant that can move fast to catch insects. It is also a plant that can be grown indoors. The tip of each leaf has two pads that hinge at the base. Each pad has sensitive hairs on its surface. When an insect lands on a pad, these hairs move slightly, causing the pads to snap shut. The long “teeth” at the edges of the pad interlock to keep the insect from escaping.
 

Exercise 2 Write a topic sentence for this paragraph. Then revise the paragraph to support and develop the idea in your topic sentence.

This means that they do not have a backbone. Many kinds of animals are included in this category. Corals and sea anemones, which are both in the sea, have a plantlike appearance. Other invertebrates are agile predators. Some invertebrates are very simple animals that never move. A spider can dart quickly when attacking its prey. Crabs and lobsters can move quickly. Beetles, butterflies, and bees are all in this class. Invertebrates such as worms, snails, and starfish move at a slower pace. One of the largest classes is the insects. You can see from these examples there are many different kinds of invertebrates.

Most of the world’s animals are invertebrates. This means that they do not have a backbone. Many kinds of animals are included in this category. Some invertebrates are very simple animals that never move. For instance, corals and sea anemones have a plantlike appearance. However, other invertebrates are agile predators. A spider can dart quickly when attacking its prey. Crabs and lobsters can move quickly, too. Invertebrates such as worms, snails, and starfish move at a slower pace. One of the largest classes of invertebrates is the insects. Beetles, butterflies, and bees are all in this class. You can see from these examples there are many different kinds of invertebrates.

The Writing Process: Revising

Once you have revised the content of your paragraphs, you can revise the structure. The idea is to create sentences that make your paragraphs lively and interesting to read. Each sentence should flow smoothly into the next. Varying the length of your sentences can help. Rather than writing all long sentences or all short ones, try to create a balance. Divide a long sentence into two short ones to grab a reader’s attention. Combine two or three short sentences into one longer, flowing sentence by using a connecting word such as or, and, or but. Read your sentences aloud to hear how they sound. A combination of long and short sentences will form a pleasing pattern.
 

Exercise 1 Combine the short sentences into one longer sentence. Divide the longer sentences into two or three short ones.

Sue had roast beef for dinner. Sue had potatoes for dinner. Sue had roast beef and potatoes for dinner.

1. Kyle likes to play football. Kyle likes to play baseball. Kyle likes to play football and baseball.

2. We met Cindy at the park. We met Jan at the park. We met Bobby at the park. We met Cindy, Jan, and Bobby at the park.

3. The wind whistled through the trees while the young girl made her way through the deep, dark forest. The wind whistled through the trees. The young girl made her way through the deep, dark forest.

4. I tried strawberry ice cream. I like chocolate better. I tried strawberry ice cream, but I like chocolate better.

5. The first television program was fast-paced and exciting, and the second television program was slower and rather dull. The first television program was fast-paced and exciting.
The second television program was slower and rather dull
 

Exercise 2 Revise the following paragraph.

Yesterday my class visited the new zoo, and I found it far more interesting than the old zoo because of the way the animals are kept. There are no old-fashioned cages with bars. Instead, natural-looking areas with fences prevent the animals and visitors from getting hurt. You would not believe how many animals live in this zoo! I saw elephants. I saw eels. I saw cute baby koala bears. The zoo director explained how each kind of animal lives in the wild. The zoo director explained how her staff has tried to reproduce those conditions within the zoo. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and I hope to go back soon.

Yesterday my class visited the new zoo. I found it more interesting than the old zoo because of the way the animals are kept. Instead of the old-fashioned cages with bars, fences surround natural-looking areas and prevent animals and visitors from getting hurt. You would not believe how many animals live in this zoo! I saw elephants, eels, and cute baby koala bears. The zoo director explained how each kind of animal lives in the wild and how her staff has tried to reproduce those conditions within the zoo. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I hope to go back soon.