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STANDARD 3.2 (WRITING) ALL STUDENTS WILL WRITE IN CLEAR, CONCISE, ORGANIZED LANGUAGE THAT VARIES IN CONTENT AND FORM FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES AND PURPOSES.
Descriptive Statement: Writing is a complex process that begins with the recording of one’s thoughts. It is used for composition, communication, expression, learning, and engaging the reader. Proficient writers use a repertoire of strategies that enables them to vary form, style, and conventions in order to write for different purposes, audiences, and contexts. Students should have multiple opportunities to craft and practice writing, to generate ideas, and to refine, evaluate, and publish their writing. In a successful writing program, students develop and demonstrate fluency in all phases of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing of multiple drafts, and postwriting processes that include publishing, presenting, evaluating, and/or performing.
Students should be helped to understand the recursive nature and shifting perspectives of the writing process, in moving from the role of writer to the role of reader and back again. It is important for students to understand that writers write, then plan and revise, and then write again. They will learn to appreciate writing not only as a product, but also as a process and mode of thinking and communicating. "By the mysterious alchemy of the written word, we range over time and space, expanding our experiences, enriching our souls, and ultimately becoming more fully, more consciously human" (Keene, 1999). Students should recognize that what they hear, speak, read, and view contributes to the content and quality of their writing.
Cumulative Progress Indicators
Building upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 6, students will:
A. Writing as a Process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, postwriting) 1. Write informational compositions of several paragraphs that engage the interest of the reader, state a clear purpose, develop the topic, and conclude with a detailed summary. 3. Expand knowledge about form, structure, and voice in a variety of genres. 5. Draft writing in a selected genre with supporting structure and appropriate voice according to the intended message, audience, and purpose for writing. 6. Make decisions about the use of precise language, including adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and specific details, and justify the choices made. 8. Review own writing with others to understand the reader’s perspective and to consider and incorporate ideas for revision. 9. Review and edit work for spelling, usage, clarity, organization, and fluency. 10. Use a variety of reference materials to revise work. 11. Use computer writing applications during the writing process. 12. Understand and apply the elements of a scoring rubric to improve and evaluate writing. 13. Reflect on own writing, noting strengths and setting goals for improvement.
B. Writing as a Product (resulting in a formal product or publication) 1. Expand knowledge of characteristics, structures, and tone of selected genres. 2. Write a range of grade appropriate essays across curricula (e.g., persuasive, personal, descriptive, issue- based) 3. Write grade appropriate, multi-paragraph expository pieces across curricula (e.g., problem/solution, cause/effect, hypothesis/results, feature articles, critique, research reports). 4. Write various types of prose, such as short stories, biography, autobiography, or memoir that contain narrative elements. 5. Support main idea, topic, or theme with facts, examples, or explanations, including information from multiple sources. 6. Sharpen focus and improve coherence by considering the relevancy of included details, and adding, deleting, and rearranging appropriately. 7. Write sentences of varying length and complexity, using specific nouns, verbs, and descriptive words. 8. Prepare a works consulted page for reports or research papers. 9. Provide logical sequence throughout multi-paragraph works by refining organizational structure and developing transitions between ideas. 10. Engage the reader from beginning to end with an interesting opening, logical sequence, and satisfying conclusion.
C. Mechanics, Spelling, and Handwriting 1. Use Standard English conventions in all writing, such as sentence structure, grammar and usage, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, handwriting. 3. Use knowledge of English grammar and usage to express ideas effectively. 4. Use correct capitalization and punctuation, including commas and colons, throughout writing. 5. Use quotation marks and related punctuation correctly in passages of dialogue. 6. Use knowledge of roots, prefixes, suffixes, and English spelling patterns to spell words correctly in writing. 7. Demonstrate understanding of reasons for paragraphs in narrative and expository writing and indent appropriately in own writing. 8. Edit writing for correct grammar usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. 9. Use a variety of materials, such as a dictionary, grammar reference, and/or internet/software resources to edit written work. 10. Write legibly in manuscript or cursive to meet district standards.
D. Writing Forms, Audiences, and Purposes (exploring a variety of forms) 2. Gather, select, and organize information appropriate to a topic, task, and audience. 3. Develop and use knowledge of a variety of genres, including expository, narrative, persuasive, poetry, critiques, and everyday/ workplace writing. 4. Organize a response that develops insight into literature by exploring personal reactions, connecting to personal experiences, and referring to the text through sustained use of examples. 6. Use narrative techniques (e.g., dialogue, specific actions of characters, sensory description, and expression of thoughts and feelings of characters). 7. Write reports based on research with a scope narrow enough to be thoroughly covered, supporting the main ideas or topic with facts, examples, and explanations from authoritative sources, and including a works consulted page. 8. Write persuasive essays with clearly stated positions or opinions supported by organized and relevant evidence to validate arguments and conclusions, and sources cited when needed. 9. Demonstrate the ability to write business letters in correct format and coherent style. 10. Use a variety of strategies to organize writing, including sequence, chronology, cause/effect, problem/solution, and order of importance. 11. Demonstrate higher-order thinking skills and writing clarity when answering open-ended and essay questions in content areas or as responses to literature. 12. Use relevant graphics in writing (e.g., maps, charts, illustrations, graphs, photographs). 13. Demonstrate the development of a personal style and voice in writing. 14. Review scoring criteria of relevant rubrics. 15. Develop a collection of writings (e.g., a literacy folder or a literacy portfolio).
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