Developmental Stages of Writing K-8

The developmental stages of writing have been coordinated with state frameworks for writing, conventions by grade level, standards, and other instructional documents.

Overview of Developmental Stages of Writing

Writing - Stage A (grade K)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas
Draws pictures or scribbles to convey meaning and talks about them
Makes attempts at writing using letters
Participates in group writing

Organization
Understands that writing has a beginning and an ending

Voice
Understands that voice represents the personality of the writing

Word Choice
Copies familiar words from the environment

Sentence fluency
Uses literary language in dictation (e.g., "Once upon a time")

Conventions
Knows and can form letters (upper and lower case)
Matches letters and sounds
Writes top to bottom, left to right
Writes own name

2. Writes a variety of forms for a variety of audiences and purposes

Writes for different purposes
Creates pictures, labels, and captions
Narrative: to tell a story
Expository: to inform, to explain, to observe

Writes in a variety of forms
Attempts a variety of forms including: sign, note or card, alphabet book, list
Discusses ways people use writing in their work

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Uses pictures or discussion to plan writing

Drafts
Uses own language, drawings, or symbols to create a rough draft

Revises
Dictates text

Edits
Checks for correct letter formation

Publishes
Writes legibly
Reads writing to others

Writing - Stage B (grades K-1)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Chooses topics from personal experience
Participates in shared writing

Organization
Understands and identifies beginning, middle, and end of writing

Voice
Recognizes voice as a trait of quality writing

Word Choice
Experiments with word choice from a variety of sources (e.g., word walls, words from a story)

Sentence fluency
Writes in complete sentences using basic sentence structure

Conventions
Leaves spaces between words
Identifies and understands the purpose of ending punctuation (!,?,.)
Uses capitals at beginnings of sentences, writes "I" using a capital
Uses letter sounds (especially consonants) to attempt to spell unknown words
Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Identifies different audiences for writing
Writes for different purposes

Writes for real-life purposes
Narrative: to tell or retell a story
Expository: to inform, to explain, to observe

Attempts a variety of forms including: list, caption, description
Writes application information (name, address, phone)

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Generates ideas orally or with pictures

Drafts
Uses own language and drawings to produce a rough draft

Revises
Rereads writing to see if it makes sense
With support, adds to the text

Edits
Understands the purpose of editing
Checks for correct letter formation and spaces between words
Corrects capitals at beginning and punctuation at end of sentences

Publishes
Writes legibly
Reads writing to others

Writing - Stage C (grades 1-2)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Writes multiple sentences on a single topic including some details

Organization
Identifies and organizes text with beginning, middle, and end

Voice
Writes to convey personal thoughts

Word Choice
With support, is able to choose words to enhance writing

Sentence fluency
Uses basic sentence structure and varies sentence beginnings

Conventions
Uses appropriate ending punctuation (!, ?, .)
Attempts apostrophes
Uses capitals at beginnings of sentences, writes "I" as capital
Uses letter sounds to attempt to spell unknown words
Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Identifies and writes for a specific audience

Writes for different purposes
Narrative: to tell a story, to entertain
Expository: to inform, to reflect, to observe

Attempts a variety of forms including: observation log, story, letter
Discusses different forms and purposes of writing people use in their work

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Generates ideas orally, with pictures, or in written form

Drafts
Uses planning ideas to produce a rough draft

Revises
Rereads writing to self or others to see if it makes sense
With support, adds or changes to enhance writing

Edits
Corrects capitals at beginning and punctuation at end of sentences
Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words

Publishes
Reads writing to others

Writing - Stage D (grade 2)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Narrows a topic
Understands and adds details

Organization
Writes with a clear beginning, middle, and end
Understands that paragraphs separate ideas

Voice
Takes risks
Attempts to avoid mundane or trite words which lack voice
Writes with enthusiasm

Word Choice
Attempts to use unusual or hard-to-spell words
Uses appropriate words for the audience

Sentence fluency
Writes in complete sentences
Varies sentence length
Experiments with combining or expanding sentences

Conventions
Uses vowels in phonetic spelling
Spells grade-level words correctly
Has subject-verb agreement
Uses pronouns correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Identifies and writes for a specific audience

Writes for different purposes
Narrative: to tell a story
Expository: to inform, to reflect, and to observe

Attempts a variety of forms including: learning log, comparison, invitation

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Generates ideas and organizes them in advance of drafting

Drafts
Uses prewriting to produce a rough draft

Revises
Rereads writing to self or others to revise or clarify
With support, adds or changes words to enhance writing

Edits
Corrects capitals, apostrophes, and ending punctuation
Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words

Publishes
Produces final copy - edited piece of writing

Writing - Stage E (grades 2-3)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas
Writes on topics within personal knowledge
Writes on a variety of topics
Adds significant details to ideas

Organization
Organizes writing in logical sequence
Understands the purpose of transition words
Is aware of strong leads and conclusions in literature

Voice
Recognizes voice in others' writing

Word Choice
Gives attention to interesting word choice

Sentence fluency
Uses a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound)

Conventions
Uses ending punctuation correctly
Uses periods after abbreviations, between city and state, and in a date
Uses mostly accurate grammar
Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Identifies and writes for a specific audience

Writes for different purposes
Narrative: to entertain
Expository: to reflect, to report

Attempts a variety of forms including: how-to paragraph, personal letter
Discusses different forms and purposes of writing people use in their work

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Generates ideas and gathers information prior to drafting

Drafts
Elaborates on a topic and gives supporting ideas

Revises
Adds more details or changes text to enhance writing

Edits
Uses resources to correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage
Understands the purpose of editing
Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words

Publishes
Produces a completed writing project to share with chosen audience

Writing - Stage F (grade 3)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Stays on topic during an entire piece
Elaborates in detail on one topic

Organization
Begins to use transition words accurately
Begins to use paragraphs to separate ideas

Voice
Shows self through writing
Shows knowledge and enthusiasm for topics in nonfiction

Word Choice
Considers the effects of word choice on various audiences
Use resources (e.g., dictionaries, taxonomies) for writing

Sentence fluency
Uses a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound)
Combines and expands sentences

Conventions
Uses commas in a series correctly
Uses commas in compound sentences
Attempts quotation marks in dialogue
Uses apostrophes in possessive nouns
Spells grade-level words correctly
Begins cursive writing

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Identifies and writes for a specific audience

Writes for different purposes
Narrative: to tell a story, to entertain
Expository: to learn
Attempts persuasive: to convince

Attempts a variety of forms including: personal narrative, journal entries, summaries, graphs

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Uses graphic organizers
Uses library sources to gather informaion

Drafts
Uses own vocabulary, drawings, and ideas to create a rough draft
Uses graphic organizers to create a rough draft

Revises
Asks questions about others writing and of own writing

Edits
Corrects some errors independently
Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words

Publishes
Selects a publishing form and produces a completed writing project to share with chosen audience

Writing - Stage G (grade 4)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Chooses own topic and represents one main idea or topic in text
Elaborates with details to enhance or support main ideas
Paraphrases information accurately
Names sources when writing reports

Organization
Organizes using a variety of structures (e.g., sequential, cause and effect, comparison)
Uses transitions and paragraphs to construct logical order

Voice
Demonstrates awareness of the audience
Communicates own perspective and ideas

Word Choice
Uses patterns and vocabulary from literature and nonfiction
Uses words in more than one context

Sentence fluency
Uses a variety of sentence lengths and types
Develops an awareness of rhythm and flow of language

Conventions
Uses commas in numbers, titles, and initials; uses most grammar correctly
Uses learned rules of punctuation and capitalization correctly even when drafting
Spells grade-level words correctly in the final draft
Writes legibly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Shows some awareness of audience needs

Writes for different purposes including to respond to teacher's prompt
Narrative: to imagine
Expository: to tell about something
Persuasive: to persuade

Writes in a variety of forms and genres including: comparison, problem solution essay, speech, memos

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Consistently organizes and plans writing (e.g., story mapping, nonfiction mapping)
Begins to use available technology (e.g., word processor) consistently throughout the writing process
Uses resources in schools, libraries, and community

Drafts
Uses planning ideas to produce a rough draft
Forms complete phrases, sentences, and thoughts

Revises
Collects input from others
Adds or changes appropriate language and/or graphics to enhance text and style

Edits
Uses a dictionary and other references to edit errors
Corrects common errors in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization; adds missing words
Beginning peer editing for specific conventions

Publishes
Produces a legible and effective final product using technology when needed

Writing - Stage H (grade 5)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Stays on topic for extended writing giving significant details and examples
Gathers information from other sources and summarizes or synthesizes information
Cites sources when writing reports or technical documents

Organization
Organizes writing in logical sequence including time, topic and details, problem and solution, etc.
Uses transitional words correctly
Uses introduction and conclusion in writing

Voice
Analyzes voice in others' writing
Communicates own perspective and ideas effectively

Word Choice
Uses words appropriate to the context
Consistently uses a wide range of words to convey precise meaning
Is aware of figurative language and imagery in literature

Sentence fluency
Consistently uses a variety of sentence lengths and types
Experiments with rhythm and flow of language

Conventions
Uses capitals, ending punctuation, commas, and quotation marks, and hyphens correctly in final draft
Uses accurate grammar and writes in paragraphs
Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Writes for a variety of audiences

Writes for different purposes
Narrative: to describe, to tell about something
Expository: to direct, to name something
Persuasive: to persuade, to request

Writes in a variety of forms including: poetry, directions/instructions, business letter, news articles
Identifies documents one writes in a career setting

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Demonstrates a variety of planning strategies (e.g., graphic organizers, lists)
Uses strategies to organize as well as generate ideas
Uses school, library, and community resources (e.g., public libraries, internet connections, civic groups)

Drafts
Focuses on development of details, organization, and voice while drafting

Revises
Uses knowledge of traits to revise
Accepts appropriate suggestions from others and collaborates with a team to revise

Edits
Uses references to edit errors; adds missing or necessary words
Corrects punctuation, capitalization, and grammatical errors; corrects spelling of grade-level words (teacher, peer editing)

Publishes
Selects appropriate publishing form such as poster or book

Writing - Stage I (grade 6)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Writes to own and assigned topic for various audiences and purposes
Elaborates to enhance or support main ideas (e.g., descriptions, reasons)
Selects and cites essential or useful information from multiple sources

Organization
Organizes text with a clear beginning and end
Writes in logical sequence including problem and solution, compare and contrast, analysis and conclusion
Uses transitions and paragraphs to construct logical order (e.g., time and sequence words, pronouns)

Voice
Experiments with multiple voices suitable to purpose and audience

Word Choice
Uses specific nouns and modifiers to convey precise meaning for the audience and purpose
Uses some language relevant to content area (e.g., social studies, math, health)
Experiments with figurative language and imagery (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme schemes)

Sentence fluency
Varies sentence length and structure (e.g., simple, compound, complex)
Shows some rhythm and flow of language

Conventions
Spells correctly except for effect in final draft; uses accurate punctuation and capitalization
Employs conventional grammar (e.g., subject/verb agreement and verb tense agreement) except for effect

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Identifies and writes for a specific audience (e.g., self, principal, friends)

Chooses form, details, organization, and word choice to suit audience

Writes for different purposes across content areas
Narrative: to create, to entertain
Expository: to inform others, to explain ideas or procedures
Persuasive: to convince, to request

Writes in a variety of forms and genres including: essays, research reports, news articles, pamphlets, graphs, tables

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Uses a variety of strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g., brainstorming, mapping)
Uses available tools and technology (e.g., computer applications) throughout the writing process
Narrows or expands a topic prior to drafting

Drafts
Elaborates on an initial idea
Uses ideas and perspectives to produce a rough draft
Focuses on development of details, organization, and voice while drafting

Revises
Rereads writing to self to see if it makes sense; confers with others and considers their suggestions
Adds and deletes language to enhance text and style

Edits
Uses more than one resource to edit text (e.g., teacher, dictionary, computer, peers, style guides)
Corrects errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization

Publishes
Selects a format for publishing (e.g., speech, poster, essay, research) appropriate for the audience
Uses technology as part of the process

Writing - Stage J (grade 7)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Demonstrates consistent focus; constructs a logical argument
Elaborates to enhance or support main ideas (e.g., facts, examples)
Synthesizes and cites information effectively
Discriminates between essential, intriguing, or useful information and trivia

Organization
Uses effective organizational structures; constructs sequenced paragraphs using effective transitions
Writes analytically using basic and clear logic

Voice
Selects voices appropriate to different genres and audiences

Word Choice
Uses strong verbs to convey precise meaning well-suited to the topic and audience
Develops and uses accurate and precise language relevant to content area
Expands use of figurative language and sound patterns

Sentence fluency
Varies sentence length appropriate to purpose and audience
Demonstrates rhythm and flow of language

Conventions
Spells correctly except for effect in final draft
Applies capitalization and punctuation rules correctly
Uses psrargraphs and other text features (e.g., title, subtitle)

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Writes for distant audiences (e.g., business leaders and community members)

Writes for a range of purposes across content areas
Narrative: to express him/herself, to creat
Expository: to inform, to question
Persuasive: to debate

Writes in a variety of forms and genres including: poems, memos, pamphlets, graphs, demographic tables

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Uses a variety of strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g., brainstorming, mapping)
Uses available tools and technology (e.g., computer applications) throughout the writing process
Narrows or expands a topic prior to drafting

Drafts
Elaborates on an initial idea
Uses ideas and perspectives to produce a rough draft
Focuses on development of details, organization, and voice while drafting

Revises
Rereads writing to self to see if it makes sense; confers with others and considers their suggestions
Adds and deletes language to enhance text and style

Edits
Uses more than one resource to edit text (e.g., teacher, dictionary, computer, peers, style guides)
Corrects errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization

Publishes
Selects a format for publishing (e.g., speeck, poster, essay, research) appropriate for the audience
Uses technology as part of the process

Writing - Stage K (grade 8)

1. Writes clearly and effectively

Ideas and content
Chooses a topic and selects a focus for a specific audience and purpose
Elaborates to enhance or support main ideas (e.g., dialogue, quotations, other sources)
Effectively embeds details (e.g., facts, quotations, logical argument) in the writing
SElects essential, intriguing, or useful information from various sources

Organization
Organizes text with an effective beginning, middle, and end
Writes in logical sequence including analysis and conclusion, point/counterpoint

Voice
Selects and uses the appropriate voice for different purposes and audiences

Word Choice
Chooses language that is precise, engaging, and well-suited to the topic, audience, and purpose
Uses accurate and precise specialized vocabulary relevant to specific content (e.g., math, science)
Uses some figurative language and sound patterns

Sentence fluency
Writes compound and complex sentences; may use fragments for effect
Demonstrates sophisticated use of rhythm and flow of language

Conventions
Spells correctly except for effect in final draft
Uses correct punctuation / capitalization and conventional grammar except for effect
Uses paragraphing, stanza division, and other textual markers (e.g., headings, bullets)

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

Identifies and writes for a specific audience (e.g., businesses, publications)
Determines, describes, and addresses different audience needs
Writes for different purposes across content areas (narrative, expository, persuasive)
Writes in a variety of forms and genres (e.g., procedures, business letters, reflective or evaluative articles)

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

Prewrites
Uses strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g., mapping, extensive planning)
Gathers information from a variety of sources (e.g., surveys, interviews, multimedia, books, internet)

Drafts
Drafts independently
Coordinates idas and perspectives and takes variables into account

Revises
Rereads writing to see if it makes sense; confers with others to improve text; adapts suggestions
Adds, deletes, rearranges, or substitutes appropriate language and/or graphics to enhance text and style

Edits
Uses different forms to cite sources (e.g., references, footnotes, endnotes)
Uses more than one resource to edit text (e.g., dictionary, computer, other technology, peers, style guides)
Corrects errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization independently

Publishes
Selects a format for publishing (e.g., multimedia formats, essay, research presentation) appropriate for the audience and purpose
Produces a legible and effective final product using a variety of technologies to enhance presentation