Standard (Curriculum)

Instruction and Assessment

Standard 1. The student writes clearly and effectively.

1.1 Develops concept and design
Ideas and content
* Chooses a topic and selects a focus for a specific audience and purpose
* Elaborates on details to enhance or support main ideas

* narrative (e.g., dialogue, description, details, topics, themes)
* exposition/persuasion: effectively embeds details such as descriptions, facts, examples, reasons, quotations, other sources, and logical argument into the writing

* Cites sources when writing reports or technical documents
* Synthesizes information effectively from multiple sources
* Selects essential, intriguing, or useful information from various sources

Organization
* Organizes text with an effective beginning, middle, and end; writes in logical sequence including compare and contrast, analysis and conclusion, point/counterpoint
* Writes coherent paragraphs

1.2 Uses style appropriate to the audience and purpose
Voice
* Chooses 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 some specialized vocabulary relevant to specific content (e.g., social studies, math, science)
* Experiments with figurative language, imagery, and sound patterns (e.g., simile, metaphor, meter, rhyme)

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

1.3 Applies writing conventions
* Conventions (see Expected Conventions by Grade Level)

Sentence fluency
* Writes compound and complex sentences; may use fragments for effect

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

Instructional Strategies
1.1 - 1.3
* Writing workshop approach to meet the needs of various students
* Student selection of graphic organizers used to narrow or broaden a topic
* Imitation writing
* Demonstration: citation forms for references
* Writing as Learning strategies
* Discussion: voice in published writing
* Demonstration: use of specialized vocabulary from source material
* Demonstration: use of literary devices
* Posted standards for conventions in daily work

Assessment
* Multiple samples of student writing in more than one form
* Six trait scoring
* Teacher conferences
* Developmental Stages of Writing

Standard 2. The student writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes.

2.1 Writes for different audiences
* Identifies and writes for a specific audience (e.g., self, teacher, friends, principal, pen pals, publications, business leaders, community)
* Determines, describes, and addresses different audience needs

2.2 Writes for different purposes
* Writes for different purposes across content areas

- narrative: to create, to entertain
- expository: to inform others, to create, to explain ideas or procedures, to question, to compare and contrast
- persuasive: to convince, to request

2.3 Writes in a variety of forms
* Writes in a variety of forms and genres: procedures or instructions, business letters, research reports, detailed narratives, pesuasive essays, reflective or evaluateive articles, memos, pamphlets
* Varies form, detail, and structure of writing appropriate to a specific audience and purpose

2.4 Writes for career applications
* Identifies and practices writing in particular forms used in career settings (e.g., software programs, research)
* Produces career-related documents (e.g., manuals, graphs, tables, memos, business letters, directions, news articles, research reports)
* Uses different forms to cite sources (e.g., references, footnotes, endnotes)
* Collaborates with a team to create, revise, edit, and/or evaluate writing

Instructional Strategies
2.1 - 2.4
* Read aloud examples of well-written narrative, exposition, and persuasion
* Discussion: what constitutes well-written
* Discussion: author's craft and purpose
* Discussion: matching multiple audiences, purposes, and forms
* Discussion: formal vs. informal voice
* Discussion and modeling: forms in the work place

Assessment
* Portfolios of student work
* See grade 8 course description

Standard 3. The student understands and uses the steps of the writing process.

3.1 Prewrites
* Uses strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g., clustering, free writing, extensive planning)
* Gathers information from a variety of sources (e.g., surveys, interviews, periodicals, multimedia, books, internet)
* Considers topic, audience, and purpose
* Narrows or expands a topic prior to drafting

3.2 Drafts
* Drafts independently
* Coordinates ideas and perspectives
* Considers all writing traits while drafting

3.3 Revises
* Rereads writing to self or others to see if it makes sense; confers with others to improve text; evaluates and adapts appropriate suggestions
* Focuses on ideas, organization, voice, word choice, and sentence fluency appropriate for audience and purpose
* Adds, deletes, rearranges, or substitutes appropriate language and/or graphics to enhance text and style

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

3.5 Publishes
* Selects a format for publishing (e.g., school newspaper, bulletin boards, multimedia formats, report, essay, research, presentation) appropriate for the audience and purpose
* Produces a legible and effective final product
* Selects and uses different technologies to produce an effective finished product

Instructional Strategies
3.1 Prewrite
* Students indentify organizational pattern chosen and explain the reason3.2 Draft
* Use prewriting activity to do first draft

3.2 Draft
* Use prewriting activity to do first draft

3.3 Revise
* Peer conferences
* Checklists
* Teacher conferences

3.4 Edit
* Check known words for spelling
* References
* Check paper against posted standards for conventions in daily writing
* Assist students with editing that is beyond their current knowledge

3.5 Publish
* Students select and produce an appropriate publication form for various pieces of writing
* Display work that has been revised and edited OR that has been labeled as unedited for a reason

Assessment
* Student samples
* Set and post standards for conventions in daily writing
* Score process against scoring guide

Standard 4. The student analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of written work.

4.1 Assesses own strengths and need for improvement
* Applies own criteria to improve quality of writing
* Analyzes the works of effective writers and articulates nuances that make the writing effective
* Analyzes and evaluates own writing process

4.2 Seeks and offers feedback
* Seeks feedback from others and makes changes when appropriate
* Makes responsible and sensitive responses to others' writing