Writing

(Fifth Draft - Updated 11/7/00)

7th Grade

1. The student writes clearly and effectively.

• 1.1 Focuses on a topic, constructs a logical argument, and demonstrates elaboration through relevant examples, details, facts, reasons, etc.
• 1.2 Writes in a number of genres and forms.
• 1.3 Uses effective organizational structures and constructs sequenced paragraphs using effective transitions.
• 1.4 Writes coherent paragraphs.
• 1.5 Writes analytically using basic and clear logic.
• 1.6 Discriminates between essential, intriguing, or useful information and trivia.
• 1.7 Chooses voice appropriate to different genres and audiences.
• 1.8 Uses a variety of language and sentence structures appropriate to the genres, audience, purpose, and topic.
• 1.9 Experiments with figurative language and sound patterns.
• 1.10 Varies sentence length and structure.
• 1.11 Increases spelling accuracy; uses resources to find correct spellings.
• 1.12 Understands and correctly uses parts of speech and a variety of sentence structures.
• 1.13 Increases accuracy of punctuation, capitalization usage, and conventional grammar usage.
• 1.14 Increases skill in using standard grammatical conventions.
• 1.15 Understand the concept of and avoids plagiarism.
• 1.16 Uses paragraphing, stanza division, and other textual markers (such as table of contents, title and subtitle, and bullets).
• 1.17 Writes legibly.

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

• 2.1 Writes for different audiences.
• 2.2 Writes in a variety of forms, such as: paragraph, story, letter, technical writing, poetry, journal, report.
• 2.3 Varies form, detail, and structure of writing in accordance with intended audience and purpose.
• 2.4 Writes for a variety of purposes, such as: description, information, persuasion, narration, explanation, self-expression.
  Elaborations:
  • Persuasive compositions
    • state a clear position or perspective in support of a proposition or proposal
    • describe the points in support of the proposition, employing well-articulated evidence
    • anticipate and address reader concerns and counter arguments
  • Summaries
    • include the main ideas and most significant details
    • use own words, expect for quotations
    • reflect underlying meaning, not just the superficial details
  • Expository compositions (description, explanation, comparison and contrast, problem and solution)
    • selects and narrows a topic
    • selects an organizational pattern appropriate to the purpose
    • provides evidence, examples, etc., to support or develop the topic
• 2.5 Writes for career applications.

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

Prewrites

• 3.1 Uses a variety of prewriting strategies (mapping, listing, webbing, jotting, outlining, brainstorming, free writing, etc.)
• 3.2 Uses available tools and technology, such as a simple word processor, consistently through the writing process.
• 3.3 Gathers information from a variety of sources (interviews, multimedia, periodicals, etc.).

  Drafts

• 3.4 Creates a draft, elaborating on an initial idea.
• 3.5 Coordinates ideas and perspectives.
• 3.6 Constructs a clear narrative or argument.

  Revises

• 3.7 Revises the draft, conferring with others and evaluating their suggestions, adding and deleting information as needed to enhance text and style.

  Edits

• 3.8 Edits using reference tools, correcting errors, adjusting work choice, and sentence structure, correcting conventions.

  Publishes

• 3.9 Publishes a neat, legible final product using different technologies, such as word processing and publishing programs.

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

• 4.1 Understands and applies the criteria for effective writing.
• 4.2 Assesses own strengths and needs for improvement by establishing and applying specific criteria.
• 4.3 Accepts and offers feedback with regard to concept and design, style, and convention.