| Grade 6: Writing |
|
Overall Expectations |
| •communicate ideas and information for
a variety of purposes (to inform, to persuade, to explain) and to specific
audiences (e.g., write the instructions for building an electrical circuit
for an audience unfamiliar with the technical terminology); |
| •use writing for various purposes and
in a range of contexts, including school work (e.g., to develop and clarify
ideas, to express thoughts and opinions); |
| •organize information to convey a central idea, using
well-linked paragraphs; |
| •use a variety of sentence types (e.g., questions, statements)
and sentence structures (e.g., complex sentences) appropriate for their
purposes; |
| •produce pieces of writing using a variety
of forms (e.g., newspaper articles, lyrics, summaries of information),
techniques and resources (e.g., library resources) appropriate to the
form and purpose, and materials from other media (e.g., film clips); |
| •produce media texts using writing and
materials from other media (e.g., create a web page publicizing a cycling
club); |
| •revise and edit their work in collaboration
with others, seeking and evaluating feedback, and focusing on content,
organization, and appropriateness of vocabulary for audience; |
| •proofread and correct their final drafts,
focusing on grammar, punctuation, spelling, and conventions of style; |
| •use and spell correctly the vocabulary appropriate for
this grade level; |
| •use correctly the conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation,
etc.) specified for this grade level (see below). |
|
Specific Expectations |
| The skills and knowledge inherent in the expectations
outlined below are essential for producing writing that communicates effectively.
They should be developed, as much as possible, in the context of writing
activities that are meaningful and creative and that allow students to
develop the thinking skills that underlie clear and effective writing. |
| Grammar |
| •use subordinate clauses correctly (e.g., Because she
worked very hard, she was successful); |
| •use adjective and adverb phrases correctly and effectively; |
| •use the positive, comparative, and superlative forms
of adjectives correctly (e.g., good/better/best, short/shorter/shortest); |
| •use verb tenses consistently throughout a piece of writing; |
| Punctuation |
| •use a colon before a list, between numbers in time, and
after a greeting (e.g., 6:30 a.m., Dear Sir/Madam:); |
| Spelling |
| •apply generalizations about spelling to identify exceptions
to spelling patterns (e.g., i before e); |
| •use a variety of resources (e.g., computer spell check)
to confirm spelling of common exceptions to spelling patterns; |
| Word Use and Vocabulary Building |
| •select words and expressions to create specific effects
(e.g., to distinguish speakers in dialogue); |
| •frequently introduce vocabulary from
other subject areas into their writing; |
| •use homonyms correctly; |
| Visual Presentation |
| •accurately use appropriate organizers
(e.g., table of contents, index); |
| •integrate media materials (e.g., computer
graphics) into their writing to enhance their message. |