Standard 2: Writing (Adopted 8/7/96)

Students effectively use written language for a variety of purposes and with a variety of audiences.

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8) Students know and are able to do all of the following:

Note: In developing the Essentials Level concepts, students should use the writing process, including generatin topics, drafting, revising ideas and editing, to complete effectively a variety of writing tasks. See W-F1 for the performance objectives.

W-E1.Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar and usage, along with varied sentence structure and paragraph organization, to complete effectively a variety of writing tasks

PO 1. Spell correctly

PO 2. Punctuate correctly (e.g., sentence endings, commas in a series, commas in compound sentences, abbreviations, quotation marks, colon in a business letter greeting, apostrophes)

PO 3. Apply rules of capitalization (e.g., sentence beginnings, titles, abbreviations, proper nouns, direct quotations)

PO 4. Apply standard grammar and usage (e.g., subject-verb agreement; simple, compound and complex sentences; appropriate verb tense; plurals; prepositions)

PO 5. Organize paragraphs with a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound, complex)

W-E3.Write a summary that presents information clearly and accurately, contains the most significant details and preserves the position of the author

PO 1. Use own words except for material quoted

PO 2. Preserve the author's perspective and voice

PO 3. Contain main ideas of event/article/story plus the most significant details

PO 4. Present clearly written and organized information

W-E4.Write an expository essay that contains effective introductory and summary statements and fully develops the ideas with details, facts, examples and descriptions

PO 1. Write an expository essay that begins by stating the thesis (purpose) with an effective introductory statement or paragraph; provides smooth transitions; and ends with either a paragraph concluding the development of the thesis, a summary or a clincher statement

PO 2. Use own words (except for quoted material) to develop ideas accurately and clearly with supporting details, facts, examples or descriptions

PO 3. Use personal interpretation, analysis, evaluation or reflection to evidence understanding of subject

W-E5.Write a report that conveys a point of view and develops a topic with appropriate facts, details, examples and descriptions from a variety of cited sources

PO 1. Write a report in own words (except for material quoted) that states, develops and provides a concluding statement for a point of view (perspective) about a topic that is narrow enough to be adequately covered

PO 2. Organize a report with a clear beginning, middle and end including use of smooth transitions

PO 3. Provide support through facts, details, examples or descriptions that are appropriate, directly related to the topic, and from a variety of cited sources

PO 4. Use personal interpretation, analysis, evaluation or reflection to evidence understanding of subject

W-E8.Demonstrate research skills using reference materials such as a dictionary, encyclopedia and thesaurus to complete effectively a variety of writing tasks

PO 1. Implement a research strategy that includes selecting best source for specific research purpose taking notes that summarize and paraphrase information relevant to the topic incorporating notes into a finished product

Note cards: each note card will have your name on the bottom with one fact on one side and the reference on the back. These are handwritten. These should be turned in in the order they are/were used in the paper.

The paper shall be a minimum of five pages including the title page and the bibliography. That's only three pages of text. You must include in introduction and a summary. Do not ever use the word "I" in this paper and do not say "The End" at the end.

Title Page: The title, date and author's name should be centered on the page in 14 pt. bold Times font. There should be no page number on the title page.

Body of Text: Font for the body of all papers should be12pt. Times. Page numbers should be centered at the bottom of the page in 12 pt. Times font. Double-space the body of the text.

Bibliography Page: Title should be centered 14 pt bold Times font. Should include a page number in the footer as above. References should be cited according to the Reference Guide. Double space between references. You must have a minimum of two resources from each of the categories below: internet, books, magazines and personal interviews.

How to cite an internet resource:

How to cite a book resource:

Arnheim, R. (1971). Art and visual perception. Berkeley, CA: University of

California Press.

How to cite a magazine resource:

Page, E. (1968). The use of the computer in analyzing student essays. International

Review of Education, 14, 253-263.

How to cite a personal interview with a person:

N. Archer, personal interview, October 11, 1993