*Grade 5 Writing Standards

Writing Processes

Prewriting

  1. Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas.

  2. Conduct background reading, interviews or surveys when appropriate.

  3. State and develop a clear main idea for writing.

  4. Determine a purpose and audience.

  5. Use organizational strategies (e.g., rough outlines, diagrams, maps, webs and Venn diagrams) to plan writing.
 

Drafting,
Revising
and Editing

  6. Organize writing, beginning with an introduction, body and a resolution of plot, followed by a closing statement or a summary of important ideas and details.

  7. Vary simple, compound and complex sentence structures.

  8. Group related ideas into paragraphs, including topic sentences following paragraph form, and maintain a consistent focus across paragraphs.

  9. Vary language and style as appropriate to audience and purpose.

10. Use available technology to compose text.

11. Reread and assess writing for clarity, using a variety of methods (e.g., writer’s circle or author’s chair).

 12. Add and delete information and details to better elaborate on a stated central idea and to more effectively accomplish purpose.

 13. Rearrange words, sentences and paragraphs, and add transitional words and phrases to clarify meaning.

 14. Use resources and reference materials (e.g., dictionaries and thesauruses) to select more effective vocabulary.

 15. Proofread writing, edit to improve conventions, (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization), and identify and correct fragments and run-ons.

 16. Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

Publishing

 17. Prepare for publication (e.g., for display or for sharing with others), writing that follows a format appropriate to the purpose, using techniques such as electronic resources and graphics to enhance the final product.

Writing Applications

1. Write narratives with a consistent point of view, using sensory details and dialogue to develop characters and setting.
    
2. Write responses to novels, stories and poems that organize an interpretation around several clear ideas, and justify the interpretation through the use of examples and specific textual evidence.
    
3. Write letters that state the purpose, make requests or give compliments and use business letter format.
    
4. Write informational essays or reports, including research, that organize information with a clear introduction, body and conclusion following common expository structures when appropriate (e.g., cause-effect, comparison-contrast) and include facts, details and examples to illustrate important ideas.
    
5. Produce informal writings (e.g., journals, notes and poems) for various purposes.

Writing Conventions

Spelling

    1.   Spell high-frequency words correctly.

    2.   Spell contractions correctly.

    3.   Spell roots, suffixes and prefixes correctly.
 

Punctuation and Capitalization

    5.   Use correct capitalization.
 

Grammar and Usage

  6.  Use various parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns and verbs (regular and irregular).

  7.  Use prepositions and prepositional phrases.

  8.  Use adverbs.

  9.  Use objective and nominative case pronouns.

10.   Use indefinite and relative pronouns.

11.   Use conjunctions and interjections.
 

Research

1. Generate a topic, assigned or personal interest, and open-ended questions for research and develop a plan for gathering information.
    
2. Locate sources and gather relevant information from multiple sources (e.g., school library catalogs, online databases, electronic resources and Internet-based resources).
    
3. Identify important information found in sources and paraphrase the findings in a systematic way (e.g., notes, outlines, charts, tables or graphic organizers).
    
4. Compare and contrast important findings and select sources to support central ideas, concepts and themes.
    
5. Define plagiarism and acknowledge sources of information.
    
6. Use a variety of communication techniques, including oral, visual, written or multimedia reports, to present information gathered.

Communication: Oral and Visual

Listening and Viewing

1.   Demonstrate active listening strategies (e.g., asking focused questions, responding to cues, making visual contact).

2.   Interpret the main idea and draw conclusions from oral presentations and visual media.

3.   Identify the speaker’s purpose in presentations and visual media (e.g., to inform, to entertain, to persuade).

 Speaking Skills and Strategies

4.   Discuss how facts and opinions are used to shape the opinions of listeners and viewers.

5.   Demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language and select language appropriate to purpose and audience.

6.   Use clear diction, pitch, tempo and tone, and adjust volume and tempo to stress important ideas.

7.   Adjust speaking content according to the needs of the situation, setting and audience.

Speaking

Applications

8.   Deliver informational presentations (e.g., expository, research) that:

a. demonstrate an understanding of the topic and present events or ideas in a logical sequence;

b. support the main idea with relevant facts, details, examples, quotations, statistics, stories and anecdotes;

c. organize information, including a clear introduction, body and conclusion and follow common organizational structures when appropriate (e.g., cause-effect, compare-contrast);

d. use appropriate visual materials (e.g., diagrams, charts, illustrations) and available technology; and

e. draw from several sources and identify sources used.

9.   Deliver formal and informal descriptive presentations recalling an event or personal experience that convey relevant information and descriptive details.

10. Deliver persuasive presentations that:

a. establish a clear position;

b. include relevant evidence to support a position and to address potential concerns of listeners; and

c. follow common organizational structures when appropriate (e.g., cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution).