1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas
  Draws pictures or scribbles to convey meaning and talks about them
  Makes attempts at writing using letters
  Participates in group writing
• Organization
  Understands that writing has a beginning and an ending
• Voice
  Understands that voice represents the personality of the writing
• Word Choice
  Copies familiar words from the environment
• Sentence fluency
  Uses literary language in dictation (e.g., "Once upon a time")
• Conventions
  Knows and can form letters (upper and lower case)
  Matches letters and sounds
  Writes top to bottom, left to right
  Writes own name

2. Writes a variety of forms for a variety of audiences and purposes

• Writes for different purposes
  Creates pictures, labels, and captions
  Narrative: to tell a story
  Expository: to inform, to explain, and to observe
• Writes in a variety of forms
  Attempts a variety of forms including: sign, note or card, alphabet book, list
  Discusses ways people use writing in their work

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Uses pictures or discussion to plan writing
  
• Drafts
  Uses own language, drawings, or symbols to create a rough draft
  
• Revises
  Dictates text
  
• Edits
  Checks for correct letter formation
  
• Publishes
  Writes legibly
  Reads writing to other

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas and content
  Chooses topics from personal experience
  Participates in shared writing
  
• Organization
  Understands and identifies beginning, middle, and end of writing
  
• Voice
  Recognizes voice as a trait of quality writing
  
• Word Choice
  Experiments with word choice from a variety of sources (e.g., word walls, words from a story)
  
• Sentence fluency
  Writes in complete sentences using basic sentence structure
  
• Conventions
  Leaves spaces between words
  Identifies and understands the purpose of ending punctuation (!,?,.)
  Uses capitals at beginnings of sentences, writes "I" using a capital
  Uses letter sounds (especially consonants) to attempt to spell unknown words
  Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Identifies different audiences for writing
  
• Writes for different purposes
  
• Writes for real-life purposes
  
• Narrative: to tell or retell a story
  
• Expository: to inform, to explain, to observe
  
• Attempts a variety of forms including: list, caption, description
  
• Writes application information (name, address, phone)

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Generates ideas orally or with pictures
  
• Drafts
  Uses own language and drawings to produce a rough draft
  
• Revises
  Rereads writing to see if it makes sense
  With support, adds to the text
  
• Edits
  Understands the purpose of editing
  Checks for correct letter formation and spaces between words
  Corrects capitals at beginning and punctuation at end of sentences
  
• Publishes
  Writes legibly
  Reads writing to others

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas and content
  Writes multiple sentences on a single topic including some details
  
• Organization
  Identifies and organizes text with beginning, middle, and end
  
• Voice
  Writes to convey personal thoughts
  
• Word Choice
  With support, is able to choose words to enhance writing
  
• Sentence fluency
  Uses basic sentence structure and varies sentence beginnings
  
• Conventions
  Uses appropriate ending punctuation (!, ?, .)
  Attempts apostrophes
  Uses capitals at beginnings of sentences, writes "I" as capital
  Uses letter sounds to attempt to spell unknown words
  Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Identifies and writes for a specific audience
  
• Writes for different purposes
  
• Narrative: to tell a story, to entertain
  
• Expository: to inform, to reflect, to observe
  
• Attempts a variety of forms including: observation log, story, letter
  
• Discusses different forms and purposes of writing people use in their work

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Generates ideas orally, with pictures, or in written form
  
• Drafts
  Uses planning ideas to produce a rough draft
  
• Revises
  Rereads writing to self or others to see if it makes sense
  With support, adds or changes to enhance writing
  
• Edits
  Corrects capitals at beginning and punctuation at end of sentences
  Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words
  
• Publishes
  Reads writing to others

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas and content
  Narrows a topic
  Understands and adds details
  
• Organization
  Writes with a clear beginning, middle, and end
  Understands that paragraphs separate ideas
  
• Voice
  Takes risks
  Attempts to avoid mundane or trite words which lack voice
  Writes with enthusiasm
  
• Word Choice
  Attempts to use unusual or hard-to-spell words
  Uses appropriate words for the audience
  
• Sentence fluency
  Writes in complete sentences
  Varies sentence length
  Experiments with combining or expanding sentences
  
• Conventions
  Uses vowels in phonetic spelling
  Spells grade-level words correctly
  Has subject-verb agreement
  Uses pronouns correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Identifies and writes for a specific audience
  
• Writes for different purposes
  
• Narrative: to tell a story
  
• Expository: to inform, to reflect, and to observe
  
• Attempts a variety of forms including: learning log, comparison, invitation

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Generates ideas and organizes them in advance of drafting
  
• Drafts
  Uses prewriting to produce a rough draft
  
• Revises
  Rereads writing to self or others to revise or clarify
  With support, adds or changes words to enhance writing
  
• Edits
  Corrects capitals, apostrophes, and ending punctuation
  Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words
  
• Publishes
  Produces final copy-edited piece of writing

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas
  Writes on topics within personal knowledge
  Writes on a variety of topics
  Adds significant details to ideas
  
• Organization
  Organizes writing in logical sequence
  Understands the purpose of transition words
  Is aware of strong leads and conclusions in literature
  
• Voice
  Recognizes voice in others' writing
  
• Word Choice
  Gives attention to interesting word choice
  
• Sentence fluency
  Uses a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound)
  
• Conventions
  Uses ending punctuation correctly
  Uses periods after abbreviations, between city and state, and in a date
  Uses mostly accurate grammar
  Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Identifies and writes for a specific audience
  
• Writes for different purposes
  
• Narrative: to entertain
  
• Expository: to reflect, to report
  
• Attempts a variety of forms including: how-to paragraph, personal letter
  
• Discusses different forms and purposes of writing people use in their work

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Generates ideas and gathers information prior to drafting
  
• Drafts
  Elaborates on a topic and gives supporting ideas
  
• Revises
  Adds more details or changes text to enhance writing
  
• Edits
  Uses resources to correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage
  Understands the purpose of editing
  Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words
  
• Publishes
  Produces a completed writing project to share with chosen audience

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas and content
  Stays on topic during an entire piece
  Elaborates in detail on one topic
  
• Organization
  Begins to use transition words accurately
  Begins to use paragraphs to separate ideas
• Voice
  Shows self through writing
  Shows knowledge and enthusiasm for topics in nonfiction
  
• Word Choice
  Considers the effects of word choice on various audiences
  Use resources (e.g., dictionaries, taxonomies) for writing
  
• Sentence fluency
  Uses a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound)
  Combines and expands sentences
  
• Conventions
  Uses commas in a series correctly
  Uses commas in compound sentences
  Attempts quotation marks in dialogue
  Uses apostrophes in possessive nouns
  Spells grade-level words correctly
  Begins cursive writing

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Identifies and writes for a specific audience
  
• Writes for different purposes
  
• Narrative: to tell a story, to entertain
  
• Expository: to learn
  
• Attempts persuasive: to convince
  
• Attempts a variety of forms including: personal narrative, journal entries, summaries, graphs

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Uses graphic organizers
  Uses library sources to gather information
  
• Drafts
  Uses own vocabulary, drawings, and ideas to create a rough draft
  Uses graphic organizers to create a rough draft
  
• Revises
  Asks questions about others writing and of own writing
  
• Edits
  Corrects some errors independently
  Corrects recurring errors in spelling of grade-level words
  
• Publishes
  Selects a publishing form and produces a completed writing project to share with chosen audience

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas and content
  Chooses own topic and represents one main idea or topic in text
  Elaborates with details to enhance or support main ideas
  Paraphrases information accurately
  Names sources when writing reports
  
• Organization
  Organizes using a variety of structures (e.g., sequential, cause and effect, comparison)
  Uses transitions and paragraphs to construct logical order
  
• Voice
  Demonstrates awareness of the audience
  Communicates own perspective and ideas
  
• Word Choice
  Uses patterns and vocabulary from literature and nonfiction
  Uses words in more than one context
  
• Sentence fluency
  Uses a variety of sentence lengths and types
  Develops an awareness of rhythm and flow of language
  
• Conventions
  Uses commas in numbers, titles, and initials; uses most grammar correctly
  Uses learned rules of punctuation and capitalization correctly even when drafting
  Spells grade-level words correctly in the final draft
  Writes legibly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Shows some awareness of audience needs
  
• Writes for different purposes including to respond to teacher's prompt
  
• Narrative: to imagine
  
• Expository: to tell about something
  
• Persuasive: to persuade
  
• Writes in a variety of forms and genres including: comparison, problem solution essay, speech, memos

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Consistently organizes and plans writing (e.g., story mapping, nonfiction mapping)
  Begins to use available technology (e.g., word processor) consistently throughout the writing process
  Uses resources in schools, libraries, and community
  
• Drafts
  Uses planning ideas to produce a rough draft
  Forms complete phrases, sentences, and thoughts
  
• Revises
  Collects input from others
  Adds or changes appropriate language and/or graphics to enhance text and style
  
• Edits
  Uses a dictionary and other references to edit errors
  Corrects common errors in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization; adds missing words
  Beginning peer editing for specific conventions
  
• Publishes
  Produces a legible and effective final product using technology when needed

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas and content
  Stays on topic for extended writing giving significant details and examples
  Gathers information from other sources and summarizes or synthesizes information
  Cites sources when writing reports or technical documents
  
• Organization
  Organizes writing in logical sequence including time, topic and details, problem and solution, etc.
  Uses transitional words correctly
  Uses introduction and conclusion in writing
  
• Voice
  Analyzes voice in others' writing
  Communicates own perspective and ideas effectively
  
• Word Choice
  Uses words appropriate to the context
  Consistently uses a wide range of words to convey precise meaning
  Is aware of figurative language and imagery in literature
  
• Sentence fluency
  Consistently uses a variety of sentence lengths and types
  Experiments with rhythm and flow of language
  
• Conventions
  Uses capitals, ending punctuation, commas, and quotation marks, and hyphens correctly in final draft
  Uses accurate grammar and writes in paragraphs
  Spells grade-level words correctly

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Writes for a variety of audiences
  
• Writes for different purposes
  
• Narrative: to describe, to tell about something
  
• Expository: to direct, to name something
  
• Persuasive: to persuade, to request
  
• Writes in a variety of forms including: poetry, directions/instructions, business letter, news articles
  
• Identifies documents one writes in a career setting

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Demonstrates a variety of planning strategies (e.g., graphic organizers, lists)
  Uses strategies to organize as well as generate ideas
  Uses school, library, and community resources (e.g., public libraries, internet connections, civic groups)
  
• Drafts
  Focuses on development of details, organization, and voice while drafting
  
• Revises
  Uses knowledge of traits to revise
  Accepts appropriate suggestions from others and collaborates with a team to revise
  
• Edits
  Uses references to edit errors; adds missing or necessary words
  Corrects punctuation, capitalization, and grammatical errors; corrects spelling of grade-level words (teacher, peer editing)
  
• Publishes
  Selects appropriate publishing form such as poster or book

1. Writes clearly and effectively

• Ideas and content
  Writes to own and assigned topic for various audiences and purposes
  Elaborates to enhance or support main ideas (e.g., descriptions, reasons)
  Selects and cites essential or useful information from multiple sources
  
• Organization
  Organizes text with a clear beginning and end
  Writes in logical sequence including problem and solution, compare and contrast, analysis and conclusion
  Uses transitions and paragraphs to construct logical order (e.g., time and sequence words, pronouns)
  
• Voice
  Experiments with multiple voices suitable to purpose and audience
  
• Word Choice
  Uses specific nouns and modifiers to convey precise meaning for the audience and purpose
  Uses some language relevant to content area (e.g., social studies, math, health)
  Experiments with figurative language and imagery (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme schemes)
  
• Sentence fluency
  Varies sentence length and structure (e.g., simple, compound, complex)
  Shows some rhythm and flow of language
  
• Conventions
  Spells correctly except for effect in final draft; uses accurate punctuation and capitalization
  Employs conventional grammar (e.g., subject/verb agreement and verb tense agreement) except for effect

2. Writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes

• Identifies and writes for a specific audience (e.g., self, principal, friends)
  
• Chooses form, details, organization, and word choice to suit audience
  
• Writes for different purposes across content areas
  
• Narrative: to create, to entertain
  
• Expository: to inform others, to explain ideas or procedures
  
• Persuasive: to convince, to request
  
• Writes in a variety of forms and genres including: essays, research reports, news articles, pamphlets, graphs, tables

3. Understands and uses the steps of the writing process

• Prewrites
  Uses a variety of strategies to generate and organize ideas (e.g., brainstorming, mapping)
  Uses available tools and technology (e.g., computer applications) throughout the writing process
  Narrows or expands a topic prior to drafting
  
• Drafts
  Elaborates on an initial idea
  Uses ideas and perspectives to produce a rough draft
  Focuses on development of details, organization, and voice while drafting
  
• Revises
  Rereads writing to self to see if it makes sense; confers with others and considers their suggestions
  Adds and deletes language to enhance text and style
  
• Edits
  Uses more than one resource to edit text (e.g., teacher, dictionary, computer, peers, style guides)
  Corrects errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization
  
• Publishes
  Selects a format for publishing (e.g., speech, poster, essay, research) appropriate for the audience
  Uses technology as part of the process