School Improvement in Maryland
Writing to Inform: Grades 6 - 8

Students will demonstrate their ability to write to inform by developing and organizing facts to convey information.

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Indicator being assessed Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4 Assessment 5
Create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes effective transitions between sentences and descriptions to unify key ideas and make the message or theme clear to the reader          
Reinforce coherence within and across paragraphs          
Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations          
Improve the logic of the ideas, word choice, and transitions among paragraphs, passages, and ideas by revising writing based on given or self-generated criteria and others’ responses          
Support all statements and claims with relevant anecdotes, descriptions, facts, statistics, and/or specific information          
Write letters that address audience needs, stated purpose, and context in a clear and efficient manner, and adhere to stated purposes          
Write reports for an intended audience and purpose that conveys a clear and accurate perspective on the subject, and that supports the main ideas with facts, details, examples, and explanations          
Write essays for an intended audience and purpose that state the thesis or purpose of the paper, that follow an organizational pattern, and that offer compelling evidence in the form of facts and details to support the thesis