English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grades 6-8

Text Types and Purposes

• 1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-1

  • Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-1a

  • Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-1b

  • Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-1c

  • Establish and maintain a formal style.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-1d

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-1e

• 2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-2

  • Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-2a

  • Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-2b

  • Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-2c

  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-2d

  • Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-2e

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

    Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-2f

• 3. (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement)

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-3

Production and Distribution of Writing

• 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-4

• 5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-5

• 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-6

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• 7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-7

• 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-8

• 9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-9

Range of Writing

• 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

  Suggested tag: cc-6-8e-hst-w-10

Note

Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.