Rubrics: Students will always be given a writing rubric to use while preparing a project or writing assignment. In order to earn the highest score, it is important that your child complete all of the requirements on the rubric for each assignment. Partial completion of a section on the rubric earns a lower score. The section scores are added together to determine the overall writing score. We will be spending time in class teaching the students how to use rubrics, but many fifth grade writers benefit from reinforcement at home with this as well. A larger percentage of the ELA grade on the report card will come from writing in fifth grade. Research shows that students become good readers before they become good writers. If you see a drop in your child's ELA grade despite being a good reader, it is usually related to weaker writing skills initially. You can help with this at home. Wide reading from many genres will help your child learn how to construct text in writing. Paying attention to how authors write introductions and conclusions helps your child gain ideas for writing their own introductions and conclusions. We use books as mentor texts for writing. We will be discussing these kinds of things each time we read together during class.
Writing Strategies
Why did the author write this? Deciding is as easy as PIE. Think about your audience and your purpose for writing, and choose an appropriate strategy for your writing.
Steps in the Writing Process:
Strategy Examples
RSTQ
Cite Text Evidence
Plagiarism: - Paraphrase the Text IN YOUR OWN WORDS to Avoid Plagiarism _ Cite Text Evidence Properly to Avoid Plagiarism - Cite the Source of Your Quote - Use Quotation Marks to Cite Direct Quotes - Use Sentence Starters (See Above) for Both Direct and Indirect Quotes - Plagiarism is a Form of Cheating in Middle School and a Student's Grade Will Reflect That