Why Creative Writing Still Has a Place in My Classroom

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The earliest piece of writing I can remember producing was a story, written in phonetic spelling on small pieces of scrap paper stapled together. Mimicking as best I could a “real” picture book, I called it Yuc, Yuc, u Slug , and it was based on an experience I’d had the day before, when my best friend and I turned over a large rock and found beneath it ... a frightful slug! This must have been in late kindergarten or early 1st grade, as my writing development closely mirrored my reading development.

Throughout my childhood, I wrote many stories and poems, and in all of them, I can see the combined influence of the reading I did and my own lived experiences. The same is true for many of my students today. In an activity toward the beginning of the school year, I ask them to tell me about their reading and writing histories and often hear the fond memories they have of the early stories they’ve written. Some even bring those stories into class and reminisce about the fun they had writing them.

As students progress through school, though, it seems that their reading and writing experiences become increasingly lopsided: They continue to read works of fiction and poetry, but they must make a dramatic shift away from the imaginative writing of their childhoods toward analytical paragraphs and essays. The Common Core State Standards have compounded this effect by emphasizing analytical writing at much earlier ages, while not explicitly requiring fiction or poetry writing at any age. I know kindergarten teachers who now prompt students to answer questions about an author’s choices during story time, and creative writing is taking even more of a back seat in many language arts classrooms.

This is a mistake for many reasons, but especially if we want students to read more critically.

Imagine you’re taking a ride in the back seat of someone’s car and you’re asked to offer a critique of their driving. Now imagine you have very limited experience as a driver yourself. You might be able to describe how the ride feels to you—bumps, turns, acceleration, sudden stops—and perhaps formulate some opinion about the driver based on these feelings. But you wouldn’t be able to analyze what the driver is doing (or not doing) to create the effect you feel as a passenger. When the driver shifts into low gear to go up a hill in the rain, for example, you probably wouldn’t notice—and even if you did, you’d find it difficult to understand why this was an effective choice without having experience with the particular problem the driver is addressing.

When we ask students to be critics of literary works without giving them consistent, relevant experience writing literary pieces themselves, we put students at a similarly awkward disadvantage.

Rewriting the Script

Literary analysis is something kids can do in a meaningful way under the right conditions. Authentic reading of whole novels and other texts is one condition I advocate strongly. Increasingly, I’ve come to believe that another essential condition for students to analyze and critique writers’ moves is the chance to be in the driver’s seat as literary artists themselves.

Here is one example of how students’ fiction writing propels critical thinking in my classroom:

It was March, and my 8th grade students had finished reading My Heartbeat , a young-adult novel by Garret Freymann-Weyr. While half the class discussed the book, I had the other half work independently on a creative-writing assignment: They had to put themselves in the role of author and write one scene in which they alter an element of the novel. The choices included adding a character, shifting the point of view, changing the setting, giving a “boring” scene “a makeover,” or—the most popular option—killing a character. The creative but focused nature of the task easily captured everyone’s interest, and students of all levels dug in with excitement.

After several days, we came together as a whole class to share the writing. I asked students to read aloud from their writing without introduction or explanation and I asked listeners to take some notes on each reading. The prompts for ensuing discussion were:

1. Based on what you heard, what did the student choose to do differently from the original author?

2. What literary techniques or elements stand out to you in this piece?

We brainstormed and recorded a menu of techniques as a starting place for discussing the second question, including things like dialogue, descriptive language, interior monologue, and foreshadowing. Some we had practiced in previous fiction-writing assignments; others we only discussed as readers. We added to the menu throughout the readings.

The scenes were a lot of fun to hear. Every student approached the assignment differently, and the concept of the role of the “author” was suddenly very tangible for everyone. It’s often challenging for students to remember there is a real person with a real life behind a novel or any text, using his or her imagination and making decisions. Reading fiction is such a powerful virtual experience that kids tend to interact with it as if it were an extension of their own lives, rather than the creative production of a stranger. For young children, the distinction isn’t very important: A story should simply be enjoyed! But as we help students become critics, that distinction becomes essential. In this case, the authors were simply the classmates sitting right in front of us.

Literary Devices

When students share their writing like this, endless opportunities arise to discuss the choices of each writer and their impact. Jonathon, for example, changed the contemporary setting of the novel to 1894. In the novel, the narrator’s brother, Link, is struggling to come to terms with his sexual orientation. Here is an excerpt from Jonathon’s scene:

“I’m not gay,” Link said. “James is.” My heart dropped. I suddenly began to fear for James’ life. The year was 1894. Any openly gay person could be killed by angry mobs. Being gay was not only a sexuality, but also an open bounty on your head for anyone to take. I now realized why Link wanted to deny it. …

In addition to the obvious change in setting, several students also noticed a shift in the conflict. “The conflict got bigger, because of the time period,” one student observed. This created a perfect opportunity for students to see how different literary elements affect one another. The common-core standards in English/language arts emphasize this concept. In fact, 7th grade reading-standard RL.7.3 asks students to “analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).” In this case, creative writing created an obvious springboard for students’ understanding of that standard.

As more students shared, we heard a number of carefully foreshadowed tragic deaths of various characters. The chance to share and discuss raises students’ awareness of how these literary concepts work and helps them name their own techniques. Many students didn’t realize they effectively used foreshadowing until their writing was discussed.

In her scene, Soraya took the point of view of the unpopular, overbearing father character. In the book, the father makes it clear he wants a heterosexual son, but we only hear his voice through dialogue told by Ellen, the first-person narrator. But Soraya explored his emotions and internal conflict: I see Link asleep on the couch. His eyes have dark circles under them, and I begin to wonder if it’s because of me. I begin to wonder if his stress was always caused by me. ... she wrote.

In the group, students noted the strong interior monologue in Soraya’s scene. Then someone said, “It’s like she made a whole character out of the father.” I added “character development” and “complex character” to the menu of writing techniques, words we had used before but that hadn’t made it onto our earlier brainstorm.

“Why isn’t the father a ‘whole’ or complex character in the book?” I asked. “Because Ellen is the narrator, so you really can’t know what the father is thinking,” a student answered. “So, given that, what could an author do to write a book that has several whole or complex characters?” I asked. “You could switch off narrators,” one student suggested. “Like in Wonder ,” another added, referring to a popular young-adult novel that features multicharacter narration. “Or you could write in third person,” another student offered.

Once again, our experimentation with writing fictional narratives created opportunity for students to see how authors’ choices around narration and point of view affect the story and the reader’s experience.

The Art of Storytelling

Another interesting moment came when Lana allowed a classmate to read her scene. It was quite intense; every word in the piece seemed carefully thought out. It began with Link studying with excruciating focus for a math test. Then she wrote:

“I stood up, ready to go to James’ house, when Link’s head fell loudly onto the table.

“Link!” I yelled, running to him. White bubbles foamed out of his mouth, and tears trickled down his face, mixing with sweat from earlier. His body was shaking aggressively. Link’s eyes began to roll back into the inside of his head, when I hurried to pick up my phone. I dialed 9-1-1, and the ambulance soon arrived.

As we listened, I caught Lana scanning the faces in the room with a look that was difficult to read. The scene continued as we followed characters to the hospital. Then, in the same serious tone, we found out that Link has a tumor in his brain. At that point, James, his best friend, started coughing uncontrollably and admitted he has cancer. There were some gasps from the class. Lana’s face cracked a slight smile. The situation got more and more extreme, and several students let out laughs, but Lana’s narrator never broke character.

When we discussed the scene, students immediately remarked on her descriptive language. “I notice that some people laughed. Did Lana use humor?” I asked. Students were quiet, and I imagine they were unsure as to whether their laughs were appropriate.

“Not exactly, but it was still funny at times,” someone said. I probed. “Lana, did you expect people to find your scene funny?” “Yeah, kind of,” she said, with a mischievous smile. “It was tragic, but …” another student said, trailing off. “There was something not completely serious about it, right?” I offered. We discussed tone, and I ended up introducing the term “satire” to describe the effect of Lana’s scene. In a way, after hearing more than a few tragic death scenes of characters by other students, Lana seemed to be satirizing us!

Students rarely get to experience such an immediate interaction between author and audience through text. From “the driver’s seat,” and as members of a learning community, students can gain awareness of their own intentions as they write stories and become more keen analysts of authors’ intentions. They get to encounter, firsthand, the problems authors encounter in crafting stories and they discover and play with literary techniques to solve these problems. The lessons, both explicit and implicit, are powerful.

Like the driving critic who lacks driving experience, students without genuine experiences creating literary art and reflecting on the process can easily be left to look to the teacher for “answers” as to what the author is up to in his or her use of literary techniques. That causes frustration, as it diminishes students’ ability to activate their own critical thinking in this area.

There are clear arguments for the social-emotional value of empowering students to write creatively. And anecdotally speaking, I’ve found engagement is extremely high and classroom management is a breeze when students get to write stories. But I’m convinced that fiction writing is a much more important component of a rigorous English education than is commonly believed. Imaginative writing contributes not only to the development of many “soft skills” like empathy and community, but also to the hard skill of literary analysis.

Coverage of the implementation of college- and career-ready standards and the use of personalized learning is supported in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

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ELA Common Core Lesson Plans

common core creative writing

  • Create Characters Lesson Plan
  • Creative Writing Lesson Plan: Using Details
  • How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay
  • How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay Lesson Plan
  • How to Write a Persuasive Essay
  • How to Write a Reflective Essay
  • How to Write an Article Critique and Review
  • How to Write an Introduction to an Essay
  • How to Write a Problem Solution Essay
  • Lesson Plan: Effective Sentence Structure
  • Lesson Plan: Improve Writing Style with Improved Sentence Structure
  • Logical Fallacies Lesson Plan with Summary & Examples
  • Teaching Active and Passive Voice
  • Teaching How to Revise a Rough Draft
  • Teaching Instructional Articles: How to Write Instructions
  • Teaching Word Choice: Using Strong Verbs
  • Using Imagery Lesson Plan
  • Writing for Audience and Purpose
  • Writing Transitions Lesson
  • Analyzing Humor in Literature Lesson Plan
  • Analyzing Shakespeare Strategies
  • Fun Reading Lesson Plan
  • How to Write a Literary Analysis.
  • How to Annotate and Analyze a Poem
  • Lesson Plan for Teaching Annotation
  • Literary Terms Lesson Plan
  • Literature Exemplars – Grades-9-10
  • Teaching Short Story Elements
  • Using Short Stories to Teach Elements of Literature
  • Bill of Rights Lesson Plan
  • Fun Ideas for Teaching Language
  • Comma Rules: How to Use Commas
  • Difference between Denotation and Connotation
  • Effective Word Choice Lesson Plan
  • Fun Grammar Review Game or Vocabulary & Language Arts
  • Lesson Plans for Substitute Teachers and Busy English Teachers
  • Lesson Plan: Creating the Perfect Title
  • 4.08 – Lesson Plan: Using Semicolons Correctly
  • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Lesson Plan
  • Sentence Combining Made Easy Lesson Plan
  • Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary
  • Using Tone Effectively Lesson Plan
  • 4.12 – Word Choice Lesson Plan: Eliminate and Replace “To Be” Verbs
  • Using Voice in Writing Effectively Lesson Plan
  • Speaking & Listening
  • Teacher Guide Central

Writing Standards

The Writing Standards Page contains an explanation of the Common Core Writing Standards. Before we get to the standards, here are some popular lesson plans to get you started. More can be found under the ‘Writing” section above.

  • Writing the Introduction to an Essay
  • Paragraph Writing Made Easy (This includes lessons on topic sentence, paragraph development, using supporting details, and more)
  • Teaching Active and Passive Voice.
  • How to Revise a Rough Draft
  • Using Transitions in Writing

Here are some downloadable/printable pdf Common Core writing lesson plans to make your life easier.

Get five writing lesson plans with common core objectives, notes and instructions in a downloadable/printable pdf document. You can simply print it out, stick it in your lesson plan book and wait for administrative accolades. It’s only $4.95

Lessons include:

  • “How to Write a Narrative/Reflexive Essay”
  • “How to Write an Article Critique”
  • “How to Write an Informational Article”
  • “How to Write a Literary Analysis”
  • “How to Write a Tall Tale.”
  • “How to Write a Descriptive Essay”

_____________________________________________________

Need more essay writing lessons for the common core . This guide includes the following:

  • How to Write a Problem/Solution Essay
  • How to Write a Comparison Essay
  • How to Write a Definition Essay

Each lesson contains instructions for writing each type of essay (for your students), a list of common core objectives covered (for your administrator), one or more graphic organizers (for your students), and a rubric to make grading easy (for your sanity).

High School Writing Common Core Standards with Explanations and Lesson Links

The common core writing standards for high school come from the Common Core Standards Initiative Website.

Common Core Writing Standard 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Explanation . The first writing standard requires students to write intelligently, to make claims, to support those claims, and to use valid evidence and logic.  Students should be able to

  • Introduce specific arguments and distinguish those arguments from alternate or opposing arguments in an organized manner using logic and evidence.
  • Develop arguments fairly and treating both sides of the argument while assessing strengths and weaknesses of different views.
  • Develop arguments in a clear, organized manner.
  • Establish and maintain a formal style with consistent voice and tone.
  • Provide a relevant conclusion.

Non-eduspeak Explanation. Students should be able to write and argue without sounding like an idiot, jackass, or moron. If the writing resembles a middle schooler’s love note or a 9-year old’s letter to Santa, it may be necessary to work on this standard.

Common Core Writing Standard 2 . Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Explanation . Write about complex information, ideas, and concepts clearly and logically. Students should be able to

  • Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas, concepts, and information by making important connections.
  • Use formatting, graphics, and multimedia to make ideas clear.
  • Develop the topic with relevant evidence and commentary appropriate to audience level.
  • Use appropriate transitions to clarify meaning.
  • Use appropriate word choice

Non-eduspeak Explanation . Learn something and write about it without sounding like a moron and putting people to sleep. If the person reading your writing makes fun of you the second you leave then you have not mastered this standard.

Common Core Writing Standard 3: W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Explanation . Use narrative techniques to write a story, a narrative essay, or to make points in an expository essay more clear.  Student written narratives should contain the elements of literature.  Students should be able to

  • Engage the reader.
  • Sequence events
  • Use details and sensory language to enhance theme.
  • Provide a conclusion that makes sense of the narrative.

Non-eduspeak Explanation.  Students should be able to tell a story that has a point and doesn’t make you want to rake your eyes with a pitchfork.

Production and Distribution of Writing Common Core Standards

W.9-10.4   Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in W.9-10.1-3.)

W.9-10.5   Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of L.9-10.1-3.)

W.9-10.6   Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically

Explanation : These standards take into account what we call The Writing Process. It’s something we’ve been doing for years. Thank goodness the federal government has given their approval on it.

Non-eduspeak Explanation : No longer can students scratch their essay in crayon five minutes before class on the back of a cheeseburger wrapper and get a B for “trying.” It also means you can take your students down to the computer lab and babysit them for an hour as they take advantage of “technology’s capacity.”

Research Common Core Writing Standards

W.9-10.7   Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

W.9-10.8   Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

W.9-10.9   Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Explanation : This, my friends, is the dreaded research paper. Good luck!

Non-eduspeak explanation : This, my friends, is the dreaded research paper. Hide all sharp objects. Put your life coach on speed dial, keep the “meds” nearby because you have to grade these research papers. Hopefully you’ve covered the standards satisfactorily or you’ll be jamming that red pen up your nostrils in frustration.

Writing about Reading Standards

W.9-10.9a   Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).

W.9-10.9b   Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning”).

Explanation : This is literary analysis for fiction and non-fiction.

Non-eduspeak Explanation : Every now and then, make those kids write about what they read, using evidence, logic and all that other stuff an educated individual does. Most of the reading lesson plans on this site contain Common Core writing assignments, too. You’re welcome.

ELA Common Core Standards

Whether the Common Core Standards are just the latest fad or here to stay, you need lesson plans that address the Common Core Standards.  The good news is that they’re probably the same standards you’ve been teaching, but with a different name.  Use these links to find lesson plans matched up with the standards.

  • Writing Common Core Standards
  • Reading for Literature Common Core Standards
  • Reading for Information Common Core Standards
  • Language Common Core Standards
  • Text Exemplars for ELA Common Core Standards Grades 9-10

Last Updated on October 20, 2017 by Trenton Lorcher

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January 2, 2015

  • Common Core Writing: Narrative Writing

To become good writers, students must study good writing. Use mentor texts to help your middle school and high school students build strong narrative writing skills, which can then be used to make any type of writing more interesting.

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What are the standards for writing?

In the Common Core, the first three anchor writing standards require students to write in three important modes : argument/persuasive, informative/explanatory, and narrative. (The bolding is added to the standards.)

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

The next three anchor standards require students to develop writing appropriate to the situation by using the writing process and technology .

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience .
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.6 Use technology , including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

The next three standards require students to use research to gather and present their ideas.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources , assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

The final standard requires students to write often for different tasks, purposes, and audience .

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences .

To see grade-specific versions of the English Language Arts standards, click the appropriate grade below.

Teacher Support:

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Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

Home > JCWS > Vol. 2 > Iss. 1

Minding the Pedagogical Gap: Creative Writing Studies, Common Core Standards, and the Secondary Creative Writing Moment

Chris Drew , Indiana State University Follow

Although the Common Core Standards in English/Language Arts seem to exclude creative writing activities and lessons from secondary classrooms in favor of literary analysis and composition, current creative writing pedagogy demonstrates that such a reading of the standards is shortsighted and incorrect. By analyzing thematically-grouped standards and citing relevant creative writing pedagogues, this article argues that a majority of Common Core ELA Standards can be met by utilizing creative writing activities in the secondary classroom and that a critical moment has been reached for creative writing scholars to ensure their discipline is represented in secondary English curricula and training.

Recommended Citation

Drew, Chris (2016) "Minding the Pedagogical Gap: Creative Writing Studies, Common Core Standards, and the Secondary Creative Writing Moment," Journal of Creative Writing Studies : Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 3. Available at: https://repository.rit.edu/jcws/vol2/iss1/3

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Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

8th Grade Writing

For eighth graders, this Common Core area helps students gain mastery of writing skills by working collaboratively and producing written texts, understanding syntax and vocabulary, and organizing their ideas. Among the complete standards for this grade, eighth graders will be asked to: support the claims of their arguments with evidence, logical reasoning, and credible sources, use a formal style when writing, be able to develop the topic of a work with details, facts, definitions, and quotations, employ formatting, graphics, and multimedia to present information in the written medium, employ narrative techniques like pacing, description, reflection, and dialogue to develop events and characters within a text, go through the process of writing, editing and revision for their written work, use appropriate technology to publish writing and to collaborate on written projects, demonstrate keyboarding skill, go through the process of writing, editing and revision for their written work, conduct short research projects to answer a question, quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of supporting texts while avoiding plagiarism and using proper citation, use evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

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When George Washington was a young boy, he made a list of rules for himself. Students choose one of the rules and write what it means.

Halloween Bio Poem Activity: Ghost

Halloween Bio Poem Activity: Ghost

Create a bio poem about your own personal ghost with our fun Halloween printable activity!

Main Idea Organizer

Main Idea Organizer

Teach your students how to organize their writing with this helpful Main Idea Organizer. Students will be asked to complete the worksheet by writing their own main idea, three details, and a summary. This will help your students better understand how to organize their ideas for writing in the future, especially when writing an essay!

Write a Biography Poem

Write a Biography Poem

Bio poems are usually short poems following a specific format. In this worksheet students will write a bio poem about themself.

Bio Poem: A President

Bio Poem: A President

Bio poems are usually short poems following a specific format. Students will write about a President in this worksheet.

Bio Poem: An Ocean

Bio Poem: An Ocean

Have your students get creative by writing a bio poem about an ocean.

Editing and Proofing a Paragraph

Editing and Proofing a Paragraph

Your students will further their editing and proofing skills by correcting a paragraph in this printable classroom worksheet.

George Washington: Almost a King

George Washington: Almost a King

What if George Washington had become king? Students ponder this question and then write about what it would be like.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

How to Write a Thesis Statement

This activity helps students develop a strong thesis statement for their essays by providing practice writing sample statements.

How to Write an Introduction: Bridge Building Activity

How to Write an Introduction: Bridge Building Activity

This activity is designed to help students learn about writing introductions through a fun bridge building activity to join the lead noun card and thesis statement card.

Common Core State Standards Initiative

English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 6

Standards in this strand:, text types and purposes:, production and distribution of writing:, research to build and present knowledge:, range of writing:.

  • Key Design Consideration
  • Students Who are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, & Language
  • How to Read the Standards
  • College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
  • College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
  • College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
  • College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
  • Introduction for K-5
  • Kindergarten
  • Introduction for 6-12
  • Grade 11-12
  • Introduction
  • Language Progressive Skills
  • Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors
  • Range of Text Types for K-5
  • Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading K-5
  • Staying on Topic Within a Grade & Across Grades
  • Range of Text Types for 6-12
  • Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, & Range of Student Reading 6-12
  • English Language Arts Appendix A
  • English Language Arts Appendix B
  • English Language Arts Appendix C

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Sarah's Teaching Snippets

K-2 Science of Reading Educational Resources

Writing Rubrics for Common Core

Hi Everyone! Last week I updated my writing rubrics pack again. This update includes all new rubrics with the common core standards right on them. The other rubrics were not grade-specific, but these ones are. I added rubrics for kindergarten through third grade. For each grade there is a conventions rubric and narrative, opinion, and informative rubrics.

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  1. Common Core Writing Posters

    common core creative writing

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  3. Common Core Writing: Wrap Up & Additional Resources

    common core creative writing

  4. Common Core Writing Posters

    common core creative writing

  5. Infographic: Overview of the common core writing standards. Pathways to

    common core creative writing

  6. Common Core Writing Bundle

    common core creative writing

VIDEO

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  5. Common Core Math Explained By Math Teacher

  6. Creative Core Introduction- Unity Learn Pathway

COMMENTS

  1. English Language Arts Standards

    The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects ("the standards") represent the next generation of K-12 standards designed to prepare all students for success in college, career, and life by the time they graduate from high school. The Common Core asks ...

  2. PDF Common Core State StandardS for english Language arts Literacy in

    College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing 18 Writing Standards K-5 19 ... The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects ("the Standards") are ... creative and purposeful expression in language. June 2, 2010 Introduction.

  3. English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 5

    CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 5 here .) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.6.

  4. Writing » Grade 11-12

    CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1.a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim (s), establish the significance of the claim (s), distinguish the claim (s) from alternate or opposing ...

  5. How Parents Can Support the Common Core Writing Standards

    How parents can help: Help your child see the different types of writing you do in your adult life. Talk about the writing you do for work and the more casual writing you do to friends. Then have fun encouraging your child to write their own opinion pieces — ask them to write a review of last night's dinner or the last family movie you watched.

  6. Why Creative Writing Still Has a Place in My Classroom

    Though de-emphasized in the common core, creative writing can play an irreplaceable role in the development of students' complex literacy skills, writes language arts teacher Ariel Sacks.

  7. Does the Common Core Allow for Creative Writing?

    So, to answer the titular question, yes, the Common Core allows for lots of creative writing, especially if we are flexible in our definitions of "creative" and focused on career- and college-readiness. Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: appendix a, college and career ready, Common Core State Standards, creative writing, ela ...

  8. Creative Writing Lesson Plan: Using Details

    Here's what I came up and here are the ELA Common Core Standards covered. W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of L.9-10.1-3.)

  9. Writing Standards

    Common Core Writing Standard 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. Explanation. The first writing standard requires students to write intelligently, to make claims, to support those claims, and to use valid evidence and logic.

  10. Common Core Writing: Narrative Writing

    So narrative writing = stories, but what about other types of creative writing like poetry or plays? The Common Core does not focus on those types of writing, but leaves that up to the teacher's discretion. To read more on this issue and narrative writing defined, see Common Core Appendix A, page 23-24.

  11. Common Core Creative Writing Lesson Plans

    Browse Common Core Creative Writing Lesson Plans. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now! Worksheets. ... Put your students' imaginations to the test with this lesson on storytelling and creative writing. After reading some classic fairy tales, students will create their own using printed figures ...

  12. Minding the Pedagogical Gap: Creative Writing Studies, Common Core

    yearlong map for studying genres of creative writing in the ninth grade, only four of seventy activi-ties include a creative component. In the Grade 10 map, two "narrative" (the preferred Common Core term for creative writing) assignments are provided for the full year, while in the Grade 11 map, only one is provided.

  13. What are the standards for writing?

    The next three anchor standards require students to develop writing appropriate to the situation by using the writing process and technology. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.5

  14. Search Common Core Creative Writing Educational Resources

    Browse Common Core Creative Writing Educational Resources. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now!

  15. Common Core Worksheets

    For fifth graders, this Common Core area helps students gain mastery of writing skills by working collaboratively and producing written texts, understanding syntax and vocabulary, and organizing their ideas. Among the complete standards for this grade, fifth graders will be asked to: write opinion pieces, explanatory texts, narratives, be able ...

  16. PDF CREATIVE WRITING SCORING RUBRIC

    CREATIVE WRITING SCORING RUBRIC Author: goldhammere Created Date: 11/5/2010 7:56:50 AM ...

  17. PDF Fourth Grade

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 1 ... Writing Common Core Standards Text Types and Purposes 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and ... 5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning ...

  18. English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 3 » 3

    English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 3 » 3. Print this page. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

  19. Minding the Pedagogical Gap: Creative Writing Studies, Common Core

    Although the Common Core Standards in English/Language Arts seem to exclude creative writing activities and lessons from secondary classrooms in favor of literary analysis and composition, current creative writing pedagogy demonstrates that such a reading of the standards is shortsighted and incorrect. By analyzing thematically-grouped standards and citing relevant creative writing pedagogues ...

  20. Common Core Worksheets

    8th Grade Writing. For eighth graders, this Common Core area helps students gain mastery of writing skills by working collaboratively and producing written texts, understanding syntax and vocabulary, and organizing their ideas. Among the complete standards for this grade, eighth graders will be asked to: support the claims of their arguments ...

  21. English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 6

    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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 6 here .) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.6.

  22. Writing Rubrics for Common Core

    Last week I updated my writing rubrics pack again. This update includes all new rubrics with the common core standards right on them. The other rubrics were not grade-specific, but these ones are. I added rubrics for kindergarten through third grade. For each grade there is a conventions rubric and narrative, opinion, and informative rubrics.