In#Common:#Effective#Writing#for#All#Students



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In

Common: Effective Writing for All Students

Co llection of All Argument/Opinion Samples, K--12

by The Vermont Writing Collaborative, with Student Achievement Partners, and CCSSO

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Contents

Document Overview ................................................................................................... 3 Brief User Guide for On--Demand Argument/Opinion Writing . ..................................... 4 K--5 On--Demand Argument/Opinion Samples .............................................................. 6 6--12 On--Demand Argument/Opinion Samples ...........................................................7 5 Brief User Guide for Range of Writing Argument/Opinion Writing ...........................1 17 K--5 Range of Writing Argument/Opinion Samples . ...................................................1 19 6--12 Range of Writing Argument/Opinion Samples . .................................................1 86

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Document Overview

Common Core State Writing Standard 1: Argument/Opinion Writing

The first Common Core State Writing Standard calls for students to "write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence." The following collection of student work offers a series of samples illustrating what effective argument/opinion writing might look like at each grade level.

The first section of the document is comprised of "On Demand" writing. This section contains pieces written in response to a uniform text--based prompt. The second section is made up of "Range of Writing" samples. These pieces provide examples of student writing for "a range of discipline-- specific tasks, purposes, and audiences" over both extended and shorter time frames.

Each piece in the collection is annotated using the language of the Common Core State Standards for a particular grade level and writing type.

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Brief User Guide for On--Demand

Argument/Opinion Writing

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Brief User Guide for On--Demand Argument/Opinion Writing

The pieces in this On--Demand section represent one of the three types of writing named in the

Common Core State Standards for Writing: opinion/argument writing. Students at all grade levels were given

one to three texts and a writing prompt that asked them to form an opinion or a claim about a focusing

question. Students at kindergarten through grade five were given the focusing question, "Which kind of pet is

best, a cat or a dog?" At grades six through twelve, students were given the focusing question, "Should your

school participate in the national `Shut Down Your Screen Week'?"

Because students needed time to build content knowledge from the texts in order to be able to write,

the process took anywhere from two to three days for most students.

Teachers read the text aloud to

students at all grade levels, to ensure that all students could access the text when they needed to re--read the

text(s) to gather evidence to develop their writing. All writing was done on their own, without input from peers

or teachers.

The prompts and the individual pieces based on them are arranged in grade order. Each piece has a file

number for easy identification. Every piece of writing includes two versions that have been transcribed exactly

as written by the student ? one annotated with the language of the Common Core Standards, and one un--

annotated for a variety of uses. In addition, pieces in the K--5 collection have a third version as well; this version

has been revised and edited for major errors in conventions and can be used as a model for students.

Kindergarten pieces also include PDF's of original student work, including student writing and drawing.

This is

because kindergarten students may use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to satisfy the

Standards.

Suggestions on how to use these pieces are available at the end of the introductory document, "Using

the In Common Resource."

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