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The American Heritage Children's Dictionary

Books to Build on: A Grade-By-Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers (Core Knowledge Series)

Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children: A Lively, Opinionated Guide

Organization & Focus:

1.1. use letters and phonetically-spelled words to write about experiences, stories, people, objects, or events

1.2. write consonant-vowel-consonant words (demonstrate the alphabetic principle)

1.3. write using a left to right, top to bottom progression

Penmanship:

1.3. write uppercase and lowercase letters independently, attending to form and spatial alignment

Organization and Focus:

1.1. select a focus when writing

1.2. use descriptive words when writing

Penmanship:

1.3. print legibly and space letters, words and sentences appropriately

Drafting Stages:

1.1. generate and organize a piece of writing using pre-drafting strategies (e.g., brainstorming, listing, clustering ideas)

Organization and Focus:

1.2. group related ideas and maintain a consistent focus

Penmanship:

1.3. create readable documents with legible handwriting

Research:

1.4. understand and use writing reference materials (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, atlas)

Revising and Evaluating Strategies:

1.5. revise original drafts to improve sequence and provide more descriptive detail

Drafting Stages:

1.1. develop and implement stages of the writing process, including

1) brainstorming, outlining, clustering

2) drafting successive versions

Organization and Focus:

1.2. develop a topic sentence and supporting sentences

Penmanship:

1.3. write legibly in cursive, adhering to margins and correct spacing between letters in a word and words in a sentence

Research & Technology:

1.4. understand the structure, organization, and use of various resources such as the encyclopedia, card catalog, almanacs, newspapers, and periodicals

1.5. demonstrate basic keyboarding skills and familiarity with technology vocabulary such as cursor, software, memory, disk drive, and hard drive

Revising and Evaluating Strategies:

1.6. revise selected drafts for coherence and the logical progression of ideas, using an established rubric

Organization and Focus:

1.1. select a focus, organization, and point of view that reflect purpose, audience, length and format requirements

1.2. create paragraphs that

1) establish and support a central idea with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of the paragraph

2) include supporting sentences with simple facts, details, and explanations

3) include a concluding statement that summarizes the points

4) are indented properly

1.3. use traditional structures for conveying information, including chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question

Research:

1.4. quote or paraphrase information sources, supplying citations

1.5. use organizational features of printed texts such as the preface, afterword, and appendices in reference materials to locate information

1.6. use organizational features of electronic media, including passwords, entry and pull-down menus, word searches, thesaurus, outlining packages and spell checks to create simple documents

Revising and Evaluating Strategies

1.7. revise selected drafts by adding, deleting, combining, and rearranging text for coherence and progression

Organization & Focus:

1.1. establish a context and create a point of view

1.2. create multi-paragraph writings that present effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform the reader's understanding of key ideas and evidence

1.3. create a clear organizing structure including descriptions in a logical order and chronology/narrative sequence and link paragraphs in ways that help the reader follow the line of thought

Research & Technology:

1.4. use organizational features of printed text such as citations, end notes, and bibliographic references to locate relevant information

1.5. use organizational features of electronic text such as bulletin boards, database, keyword searches, and e-mail addresses to locate information

1.6. create documents using word-processing skills and publishing programs and create simple databases and spreadsheets to manage information and create reports

Revising and Evaluating Writing:

1.7. revise and edit manuscripts including adding, deleting, clarifying and rearranging words, sentences to improve the meaning and focus of writing.

Organization & Focus:

1.1. choose the appropriate form for writing purpose (e.g., letters, editorials, reviews, poems, reports, narratives)

1.2. create compositions that include

1) an introduction that arouses the interest of the reader and makes clear the purpose of the composition

2) several paragraphs that develop the topic

3) concluding paragraph

1.3. use a variety of effective and coherent organizational patterns including compare and contrast, organization by classification and division, arrangement of spatial order, and order of importance/climactic order

1.4. use specific details and choose exact verbs, nouns, and adjectives to paint a visual image in the mind of the reader

Research & Technology:

1.5. use organizational features of electronic information, and library and interlibrary catalog databases, to research information for specific purposes

1.6. avoid overuse or mechanical insertion of quotations

Revising and Evaluating Writing:

1.7. revise writing to improve organization and word choice, after checking the logic of the ideas and the precision of the vocabulary

Organization & Focus

1.1. create an organizing structure that balances all aspects of the piece and makes effective transitions between sentences and ideas to unify key ideas

1.2. support all statements and claims, with anecdotes, descriptions, facts and statistics, and/or specific examples

Research & Technology:

1.3. identify topics, ask questions, and develop ideas leading to inquiry, investigation, and research

1.4. give credit for both quoted and paraphrased information in a bibliography using a consistent and sanctioned format and methodology for citations

1.5. compose documents with appropriate formatting, using word-processing skills and principles of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing, columns, page orientation)

Revising and Evaluating Writing:

1.6. revise writing for word choice, appropriate organization, consistent point of view among paragraphs

Organization & Focus:

1.1. establish a controlling impression, create a coherent thesis, or make a clear and knowledgeable judgment in writing

1.2. reinforce coherence within and across paragraphs by using parallel structures to highlight and reinforce main ideas

1.3. support thesis or judgments with techniques such as analogies, paraphrases, quotes and opinions from authorities, and comparisons

Research & Technology:

1.4. plan and conduct multi-step information searches and/or investigations using local and wide-area networks and modem-delivered services

1.5. achieve effective balance between researched information and own ideas

Revising and Evaluating Writing:

1.6. revise writing for word choice, appropriate organization, consistent point of view, and transitions among paragraphs, passages, and ideas

Organization & Focus:

1.1. establish a controlling impression or create a coherent thesis that maintains a consistent tone and focus throughout the piece of writing

1.2. develop key ideas within the body of the composition through use of ample supporting evidence such as scenarios, commonly held beliefs, hypotheticals

and/or definitions,

1.3. organize and link related information from multiple sources (e.g., almanacs, government publications, microfiche, news sources, in-depth field studies, speeches, letters)

1.4. employ precise language and technical vocabulary to communicate ideas clearly and concisely

Research & Technology:

1.5. locate varied sources of primary and secondary information, using available library, electronic, and human resources

1.6. integrate quotations and citations into written text, maintaining flow of ideas

1.7. use appropriate conventions for in-text documentation, notes and bibliographies, adhering to style manuals such as the Modern Language Association manual or Chicago Style Manual

Revising and Evaluating Strategies:

1.8. revise writing to improve the logic of their organization and controlling idea, and the level of detail, style, and word choice.

Organization & Focus:

1.1. establish a controlling impression or coherent thesis that conveys a clear and distinctive perspective on the subject

1.2. advance a judgment in writing that is interpretive, analytic, evaluative, or reflective

1.3. present concrete and well elaborated evidence to support all claims and topic sentences

1.4. use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers, and active rather than passive voice to enliven written presentations

Research & Technology:

1.5. use coherent research methodology to elicit and present evidence from journals, research studies, and technical documents

1.6. synthesize information from diverse sources and identify complexities and discrepancies in the information and how each medium offers a different perspective on the information it presents

1.7. design and publish multi-page documents using advanced publishing software and graphic programs

Revising and Evaluating Strategies:

1.8. revise writing to improve the coherence and cohesion of the organization and controlling perspective, the precision of word choice, and the style and tone in light of audience, purpose and formality of the context

Organization & Focus:

1.1. choose various points of view to develop reader interest and to communicate in an effective, organized manner

1.2. employ a variety of rhetorical devices to enliven writing such as elaborating upon parallels, relationship patterns, and analogies; incorporating visual aids (e.g., graphs, tables, pictures); issuing a call for action; and repetition for rhetorical emphasis)

1.3 use language in natural, fresh, and vivid ways to create a specific tone

Research & Technology:

1.4. use creative and critical research strategies (e.g., field studies, oral histories, interviews, experiments, electronic sources) to develop presentations

1.5 use systematic strategies to organize and record information (anecdotal scripting, annotated bibliographies)

Revising and Evaluating Strategies:

1.6. revise writing to improve style, word choice, sentence variety, and subtlety of meaning in light of questions to be addressed, purpose, audience, and genre

Organization & Focus:

1.1. use elements such as point of view, characterization, and irony for specific rhetorical and aesthetic purposes

1.2. demonstrate understanding of the elements of discourse (purpose, speaker, audience, form) when completing expressive, persuasive, informational or literary writing assignments

1.3. structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant examples

1.4. elaborate by using concrete images, figurative language, sensory observations, dialogue, and other rhetorical devices to enhance meaning

Research & Technology:

1.5. communicate with databases by defining fields and entering data, and sorting and producing reports in various forms

1.6. integrate databases, graphics and spreadsheets into word-processed documents

Revising and Evaluating Strategies:

1.7. revise writing to highlight individual voice and improve the style, meaning and tone in light of major rhetorical devices and elements