Arizona 8th Grade ELA Standards in Writing

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8.W Writing Standards

• Text Types and Purposes
  • 8.W.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
    • 8.W.1.a Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
    • 8.W.1.b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
    • 8.W.1.c Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
    • 8.W.1.d Establish and maintain a formal style.
    • 8.W.1.e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
  • 8.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
    • 8.W.2.a Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
    • 8.W.2.b Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
    • 8.W.2.c Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
    • 8.W.2.d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
    • 8.W.2.e Establish and maintain a formal style
    • 8.W.2.f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
  • 8.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
    • 8.W.3.a Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
    • 8.W.3.b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
    • 8.W.3.c Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.
    • 8.W.3.d Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
    • 8.W.3.e Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
• Production and Distribution of Writing
  • 8.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • 8.W.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.
  • 8.W.6 Use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
• Research to Build and Present Knowledge
  • 8.W.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.
  • 8.W.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.
  • 8.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
    • 8.W.9.a Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature.
    • 8.W.9.b Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction.
• Range of Writing
  • 8.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 discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.