relevance Support thesis with the strongest examples Use evidence to effectively elaborate on the topic Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic. What ideas, details, or sources are most important to include? What is the most effective way to develop this topic? Have you developed the topic thoroughly? How do you integrate and interpret the evidence to support your thesis? Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts. Progression to Mastery Key Concepts Guiding Prompts Recognize connections between thesis, concepts and evidence Clarify connections using appropriate transitional words, phrases and clauses, as well as, varied syntax Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts Cohesion Words, phrases, and clauses that work as transitions between major sections in the text Syntax What is the relationship between your thesis, concepts, and evidence? Do your transitions create cohesion among ideas and concepts? How do you vary the syntax and use transitions to clarify and emphasize your ideas? Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic. Progression to Mastery Key Concepts Guiding Prompts Identify or determine appropriate domain-specific vocabulary Use domain-specific vocabulary to increase precision and clarity Use devices to resolve any confusion or make clear what to some is complex Use literary techniques for comparison, such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, Techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy that can manage the complexity of the topic Is the language you have chosen precise and clear? Are you using vocabulary appropriate for the or domain of the topic? Does the figurative language chosen help the audience understand the complex topic?
organize events in a sequence Show the transition of time in a variety of ways Use transitional phrases and clauses to alert readers to changes in setting or connections among experiences or events Organize details and events to contribute to a growing awareness of tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution) Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., chronological/linear, reflective, flashback, circular) Tone/Outcome (mystery, suspense, humor, growth, resolution) time or place to another and why? What transitional expressions can you use to show the relationships among experiences and events? How do you signal to the reader the shifts in time or place? How do the elements of this story combine to create a tone or outcome such as surprise, growth, or resolution? d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. Progression to Mastery Key Concepts Guiding Prompts Select words and phrases that evoke the experience or the sense of place and people involved Use descriptive language to evoke an emotion or mood in the reader Use carefully chosen words and phrases to precisely convey experiences and prevent wordiness Use sensory details (things you can see, hear, touch, taste and smell) to create vivid pictures/images in the reader’s mind Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. Description Sensory language Figurative language Imagery Telling details What mood are you trying to create? What descriptive details or other aspects of this experience are important to include in the narrative? How do the sensory details you have included help create vivid images in the reader’s mind? How do the descriptive details you have chosen enhance the narrative? How and where can you use sensory language to convey the experience, events, setting, and/or characters? e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
Progression to Mastery Key Concepts Guiding Prompts Prepare the reader for the end of the narrative or the resolution of the conflict by sequencing the final events/experiences/details in a logical way Provide a conclusion that reflects on the central situation or conflict presented in the narrative Provides a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative Conclusion Logical sequence Reflection Resolution How will you provide an effective conclusion to the narrative? How do the specific details in the final segment of your narrative help the reader understand the conclusion? How did you connect the ending back to another part of the narrative? Why did you do this? How does your conclusion offer a reflection of the narrative’s experiences or events? 11-12W10 Range of Writing: 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.