A breakdown for teachers who teach W.5 in middle school ELA. In this post, we’ve included learning targets, concept breakdowns, resource suggestions, activities, and assessment ideas!
Much of school is really about teaching processes. Teaching kids how to create and think through a plan and then execute on that plan.
When we teach students to write or create content, we are teaching them to plan out their writing, to make a plan, to make sure they are crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s, and generally follow through with the plan to the best of their ability.
The 5th writing standard is all about this exact concept.
Writing is a process, and W.5 lays out that process for us.
- Step #1: Plan
- Step #2: Revise
- Step #3: Edit
- Step #4: Rewrite
- Step #5: Rinse and Repeat steps 1-4 as needed with new approaches when necessary.
The process is not complicated, but with all of the elements that must go into teaching writing, it can take some time to move through the process, and the editing and rewriting part alone could cover a week of classes.
As we dig into how to teach W.5 in middle school ELA, consider what this process currently looks like in your classroom and how the resources and activities in this post may be able to support your process.
Let’s begin with the learning targets.
Learning Targets
Creating learning targets is the process of breaking standards down into manageable pieces and skills that we can focus on throughout a unit or while covering a standard.
When creating learning targets, we like to look at the standards for the grade levels before and after the grade level we teach. Below, you can see the checklists we use to move through this process, and you can read more about our process for breaking down standards in this blog post.
Teaching W.6.5 (6th Grade)
6th Grade Standard: 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.
6th Grade Learning Targets
- I can develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning.
- I can develop and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
- I can develop and strengthen writing as needed by rewriting or trying a new approach.
Teaching W.7.5 (7th Grade)
7th Grade Standard: 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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 7.)
7th Grade Learning Targets
- I can use planning (prewriting/drafting) strategies.
- I can use revision strategies. I can use editing strategies.
- I can revise for a specific purpose and audience. I can use feedback from teachers and peers.
Teaching W.8.5 (8th Grade)
8th Grade Standard: 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.
8th Grade Learning Targets
- I can produce texts that exhibit the following text features, all of which are consistent with the genre and purpose of the writing: development, organization, style, and word choice.
- I can produce writing that fully addresses the focus on the purpose and appropriate audience.
- I can analyze my writing to see if a focus purpose and audience have been addressed appropriately.
- I can develop and strengthen my writing by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting with some guidance and support from peers and adults.
How to teach W.5 to Middle Schoolers (the value of time)
When thinking through how to teach W.5 in middle school ELA, our biggest barrier to success is going to be time and patience.
Teaching writing takes a lot of time, and sometimes, it doesn’t feel like we have that kind of time to give to writing.
Although you’ll most likely want to plan for at least 2-3 full-length essays each year to allow students to practice longer form writing to give them the opportunity to show growth and improvement in that area, you’ll also want to have many smaller, quick-response style pieces of writing.
Consider doing weekly writing prompts using the first 10 minutes of class each day to work on the writing prompt.
For example…
- Day 1 (Monday): Receive the weekly prompt and make the plan
- Day 2 (Tuesday): Research and add to plan
- Day 3 (Wednesday): Write Draft 1 (usually only one paragraph)
- Day 4 (Thursday) Peer Reviews/Editing
- Day 5 (Friday) Rewrite
This activity only needs about 10 minutes each day, and they don’t have to be graded every week. Practice can just be practice. Then, occasionally, you’ll assess one of the writings and give feedback on both the process and the writing itself.
Resources for teaching W.5
When picking resources to help teach W.5, you’ll want to make sure the resource teaches, practices, and reviews the standard at the appropriate level for the students you’re teaching.
The resources above include a lesson/activity for each specific learning target or concept and also include assessments, posters, and answer keys.
Activities and Projects for Practicing and Assessing W.5 in Middle School
Here are a few activity suggestions for teaching the writing process. Many of these are found in our standards-focused resources for this W.5 standard.
- Unpacking the Prompt: Students often struggle to break down prompts to determine exactly what they’re being asked to do. In our 6th and 7th grade units, we do an activity where students are taught to go through a 4-step process of unpacking a writing prompt to make a better plan for executing the prompt.
- Use Graphic Organizers: Introduce students to a variety of graphic organizers they can use to plan their writing. Different organizers may be used depending on the type of prompt and type of writing they’re doing. We have a few graphic organizers in each of our resources for this standard. Check out the EIGHT graphic organizers used in all three of the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade W5 resources!
- Identifying Credible Sources: Take time to explicitly teach students about credible sources. In today’s media, anyone can say anything they want, whenever they want. This makes it hard to know who actually knows anything on a given topic. Show students examples of credible and not-so-credible sources and discuss how you can tell one from the other. In our 8th grade resource for W.5, we have a handout you can give students to help them with this process.
- Style Allowances: Depending on the purpose for writing, the style of the writing can change dramatically. For example, as I’m writing this post, I know that I don’t have to be as formal as I would be if I were writing an essay. However, I also know that I’m writing for ELA teachers, and you’re going to notice if I make a bunch of silly mistakes. Students also need to learn about what style differences may be allowed in various writing situations. In our 8th grade resource, we have a whole activity you can do with students to discuss these style allowances.
Teaching writing and the writing process feels like a huge challenge, and we understand that. That is why we create standards-focused resources that provide teachers with activities, lessons, and assessments that explicitly teach each of the middle school ELA standards. Use our resources to help you save time and make instruction easier to plan.
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