AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
“I went to the school of poetry in order to learn to write prose.”
-
Grace Paley
This unit extends from and builds on the work done in Unit 6, Writing for Social Action. Ideally, this is poetry for social action.
What that means is that you are teaching the important elements of poetry – figurative language, imagery, and metaphor – to
support the research and writing that students did in the last unit. For instance, if they wrote letters about an issue of injustice,
such as injustice to animals or types of food sold in local supermarkets, they would now look at that issue from the lens of poetry
and write poems from different voices that support their perspective on the issue.
If they had researched endangered animals in unit 6, they might now write poems from the perspective of an endangered animal,
animals along the food chain, a zookeeper and / or a wildlife conservationist. If they read excerpts of Chew on This by Eric
Schlosser and had taken a stance on: animal treatment, sugar in soda, corn syrup, fast food, or marketing to children. They might
now read poems to analyze how they can look at issues in a new way and then write poems on those topics from varying
viewpoints. For instance, if they had examined fast food, they might now write poems from the perspective of a fast food cashier,
a manager, a customer, and even from the food itself.
This unit should tie heavily to:
 Common Core Standard 2 -- research (quick readings, articles, and text excerpts on which students can anchor their
thinking about the issue they are thinking about).
 Analysis of mentor poems in order to emulate that craft in their own writing.
Analyze poems with the lens of a poet. Analyze:
 Figurative language
 Metaphor / extended metaphor
 Precise language i.e. wistful vs. sad
 Sound, rhythm and repetition
 Text layout on the page, sentence fluency and line breaks
 Point of view
Read poems aloud and write poems that practice the skills listed above. By the end of the unit, students should have worked
within the writing process to write poems that incorporate:
 Figurative language
 Metaphor / extended metaphor
 Precise language i.e. wistful vs. sad
 Sound, rhythm and repetition
 Text layout on the page, sentence fluency and line breaks
 Point of view
Also, examine poems that spring from meaningful text and that are about social issues or injustice i.e. fairness, bullying, or
belonging. Teach students to use correct capitalization and quotes when writing poem titles in their analyses.
Unit Structure
Here is a sample way to structure this unit.
 Find research on the class topic / brainstorm topics as a class. If you are focusing on the same issue that you focused on
for social action, you will just need more articles on the same topic, or you will want to revisit previously read articles to
examine the issues from another lens. You may want to align your instruction with the content taught in history class. If
so, see the first two history units for the topics covered so far this year.
o A sample topic might be animals. In that case, you will want to help students break the large topic into subtopics
and issues related to the main topics. For example: zoos, the society for prevention of cruelty to animals (spca),
homeless animals, pests, wild animals, cock-fighting, endangered animals, overfishing, etc.
o Help them develop their thoughts about the animal by reading texts and taking notes on their thinking about the
text. For a great example of the ways Darwin took notes after observing for a day, check out Darwin’s notebooks.
o Bring in library books and printout articles on the topic of study. If the history teacher has a set of National
Geographic books, you might want to borrow those.
o Have scholars extend their thinking by doing more research at home or in class on:
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
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Specific animals and the issue around the particular animal. For instance, if you are talking about
endangered species, each student / groups of students might have a different animal that they want to
research.
Read poems and expressive writing in order to analyze the craft and to write your own poems. For instance:
o Read and write poems that spring from informational writing.
o Read and write poems that examine big issues from a microscope. As Don Graves once said, to tell the story of a
war, tell the story of one dead soldier not 5000 soldiers. In order to write about a big issue, ground it in an image,
a moment, or a person. For example, “From Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor of a
stairway to talk about the bigger issue of a hard life’s journey.
o Read and write poems that describe something (perhaps an animal) in a new or unexpected way. Perhaps the
title is misleading or the opposite of the poem’s meaning.
o Read and write poems about issues or injustice
o Read and write from the animal’s point of view
o Read and write poems for two voices. For example, the zoo animal and zookeeper or a little kid visiting the zoo.
When using these voices, hone in on precise word choice and line breaks to give more detail about the speaker.
Have your scholars collect poems that they love and tape them into their writing notebooks / keep in their writing folders.
Compare and contrast different poets’ styles and analyze how persuasive your students, as readers, think they are.
Revise. Have scholars try out multiple endings, consider how punctuation applies to poetry, and replace words for more
precise words.
Create an anthology of class poetry.
Pair the poems with the persuasive writing from Unit 6 and send the paired text to outside audiences, such as:
o The Bronx Zoo, The Prospect Park Zoo,
o The SPCA
o Local congressman (see www.congress.org for a list of your local representatives and their contact information)
Continue to:
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Use turn and talks / writing partnerships to help your scholars access, develop, and explain their thinking, plans, and ideas
before, during, and after writing. Set goals around how many times you want to include turn and talks in each lesson.
Use precise language in your directions for turn and talks i.e. “Turn and explain two ways the author uses metaphor in this
poem.”
Share a rubric for the assignment and share the exemplars at the beginning of the unit.
Connect with the history and literature teachers to find out what issues have been discussed and need to be built upon
and to so that you can use common-language and build on that knowledge in writing class.
Write regularly in front of your scholars, looking to mentor texts and authors for examples, revising your own writing in
class, and thinking aloud about the process involved and explaining the techniques and strategies you use. Share your own
notebook entries with them as a fellow writer, modeling the skills you have used (such as rereading your entries to find
claims and thinking aloud whether you have enough support to choose that claim as a thesis) and sharing the thought
processes you have been through. Post these as visual anchors that highlight exemplar work.
Co-create anchor posters that capture the essential learning for this unit. Build checklists that capture the criteria for
success during that lesson or the entire unit. Post these visual anchors in your classroom. Post unit-specific word walls,
spelling and writing strategies, and tips about good writers and what they do.
Foster independent writing and have scholars write daily for 25-35 minutes of sustained independent practice.
Model using a writer’s notebook. Have scholars use their writers’ notebooks as a place to generate ideas and record
observations about issues in the world. Then have them mine their writer’s notebooks for ideas and poems.
Maintain a writing folder or portfolio for each child. Keep track of process papers and on-demands in order to document
growth.
Use writing folders, for planning papers and drafts. Help children keep track of their work by teaching them how to use
these folders as a place to hold their opinions and evidence.
Dates to Note
If you are following the AF scope and sequence, this unit is scheduled for December 13—December 23.
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
Suggested Vocabulary
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Line breaks – create a visual and rhythmic pattern; place a slight emphasis on the last word of the line
Stanza breaks – signal that a change has taken place. My signal a different/shift in: idea, voice, time, image
Form/rhyme scheme – writing in different forms i.e. using repetition, rhythm, and rhyme patterns from mentor poems. Then
using form to support the poem’s content, i.e. in a poem with a pattern of repetition, the words that are repeated signify the
core image or idea. In a rhyming poem, writers try out many rhymes until they are sure that they are worth rhyming and getting
that special attention
White space – poets use blank space to support ideas or images; the white space serves as a setting and can suggest a mood
i.e. emptiness or silence; crowded words may signify excitement or noise.
Alliteration – call attention to certain lines or phrases by using the same starting sound. Starting sounds might match the tone
of the poem i.e. hard sounds might indicate harsh or unforgiving settings; soft sounds might indicate calm or comfort
Onomatopoeia – words that sound like what they mean
Metaphor and simile – comparing two things in a surprising, unconventional way within the poem
Imagery – poets envision as they write and use visuals to demonstrate their thoughts
Extended metaphor; extended image – the entire poem consists of a surprising or unconventional comparison or image i.e.
“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes
Homework
Assign homework daily: Your scholars should write in their writers’ notebooks every night. Ensure that they rotate the writing
mode and genre so that they have ample practice with genres and writing modes outside of this unit of study. However, be
cognizant of the balance between allowing your scholars to choose their topics and ensuring that the writers’ notebooks remain a
place where your scholars are pushing themselves as thinkers and revisiting writing modes and genres from prior units. One way to
create this balance is by making sure that each week’s homework balances free thought and revisits these very important skills and
modes of writing. For example:
 Monday – Choose a character from your independent reading book who you think is being unfairly treated and write a
poem from his or her point of view
 Tuesday – Who might be able to help this character? Write a letter to this character or person from your character. Be
sure to explain the situation and how you think he or she can help.
 Wednesday – What issues are you noticing in the world / outside of school? What is your perspective on this issue? What
might another person think or believe?
 Thursday – Reread your writer’s notebook and look for a theme or person that continues to emerge in different entries.
Write for 15 minutes about that theme or person.
 Friday – An old adage reads “A man is known by the company he keeps.” Explain what you think this means and a
situation that you have seen or been involved with where you think this adage is relevant.
Visit this website for some ideas about writing prompts.
Poetry Resources
 See Appendix B of the Common Core Standards for exemplar poems by grade band. Click here for 5th and here for 6th-8th.
 Poems listed by ease of understanding http://www.poetryproam.org/poems/ from a project where someone is trying to
get schools to read poems with kids. This is a link to an explanation of the exercise and a link to the project.
 For topics of study that might spring from books, see page 2 of this Teachers College unit.
 Here is a link to the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Poetry booklist
 Check out this presentation by Georgia Heard. She includes lots of great poems and ideas for lessons.
 Favorite Poem Project (mini documentaries of people talking about their favorite poems)
http://www.favoritepoem.org/videos.html
 Use the poems within your grade level band 3-5 or 6-8 in appendix A of the Common Core Standards during class. Have
your scholars analyze them and use them as mentor poems.
 USA Character Project (portraits that can serve as starters for poetry in different voices):
http://www.usanetwork.com/characterproject/#/gallery/photo/
 In this PowerPoint from the NCTE Convention, the authors discuss using Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan's, poems as models for
writing. There are several examples of her poems and ideas for incorporating them into your classroom.
 Billy Collins’ “Poetry 180”http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
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Academy of American Poets www.poets.org
Library of Congress Poetry Web Page http://www.loc.gov/poetry/
A Choral Speaking Teacher’s Guide http://www.scriptsforschools.com/90.html
The Poetry Foundation www.poetryfoundation.org
Poetry Blogs
o http://readingyear.blogspot.com
o http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com
o http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com
o http://www.chickenspaghetti.typepad.com/
In this lesson, students empathize with the story of Emmett Till and memorialize him; learn the elements of a sonnet
by writing one; practice summarizing through the writing of the sonnet http://www.tolerance.org/activity/emmetttill-classroom-sonnet
Poetry as a way to engage others in dialogue http://www.tolerance.org/activity/stay-mix-during-national-poetry-month
Poems for two voices http://www.tolerance.org/activity/poems-two-voices
Writing collective poetry http://www.tolerance.org/activity/collective-poetry
Writing poems about homes and homelessness http://www.tolerance.org/activity/poetry-home-homelessness
Analysis of “A Dream Deferred” http://www.tolerance.org/activity/lessons-we-can-learn
Creating a blended poem after analyzing presidential speeches http://www.tolerance.org/activity/our-challenges-blendedpoem-activity
Standards
To see the Common Core State Standards visit http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards. CCSS Appendix C, Student Writing
Examples supports the standards. Pages 29-56 show student samples with annotated notes by the CCSS authors. By studying
these pieces of student work, you can diagnose where your students’ writing is on the national continuum and begin to drill down
what a specific standard means at a specific grade level. For specific grammar standards by IA cycle, see the Editing and Revising
Scope and Sequence. For more grammar guidance, see the Language component of the CCSS ELA Standards or the language tab on
the Excel 10-11 Writing Long Term Planning Tool and the Language Progressive Skills, by Grade.
Although both CT and NY have adopted the national standards, it is still very important to know what your individual state requires
on their previously developed state standards. Compare the Common Core State Standards to your state’s standards. Click here
for the NY State Standards and here for the CT State Standards.
Below, prior to the standards is an excerpt from the AF scope and sequence. Compare the unit foci here to the national standards,
your state standards, and your students’ strengths and weaknesses.
5th
Poetry ( 2 weeks)
 Writing poems about
ordinary things from
everyday lives
 Using fresh eyes and
carefully chosen works
 Reading and rereading
poems to make them
sound just right
 Use poetry format,
including line breaks, to
convey poem’s meaning
 Use literary crafting
strategies, such as line
breaks and repetitions
 Create a class anthology
of favorite poems
(published and student)
6th
 Poetry ( 2 weeks)
 Use patterns and
comparisons to create
poetic language
 Writing poems about
ordinary things from
everyday lives
 Using fresh eyes and
carefully chosen works
 Reading and rereading
poems to make them
sound just right
 Use poetry format,
including line breaks, to
convey poem’s meaning
 Use literary crafting
strategies, such as line
breaks and repetitions
7th
 Poetry ( 2 weeks)
 Showing not telling
 Writing poems about
ordinary things from
everyday lives
 Using fresh eyes and
carefully chosen works
 Use poetry format,
including line breaks, to
convey poem’s meaning
 Use literary crafting
strategies, such as line
breaks and repetitions
 Create a class anthology
of favorite poems
(published and student)
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
8th
 Poetry ( 2 weeks)
 Observing the world like
poets
 Writing poems about
ordinary things from
everyday lives
 Using fresh eyes and
carefully chosen works
 Use poetry format,
including line breaks, to
convey poem’s meaning
 Use literary crafting
strategies, such as line
breaks and repetitions
 Create a class anthology
of favorite poems
(published and student)
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination

CCSS Writing Standards,
Unit 7
4W, 5W, 7W, 8W, 10W
3Lb, 5La, 5Lb
R2, R5, R7 (Reading
standards)
The Reading standards
referenced above can be
found CCSS ELA Standards.
The Writing and Language
standards can be found in
the CCSS ELA Standards or
tabs 2 and 3 of 10-11 Writing
Long Term Planning Tool.
For Grammar Standards see
guidance at the top of this
document.
Writing Standards
5th grade
4. Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the
development and
organization are appropriate
to task, purpose, and
audience. (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types
are defined in standards 1–3
above.)
5. With guidance and support
from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen
writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new
approach. (Editing for
conventions should
demonstrate command of
Language standards 1–3 up to
and including grade 5 on
pages 28 and 29 of the CCSS.)
See below for the Language
standards.
7. Conduct short research
projects that use several
sources to build knowledge
Create a class anthology
of favorite poems
(published and student)
CCSS Writing Standards, Unit
7
4W, 5W, 7W, 8W, 10W
5La, 5Lb
R4, R5, R9
CCSS Writing Standards, Unit
7
4W, 5W, 7W, 8W, 10W
5La, 5Lb
R4, R5
CCSS Writing Standards, Unit
7
4W, 5W, 7W, 8W, 10W
5La, 5Lb
R4
The Reading standards
referenced above can be
found CCSS ELA Standards.
The Writing and Language
standards can be found in the
CCSS ELA Standards or tabs 2
and 3 of 10-11 Writing Long
Term Planning Tool.
The Reading standards
referenced above can be
found CCSS ELA Standards.
The Writing and Language
standards can be found in the
CCSS ELA Standards or tabs 2
and 3 of 10-11 Writing Long
Term Planning Tool.
The Reading standards
referenced above can be
found CCSS ELA Standards.
The Writing and Language
standards can be found in the
CCSS ELA Standards or tabs 2
and 3 of 10-11 Writing Long
Term Planning Tool.
For Grammar Standards see
guidance at the top of this
document.
For Grammar Standards see
guidance at the top of this
document.
For Grammar Standards see
guidance at the top of this
document.
6th grade
4. Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the
development, organization,
and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific expectations
for writing types are defined
in standards 1–3 above.)
7th grade
4. Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the
development, organization,
and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific expectations
for writing types are defined
in standards 1–3 above.)
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. (Editing for
conventions should
demonstrate command of
Language standards 1–3 up to
and including grade 6 on page
52 of the CCSS.) See below for
the Language Standards.
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 on page
52 of the CCSS.) See below for
the Language Standards.
7. Conduct short research
projects to answer a question,
drawing on several sources
7. Conduct short research
projects to answer a question,
drawing on several sources
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
8th grade
4. Produce clear and
coherent writing in which
the development,
organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience. (Gradespecific expectations for
writing types are defined in
standards 1–3 above.)
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
8 on page 52 of the CCSS.)
See below for the Language
Standards.
7. Conduct short research
projects to answer a
question (including a self-
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
through investigation
of different aspects of a topic.
and refocusing the inquiry
when appropriate.
and generating additional
related, focused questions for
further research and
investigation.
generated question),
drawing on several sources
and generating additional
related, focused questions
that allow for
multiple avenues of
exploration.
8. Recall relevant information
from experiences or
gather relevant information
from print and digital
sources; summarize or
paraphrase information
in notes and finished work,
and provide a list of
sources.
8. Gather relevant
information from multiple
print and digital sources;
assess the credibility of each
source; and quote or
paraphrase the data and
conclusions of others while
avoiding plagiarism and
providing basic bibliographic
information for sources.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Grade 7
R4 Determine the meaning of
words and phrases
as they are used in a text,
including figurative
and connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of rhymes
and other repetitions of
sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a
specific verse or stanza of a
poem or section of a story or
drama.
R5 Analyze how a drama’s or
poem’s form or structure
(e.g., soliloquy, sonnet)
contributes to its meaning.
Grade 8
R4 Determine the meaning of
words and phrases
as they are used in a text,
including figurative
and connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of specific
word choices on meaning and
tone, including analogies or
allusions to other texts.
Reading Standards for Literature
Grade 5
Grade 6
R2 Determine a theme of a
R4 Determine the meaning of
story, drama, or poem
words and phrases as
from details in the text,
they are used in a text,
including how characters
including figurative and
in a story or drama respond
connotative meanings;
to challenges or how the
analyze the impact of a
speaker in a poem reflects
specific word choice on
upon a topic; summarize the
meaning and tone.
text.
R5 Explain how a series of
chapters, scenes, or
stanzas fits together to
provide the overall structure
of a particular story, drama,
or poem.
Analyze how visual and
multimedia elements
contribute to the meaning,
tone, or beauty of a
text (e.g., graphic novel,
R5 Analyze how a particular
sentence, chapter, scene, or
stanza fits into the overall
structure of a text and
contributes to the
development of the theme,
setting, or plot.
R9 Compare and contrast
texts in different forms or
genres (e.g., stories and
poems; historical novels
and fantasy stories) in terms
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
multimedia presentation
of fiction, folktale, myth,
poem).
of their approaches
to similar themes and topics.
Language Standards (Focus on the bolded and italicized standards during this unit). Some standards are purposefully highlighted
in this and the previous unit because they require a depth of teaching that crosses multiple units.
L5. Demonstrate
L5. Demonstrate
L5. Demonstrate
L5. Demonstrate
understanding of figurative
understanding of figurative
understanding of figurative
understanding of figurative
language, word relationships, language, word relationships, language, word relationships, language, word relationships,
and nuances in word
and nuances in word
and nuances in word
and nuances in word
meanings.
meanings.
meanings.
meanings.
a. Interpret figurative
language, including similes
and metaphors, in context.
a. Interpret figures of speech
(e.g., personification) in
context.
a. Interpret figures of speech
(e.g., literary, biblical, and
mythological allusions) in
context.
a. Interpret figures of speech
(e.g. verbal irony, puns) in
context.
b. Recognize and explain the
meaning of common idioms,
adages, and proverbs.
b. Use the relationship
between particular words
(e.g., cause/effect,
part/whole, item/category) to
better understand each of the
words.
b. Use the relationship
between particular words
(e.g., synonym/antonym,
analogy) to better understand
each of the words.
b. Use the relationship
between particular words to
better understand each of the
words.
c. Use the relationship
between particular words
(e.g., synonyms, antonyms,
homographs) to better
understand each of the
words.
c. Distinguish among the
connotations (associations) of
words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g.,
stingy, scrimping, economical,
unwasteful, thrifty).
c. Distinguish among the
connotations (associations) of
words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g.,
refined, respectful, polite,
diplomatic, condescending).
c. Distinguish among the
connotations (associations) of
words with similar
denotations
(definitions) (e.g., bullheaded,
willful, firm, persistent,
resolute).
1. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
a. Explain the function of
conjunctions, prepositions,
and interjections in general
and their function in
particular sentences.
b. Form and use the perfect
(e.g., I had walked; I have
walked; I will have walked)
verb tenses.
c. Use verb tense to convey
various times, sequences,
states, and conditions.
d. Recognize and correct
inappropriate shifts in verb
tense.*
e. Use correlative
conjunctions (e.g., either/or,
neither/nor).
1. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
a. Ensure that pronouns are in
the proper case (subjective,
objective, possessive).
b. Use intensive pronouns
(e.g., myself, ourselves).
c. Recognize and correct
inappropriate shifts in
pronoun number and
person.*
d. Recognize and correct
vague pronouns (i.e., ones
with unclear or ambiguous
antecedents).*
e. Recognize variations from
standard English in their own
and others’ writing and
speaking, and identify and use
strategies to improve
expression in conventional
language.*
1. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
a. Explain the function of
phrases and clauses in general
and their function in specific
sentences.
b. Choose among simple,
compound, complex, and
compound-complex
sentences to signal differing
relationships among ideas.
c. Place phrases and clauses
within a sentence,
recognizing and correcting
misplaced and dangling
modifiers.*
1. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
a. Explain the function of
verbals (gerunds, participles,
infinitives) in general and
their function in particular
sentences.
b. Form and use verbs in the
active and passive voice.
c. Form and use verbs in the
indicative, imperative,
interrogative, conditional,
and subjunctive mood.
d. Recognize and correct
inappropriate shifts in verb
voice and mood.*
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
2. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
a. Use punctuation to
separate items in a series.*
b. Use a comma to separate
an introductory element from
the rest of the sentence.
c. Use a comma to set off the
words yes and no (e.g., Yes,
thank you), to set off a tag
question from the rest of the
sentence (e.g., It’s true, isn’t
it?), and to indicate direct
address (e.g., Is that you,
Steve?).
d. Use underlining, quotation
marks, or italics to indicate
titles of works.
e. Spell grade-appropriate
words correctly, consulting
references as needed.
3. Use knowledge of language
and its conventions when
writing, speaking, reading, or
listening.
a. Expand, combine, and
reduce sentences for
meaning, reader/listener
interest, and style.
b. Compare and contrast the
varieties of English (e.g.,
dialects, registers) used in
stories, dramas, or poems.
2. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
a. Use punctuation (commas,
parentheses, dashes) to set
off nonrestrictive
/parenthetical elements.*
b. Spell correctly.
2. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
a. Use a comma to separate
coordinate adjectives (e.g., It
was a fascinating, enjoyable
movie but not He wore an
old[,] green shirt).
b. Spell correctly.
2. Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard
English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling
when writing.
a. Use punctuation (comma,
ellipsis, dash) to indicate a
pause or break.
b. Use an ellipsis to indicate
an omission.
c. Spell correctly.
3. Use knowledge of language
and its conventions when
writing, speaking, reading, or
listening.
a. Vary sentence patterns for
meaning, reader/ listener
interest, and style.*
b. Maintain consistency in
style and tone.*
3. Use knowledge of language
and its conventions when
writing, speaking, reading, or
listening.
a. Choose language that
expresses ideas precisely and
concisely, recognizing and
eliminating wordiness and
redundancy.*
3. Use knowledge of
language and its conventions
when writing, speaking,
reading, or listening.
a. Use verbs in the active and
passive voice and in the
conditional and subjunctive
mood to achieve particular
effects (e.g., emphasizing the
actor or the action;
expressing uncertainty or
describing a state contrary to
fact).
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
6. Acquire and use accurately 6. Acquire and use accurately 6. Acquire and use accurately 6. Acquire and use accurately
grade-appropriate general
grade-appropriate general
grade-appropriate general
grade-appropriate general
academic and domainacademic and domainacademic and domainacademic and domainspecific words and phrases,
specific words and phrases;
specific words and phrases;
specific words and phrases;
including those that signal
gather vocabulary knowledge gather vocabulary knowledge gather vocabulary knowledge
contrast, addition, and other
when considering a word or
when considering a word or
when considering a word or
logical relationships (e.g.,
phrase important to
phrase important to
phrase important to
however, although,
comprehension or
comprehension or
comprehension or
nevertheless, similarly,
expression.
expression.
expression.
moreover, in addition).
See http://www.flocabulary.com/wordlists.htmlfor a list of grade level words from the Word Up Project. The Word Up Project
teaches students words that they are likely to encounter on high-stakes tests. Flocabulary's research team created these word
lists by first compiling words from grade-appropriate novels and basal readers (with an emphasis on Tier 2 words). The
researchers then analyzed how often these vocabulary words appeared on state tests. The words that appeared most often are
the ones taught in The Word Up Project. For each reading level, the researchers looked at state tests at that level and two grade
levels above. So the words taught in Level Indigo (grade 5) are those words that are both found in 5th grade reading material and
are most likely to appear on state tests in 5th, 6th and 7th grade.*
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011
AF Middle School Writing--Unit 7 Overview
Poetry: Research, Curiosity, and Imagination
*Note this description has been excerpted from the Flocabulary website. Also, note that Flocabulary and the Word Up Project are
not part of the standards. This is a suggested resource.
Achievement First Middle School Writing 2010-2011