CCRA.W.6: Using Technology to Produce, Publish and Collaborate
In plain English: CCRA.W.6 is the Common Core College and Career Readiness anchor standard for writing that asks students to use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. In grades 6-12 it is carried by W.6.6 through W.11-12.6 and WHST.6-8.6 through WHST.11-12.6, growing from typing and linking sources to updating shared work in response to feedback.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing · Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing Also written as CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.6 · Official standard
CCRA.W.6 asks students to use technology, including the Internet, for three jobs: to produce writing, to publish it for its readers, and to interact and collaborate with others while they write. The standard is about habits, not products. Drafting in a shared file, linking to and crediting sources, using comments and suggestions instead of overwriting a teammate, and updating published work when the facts change all carry over from one tool to the next.
This page teaches the anchor as a progression for grades 6-12, from typing three pages in one sitting (grade 6) and linking to sources (grade 7) to updating shared writing in response to ongoing feedback and new information (grades 11-12), with the same expectations in WHST.6 for history, science and technical writing. The lesson is tool-neutral and works on paper as well. Publishing means a class space the teacher manages, collaboration happens with the teacher and through the printed model threads, and no student posts anything publicly or shares personal information. The texts, all written for this page, follow one team's entry in a class field guide to campus trees from comment thread to correction, and a weather-station explanation for homework. Every activity has a grades 6-8 version and a grades 9-12 version.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Use a writing tool's features (headings, tables, spelling check, comments, suggestions) to produce a clear draft
Use the Internet to find information, link to it with descriptive link text and credit it instead of copying
Publish writing for its intended readers in a teacher-managed space while protecting personal information
Collaborate through comments, suggestions and replies that are specific and respectful
Update published writing in response to feedback and new information, and tell readers what changed
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Typing, saving and reopening a document
Identifying the task, purpose and audience of a piece of writing CCRA.W.4
Revising and editing a draft in response to feedback CCRA.W.5
"Our school prints a guide to its clubs once a year. Suppose the same guide also lived on a class site that the teacher manages. Name two things the online version could do that the printed one cannot. Then name one thing that could go wrong online that cannot go wrong on paper."
Take answers. Students usually name links, quick updates, comments, search and tables that are easy to change. For what could go wrong, steer toward two answers: a mistake reaches every reader at once, and personal information can travel further than the writer meant. CCRA.W.6 asks for both halves: use what technology does well, and use it responsibly with readers and collaborators.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Terms for the whole period. These describe features found in many tools; the lesson names no product.
Produce: create a piece with technology: draft, format with headings and tables, check and revise.
Publish: make the finished version available to its intended readers. On this page, that always means a space the teacher manages (a class site or learning platform) or a printed copy; students do not post their writing publicly.
Shared document: one file that several writers, including the teacher, can see and work on.
Comment: a note attached to part of a document, which others can answer and then mark resolved.
Suggestion mode (also called tracking changes): edits that show as proposals the writer can accept or reject.
Version history: a record of who changed what, and when, in a shared file.
Link text: the words a reader clicks; good link text names the source or what is there.
Alt text: a short description of an image for readers who cannot see it, such as readers who use screen readers.
Ground rules for any shared or published writing. Use first names only. No photos of people. Never mention where anyone lives, and never share a password. Credit every source. Write comments about the writing, not the writer.
How the anchor grows. The table lists every grade-level standard that carries CCRA.W.6 in grades 6-12. Each band keeps the earlier expectations and adds one, ending in grades 11-12 with updating shared work in response to feedback and new information.
Progression of CCRA.W.6 in grades 6-12
Grade-level standard
Band and subject
What this band adds
W.6.6
Grade 6, English
Produce, publish, interact and collaborate with technology, and type at least three pages in a single sitting
W.7.6
Grade 7, English
Adds linking to and citing sources
W.8.6
Grade 8, English
Adds presenting the relationships between information and ideas efficiently
W.9-10.6
Grades 9-10, English
Produce, publish and update individual or shared writing, using links and displaying information flexibly and dynamically
W.11-12.6
Grades 11-12, English
Update individual or shared writing in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information
WHST.6-8.6
Grades 6-8, history, science and technical subjects
Produce and publish, presenting the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently
WHST.9-10.6
Grades 9-10, history, science and technical subjects
Same as W.9-10.6, for content-area writing
WHST.11-12.6
Grades 11-12, history, science and technical subjects
Same as W.11-12.6, for content-area writing
Model texts. The texts in this lesson were written for this page; Linden Hill School, its teachers and students are invented. A class is building a digital field guide to the trees on its campus. Text 1 is the teacher's project directions. Text 2 is one team's comment thread in the shared document while they drafted the Red Maple entry.
1Trees of Our Campus: a digital field guide
2Your team will write one entry for our class field guide. The finished guide will be published on our class site, which only students in this class, their families and teachers at Linden Hill School can open. A printed copy will go to the school library for next year's class.
3Produce: Draft in our class's shared document so your team and I can see each other's work. Use the heading styles for the tree's name and for the sections Leaves, Bark, Seeds and Where to Find It. Run the spelling check, then read the entry aloud anyway.
4Link and credit: When a fact comes from a website or book, link to it or name it at the end of the sentence. Do not paste in someone else's paragraph.
5Collaborate: Use comments to ask questions and suggestion mode to propose changes to someone else's writing. Reply to every comment before you resolve it. I will comment too.
6Stay safe: Use first names only. No photos of people. Do not mention where anyone lives.
SVHS (original model text; the school and people are invented), Text 1: Project directions, Trees of Our Campus (written for this page; the class, the teacher and Linden Hill School are invented). Original passage written for this page.
1Esme, on the Leaves section: I found a great description of red maple leaves on a university forestry page. Can I just paste it in? It's better than what I wrote.
2Ms. Lindgren: Better to put it in your own words and link to the page, Esme. Readers can then check the source, and the guide stays our class's writing.
3Tobias, suggestion on the Bark section: changed "the bark is gray and smooth" to "on young trees the bark is smooth and light gray; on old trees it breaks into long, scaly plates." Source: the same forestry page.
4Rowan, reply to Tobias: Accepting your suggestion. But we now say "gray" in two sections. Should the color go under Bark only?
5Tobias: Yes, Bark only. I'll delete it from Leaves.
6Esme: Could the Leaves section have a table? Lobes, edges and fall color side by side would be easier to read than one long paragraph.
7Ms. Lindgren: Good idea. A table also lets readers compare the maple with the oak entry if both teams use the same rows.
8Rowan: Done. I added the table and asked the oak team, in a comment on their entry, to use the same three rows.
SVHS (original model text; the people are invented), Text 2: The team's comment thread in the shared document, before publishing (written for this page; Rowan, Esme, Tobias and Ms. Lindgren are invented). Original passage written for this page.
Using the Internet without copying
In Text 2, Esme asks whether she can paste a paragraph from a university forestry page. What does Ms. Lindgren advise, and why is it the better use of the Internet?
Result: She advises putting it "in your own words" and linking to the page. The link lets readers "check the source," and the guide "stays our class's writing." The Internet is used to find and credit information, not to borrow someone else's sentences.
Collaborating without overwriting
Tobias wants to improve the Bark section, which a teammate drafted. What does he do, and what makes it good collaboration?
Result: He makes a suggestion instead of a direct edit, quotes the old and new wording and names his source ("the same forestry page"). The writer can see exactly what would change and decide. Rowan accepts it and raises a new question in reply, so the thread keeps the team's reasoning on record.
Producing with the tools, then checking by ear
Text 1 tells students to use heading styles and to "Run the spelling check, then read the entry aloud anyway." Why both?
Result: Heading styles give every entry the same sections, so readers can find Leaves or Bark in any entry, and the class site can list them. A spelling check catches misspelled words but not a correct word in the wrong place, such as their for there, so the writer still rereads. Technology helps produce the piece; it does not replace the writer's judgment.
Grade 6 keyboarding: three pages in one sitting
W.6.6 asks grade 6 students to type at least three pages in a single sitting. If a double-spaced page holds about 250-300 words, about how many words is that, and how long would it take at 15 words per minute?
Result: Three pages is about 750-900 words. At 15 words per minute, 750 words takes 50 minutes and 900 words takes 60 minutes, so students need a full class period and steady typing practice. Teachers can build up to it with timed drafting sessions.
Point out that none of these moves depends on a particular product. Any tool with comments, suggestions and a version history supports the same habits, and a paper version with sticky notes and dated drafts teaches them too.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Published, then corrected. Text 3 is the entry as the team published it on the class site; the bracketed notes show where the links are. Text 4 is what happened a week later. Read both.
1Red Maple (the tree beside the gym door)
2Leaves: The leaves have three to five pointed lobes with toothed edges, and the leaf stems are often red. In fall the leaves turn bright red. [Link: university forestry page, "Red Maple"]
3Table: Lobes: three to five, pointed. Edges: finely toothed. Fall color: bright red.
4Bark: On young trees the bark is smooth and light gray; on old trees it breaks into long, scaly plates. [Link: university forestry page, "Red Maple"]
5Seeds: In spring the tree drops pairs of winged seeds that spin as they fall. The two wings meet at a narrow angle, like a V.
6Where to find it: Beside the gym door, about ten steps from the bike racks.
7Written by Rowan, Esme and Tobias. Published October 3.
SVHS (original model text), Text 3: The Red Maple entry as published on the class site, Version 1 (written for this page; links are shown in brackets). Original passage written for this page.
1Ms. Lindgren, message to the team, October 9: The school's grounds manager read our guide and says the tree beside the gym door is a Norway maple, not a red maple. She broke off a leaf stem to show me, and it leaked a milky sap, which a red maple's leaf stem does not. Her leaf also had five broad lobes, and she says its leaves turn yellow in fall. Please check the tree yourselves before you change anything, and decide how to tell readers what changed.
2Version history: October 2, Rowan: first draft of all sections October 2, Tobias: suggestion accepted, Bark section rewritten October 3, Rowan: table added to Leaves; entry published as Version 1 October 10, Esme: photo of a broken leaf stem with milky sap added to the team's notes (not published)
SVHS (original model text; the people are invented), Text 4: After publishing, Ms. Lindgren's message to the team and the entry's version history (written for this page). Original passage written for this page.
Read as a reader. Give students one minute with Text 3 and ask: "How quickly can you find what the seeds look like? What helped?" Collect two or three answers without judging them yet.
What changed after publishing? Pairs summarize Ms. Lindgren's message in one sentence. Teacher note: the point is that published writing is not frozen; new information from a reader can require an update.
Plan Version 2. Pairs list which parts of Text 3 they would change and which they would keep, and what they would do before changing anything. Grades 9-12 also decide whether readers who saw Version 1 need to be told, and how.
Share plans. Two pairs read their plans. Ask the class: "What does a version history let the team prove later?"
Independent Practice15 minutes
Write Version 2. The team checked the tree and confirmed the grounds manager was right. These facts are confirmed (accurate for Norway maples): the leaves have five to seven broad lobes with a few large, pointed teeth; a broken leaf stem leaks milky sap; the leaves turn yellow in fall; the bark is gray-brown, and on older trees it is shallowly furrowed with long, narrow, interlacing ridges; the paired seeds ripen in late summer and fall, and their wings spread almost in a straight line. Students produce the new entry in the shared document or on paper.
Grades 6-8: Rewrite the title, the Leaves section, the table, the Bark section and the Seeds section for a Norway maple. Keep the headings and the Where to Find It section, and keep or update the links as needed (name each source in brackets). Grade 6 students type the entry in one sitting and note how long it took.
Grades 9-12: Write the full Version 2, then add one new link to another entry in the guide that would help readers (for example, to a red maple entry elsewhere on campus, if one exists), and explain in two sentences what the link does that repeating the information would not.
Teacher note: work stays inside the class's shared space or on paper. Nothing is posted publicly, and students use first names only.
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: Name one feature of a writing tool you used today (comments, suggestions, links, tables or version history) and write one sentence about how it helped a reader or a collaborator.
For homework: students use the two texts below, written for this lesson; the student, the station and its readings are invented. Version 1 contains one paragraph that breaks the class rules for the site.
1Our school weather station is on the roof of the science wing. It measures rain with a tipping-bucket gauge. Rain falls into a funnel and drips into a tiny bucket shaped like a seesaw. When one side holds 0.01 inch of rain, it tips over, empties, and the other side starts to fill. Each tip moves a magnet past a reed switch, and the station counts the tips.
2Last week the station counted 0 tips on Monday, 37 on Tuesday, 12 on Wednesday, 0 on Thursday, 58 on Friday, 4 on Saturday and 0 on Sunday.
3I wrote this with help from Jamie Ortiz, who lives on Birch Street near the school and has a weather station at home.
4Some people say the gauge is not accurate in heavy rain. I don't know if that is true.
SVHS (original model draft; the readings are invented), Text 5: Homework, "How Our Weather Station Measures Rain," Version 1, as drafted for the class site (written for this page; the student, the station and its readings are invented). Original passage written for this page.
1Mr. Achebe, on paragraph 2: Readers want rainfall, not tips. Could you turn these numbers into a table with a column for inches of rain? Also say where the 0.01 inch comes from; the station's manual is in the science office.
2Mr. Achebe, on paragraph 3: Please check this paragraph against our class rules for the site before it is published.
3Mr. Achebe, on paragraph 4: This is worth answering, not just mentioning. The manual has a section on heavy rain. Find what it says and cite it.
4Classmate, on paragraph 1: I don't know what a reed switch is. Explain it in a few words, or leave it out.
5Mr. Achebe, October 14: New information for everyone writing about the station. It was moved from the roof to the school garden on October 12, because the roof walls were blocking rain blown by the wind. Readings from before and after the move may not match.
SVHS (original model text; the people are invented), Text 6: Homework, comments on Version 1 from Mr. Achebe and a classmate (written for this page). Original passage written for this page.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a comment-starter card: "In [section], I noticed ... Could you ...?"
Provide the Version 2 template with headings already in place, so students only write the changed sections
Let students work on paper with sticky notes for comments and dated drafts for versions
For Advanced Students
Ask students to design the field guide's home page: the order of entries, a table that compares all trees on the same rows, and cross-links between entries
Have students write a one-page set of class rules for the site that covers credit, privacy and how to report an error
Ask students to compare the version history in Text 4 with the recycling-guide log in Activity 3 and explain what makes a version note useful later
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong work uses technology for the reader and the collaborator: clear structure, links that name their sources, comments that point to a place and propose a change, and updates that say what changed. Watch for pasted text without credit, link text like "click here," comments that only praise or criticize, silent changes to published work, and any personal information in a draft meant for publishing. In grades 11-12, look for students who weigh new information before updating and who keep readers informed.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Comment Clinic
15 minPairs
Pairs judge six sample comments on the published Red Maple entry (Text 3) and rewrite the weak ones. Work on the printed sheet or in a practice copy the teacher shares; comments go to the model text, not to classmates' work.
The 6 Sample Comments
"Looks good!"
"This part is confusing."
"In Bark, 'long, scaly plates' is a strong detail. Does your source say how old a tree is before the plates appear? If so, add it."
"Change everything in Seeds."
"The link in Leaves goes to the forestry site's home page, not its red maple page. Can you fix the address?"
"I suggested a shorter title in suggestion mode. Accept it only if you think it is clearer."
Grades 6-8 Version
Sort the comments into Helpful and Not yet helpful, with one reason for each
Rewrite comments 1, 2 and 4 so each names a place in the entry and suggests a change
Write one new comment of your own on Text 3
Grades 9-12 Version
Sort the comments, then rank the helpful ones by how much they would improve the entry for its readers
Write a reply to comment 3 as the writer would post it, accepting or declining with a reason
Write two comments of your own: one on content and one on how the entry uses links or the table
Discussion Questions
What do the helpful comments have in common?
Why does comment 6 say "Accept it only if you think it is clearer"?
How is a written comment different from saying the same thing face to face?
2
Link It, Cite It, Show It
15 minIndividual
Students fix weak links and decide how to display three kinds of information. The activity practices the grade 7 focus on linking and citing and the grade 8 and 9-10 focus on presenting information efficiently and flexibly.
Part A: Fix the Link Text
"For more about leaf shapes, click here."
"I got this from a website."
"See this page: [a long web address made of letters and numbers]"
Rewrite each so the reader knows what the link leads to and who published it. Invent a plausible source name if needed, and label it invented.
Part B: Choose the Display
The steps for pressing a leaf between sheets of paper
The height, trunk width and leaf type of four campus trees
Why maple leaves change color in fall
For each, choose a numbered list, a table or a paragraph, and explain the choice in one sentence.
Grades 6-8 Version
Complete Parts A and B
For Part B item 2, draw the table with its column headings (no numbers needed)
Grades 9-12 Version
Complete Parts A and B
Decide which information in the Red Maple entry should be a link to another entry in the guide instead of being repeated, and explain how that helps when facts change
Teacher Key (Part B)
1: a numbered list, because order matters. 2: a table, because readers compare the same features across trees. 3: a paragraph, because it is an explanation of causes. Accept other choices with a good reason.
3
Version History Detective
15 minGroups of 3
Groups read the version log of a different class page and reconstruct what happened, then decide how to tell readers about the latest change. The log is printed on the activity sheet; the page and people are invented.
The Version Log: Our School Recycling Guide
Sept. 20, Ava: first draft of all sections
Sept. 21, Ms. Lindgren: comment on Foam: "Is foam accepted? Please check the city's recycling page and link to it."
Sept. 22, Ben: added "Foam cups go in the trash, not the recycling bin," with a link to the city's recycling page
Sept. 23, Ava: published as Version 1
Oct. 1, Ms. Lindgren: message: the city's recycling page now says clean foam is accepted at the drop-off center, but still not in school bins
Oct. 2, Ava: Foam section updated; Version 2 published
Grades 6-8 Version
For each entry, write who made the change and why, in one phrase
Answer: which entry shows the Internet being used, and how?
Write one sentence for the top of Version 2 telling readers that the Foam section changed
Grades 9-12 Version
Explain what made the October 2 update necessary and what kind of feedback or new information it responded to
Write the update note for Version 2, including the date and what changed, in two or three sentences
Decide whether readers should still be able to see Version 1, and defend the decision
Discussion Questions
What would be lost if the guide had no version history?
Was the September 22 sentence wrong when it was written?
Who should be allowed to change a published class page?
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
1 diagrams
Diagram 1: Produce, Publish, Collaborate, and Update
The three parts of CCRA.W.6 and the loop that the grades 9-12 standards add: published writing is updated in response to feedback and new information. The bottom bar holds the rules that apply before any writing is shared. The diagram names no particular product; any tool with comments and version history will do.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
CCRA.W.6 Homework: Updating "How Our Weather Station Measures Rain"
Directions: Read Version 1 (Text 5) and the comments on it (Text 6) at the end of the lesson plan (in Closure). Work on paper or in the class's shared space; do not post anything publicly. Problem 4 has a grades 6-8 version and a grades 9-12 version; answer the one for your grade. Where a fact must come from the station's manual, write [from the manual] instead of inventing it.
Part 1: Produce (Problems 1-2)
Plan the digital version of the explanation: list the headings you will use, say which information belongs in a table, and say where a link or credit is needed.
Using the fact in paragraph 1 that each tip equals 0.01 inch of rain, make the table Mr. Achebe asks for, with a row for each day, a column for tips and a column for inches of rain. Then give the week's total in inches.
Part 2: Collaborate (Problems 3-4)
Write a reply to each of the five comments in Text 6, as the writer of Version 1. Each reply should say what you changed, or why you did not.
Grades 6-8: Write Version 2 with headings, the table, an explanation of a reed switch in a few words, and one credit to the station's manual. Grades 9-12: Write Version 2 as for grades 6-8, then add an update note dated October 14 that explains the station's move and what it means for readers comparing readings.
Part 3: Publish Responsibly (Problems 5-6)
Mr. Achebe asks the writer to check one paragraph against the class rules for the site. Name the paragraph, quote the information that should not be published and explain the rule it breaks. Then rewrite the paragraph so that it credits the help without the personal information.
Explain two ways the online version of this explanation can serve readers better than a printed copy, and one extra responsibility that comes with publishing it online.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Producing
Headings, a correct table and a clear explanation; the total is correct
Table or headings present with an error or gap
No table, or the numbers are wrong
Collaborating
Every comment gets a specific reply that says what changed or why not
Replies are given but some are vague
Comments are ignored
Crediting and Linking
Sources are credited where facts come from, and no facts are invented
A credit is missing or vague
No credit, or invented facts
Publishing Responsibly
Personal information is identified and removed, and the reasons are explained
Information is removed without a reason
Personal information remains
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 2, 3, 5 and 19 use the project directions and comment thread (Direct Instruction). Questions 7-10, 16, 17 and 20 use the published entry and what happened after (Guided Practice). The other questions include everything they need. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which of these counts as publishing, as this lesson uses the word?
Answer: C
Publishing makes the finished version available to its intended readers; the class site reaches the class, families and teachers. Choices A and D keep the writing private to the writer, and choice B is part of producing and checking, not publishing.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to the project directions (Text 1), what must a team member do before resolving a comment?
Answer: B
Text 1 says, "Reply to every comment before you resolve it." A reply keeps a record of what was decided. Choice A adds a step the directions do not require, and choice D treats every comment as a demand to cut.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why does Esme suggest a table for the Leaves section (Text 2)?
Answer: B
Esme says lobes, edges and fall color "side by side would be easier to read than one long paragraph." Choice A is not in the directions, which require headings, not tables. Choices C and D give reasons nobody in the thread gives.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which link text tells readers the most about where a link goes?
Answer: D
Good link text names the source or what is there, so readers know before they click and can judge the source. The other three could lead anywhere, and "click here" means nothing to a reader who scans the links on a page.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Text 2, how do Rowan and Tobias settle the problem that the color gray now appears in two sections?
Answer: A
Rowan asks, "Should the color go under Bark only?" and Tobias answers, "Yes, Bark only. I'll delete it from Leaves." The question and answer stay in the thread, so the team's decision is on record. Ms. Lindgren is not asked (B), and the table rows are lobes, edges and fall color (D).
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A team's page for the class site includes the sentences below. Which one should be removed before publishing?
Answer: C
Where someone lives is personal information and stays out of anything shared or published. Choices A, B and D are about the trees and the sources; the last one should be checked against a source, but it does not expose anyone.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In Version 1 of the entry (Text 3), where would a reader look to check where the leaf facts came from?
Answer: A
The Leaves paragraph ends with "[Link: university forestry page, "Red Maple"]": the link points readers to the source. The writers' names (B) say who wrote the entry, not where the facts came from.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Text 4, what did the grounds manager show Ms. Lindgren as evidence that the tree is a Norway maple?
Answer: A
"She broke off a leaf stem to show me, and it leaked a milky sap, which a red maple's leaf stem does not." Choices B and C come from Version 1's description of a red maple, not from the grounds manager, and choice D is not mentioned.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the version history (Text 4), what does Esme's October 10 entry show?
Answer: B
The entry reads "photo of a broken leaf stem with milky sap added to the team's notes (not published)." She is checking the tree, as Ms. Lindgren asked, before the entry changes. No corrected version appears in the history yet, so choice A is wrong.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence in Version 1 (Text 3) conflicts with something the grounds manager reported?
Answer: D
Text 4 reports that the tree's "leaves turn yellow in fall." The grounds manager says nothing about seeds, so choice C does not conflict with her report, though the team should check it too. Choices A and B are about the location and the writers.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which source would be the best one to link for a fact about red maple bark?
Answer: B
A page from a forestry department with named authors is accountable and expert. A seller's site (C) has a reason to praise the tree, and unsigned or unidentified sources (A, D) cannot be checked. Evaluating sources in depth belongs to CCRA.W.8.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A team adds a photo of a maple leaf to its entry. What should the photo's alt text do?
Answer: A
Alt text is read aloud by screen readers and shown when an image does not load, so it should say what the image shows, for example "A maple leaf with five broad lobes." Choices B, C and D give readers nothing about the image, and choice D could add personal information.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which comment in a shared document is the most collaborative?
Answer: D
Choice D explains the change and asks the writer to check it, which keeps the writer in control of the writing. Choice A overwrites a teammate, choice B criticizes without saying what is wrong, and choice C gives no help at all.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A class's published explanation of a science topic is already online in the class space when a reader sends a newer, reliable source with a different finding. Which response best fits the grades 11-12 standard?
Answer: C
W.11-12.6 asks students to update writing "in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information." Choice C checks the information, changes the text and tells readers. Choice A ignores the feedback, choice B removes the work instead of updating it, and choice D adds a source that the text then contradicts.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Write a comment, as a teammate in a shared document, on this paragraph from a draft entry about an oak: "The oak is a big tree. It has leaves. It is very old." Your comment should name a place, explain the problem for readers and suggest a change.
Model answer: "In the first paragraph, each sentence could describe almost any tree, so a reader could not use it to find our oak. Could you add one detail a reader can check, such as the shape of the leaves (rounded or pointed lobes) or how wide the trunk is, and say where the age comes from?" Rubric: full credit names the place, explains the problem in terms of the reader and suggests a specific change, respectfully; partial credit does two of the three.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Explain two ways Version 1 of the entry (Text 3) uses technology to present information clearly and efficiently for readers.
Model answer: First, the entry uses the same headings as every entry (Leaves, Bark, Seeds, Where to Find It), so a reader can jump straight to one feature, and the class site can list them. Second, the table gives "Lobes," "Edges" and "Fall color" in rows that readers can compare with the oak entry. Links to the forestry page are another good answer: readers can check the source without the entry repeating it. Rubric: full credit explains two features with evidence and says how each helps readers; partial credit names two features without the explanation.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
The team has confirmed that the tree is a Norway maple. Write the note that should appear at the top of Version 2 to tell readers what changed. Use two or three sentences and include a date.
Model answer: "Updated October 11: This entry first identified the tree beside the gym door as a red maple. The school's grounds manager pointed out that its leaf stems leak milky sap and its leaves turn yellow, and we confirmed that it is a Norway maple. We have corrected the name, the leaf, bark and seed descriptions and the table." Rubric: full credit gives a date, says what was wrong, credits the new information and says what changed; partial credit leaves out one of these.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
A grade 7 student's report on the school garden is finished. Describe how she could publish it for two audiences, her class and the families at an open house, without sharing anyone's personal information.
Model answer: For the class, she can post it on the class site the teacher manages, with links to her sources. For families at the open house, she can print copies or ask the teacher to show the class site on a screen. In both versions she uses first names only, leaves out any photos of people and any mention of where anyone lives, and has the teacher check it before it is shared. Rubric: full credit gives a fitting way to publish for each audience and two specific privacy steps; partial credit gives one of the two parts.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
At the end of Text 2, Rowan asks the oak team, in a comment on their entry, to use the same three rows in their table. Explain how this is an example of using technology to collaborate beyond one's own team, and what readers gain.
Model answer: The shared document lets Rowan leave a request where the oak team will see it, on their own entry, without changing their work. If both teams agree, the guide's tables match, so readers can compare the maple and the oak row by row, which Ms. Lindgren points out when she says readers can "compare the maple with the oak entry." Rubric: full credit explains the collaboration and the benefit to readers with evidence; partial credit explains one.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Explain the difference between producing writing with technology and publishing it. Give one example of each from the Trees of Our Campus project.
Model answer: Producing is making the piece: drafting, formatting and revising it, as when the team used heading styles and added a table in the shared document. Publishing is making the finished version available to its readers, as when the team posted Version 1 on the class site on October 3. A piece can be produced with technology and never published, so the two are separate parts of the standard. Rubric: full credit defines both and gives a fitting example of each from the texts; partial credit gives the definitions or the examples.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does CCRA.W.6 mean?
It means students should be able to use technology, including the Internet, to create their writing, publish it for its readers and work with others on it. The standard is about habits that carry across tools: drafting in shared files, linking to and crediting sources, giving and answering feedback, and updating work.
Does CCRA.W.6 require a particular program or device?
No. The standard names no product, and this page names none. Any word processor with comments, suggestions and a version history supports it, and the same habits can be taught on paper with sticky notes and dated drafts.
What does publishing mean for students under CCRA.W.6?
Publishing means making the finished writing available to its intended readers. In school that usually means a class site or learning platform the teacher manages, a printed class book, or a library display. Students do not need to post anything publicly to meet the standard.
What is the keyboarding requirement in W.6.6?
W.6.6 asks grade 6 students to type at least three pages in a single sitting. That is roughly 750-900 words double-spaced, so it calls for steady practice; timed drafting sessions are one way to build toward it.
How does CCRA.W.6 change from grade 6 to grade 12?
Grade 6 adds the three-page typing goal, grade 7 adds linking to and citing sources, and grade 8 adds presenting the relationships between ideas efficiently. Grades 9-10 add updating individual or shared work and displaying information flexibly, and grades 11-12 add updating it in response to ongoing feedback and new information.
How can students collaborate online safely?
Keep collaboration inside a space the teacher manages, use first names only, share no photos of people and never mention where anyone lives or share passwords. Comments should be about the writing, not the writer. The teacher should be able to see every shared document.
How is CCRA.W.6 assessed?
Teachers usually assess the products and the record the tools leave: the finished piece and its links and credits, the comments and replies in a shared document, and the version history. A rubric can score producing, crediting, collaborating and publishing responsibly, as the homework rubric on this page does.
Is copying and pasting from the Internet allowed under CCRA.W.6?
Using the Internet to find information is part of the standard; pasting someone else's words without credit is not. Students should put information in their own words, link to or name the source, and use quotation marks for any exact words. Gathering and citing sources in depth is CCRA.W.8.
How does CCRA.W.6 apply in science and history classes?
Through WHST.6-8.6, WHST.9-10.6 and WHST.11-12.6. A lab group can draft a report in a shared file, show data in a table, link to the sources of its background facts and update the report when a new trial changes the results.
What is the difference between CCRA.W.6 and CCRA.SL.5?
CCRA.W.6 is about producing, publishing and collaborating on writing with technology. CCRA.SL.5 is about using digital media and visual displays in presentations to express information and make it easier to understand. A class project often uses both.
07
Related Standards
11 standards
These are the grade-level standards that carry anchor CCRA.W.6 in grades 6-12, plus closely related anchors.
Grades 6-8
W.6.6Grade-band standard
Grade 6: use technology to produce, publish, collaborate; type three pages
