W.7.4: Matching Development, Organization and Style to Task, Purpose and Audience
In plain English: W.7.4 is the Common Core grade 7 ELA standard that asks students to produce clear and coherent writing whose development, organization and style fit the task, purpose and audience. Students work out what a reader needs and already knows, choose the details, order and level of formality that suit the job, and keep every sentence exact and connected to the next.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Writing Standards · Cluster: Production and Distribution of Writing · Official standard
W.7.4 asks seventh graders to produce clear and coherent writing, meaning each sentence says exactly one thing and the sentences hold together, with development, organization and style that are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. The wording is the same as in grade 6; what grows in grade 7 is the writing it applies to, such as arguments that acknowledge opposing claims and narratives with an established point of view. This lesson focuses on the decisions a writer makes before and during drafting: what this reader needs, in what order, and in what voice.
Students study one invented situation from three sides. A seventh-grade Green Team is starting a lunchtime compost program with a community garden, and it has written a sign for the cafeteria bins, a funding request to the Parent-Teacher Association board and an article for the school news website. Students compare the three models, repair a weak draft of the letter, and plan a piece for a new reader. For homework, they write three pieces about a new invented event, a seventh-grade book swap. The compost facts are real: food buried in a landfill breaks down without air and releases methane, and simple compost piles usually leave out meat and dairy because they smell and attract pests. The sorting rules on the sign are invented for one school; whether an item such as a milk carton goes in recycling depends on the local program.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Name the task, purpose and audience of a writing situation, including what the reader already knows
Decide which details, facts and explanations to develop for a particular reader and which to leave out
Choose an organization that fits the task, such as grouped labels, a request first, or the most important news first
Set a style, from informal to formal, that fits the audience, and keep it consistent
Revise for clarity and coherence by naming unclear pronouns, keeping key words steady, linking ideas and cutting sentences that do not belong
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Producing clear and coherent writing whose development, organization and style fit task, purpose and audience W.6.4
Establishing and maintaining a formal style in informative writing W.6.2
Using pronouns so that each one clearly refers to a noun L.6.1
"Our school's soccer team just won the league final, 2-1. Write a one-line headline for the school news website. Then write the text message you would send to a cousin who plays for the team that lost."
Have four or five students read both pieces aloud. Chart the differences: which facts each one includes, what comes first, and how each one sounds. Ask: The score is the same, so why did your words change? Guide students to the three questions every writer answers first: the task (what kind of writing this is), the purpose (what it must do) and the audience (who will read it, and what they already know and feel).
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Post these terms and use them all lesson:
Task, purpose and audience: the kind of writing, the job it must do (inform, persuade, instruct, entertain), and the readers, including what they already know.
Development: the details, facts, examples and explanations a writer includes, and how much of each.
Organization: the order and grouping of ideas, such as steps, headings, paragraphs, or the most important point first.
Style: how the writing sounds: word choice, sentence length, and how formal or informal it is. A formal style uses complete sentences and exact words and avoids slang; an informal style sounds like friendly conversation.
Clear: each sentence means exactly one thing. Unclear pronouns (a "she" or "it" that could point to two nouns) and vague words ("stuff," "a thing") make writing unclear.
Coherent: the sentences and paragraphs hold together. Each connects to the one before, often with a transition such as "as a result" or "in return," and each supports the main idea.
Work through the five examples, then show Diagram 1 and Diagram 2.
Name the task, purpose and audience
Assignment: Write something about the library's new self-checkout station. Too vague to start.
Result: Task: a one-page how-to handout. Purpose: help students check out books without waiting in line. Audience: sixth graders in their first week, who have never used the station. Now the writer knows to include every step and to define "barcode."
Development: what does this reader need?
A bus route has changed. The news goes to a classmate who rides Bus 4 and to a family that moved to town last week.
Result: Classmate: Bus 4 stops at Elm now, not the gas station. New family: Bus 4 picks up at 7:12 a.m. at the corner of Elm Street and Fifth Avenue, in front of the post office. The new family needs the time and a landmark the classmate already knows.
Organization that fits the task
The robotics team placed second at a regional contest. The team writes a news brief for the school website and a recap for its own members' blog.
Result: The news brief leads with the result, then gives details, because many readers will stop after one paragraph. The recap goes in time order, from the first match to the last, because teammates want to relive the day.
Style: set it and keep it
A request to the school board: The band respectfully requests funds for new music stands, because ours are totally busted.
Result: Revised: The band respectfully requests funds for new music stands, because ours are bent and no longer hold music upright. The slang "totally busted" broke the formal style; the revision is formal throughout and also more exact.
Clear and coherent: repair the paragraph
Draft: Coach Reyes told Mr. Blake that his team needed the gym on Friday. Also, the vending machine is broken. He said yes.
Result: Revised: Coach Reyes told Mr. Blake that the volleyball team needed the gym on Friday, and Mr. Blake agreed. "His" and "he" now point to one person each, and the vending machine sentence, which does not connect, is cut.
Explain the situation: a seventh-grade Green Team wants to compost food scraps at lunch, and it has written three pieces about the same program. Read each model aloud. After each one, ask: Who will read this, and where will they be when they read it? What must it get them to do or know? Which line shows you?
WHERE DOES YOUR LUNCH GO? Sort it in 10 seconds. The garden is counting on you.
GREEN BIN: COMPOST Fruit and vegetable peels, cores and scraps Used paper napkins
BLUE BIN: RECYCLING Empty milk cartons Plastic bottles, with the caps on
GRAY BIN: TRASH Meat, cheese and yogurt Chip bags and candy wrappers Plastic forks and straws
Not sure? Ask a Green Team helper in a green vest.
SVHS lesson authors, Model A: Sign above the cafeteria bins (written for this page; the Green Team and its school are invented). Original passage written for this page.
1Dear members of the Parent-Teacher Association board,
2The seventh-grade Green Team asks the board for $270 to start a compost program at seventh-grade lunch this spring.
3Right now, every scrap of food from lunch goes into the trash. Food that is buried in a landfill breaks down without air and releases methane, a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Composting keeps those scraps out of the landfill.
4We have a partner and a plan. The Bramble Street Community Garden has agreed to collect our food scraps every Tuesday and Friday and add them to its compost piles. Twelve Green Team members will take turns standing beside the bins to help students sort, and our science teacher, Ms. Adeyemi, will check the bins each week.
5The $270 would pay for three lidded 32-gallon bins ($114), a wheeled cart to move them to the loading dock ($96) and a year of compostable bin liners ($60). In return, the garden will give the school finished compost for the courtyard planters.
6We would be glad to answer questions at your meeting on March 4. Thank you for considering our request.
7Sincerely, Priya Raman and Marcus Bell, for the seventh-grade Green Team
SVHS lesson authors, Model B: Letter to the Parent-Teacher Association board (the writers, the garden and the teacher are invented). Original passage written for this page.
1Green Team's First Month: 380 Pounds of Lunch Scraps Headed for the Garden
2In its first four weeks, the seventh-grade compost program kept about 380 pounds of food scraps out of the trash, according to the Green Team's weekly weigh-ins.
3The program started on March 18. At seventh-grade lunch, students now sort their leftovers into three bins: green for compost, blue for recycling and gray for trash. Compost is the dark, crumbly soil that forms when food scraps and other plant material break down.
4Sorting was slow at first. "The first week, the line backed up all the way to the salad bar," said Green Team member Luis Ortega. "By the third week, most people could do it without asking."
5Volunteers from the Bramble Street Community Garden pick up the green bins twice a week. The scraps will take several months to become finished compost, which the garden will share with the school for the courtyard planters.
6The Green Team hopes to add sixth-grade lunch next fall. Students who want to help can sign up in Room 118.
SVHS lesson authors, Model C: Article for the school news website (the results and Luis Ortega are invented). Original passage written for this page.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Pairs complete the chart below, writing a few words in each cell and one line of the model as proof. Circulate and ask each pair to name one fact that appears in one model and is left out of another, and to explain why.
Comparing the three models (students fill in the cells)
Question
Model A: sign
Model B: letter
Model C: article
Task
Purpose
Audience and what they already know
Development: one fact included, one left out
Organization
Style
Next, read the weak draft below with the class. It was written for the same board as Model B. Pairs mark every place where a board member would be confused, where the draft goes off topic, and where the style does not suit the readers. They keep their marked copy for Activity 3.
Hey PTA!!
So basically the Green Team is doing compost and it's going to be awesome. It's kind of a big deal for the planet (methane!!). Also my cousin's school has a garden with chickens, which is really cool. The garden people said they'll get it on Tuesdays and maybe Fridays. We need some bins and stuff and a cart thing. They are kind of expensive. The kids will help sort and so will she. Anyway, let us know. Oh, and we need money, like $270 probably.
Thanks!! Green Team
SVHS lesson authors, Weak draft of the letter to the board. Original passage written for this page.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Each student writes a thank-you note of 80-120 words from the Green Team to the volunteers of the Bramble Street Community Garden, to be printed in the garden's own newsletter after the first month. Before drafting, students write the task, purpose and audience at the top of the page and list two things the volunteers already know (so the note should not explain them) and two things they do not know yet. Collect the notes to check that students chose facts for these readers and kept one style throughout.
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) Name one fact you left out of your thank-you note and explain why the volunteers did not need it. (2) Complete the sentence: "Before I choose my style, I ask myself ... ."
Hand out the Book Swap fact sheet below. It describes a new invented event with new readers, and students use it for the homework and for questions 11 and 12 of the quiz.
Seventh-Grade Book Swap: fact sheet from the Cedar Hollow library club
What it is: Students trade books they have finished for books they have not read yet. Every book a student brings in earns one ticket, and each ticket can be traded for one book.
When and where: in the library, during all three lunch periods on the last Thursday before winter break.
What to bring: up to 5 paperback or hardcover books in good condition, with no missing pages and no writing inside. Books for every age are welcome, including picture books.
Dropping off: bring books to the library drop box during the week before the swap. Ms. Farrow, the librarian, will hand out tickets when you drop off.
Families: families may donate books too. Send them to school in a bag labeled FAMILY DONATION. Family donations are welcome but do not earn tickets.
After the swap: leftover books will go to the classroom libraries at Pinecrest Elementary. Mrs. Kim, a reading teacher there, has asked for chapter books for grades 2-4. She has not said whether she wants picture books.
Help needed: 6 student volunteers to sort books by age group the day before the swap. Sign up with Ms. Farrow.
Tip: write a one-sentence review on a sticky note and leave it inside the front cover, so the next reader knows why you liked the book.
SVHS lesson authors, Homework fact sheet: the Seventh-Grade Book Swap (invented event, school and people for practice). Original passage written for this page.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a planning card: "I am writing a ... (task) so that my reader will ... (purpose). My reader is ... and already knows ... ."
Compare Models A and B first, since their readers and styles differ the most, before adding Model C
Provide a four-question revision check that matches Diagram 2: Who is "she" or "it"? Did I call it by the same name? How does this sentence connect to the last one? Does this sentence belong?
For Advanced Students
Ask students to write a fourth piece about the compost program for a skeptical reader, such as a parent worried that the bins will smell, and explain three choices made for that reader
Have students cut Model B to 120 words without losing anything the board needs, and defend each cut
Challenge students to find one sentence in Model C that a sixth grader might misunderstand and rewrite it without changing the style
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that students can name the task, purpose and audience of each piece and what the reader already knows, and that their writing matches. Development: the piece includes what this reader needs to understand or act, and leaves out what the reader already knows or does not need. Organization: the order fits the task (grouped labels on a sign, the request early in a request, the main news first in an article). Style: the level of formality fits the reader and stays the same from start to finish. Clarity and coherence: no pronoun that could point two ways, no vague words where exact ones are needed, transitions that show how ideas connect, and no sentences that wander off the main idea.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Coherence Chain
15 minPairs
Pairs rebuild a scrambled paragraph from the Green Team's guide for new sorting helpers. They find the main idea, put the sentences in order, cut the one that does not belong and fix an unclear sentence. The activity builds clear and coherent writing.
The 7 Sentence Cards (shown scrambled)
1. After lunch, close the lids and roll the cart to the loading dock.
2. Each Green Team helper works one lunch period a week, and the job has five steps.
3. My sister's school keeps a bin of worms that eat food scraps.
4. Next, stand beside the bins, where students can see you as they finish eating.
5. First, pick up a green vest from Ms. Adeyemi's room before lunch starts.
6. Finally, write the number of full green bins on the clipboard by the door.
7. When they are unsure, point to it instead of taking it.
Procedure
Pairs find the sentence that states the main idea and put it first
Pairs order the remaining cards and cut the one that does not support the main idea
Pairs rewrite card 7 so that every pronoun is replaced by the noun it stands for, and give it a transition that fits its place
Teacher key: 2, 5, 4, 7, 1, 6, with card 3 cut. A clear version of card 7: "Then, when students are unsure where an item goes, point to the picture on the sign instead of taking the tray from them."
Discussion Questions
Card 3 is true and interesting. Why does it still not belong?
Which words in the other cards told you the order?
How many different things could "it" mean in card 7?
2
New Reader, New Plan
20 minGroups of 3
Each group draws an audience card and turns the facts in Model B into a new piece for that reader. Groups plan the development, organization and style before they draft. The activity builds decisions about development, organization and style for a new task, purpose and audience.
The 4 Audience Cards
Card 1: a group of fourth graders touring the school next week. Task: a one-minute talk at the bins.
Card 2: the cafeteria staff. Task: a short note explaining what will change in the lunchroom and what will not.
Card 3: the school board. Task: a summary of 100 words or fewer for its monthly report.
Card 4: families at back-to-school night. Task: a poster for the hallway outside the cafeteria.
Procedure
Groups write the task, purpose and audience from their card, plus two things this reader already knows and two things this reader will ask
Groups decide which facts from Model B to keep, which to cut, and which new facts the reader needs, and record one reason for each choice
Groups choose an organization and a style and draft the piece
Groups post their drafts, then do a gallery walk, leaving one sticky note per draft that names a choice that fits the reader
Discussion Questions
Which fact from Model B did almost every group cut? Why?
Which audience needed a fact that Model B never gives?
How did the fourth-grade talk and the board summary differ in style?
Modification for Distance Learning
Assign audience cards in breakout rooms and have each group draft in a shared document. Groups present their piece on screen, and the class guesses the audience before the group reveals its card.
3
Letter Rescue
20 minPairs
Pairs revise the weak draft into a letter that the Parent-Teacher Association board could act on without asking a single question. The activity builds clear and coherent writing with development, organization and style chosen for adult readers who are deciding what to fund.
Roles
Board member: reads each sentence aloud and asks the question a board member would ask
Writer: records the pair's revised sentence, then the partners switch roles halfway through
Procedure
Pairs cross out every sentence that does not help the board decide
Pairs replace each vague word and unclear pronoun with an exact noun, amount, day or name
Pairs reorganize the letter so that the board learns early what is being asked, then why, then how it will work
Pairs rewrite the greeting, closing and every informal phrase in one consistent formal style, then compare the result with Model B and name one choice they made differently
Two-Minute Pitch Variation
Pairs turn their revised letter into a two-minute speech for the board's meeting. They decide which facts a listener can remember after hearing them once and which belong on a handout instead.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: The Style Dial
The same news, that the library will close early on Friday, is written at three points on the dial. The text to a friend uses abbreviations; the announcement is friendly but complete; the letter to families is formal and gives the reason. None is wrong for its reader, but each would sound strange to the others' readers. Once a writer sets the dial, the style should stay there for the whole piece. This example is invented for practice.
Diagram 2: Four Tools for Clear, Coherent Writing
Clarity works sentence by sentence: name the person or thing whenever a pronoun could point two ways, and use one name for one thing. Coherence works across sentences: link ideas with transitions that show how they connect (because, as a result, in return), and give each paragraph one main idea, cutting sentences that do not support it.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
W.7.4 Homework: The Book Swap for Three Readers
Directions: Use the Book Swap fact sheet in the Closure section of the lesson plan. You will write three short pieces about the same event for three different readers: an email to Mrs. Kim at Pinecrest Elementary, a 45-second script for the morning video announcements, and a sign for the library drop box. Use only facts from the fact sheet, and invent nothing except names, which you may make up.
Part 1: Plan (Problems 1-2)
Make a planning chart with one row for each piece. In each row, write its task, its purpose, its audience, and one thing that audience already knows.
For each piece, list the facts from the sheet you will include. Then name one fact you will leave out of each piece and explain in one sentence why that reader does not need it.
Part 2: Draft (Problems 3-4)
Write the email to Mrs. Kim. Its purpose is to find out whether she would like picture books as well as chapter books and when the books could be delivered. Decide where your questions go, and use a formal style from the greeting to the closing.
Write the 45-second script for the morning video (about 90-110 words). Students will hear it once and cannot reread it, so choose an order that is easy to follow by ear and a style that makes students want to take part.
Part 3: Organize and Revise (Problems 5-6)
Write the sign for the library drop box. A student should understand it in about ten seconds. Choose an organization that makes that possible, and write one sentence explaining your choice.
Reread all three pieces. Fix at least two places that are unclear (a pronoun that could point two ways, or a vague word) and one place where the style slips. Then write two or three sentences comparing the development of your email and your script.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Task, Purpose and Audience
Each piece does its job for its reader, and the plan names what each reader already knows
One piece misses its purpose or its reader
Pieces are interchangeable or off task
Development
Each piece includes the facts its reader needs and leaves out the rest, with reasons given
Some needed facts missing or unneeded facts included
Facts copied without choosing
Organization and Style
Order fits each task; the style fits each reader and stays consistent
Order or style fits only some pieces, or the style slips
No clear order; the style does not fit the readers
Clarity and Coherence
No unclear pronouns or vague words; ideas are linked and on topic
A few unclear or disconnected sentences remain
Often unclear or hard to follow
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 1-8, 18 and 19 use Models A-C in Direct Instruction (Model A: 1, 2, 8 and 19; Model B: 3-5 and 18; Model C: 6-8, 18 and 19). Questions 9, 10 and 20 use the weak draft in Guided Practice, and questions 11 and 12 use the Book Swap fact sheet in the Closure section. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
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
Who is the main audience for Model A, and how does its style fit that audience?
Answer: B
Model A is posted at the bins and opens "Sort it in 10 seconds," so its readers are students with a tray in their hands. Short labels and commands ("Ask a Green Team helper") fit them. A describes Model B, C describes part of Model C, and D describes details that no one standing at a bin needs.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why is Model A organized as three labeled lists instead of a paragraph?
Answer: D
Each heading (GREEN BIN, BLUE BIN, GRAY BIN) groups the items that go in it, so a student holding a milk carton can find it in seconds. A overgeneralizes: a list would not suit Model B's request. B reverses what Model A does: it leaves out almost every fact about compost. C is wrong because the sign's purpose is stated in its first two lines.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Where does Model B state its request, and why does that placement fit its readers?
Answer: A
Right after the greeting, the letter says the team "asks the board for $270 to start a compost program." Board members are deciding what to fund, so they need the request first. B is wrong because the closing lines only offer to answer questions and thank the board. C confuses a supporting paragraph with the request. D ignores the stated request.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which detail does Model B develop because its readers are deciding how to spend money?
Answer: C
Paragraph 5 breaks down the $270: bins ($114), a cart ($96) and liners ($60). People who approve spending need to see where the money goes. A and D come from Model C, which reports on the program after it started. B comes from Model A, the sign.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
How does the sentence We have a partner and a plan. help make Model B coherent?
Answer: B
Paragraph 3 describes the problem (food scraps in the landfill), and this first sentence of paragraph 4 tells readers that the answer comes next: the garden partner and the sorting plan. A is wrong because the sentence contains no amount. C is wrong because the audience stays the board. D is the opposite of what happens: the next sentences explain the partner and the plan.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is the main purpose of Model C?
Answer: D
Model C is a news article: it reports that the program "kept about 380 pounds of food scraps out of the trash" and explains how it works now. A is Model B's purpose. B is Model A's. C mistakes one quotation for the whole article.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why does Model C open with the 380-pound result instead of the date the program started?
Answer: A
A news article usually puts its most important news first, so readers who stop after one paragraph still learn what happened. B is false: the start date, March 18, is in paragraph 3. C contradicts the article itself, which does not go in time order. D invents a request the text never mentions.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why does the quotation from Luis Ortega fit Model C but not Model A?
Answer: C
An article for the school has room to show what sorting was like ("the line backed up all the way to the salad bar"), which makes the report more vivid. A sign is read in a few seconds, so a quotation would only slow students down. A is not stated anywhere. B overgeneralizes. D is contradicted by the quotation itself: "most people could do it without asking."
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is the biggest organization problem in the weak draft?
Answer: B
The draft ends "Oh, and we need money, like $270 probably," so the board learns what is being asked only in the last line. A is not the main problem: a short letter can work if it is well organized. C is wrong because the draft has no numbered steps. D reverses the order: the cost comes last, not first.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which revision of The kids will help sort and so will she. is clear?
Answer: A
A replaces "the kids" and "she" with the people they refer to, so no reader has to guess. B keeps the unclear pronoun "she" and adds a vague comment. C makes it worse by adding "they." D replaces the pronouns with "some people," which is just as unclear.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which fact on the Book Swap fact sheet is written mainly for families rather than students?
Answer: D
The "Families" section tells families how to donate: in a bag labeled FAMILY DONATION, and without tickets. A and C are instructions for students who are trading books. B asks for student volunteers, so it is written for students too.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The fact sheet ends with a tip: write a one-sentence review on a sticky note and leave it inside the front cover. Whom is it written for, and how does its style fit them?
Answer: B
The tip addresses the reader as "you" and gives a quick, friendly instruction about a book "you liked," which fits the students who are bringing their own books. A is wrong because the tip is not formal and does not mention the classroom libraries. C is wrong because it is a suggestion, not a rule for staff. D is wrong because it says nothing about tickets.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence keeps a formal style all the way through?
Answer: A
A uses complete, polite, exact wording from start to finish. B starts formally and slides into slang ("cuz we gotta"). C uses exclamation points and a joke that do not suit a formal request. D starts formally but ends with casual phrases ("whenever works, no big deal") that undercut the request.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which paragraph is the most coherent?
Answer: B
In B, the second sentence follows from the first, and "As a result" shows how they connect. A mixes unrelated facts (fiction, a cat). C is out of order, and "there" and "This" have nothing clear to point to. D joins three unrelated topics with "and."
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Your class wants the city to repaint the faded crosswalk in front of the school. Name the task, purpose and audience of a letter to the city's traffic engineer. Then describe one decision about development, one about organization and one about style that fits that reader.
Model answer: Task: a formal letter. Purpose: to ask the city to repaint the crosswalk. Audience: a traffic engineer who knows about roads but not about our school. Development: describe exactly where the crosswalk is, when students cross, and what is faded. Organization: state the request in the first paragraph, then the reasons, then an offer to show the site. Style: formal and exact, with no slang. Rubric line: 2 points for a correct task, purpose and audience and three decisions that each fit this reader; 1 point for task, purpose and audience with only one or two fitting decisions.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
A parent typed this note to send to the school's attendance office. Rewrite it so that it is clear and formal and gives the office every fact it needs: hey!! cant come thurs, dentist thing, back after lunch prob
Model answer: "Dear Attendance Office, My daughter, Ana Ruiz, in Grade 7, will miss school on Thursday morning for a dentist appointment. She will return after lunch, at about 12:30 p.m. Thank you, Maria Ruiz." Rubric line: 2 points for a polite, formal style, complete sentences, and the exact facts the office needs (who, which day, why, when the student returns); 1 point if the style is formal but a needed fact is missing or vague.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Rewrite this paragraph so that it is clear and coherent. Put the sentences in a logical order, replace unclear pronouns, cut the sentence that does not belong, and add at least one transition: They said it would cost $40. The robotics club needs a new motor. My brother builds model rockets. It broke at the last competition. We will hold a bake sale.
Model answer: "The robotics club needs a new motor, because the old one broke at the last competition. The club advisers said a replacement would cost $40. To raise the money, we will hold a bake sale." Rubric line: 2 points for a logical order (need, cause, cost, plan), clear nouns in place of "they" and "it," the rocket sentence cut and at least one transition; 1 point if the order is fixed but a pronoun stays unclear or the off-topic sentence remains.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Model C stops to define compost in paragraph 3, but Model B never defines it. In two or three sentences, explain why each choice can fit its own audience. Cite each model.
Model answer: Model C is read by the whole school, including students who may never have heard the word, so it explains that compost is "the dark, crumbly soil that forms when food scraps and other plant material break down" (paragraph 3). Model B is a short request to adult board members; it keeps them focused on the problem, the plan and the cost, and "Composting keeps those scraps out of the landfill" (paragraph 3) tells them all they need to decide. Rubric line: 2 points for connecting each choice to its readers, with evidence from both models; 1 point for explaining only one of the two.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
Model A and Model C both mention the three bins. In two or three sentences, explain how each model develops that fact differently for its task and audience. Cite each model.
Model answer: Model A turns the bins into headings ("GREEN BIN: COMPOST") with short lists of items under each, because students at the bins need to match their trash to a bin in seconds. Model C gives the bins one sentence ("green for compost, blue for recycling and gray for trash") inside an article, because its readers want to understand how the program works, not sort a tray right now. Rubric line: 2 points for a difference in development tied to each model's task and audience, with a quotation from each; 1 point for describing the difference without connecting it to the readers.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Rewrite the opening of the weak draft (Hey PTA!! So basically the Green Team is doing compost and it's going to be awesome.) as a greeting and first sentence that fit the board's task, purpose and audience. Do not copy Model B.
Model answer: "Dear Parent-Teacher Association board members, On behalf of the seventh-grade Green Team, we request $270 for the bins, cart and liners that a lunchtime composting program in the seventh-grade cafeteria will need." Rubric line: 2 points for a formal greeting and a first sentence that states who is writing and exactly what is requested; 1 point for a formal greeting and style with a request that stays vague ("we need some money").
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06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does W.7.4 mean?
W.7.4 means that seventh graders can write clearly and coherently, choosing details, an order and a style that fit the kind of writing, its job and its readers.
A student meets it when a funding request sounds and is built like a funding request, a sign works like a sign, and every sentence in both is easy to follow.
Is W.7.4 different from W.6.4 and W.8.4?
No: the wording is the same in grades 6, 7 and 8; what changes is the writing it applies to.
In grade 7, arguments also acknowledge opposing claims (W.7.1a) and narratives establish a point of view (W.7.3a), so students have more decisions to fit to their readers. Teachers also expect longer, more complex pieces as the grades go up.
What do task, purpose and audience mean in writing?
The task is the kind of writing, the purpose is the job it must do, and the audience is who will read it.
For example: a letter (task) asking for money (purpose) to parents on a school board who decide what to fund (audience). Knowing all three tells a writer what to include, what order to use and how to sound.
What is the difference between clear and coherent writing?
Clear writing means each sentence says exactly one thing; coherent writing means the sentences hold together.
A sentence is unclear when a reader has to guess, for example when "she" could mean two people. A paragraph is incoherent when its sentences are out of order, do not connect, or wander off the main idea. A paragraph can be clear sentence by sentence and still be incoherent.
What does style mean in W.7.4?
Style is how the writing sounds: its word choice, sentence length and level of formality.
A formal style uses complete sentences and exact words and avoids slang, which suits adults deciding something. An informal style suits a friend. W.7.4 asks for a style that fits the audience and stays consistent; mixing the two in one piece is a common problem.
What does development mean in writing?
Development is the details, facts, examples and explanations a writer includes, and how much of each.
Good development depends on the reader: a new family needs a street name and a time, while a classmate needs only "Elm, not the gas station." Leaving out what a reader already knows is as important as adding what the reader needs.
How should seventh graders decide how to organize a piece of writing?
They should ask how the reader will use the writing, and build the order around that.
A reader who acts quickly needs grouped labels or steps. A reader who must decide needs the request early and the reasons after it. A news reader wants the most important fact first, and a story reader expects events in an order that builds.
Does W.7.4 apply to writing in other subjects?
Yes: W.7.4 covers all of a seventh grader's writing, and a matching standard, WHST.6-8.4, uses the same words for writing in history, science and technical subjects.
A lab report, a history paragraph and a letter to a city official all need a task, purpose and audience, and each is judged partly on whether it fits its reader.
How is W.7.4 usually assessed?
W.7.4 is usually assessed inside other writing tasks, on the rubric rows for organization, development and style.
State tests often name an audience in the prompt, such as "write a letter to your principal," and score whether the response fits it. Check your state's released tasks and scoring guides for the exact format.
How can parents help with W.7.4 at home?
Ask your child to explain the same news to two different people, such as a grandparent and a younger cousin, and talk about what changed.
When your child writes an email to a teacher or coach, ask three questions before sending: Who will read this? What do I want them to do? What do they already know?
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to W.7.4: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
W.6.4Prerequisite
Produce clear, coherent writing suited to task, purpose and audience in grade 6
