Overview

Lesson Procedure

65-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15 minutes
5. Closure5 minutes

1. Warm-Up10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Think of an apology that did not feel like an apology. What was missing from it?"

   Take a few answers and list them. Students often name the same things: the person never said what they did, blamed something else, or promised nothing. Keep the list on the board for the whole lesson.

   Introduce the situation. The eighth-grade class at Sandpiper Hill Middle School held a Saturday Spring Fun Run, a 5-kilometer walk-and-run to raise money for its class trip. The route ran along Larkspur Lane, a street of houses next to the school, and the morning went badly for the neighbors. Soledad, the student council secretary, wrote them a letter a week later. Soledad, her school, the street and everyone in this lesson are invented. Read her Draft 1 aloud. Each student writes one sentence: after reading it, what does a neighbor know about who caused the problems?

   1Dear Larkspur Lane Residents,

   2On behalf of the Sandpiper Hill Middle School Student Council, I am writing about the Spring Fun Run on Saturday, April 18. The run was a big success. More than 300 runners and walkers took part, and the eighth-grade class raised $2,140 for our class trip in May. The SC voted at our last GM to thank everyone who helped.

   3We understand that there were some problems. Some cars were parked in front of driveways, and some trash was left on lawns. The sound system was also turned on early. Mistakes were made, but it was the first time the run has been held on this route, and the parking lot at school is small. If the lot had been bigger, this would not have happened.

   4We hope you understand, and we hope that this definately won't happen again next year.

   5Sincerely,
   Soledad Ferreira, Student Council Secretary

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Use Diagram 1 to explain the standard. W.8.5 names five kinds of work that make writing stronger: planning (deciding the readers, the purpose and what to include), revising (changing what the writing says or how it is organized), editing (fixing grammar, punctuation and spelling), rewriting (saying a part again in new sentences) and trying a new approach (starting over with a different plan, order or form). Writers do this "as needed," with "some guidance and support from peers and adults"; a peer is a classmate. Every change is judged by "how well purpose and audience have been addressed." The purpose is what the writing has to get done, and the audience is the people who will read it.

   The full Common Core text of W.8.5 ends with a note in parentheses: editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 8. The main wording is the same as in grade 7; the note is what moves up. For grade 8 that means verbals, such as the participle phrase "Having heard from a neighbor" (L.8.1a); verbs in the active voice (the subject does the action: "We blocked your driveways") and the passive voice (the subject receives the action: "Your driveways were blocked") (L.8.1b); verbs in five moods: indicative for statements, imperative for commands, interrogative for questions, conditional for what would happen ("I would be angry") and subjunctive for wishes and things contrary to fact ("If I were one of your neighbors") (L.8.1c); fixing inappropriate shifts in voice and mood (L.8.1d); an ellipsis ("...") to show that words were left out of a quotation, or to show a pause (L.8.2a, L.8.2b); spelling (L.8.2c); and choosing voice and mood for an effect (L.8.3a). Skills from earlier grades still count, such as fixing misplaced and dangling modifiers (L.7.1c).

   Read Text 2, the letter that one neighbor, Mr. Fenn, sent to the principal, Dr. Bassett. Then read Text 3, the feedback session. The group uses a routine called Say Back, Then Ask: each responder reads as a neighbor, says back in one sentence what the letter told them, then asks one question that neighbor would ask. Mr. Halvorsen, the student council advisor, is the adult in the group.

   1Dear Dr. Bassett,

   2I have lived at 42 Larkspur Lane for thirty-one years, and I have always been glad to live near a school. I am writing because of the Fun Run on Saturday.

   3At seven in the morning, a loudspeaker at the corner woke my wife and me. By eight, two cars were parked across the end of my driveway. I could not get out until after ten, and I missed the start of my granddaughter's piano recital. That afternoon I picked eleven paper cups and two race numbers out of my hedge.

   4I do not blame the runners. What bothers me most is that nobody asked us. Nobody knocked on a door or left a note. Next time, I would like to hear from the people in charge, whether that is the principal, a teacher or the students themselves, before the day and not a week after.

   5If the run comes back, I will support it, as long as those things change.

   6Sincerely,
   Walter Fenn

   1Mr. Halvorsen: Today we use Say Back, Then Ask. Each responder reads as someone who lives on Larkspur Lane, says back in one sentence what the letter tells them, and then asks one question that neighbor would ask. Soledad, remind us who the letter is for and what it needs to do.

   2Soledad: It goes to all thirty houses on Larkspur Lane. Dr. Bassett says the run can come back next year only if the neighbors are willing. So I need them to trust us again.

   3Jonah: Say back, as a neighbor: "The school made a lot of money, and some things went wrong." My question: who parked across my driveway? The letter says cars "were parked," but it never says by whom.

   4Mei: Say back: "The student council is sorry, but it was really the parking lot's fault." My question: what is an SC, and what is a GM?

   5Soledad: Student council and general meeting. Okay, the neighbors wouldn't know that.

   6Mr. Halvorsen: Here is something the neighbors know that you don't. Dr. Bassett shared a letter from Mr. Fenn at 42 Larkspur, and I called him yesterday. He said you may read it and quote it, as long as the letter to everyone does not use his name. Read his third paragraph out loud.

   7Soledad: "What bothers me most is that nobody asked us." Oh. Our letter starts with the money we raised. That is the part he cares about least.

   8Jonah: And "Mistakes were made" sounds like the mistakes made themselves.

   9Mr. Halvorsen: That is the passive voice, where the subject receives the action instead of doing it. Sometimes it is the right choice. Here it hides the one thing these readers want to know: whether the people in charge accept responsibility.

   10Soledad: What if I start over? I could open with "We are sorry," say exactly what we did, and then list what we will do differently, like parking at the church lot and knocking on doors two weeks before.

   11Mr. Halvorsen: That is trying a new approach, and it needs a plan. Write down each thing a neighbor lost that morning and the change that answers it.

   12Mei: Keep one sentence about the trip. It explains why the run matters to us. Just put it near the end.

   Soledad's plan for Draft 2, written after the feedback session

   Planning question	Soledad's answer
   Who are the readers?	The thirty households on Larkspur Lane, who read at home and were woken, blocked in or left with trash
   What is the purpose?	Win back their trust, so they are willing to have the run return next year
   Loss: two cars blocked a driveway until after ten	Runners park at the Grace Church lot on Elm Street; cones in front of every driveway
   Loss: cups and race numbers left in a hedge	Volunteers with trash bags pick up along the route
   Loss: a loudspeaker at seven in the morning	The race starts at 8:30 a.m.; no loudspeaker before 8:00 a.m.
   Loss: nobody asked or left a note	Council members knock on every door two weeks before the run
   What stays?	One sentence about the trip, at the end

   Soledad wrote Draft 2 from this plan. Read it aloud, then work through the five examples. Each one shows one decision and the reader it was made for. Draft 2 still has errors; the class finds them in Guided Practice.

   1Dear Neighbors on Larkspur Lane,

   2The Sandpiper Hill Student Council is sorry for what happened during our Spring Fun Run on Saturday, April 18. We blocked your driveways, and trash was left on your lawns by our runners. Our loudspeaker woke you at 7:00 a.m. Worst of all, we did not ask you first. If I was one of your neighbors, I would be angry too.

   3Having heard from a neighbor, the plans for next year have changed. Here is what we will do differently if the run returns:

   41. All runners will park in the Grace Church lot on Elm Street, three blocks away. Volunteers will set cones in front of every driveway on Larkspur Lane.

   52. Volunteers will pick up cups and race numbers carrying trash bags along the route.

   63. The race will start at 8:30 a.m., and the loudspeaker will not be turned on before 8:00 a.m.

   74. Two weeks before the run, council members will knock on every door and bring you a flyer with the day, the times and a phone number.

   8If you have a concern, call Mr. Halvorsen, our advisor, at the school office, and you should leave a message if he is not there. One neighbor wrote to our principal that he would like to hear from the people in charge, whether that is the principal, a teacher or the students themselves, before the day and not a week after. We definately heard that.

   9The run raised $2,140 for the eighth-grade trip, and we want to hold it again. We will only do that if it works for you.

   10Sincerely,
   Soledad Ferreira, for the Sandpiper Hill Student Council

   • Planning: naming the readers and the purpose

     Mr. Halvorsen opens the session by asking Soledad to "remind us who the letter is for and what it needs to do" (Text 3, paragraph 1). She answers that the letter goes to "all thirty houses on Larkspur Lane" and that the run can come back only "if the neighbors are willing" (paragraph 2).

     Result: The readers are thirty households, some of them angry, reading at home. The purpose is to win back their trust so the run can return. From here on, every change is tested against that plan, not against what Soledad would like to say.

   • Revising for the audience: cutting club words and moving the money

     Draft 1 says, "The SC voted at our last GM to thank everyone who helped," and Mei asks, "what is an SC, and what is a GM?" (Text 3, paragraph 4). Draft 1 also opens with the $2,140 the run raised, and Mei advises, "Just put it near the end" (paragraph 12).

     Result: Draft 2 never uses SC or GM, and the fundraising total moves to the last paragraph: "The run raised $2,140 for the eighth-grade trip, and we want to hold it again." The fact stays because it explains why the run matters, but it no longer comes before what the readers care about.

   • Trying a new approach: an apology first, then one fix for each loss

     Soledad asks, "What if I start over?" (Text 3, paragraph 10). Mr. Halvorsen tells her to "Write down each thing a neighbor lost that morning and the change that answers it" (paragraph 11).

     Result: Draft 2 is built on a new plan. It opens with "The Sandpiper Hill Student Council is sorry" and gives a numbered list of four changes, one for each loss in Mr. Fenn's letter. That is more than a revision, because the order and the form of the whole letter changed.

   • Revising the verbs for the purpose: active voice (L.8.1b, L.8.3a)

     Draft 1 says, "The sound system was also turned on early" (Text 1, paragraph 3). The verb is passive, so the sentence never says whose sound system it was or who turned it on, and "early" does not say how early.

     Result: Draft 2 says, "Our loudspeaker woke you at 7:00 a.m." (Text 4, paragraph 2). The active voice, with "Our," shows whose loudspeaker it was, and the exact time shows the council knows what the neighbors went through. The passive voice is not always wrong, though: the class will see one passive sentence that stays in the final letter.

   • Editing: a shift in mood (L.8.1d)

     Draft 2, paragraph 8: "call Mr. Halvorsen, our advisor, at the school office, and you should leave a message if he is not there." The sentence starts as a command and then turns into a statement about what the reader should do.

     Result: An inappropriate shift is a change in voice or mood inside a sentence that has no reason behind it. Draft 3 keeps the imperative mood all the way through: "call Mr. Halvorsen, our advisor, at the school office, and leave a message if he is not there."

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Soledad and Mei held an editing conference on Draft 2, with Mr. Halvorsen's five-point grade 8 checklist: no shifts in voice or mood, the subjunctive for things contrary to fact, modifiers next to the words they describe, punctuation for quotations, and spelling. Pairs read Text 5 and then Text 6, the letter the council delivered. Then they fill in the draft tracker and check the last row against Diagram 2.

   1Mei: Mr. Halvorsen's grade 8 checklist has five points. Number 1: no shifts in voice or mood inside a sentence. Listen to your second sentence: "We blocked your driveways, and trash was left on your lawns by our runners." The first half says who did it, and the second half pushes the runners to the very end.

   2Soledad: Because the second half switches to the passive voice. I'll keep both halves active: "We blocked your driveways, and our runners left trash on your lawns."

   3Mei: The same thing happens with mood in paragraph 8. "Call Mr. Halvorsen" is a command, and then "you should leave a message" is a statement.

   4Soledad: So I'll keep the command going: "call Mr. Halvorsen, our advisor, at the school office, and leave a message if he is not there."

   5Mei: Number 2: the subjunctive mood for something that is not true. You wrote "If I was one of your neighbors."

   6Soledad: I'm not one of their neighbors, so it's contrary to fact. It should be "If I were one of your neighbors."

   7Mei: Number 3: modifiers. "Having heard from a neighbor, the plans for next year have changed." Plans can't hear anything.

   8Soledad: And the ones who heard, the student council, aren't even in the sentence. "Having heard from a neighbor, we have changed our plans for next year." In item 2, "carrying trash bags" sits right after "race numbers," but the volunteers carry the bags. I'll move it to the front: "Carrying trash bags, volunteers will walk the route."

   9Mei: Number 4: punctuation. The sentence about the neighbor uses his exact words, but there are no quotation marks, and it's long.

   10Soledad: I'll put his words in quotation marks and cut the middle with an ellipsis, the three dots that show where words are left out. The part I cut doesn't change what he meant.

   11Mei: Number 5 is spelling: "definitely" has no a in it. One more thing. Item 3 says "the loudspeaker will not be turned on." Isn't that passive too?

   12Mr. Halvorsen: It is, and it can stay. The neighbors care about when the sound starts, not about who flips the switch, so the passive puts the action first. The problem in your second sentence was different: the passive hid who was responsible. Now one last reader check. Mei, read the whole letter as someone on Larkspur Lane. Does it ask you anything?

   13Mei: No. It tells me everything you'll do, but it never asks what I think.

   14Soledad: Mr. Fenn's complaint was that nobody asked them. So the letter should ask. I'll invite them to a meeting before anything is final.

   15Mr. Halvorsen: That is a revision in the middle of editing, and it comes straight from the purpose. That's fine.

   1Dear Neighbors on Larkspur Lane,

   2The Sandpiper Hill Student Council is sorry for what happened during our Spring Fun Run on Saturday, April 18. We blocked your driveways, and our runners left trash on your lawns. Our loudspeaker woke you at 7:00 a.m. Worst of all, we did not ask you first. If I were one of your neighbors, I would be angry too.

   3Having heard from a neighbor, we have changed our plans for next year. Here is what we will do differently if the run returns:

   41. All runners will park in the Grace Church lot on Elm Street, three blocks away. Volunteers will set cones in front of every driveway on Larkspur Lane.

   52. Carrying trash bags, volunteers will walk the route after the last runner and pick up every cup and race number.

   63. The race will start at 8:30 a.m., and the loudspeaker will not be turned on before 8:00 a.m.

   74. Two weeks before the run, council members will knock on every door and bring you a flyer with the day, the times and a phone number.

   8If you have a concern, call Mr. Halvorsen, our advisor, at the school office, and leave a message if he is not there. One neighbor wrote to our principal that he would like "to hear from the people in charge ... before the day and not a week after." We definitely heard that.

   9Before anything is final, we want to hear from you. Please join us for a planning meeting in the school library on Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. If you cannot come, write your ideas on the back of this letter and leave it with the school office.

   10The run raised $2,140 for the eighth-grade trip, and we want to hold it again. We will only do that if it works for you.

   11Sincerely,
   Soledad Ferreira, for the Sandpiper Hill Student Council

   Draft tracker (pairs fill in the blank cells)

   Question	Draft 1 to Draft 2	Draft 2 to Draft 3
   What kind of work was it (planning, revising, editing, rewriting, new approach)?
   Who helped (a peer, an adult, the writer alone)?
   One change, quoted before and after
   How the change serves the neighbors or the purpose
   Losses owned with "we" and a fix, from Diagram 2 (out of 4)	0 to 3	3 to 4

   Discuss as a class: Mr. Halvorsen lets one passive sentence stay in Draft 3 and asks Soledad to change another. What is the difference between the two sentences, for these readers?

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Read Mr. Fenn's reply (Text 7) together. It is the real test of the letter: did it do what it was written to do, and what does the reader still need?

   1Dear Student Council,

   2Thank you for your letter, and for saying plainly what went wrong. Two of your members brought it to my door on Sunday, which is more than anyone did before the run. I will come to the meeting on May 5.

   3One more idea for your plan: the north side of Larkspur Lane has no sidewalk, so please put a volunteer at the corner of Elm Street to keep walkers off the road.

   4Sincerely,
   Walter Fenn, 42 Larkspur Lane

   Students now strengthen a draft of their own. (1) Plan: write the readers, the purpose and the one thing those readers most need to hear. (2) Say Back, Then Ask: a partner reads the draft for three minutes as the real reader, says it back in one sentence and asks one question. (3) Change: make one change for the reader (a revision, a rewrite or a new approach) and one grade 8 edit (voice, mood, an ellipsis or spelling), labeled in the margin. (4) Explain: write two sentences on how the change serves the purpose and who helped you see it.

   Circulate and hold short conferences with Mr. Halvorsen's question: who are your readers, and what do they need to hear from you? A student without a current draft writes a 100-word note to a real adult at school, such as an apology for a club's messy room or a request to use the gym. The quiz uses Texts 1-7 (Warm-Up through Independent Practice).

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Name one change in the letter that came from a peer and one that came from an adult. (2) Write one sentence from your own draft in the voice (active or passive) that suits its readers best, and say why. Then hand out the homework texts below: Beckett's first draft of a guide to the library's 3D printer for sixth graders in Maker Club (Text 8), and the feedback from his writing partner and the librarian (Text 9). Beckett, Tariq and Ms. Kowalczyk are invented.

   Teacher note: the printer facts in Text 8 are general ones. Nozzle and bed temperatures differ from printer to printer and with the plastic used, so check your own printer's manual before students write safety steps, and keep students away from the hot nozzle and bed.

   1How to Use the Library 3D Printer

   23D printing was invented in the 1980s, and today people use it to make everything from car parts to toys. Our library printer melts a thin thread of plastic called filament, and the filament is laid down one layer at a time. If I was a sixth grader again, I would be really excited to use it.

   3Save your file on the SD card and put the card into the slot on the front of the printer. Choose your file on the screen and press Print. Having pressed Print, the nozzle heats up for about five minutes. Watch the first layer carefully, and then you should wait while the rest of the print finishes. When it is done, let the bed cool for ten minutes before you lift the part off. Put the extra filament back in the drawer.

   4Warning: the nozzle heats to about 200 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to burn you. Never touch it. The bed temperture can also be hot.

   1Tariq (Beckett's writing partner): Say back, as a sixth grader: "3D printers are cool, and here is how ours works." My question: what do I do if something goes wrong? You say to watch the first layer, but watch it for what?

   2Ms. Kowalczyk (the school librarian): Picture where your readers will be. Sixth graders in Maker Club will print on their own for the first time on Thursdays after school, standing at the printer with this card in one hand. They need one step at a time, in order, with a number on each step. They do not need the history; it is on the poster by the door. The warning about the hot nozzle has to come before the first step, not after the last one. And the problem I see most often is a first layer that does not stick to the bed. If that happens, they should press Stop and come get me at the desk. The card is laminated, and it has room for about 120 words.

   3Beckett: So the new approach is a numbered card, not a paragraph. Can I keep the part about what filament is?

   4Ms. Kowalczyk: Keep one short line. The drawer is labeled "Filament," so they need to know the word.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 2, paragraph 4, Mr. Fenn writes, "I do not blame the runners." What does this tell Soledad about her readers?

   AThe neighbors would rather have the run moved to another street. BThe neighbors want the people in charge to answer for the morning. CThe neighbors want each runner to write a letter of apology. DThe neighbors care most about how much money the run raised.

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 3, paragraph 3, Jonah asks, "who parked across my driveway?" Which problem in Draft 1 does his question point to?

   AIts passive verbs never say who caused the problems. BIts commands tell the neighbors what they must do. CIts parking details are too long for readers to follow. DIts greeting names the wrong street and residents.

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 3, paragraph 6, Mr. Halvorsen brings Mr. Fenn's letter to the feedback session. What does this adult support give the writers?

   AA model of business-letter format for Soledad to copy BProof that the neighbors want the Fun Run to end CWhat one real reader cared about most that morning DA spelling check of Draft 1 against an adult's letter

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Mr. Fenn writes that "nobody asked us" (Text 2, paragraph 4). Which item in Draft 2 answers that complaint?

   AItem 1: cones in front of every driveway on the lane BItem 2: volunteers picking up cups and race numbers CItem 3: a later start time of 8:30 a.m. for the race DItem 4: a knock on every door two weeks before the run

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Jonah says "Mistakes were made" sounds like the mistakes made themselves (Text 3, paragraph 8). Which words in Draft 2 fix that problem for the neighbors?

   A"We blocked your driveways" B"Here is what we will do differently" C"The run raised $2,140 for the eighth-grade trip" D"the loudspeaker will not be turned on"

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 5, why does Mr. Halvorsen let "the loudspeaker will not be turned on before 8:00 a.m." stay in the passive voice?

   APassive sentences always sound more polite in an apology. BEvery item in a numbered list must use the passive voice. CThe neighbors care when the sound starts, not who turns it on. DThe council does not yet know who will run the loudspeaker.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Near the end of Text 5, Soledad decides to invite the neighbors to a meeting. Why does Mr. Halvorsen call this a revision and not an edit?

   AIt fixes a verb that shifted from the active to the passive. BIt adds content the purpose needs, not a fix to a convention. CIt moves an ellipsis so that the quotation keeps its meaning. DIt corrects a misspelled word that Mei found on the checklist.

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which words in Mr. Fenn's reply (Text 7) best show that the apology in Draft 3, paragraph 2, worked for its reader?

   A"I will come to the meeting on May 5." B"the north side of Larkspur Lane has no sidewalk" C"which is more than anyone did before the run" D"for saying plainly what went wrong"

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which sentence has an inappropriate shift in voice?

   AMarisol pitched six innings and struck out nine batters. BMarisol pitched six innings, and her team won the game. CMarisol pitched six innings, and the game was won by her team. DThe game was won in the ninth, and the trophy was given out that night.

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Choose the revision that fixes the shift in mood in Rinse the brushes in warm water, and then you should lay them flat to dry.

    ARinse the brushes in warm water, and then lay them flat to dry. BYou should rinse the brushes in warm water, and then lay them flat to dry. CRinse the brushes in warm water, and then they should be laid flat to dry. DRinse the brushes in warm water, and then you would lay them flat to dry.

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence correctly uses the subjunctive mood to describe something contrary to fact?

    AIf my brother was here, he would know the answer. BIf my brother were here, he would know the answer. CIf my brother is here, he would know the answer. DIf my brother be here, he will know the answer.

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A town notice says: "The pool, which reopened last summer after new pipes were installed, will close for the season on September 7." Which quotation uses an ellipsis correctly to shorten it without changing its meaning?

    A"The pool ... reopened ... on September 7." B"The pool, which reopened last summer after new pipes were installed will close for the season on September 7." C"The pool will close ... after new pipes were installed." D"The pool ... will close for the season on September 7."

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In which situation is the passive voice the better choice for the writer's purpose?

    AIn an apology note to a neighbor: "Your fence was damaged." BIn a science lab report: "The water was heated for five minutes." CIn a thank-you note to volunteers: "The field was lined and cleaned." DIn a note to a teacher about a broken beaker: "The beaker got broken."

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence has a dangling modifier?

    AWalking home from practice, the rain started to fall. BThe coach sent Leo to the showers covered in mud. CWalking home from practice, I felt the rain start. DCovered in mud, Leo walked slowly to the showers.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Examples 2 and 3 show two planning changes from Draft 1 to Draft 2: the money moves to the end, and the letter lists one fix for each loss. Name two other differences in how the two drafts are planned, and for each one, quote the comment in Text 3 that led to it, with its paragraph number.

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    In Draft 3, paragraph 8, Soledad quotes the neighbor with an ellipsis. Explain what was wrong with the same sentence in Draft 2, what the ellipsis shows, and why the cut does not change the neighbor's meaning. Use Texts 2, 4 and 5.

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17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Edit this sentence and name the rule behind each correction: If I was the principal, I would let us eat lunch outside, and the picnic tables would be set up by the custodians.

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18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Mr. Fenn's reply (Text 7) names one more need. Explain how the council should strengthen its writing now, which kind of work that is, and what this shows about the words "as needed" in W.8.5.

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19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    A bakery donated 200 muffins for your school's family reading night, and your class is writing its thank-you letter. Write a plan: the reader, the purpose, three things the reader should learn from the letter, one peer and one adult you would ask for feedback, with the question you would ask each, and one sentence of the letter in the active voice with a reason for choosing it.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    After the meeting, the council must write a short notice to the runners and their families about next year's rules: park in the Grace Church lot, start at 8:30 a.m., and put cups in the trash bags. The facts are the same as in the letter, but the purpose and audience are new. Name two things to change from the letter and one thing to keep, and explain why. Include one sentence of the notice.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to W.8.5: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.