Chicopee Public School
Academic Benchmarks
Grade 3
Composition Strand
19. Students will write with clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail.
20. Students will write for different audiences and purposes.
21. Students will demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph
development, level of detail, style, tone, and word choice (diction) in their compositions
after revising them.
22. Students will use knowledge of standard English conventions in their writing, revising,
and editing.
23. Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose.
24. Students will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the
quality of the information they obtain, and use it to answer their own questions.
25. Students will develop and use appropriate rhetorical, logical, and stylistic criteria for
assessing final versions of their compositions or research projects before presenting
them to varied audiences.
Grade 3
Composition Strand
Students will be able to:
19.9 Write stories that have a beginning, middle, and end and contain details of setting.
Explain and use the writing process (Prewriting, Draft, Revision, Edit, Final Copy, Publish).
After the teacher has modeled the writing process, teacher guides students to write a story based on personal experience that has a clear focus and sufficient supporting details.
Write paragraphs that have a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences, and a closing sentence.
Expose students to a few graphic organizers.
19.12 Write a brief interpretations or explanation of a literary or informational text using evidence from the text as support.
Identify the characteristics of a paragraph that explains.
Transform questions into a topic sentences.
Write paragraphs that give explanations.
20.2 Use appropriate language for different audiences (other students, parents)
and purposes (letter to a friend, thank you note, invitation).
Use language that is appropriate for compositions on personal experiences.
Identify the characteristics of a response journal entry.
Write responses in a journal.
Identify the characteristics of a friendly letter.
Write a friendly letter.
Identify the characteristics of a news article.
Write news articles.
21.3 Improve word choice by using dictionaries.
Use dictionaries, thesauruses, or glossaries to improve word choices.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be added or deleted.
Revise and rewrite multiple drafts for content.
Use the following revision strategies to improve topic development:
Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Freeze Frame Technique – Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the event
they are writing about.
Ask them what they are feeling, seeing,
hearing, smelling, and tasting.
Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)
Be more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common nouns. Instead of “The
boy ran down the street to the park.”
change to “James ran down Front Street to Szot Park.”
Create compound sentences using the conjunctions or and but.
22.3 Write legibly in cursive, leaving space between letters in a word and between
words in a sentence.
Print using correct letter formation for lower and upper case letters.
Leave appropriate spaces between letters and words.
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure.
22.5 Use knowledge of letter sounds, word
parts, word segmentation, and syllabication
to monitor and correct spelling.
Edit compositions for correct spelling.
Spell commonly used words in compositions (Dolch & Fry lists can also be used).
23.3 Organize plot events of a story in an order that leads to a climax. Sequence events in a story using a graphic organizer.
23.4 Organize ideas for a brief response to a reading.
Use graphic organizers.
Identify the guidelines for writing an answer to a question.
Write paragraphs to answer questions.
Identify the characteristics of a paragraph that compares and contrasts.
Write paragraphs that compare and contrast.
Identify the characteristics of a character sketch or description.
Write paragraphs that describe characters.
23.5 Organize ideas for an account of personal experience in a way that makes sense.
Use a variety of graphic organizers.
25.2 Form and explain personal standards or judgments of quality, display them in the
classroom, and present them to family members.
Use proofreading guides and checklists to self and peer edit (refer to edit checklist).
Publish, share, and display written work.
Grade 3
Composition Strand
Second Term Academic Benchmarks
After assessment, review previous skills as necessary.
Students will be able to:
19.9 Write stories that have a beginning, middle, and end and contain details of setting.
Review and use the writing process (Prewriting, Draft, Revision, Edit, Final Copy, Publish).
Utilize samples of teacher and student models of compositions using the writing process to gain a better understanding of quality writing.
Write a story based on personal experience that has a clear focus and sufficient supporting details.
Write a well-developed composition that has at least three paragraphs and has a beginning, middle, and end, drawing on a variety of strategies, generating and organizing ideas, and focusing on details and richness of language.
Write paragraphs that have a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences, and a closing sentence.
Expose students to a few graphic organizers.
Write an introductory paragraph.
.
19.10 Write poems that contain simple sense details.
Identify the characteristics of a poem.
Write poems modeled after poems that they have read or heard.
19.12 Write a brief interpretations or explanation of a literary or informational text using evidence from the text as support.
Identify the characteristics of an opinion paragraph.
Write opinion paragraphs.
Identify the characteristics of a problem-solution essay.
Write a problem-solution essay.
20.2 Use appropriate language for different audiences (other students, parents)
and purposes (letter to a friend, thank you note, invitation).
Identify the characteristics of a thank-you note.
Write thank-you notes.
Identify the characteristics of dialogue.
As a group or in small groups, write dialogue for characters.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be
added or deleted.
Revise and rewrite multiple drafts for content.
Use the following revision strategies to improve topic development:
Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Freeze Frame Technique – Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the event they are writing about. Ask them what they are feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting.
Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)
Be more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common nouns. Instead of “The boy ran down the street to the park.” change to “James ran down Front Street to Szot Park.”
Use a variety of sentence lengths within the paragraphs.
Use a variety of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory).
Use figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification.
Use imagery (vivid language to create a mental picture.)
Develop voice and tone in their writing by expressing their own viewpoint (words that express emotion such as happiness, fear, excitement, respect, fascination, etc.)
22.3 Write legibly in cursive, leaving space between letters in a word and between
words in a sentence.
Write in print or cursive using correct letter formation for lower and upper case letters.
Leave appropriate spaces between letters and words.
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure.
23.4 Organize ideas for a brief response to a reading.
Use a variety of graphic organizers.
Use graphic organizers to organize paragraphs about an opinion of text and problems-solution essays.
24.2 Identify and apply steps in conduction and reporting research.
Use a procedure for taking notes.
25.2 Form and explain personal standards or judgments of quality, display them in the
classroom, and present them to family members.
Use the MCAS rubric and sample compositions from previous MCAS writing prompts to self assess compositions.
Use proofreading guides and checklists to self and peer edit (refer to edit checklist).
Set and monitor goals for writing.
Publish, share, and display written work.
Third Term Academic Benchmarks
After assessment, review previous skills as necessary.
Students will be able to:
19.9 Write stories that have a beginning, middle, and end and contain details of setting.
Review and use the writing process (Prewriting, Draft, Revision, Edit, Final Copy, Publish).
Utilize samples of teacher and student models of compositions using the writing process to gain a better understanding of quality writing.
Write an account based on personal experience that has a clear focus and sufficient supporting details.
Write a well-developed composition that has at least three paragraphs, a beginning, middle, and end, drawing on a variety of strategies, generating and organizing ideas, and focusing on details and richness of language.
Write paragraphs that have a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences, and a closing sentence.
Expose students to a few graphic organizers.
Write an introductory and closing paragraph for their compositions.
19.12 Write a brief interpretation or explanation of a literary or informational text
using evidence from the text as support.
Write paragraphs in literature and math that have a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences that site information from the text, and a closing sentence.
19.13 Write an account based on personal experience that has a clear focus and sufficient supporting detail.
Write a well-developed composition that has an introductory paragraph, at least three supporting detail paragraphs and a closing paragraph. All paragraphs should have a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences, and a closing sentence.
20.2 Use appropriate
language for different audiences (other students, parents)
and purposes
(letter to a friend, thank you note, invitation).
Identify the parts of an announcement.
Organize information for an announcement in order by importance.
Individually or in a small group, write an announcement.
Identify the parts of a personal essay.
Write a personal essay.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be added or deleted.
Revise and rewrite multiple drafts for content.
Use the following revision strategies to improve topic development:
Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Freeze Frame Technique – Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the event they are writing about. Ask them what they are feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting.
Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)
Be more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common nouns. Instead of “The boy ran down the street to the park.” change to “James ran down Front Street to Szot Park.”
Use a variety of sentence lengths within the paragraphs.
Use a variety of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory).
Use figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification.
Use imagery (vivid language to create a mental picture).
Develop voice and tone in their writing by expressed your own viewpoint (words that express emotion such as happiness, fear, excitement, respect, fascination, etc.)
Use more interesting verbs. For instance, instead of “The boy ran down the street.” Substitute verbs such as bounded, darted, dashed, etc.
22.3 Write legibly in cursive, leaving space between letters in a word and between
words in a sentence.
Write in cursive using correct letter formation for lower and upper case letters.
Leave appropriate spaces between letters and words.
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure.
22.5 Spell most commonly used homophones correctly in their writing (there, they’re,
their, two, too, to).
Spell homophones correctly.
Use appropriate homophone in sentences.
23.5 Organize ideas for an account of personal experience in a way that makes sense.
Use a variety of graphic organizers.
Use a graphic organizer to organize an account of a personal experience.
24.2 Identify and apply steps in conduction and reporting research.
Identify the characteristics of a learning log entry.
Write learning log entries.
Identify the characteristics of a summary.
Paraphrase main ideas.
Write summaries.
25.2 Form and explain personal standards or judgments of quality, display them in the
classroom, and present them to family members.
Use the MCAS rubric and sample compositions from previous MCAS writing prompts to self assess compositions.
Use proofreading guides and checklists to self and peer edit (refer to edit checklist).
Set and monitor goals for writing.
Publish, share, and display written work.
Fourth Term Academic Benchmarks
After assessment, review previous skills as necessary.
Students will be able to:
19.9 Write stories that have a beginning, middle, and end and contain details of setting.
Review and use the writing process (Prewriting, Draft, Revision, Edit, Final Copy, Publish).
Utilize samples of teacher and student models of compositions using the writing process to gain a better understanding of quality writing.
Write an account based on personal experience that has a clear focus and sufficient supporting details.
Write well-developed compositions that have at least five paragraphs; an introductory paragraph, at least three detail paragraphs, and a closing paragraph
Write paragraphs that have a topic sentence, at least three detail sentences, and a closing sentence.
Expose students to a few graphic organizers.
20.2 Use appropriate language for different audiences (other students, parents) and purposes
(letter to a friend, thank you note, invitation).
Use language appropriate for report writing.
21.2 Revise writing to improve level of detail after determining what could be
added or deleted.
Use criteria to revise their work and explain the revisions.
22.4 Use knowledge of correct mechanics (end marks, commas for series, capitalization),
usage (subject and verb agreement in a simple sentence), and sentence structure
(elimination of fragments) when writing and editing.
Edit for punctuation, capitalization, usage, and sentence structure.
24.2 Identify and apply steps in conducting and reporting research:
a) Define the need for information and formulate open-ended research questions.
b) Initiate a plan for searching for information.
c) Locate resources.
d) Evaluate the relevance of the information.
e) Interpret, use, and communicate the information.
f) Evaluate the research project as a whole.
As a group with teacher modeling:
Formulate open-ended questions to explore topic of interest.
Define the need for information and formulate open-ended research questions through teacher directed classroom activity.
Locate resources through teacher directed whole class activity.
Record information by taking notes and drawing pictures and labeling through teacher
directed whole class activity.
Obtain a variety of technological resources (databases, networks, videos) to gather, synthesize, and communicate knowledge.
Obtain and use information from graphs, charts, maps, and diagrams.
Write a research report with teacher modeling.
25.2 Form and explain personal standards or judgments of quality, display them in the
classroom, and present them to family members.
Use checklists to self-evaluate reports.
Self Evaluation Check List
Name __________________________________________ Date _______________
Did you:
1. Include an introductory paragraph?
2. Include at least three supporting detail paragraphs?
3. Include a closing paragraph?
4. Use paragraph format (indent)?
5. Punctuate and capitalize correctly?
6. Use complete sentences, not run-on sentences or sentence fragments.
7. Use correct subject-verb agreement.
Did you:
1. Add details by including who, what, when, where, why, and how?
2. Use your senses and include what you were feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling,
and tasting?
3. Add adjectives (words from categories or word banks – size, color, texture, number, time, etc.)?
4. Become more specific. Substitute proper nouns for common nouns. Instead of “The boy ran down the street to the park.” Change to “James ran down Front Street to Szot Park.”
5. Use a variety of sentence lengths within the paragraphs?
6. Use a variety of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory)?
7. Use figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification?
8. Use imagery (vivid language to create a mental picture)?
9. Develop voice and tone in your writing by expressing your own viewpoint (words that
express emotion such as happiness, fear, excitement, respect, fascination, ect.)?
10. Use more interesting verbs. For instance, instead of “The boy ran down the
street.” Substitute verbs such as bounded, darted, dashed, etc.?
Explain how you will try to improve your writing over the next term?
What goals will you set for yourself?
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