Writing ExpectationsCreated by Grade 8 students with definitions provided by Grade 7
Ideas:The seventh grade provided these definitions:
A main idea that is easy to identify and narrow enough to be manageable with interesting details.
Ideas means to have a clear picture and thumbs-up details.
Ideas show that you observe and describe the world.
Ideas means strong creative words like painting a picture in the readers mind.
Ideas paint pictures in the mind, are easy to understand, and have details that famous writers could notice.
Ideas are a narrow main idea written in an engaging way with interesting details that create a mind movie for the reader.
Main idea:
specific, not general; interesting, not everyday
did not want to stop reading until got to end
stayed on topic
Details:
Details: why he likes eagles and why they have disabilities
Details and strong verbs
Exposes fact that it's not pretty to sea an eagle feast on its prey
Word Choice
onomatopoeia:
Soaring Eagle: onomatopoeia
onomatopoeia which makes it more intense to read
onomatopoeia: splash, boom
onomatopoeia: aaaeeeee! splash, otl, plop
alliteration:
silly sally Seem so silly singing sitting in the sun.
Soaring Eagle: alliteration
alliteration makes it more interesting to read
alliteration:feather fingers flapping
Nifty Nouns:
eaglets; Ponderosa Pine, stiff needles, azure sky, cloudless sky
Vivid Verbs
dive, chirp, swoop, clasp, grasp,
imagery:
Sights, sounds, tastes, touch, smell -- the senses in words.
have nature that catches my mind
Seem so real as if you are there
Can picture things in your mind
"Oh, he dropped his easily caught prey. Oh, did you see that? He's got a bigger 35 pounder!"
The wind whooshed through the stiff pine needles.
The blue sky, dotted with marshmallow puffed clouds, surrounded the valley and mountains like a flannel blanket.
Peppermint evaporated from the striped stick in the hot cocoa, a perfect warmer after a day of sledding.
OrganizationThe way the poems flow
not too long or too short
Sentence Fluency
phrases for effect
different beginnings -- some simple sentences and some complex sentences.
different lengths -- some short and some long
Voice
The seventh grade provided these definitions:
Voice is HOW you say your ideas; it's skillful use of detail that helps the reader make personal connections.
Voice is knowledge in your topic, reaction in your skillful personality, and a reaction to your audience.
Voice means your words sound like you, the writer; the reader wants to read it aloud and read it more.
Voice is HOW you say your ideas, which changes with who your audience is; it is more than personality.
Conventions
What we like about poetry --- original list: (spaced by student submissiona)
Soaring Eagle: alliteration,
onomatopoeia, and simile
Eagles Are Players in the Field: details, similes, metaphors
Eagle That Sat By The Sea: details, interesting
Details: why he likes eagles and why they have disabilities
Details and strong verbs
Exposes fact that it's not pretty to sea an eagle feast on its prey
interesting
good details
talked about sledding; food, Santa Claus
onomatopoeia: splash, boom
did not want to stop reading until got to end
stayed on topic
onomatopoeia: aaaeeeee! splash, otl, plop
imagery: "Oh, he dropped his easily caught prey. Oh, did you see that? He's got a bigger 35 pounder!"
The way the poems flow
Seem so real as if you are there
onomatopoeia which makes it more intense to readhave nature that catches my mind
not too long or too short
can picture things in your mind
The original directions:
Students:
Listed below are the traits you liked about the poems you read.
Directions: Try to organize this list into categories by cutting and pasting from the list below to add to this next example.
The first example is the category is onomatopoeia:
onomatopoeia:
Soaring Eagle: onomatopoeia
onomatopoeia which makes it more intense to read
onomatopoeia: splash, boom
onomatopoeia: aaaeeeee! splash, otl, plop
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