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NJPEP Home > Standards > Language Arts Literacy (Revised)

STANDARD 3.2 (WRITING) Grade Three

Strands with Cumulative Progress Indicators

A. Writing as a Process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, postwriting)

  1. Generate possible ideas for writing through recalling experiences, listening to stories, reading, brainstorming, and discussion.
  2. Examine real-world examples of writing in various genres to gain understanding of how authors communicate ideas through form, structure, and author’s voice.
  3. Use graphic organizers to assist with planning writing.
  4. Compose first drafts from prewriting work.
  5. Revise a draft by rereading for meaning, narrowing the focus, sequencing, elaborating with detail, improving openings, closings, and word choice to show voice.
  6. Participate with peers to comment on and react to each other’s writing.
  7. Build awareness of ways authors use paragraphs to support meaning.
  8. Begin to develop author’s voice in own writing.
  9. Use reference materials to revise work, such as a dictionary or internet/software resource.
  10. Edit work for basic spelling and mechanics.
  11. Use computer word-processing applications during parts of the writing process.
  12. Understand and use a checklist and/or rubric to improve writing.
  13. Reflect on own writing, noting strengths and areas needing improvement.

B. Writing as a Product (resulting in a formal product or publication)

  1. Write a descriptive piece, such as a description of a person, place, or object.
  2. Write a narrative piece based on personal experiences.
  3. Write a nonfiction piece and/or simple informational report across the curriculum.
  4. Present and discuss writing with other students.
  5. Apply elements of grade-appropriate rubrics to improve writing.
  6. Develop a collection of writings (e.g., a literacy folder or portfolio).

C. Mechanics, Spelling, and Handwriting

  1. Use Standard English conventions that are developmentally appropriate to the grade level: sentences, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.
  2. Use grade-appropriate knowledge of English grammar and usage to craft writing: singular and plural nouns, subject/verb agreement, appropriate parts of speech.
  3. Study examples of narrative and expository writing to develop understanding of paragraphs and indentation.
  4. Develop knowledge of English spelling through the use of patterns, structural analysis, and high frequency words.
  5. Write legibly in manuscript or cursive to meet district standards.

D. Writing Forms, Audiences, and Purposes (exploring a variety of forms)

  1. Write for a variety of purposes (e.g., to inform, entertain, persuade) and audiences (e.g., self, peers, community).
  2. Develop fluency by writing daily and for sustained amounts of time.
  3. Generate ideas for writing in a variety of situations and across the curriculum.
  4. Write to express thoughts and ideas, to share experiences, and to communicate socially.
  5. Write the events of a story sequentially.
  6. Produce writing that demonstrates the use of a variety of sentence types, such as declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative.
  7. Respond to literature through writing to demonstrate an understanding of a text.
  8. Write narrative text (e.g., realistic, humorous, etc.).
  9. Write non-fiction text (e.g., reports, procedures, and letters).