Grade 3 Writing Checklist

Narrative Conventions
Meets Expectations: Meets Expectations:

Narrates real or imagined Spells correctly

experiences
Establishes a situation
a. Introduces a narrator and/or characters
b. Creates a sequence of events
c. Uses dialogue and descriptions to
develop characters and events
Describes events in order
a. Temporal words and phrases used
b. Beginning, middle, end developed
Provides conclusion
a. Statement or section
a. High-frequency words
b. Grade-appropriate vocabulary
Uses capitalization
a. Titles of stories
Uses punctuation
a. Commas and quotation marks in
dialogue
b. End punctuation
Writes complete sentences
a. Simple, compound, and complex
b. Subject-verb agreement
c. Past, present, future verb tenses

Informative/Explanatory Conventions
Meets Expectations: Meets Expectations:
Introduces a topic Spells correctly
a. Groups related information* a. High-frequency words
b. Grade-appropriate vocabulary
Develops the topic Uses capitalization
a. Provides facts, definitions, and details a. Titles of stories
b. Uses multiple sources to gather
information
Uses punctuation
a. Commas and quotation marks in
c. Shares information in own words
dialogue
Uses linking words and phrases b. End punctuation
a. Connects ideas (also, another, and, Writes complete sentences
more, but) a. Simple, compound, and complex
Provides conclusion b. Subject-verb agreement
a. Statement or section c. Past, present, future verb tenses

Note: Checklist assumes mastery of skills from previous grades.

* Grouping may be done via subheads, or paragraphs.(see CCSS Appendix C)

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 Grade 3 Writing Checklist
Opinion Conventions
Meets Expectations: Meets Expectations:

Introduces a topic or text Spells correctly

States an opinion
a. Creates an organizational structure
that lists reasons*
b. Provides reasons that support opinions
c. Uses multiple sources to gather
information
Uses linking words and phrases
a. Connects opinion and reasons
Provides conclusion
a. statement or section
a. High-frequency words
b. Grade-appropriate vocabulary
Uses capitalization
a. Titles of stories
Uses punctuation
a. Commas and quotation marks in
dialogue
b. End punctuation
Writes complete sentences
a. Simple, compound, and complex
b. Subject-verb agreement
c. Past, present, future verb tenses

Note: Checklist assumes mastery of skills from previous grades.

* Grouping may be done via subheads, or paragraphs.(see CCSS Appendix C)

WWW.DATAWORKS-ED.COM
©2012 All rights reserved.