What Does Good Writing Look Like?

What should Year 4 writing look like?

To meet the National Standards for writing, we have to be writing solidly at Level 2 by the end of the year. To be above the national standards, we have to be starting to write at Level 3 of the curriculum. To help us to understand what this looks like, here are some examples.

End of Year 4 Example (Late Level 2)

End of Year 5 Example (Level 3)

This school has wonderful goal cards that show all of the things that you need to do to achieve at the different curriculum levels for writing.
http://www.cocklebay.school.nz/images/stories/national_standards/cbs_writing_goal_cards.pdf
Here is the level 2 success criteria. Do you do all of this independently and consistently? If not, what do you need to work on?

At Level Two

Audience, Purpose and Voice

• I write about several experiences or ideas often including detail or personal comment
• I use a process that will help me achieve my purpose for writing
• I independently write texts using language and a simple text structure that suits my audience and purpose (recounting, describing, narrating, reporting or explaining)
• I use mostly relevant information that often includes detail and/or comment supporting the main points
• I use a variety of adjectives, adverbs, nouns and verbs that clearly convey ideas, experiences or information
• I use similes and onomatopoeia to support meaning
• I choose appropriate media for publishing including visual and digital

Structure

• I plan and organise ideas and information using tools such as headings, graphic organizers, mind maps
• I use planning strategies to generate rich language for writing
• I write mainly simple and compound sentences that vary in their beginnings, structures and lengths and are mostly grammatically correct
• I attempt complex sentences using conjunctions such as when, how, because, although
• I use titles, sub headings, labelled diagrams and illustrations to support meaning

Proofreading and Editing

• I use accurate punctuation most of the time (including capital letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation
• marks, commas for lists, speech marks, apostrophes for contractions
• I write most Spell-Write Essential List 1 - 4 words and many from 5 - 7 correctly in my writing
• I revise my writing and edit it for clarity, accuracy and impact using a dictionary and a thesaurus
• I review my writing from a reader’s perspective and revise if necessary
• I reread, discuss and respond to feedback by making changes to my writing