Your fifth grader and writing

Fifth grade Flauberts polish their creative and descriptive techniques.

Fifth graders work to improve their writing technique. They’ll polish introductions, transitions, and conclusions, while beginning to add subtlety to their writing by establishing mood, using dialogue to advance plot, and incorporating figurative language like similes and metaphors.

In creative writing, lessons focus on plot development and resolution, character development, and effective use of descriptive language and dialogue. In expository writing, students learn how to create succinct summaries and interpretations of what they’re reading. Some teachers also use poetry to illustrate literary devices, asking their students to experiment using the techniques of accomplished poets.

Wendy Miller, a former Teacher of the Year, explains that fifth graders use what they read to reinforce in-class writing lessons. “Since fifth graders expand and deepen the concepts, skills, and strategies learned in earlier grades,” she says, “students must learn to write as readers, asking questions as they write.”

Research projects and reports also require students to improve their writing abilities. Students should start to learn research skills, such as note taking, report writing, library usage, organization of materials, and citation of sources. And since media and technology can play a role in research, as well, students should gain experience using technology to conduct research.

Students in fifth grade put writing to specific uses, learning to persuade, entertain, and inform. Kids should have the chance to write in a handful of styles across many genres — from essays to fiction.

Using the writing process

In fifth grade, kids build on lessons from earlier grades about the writing process, which involves prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Students should be developing their proofreading and editing skills.

Students should begin to understand that writing is about more than putting words on paper. Good writing takes time. As Miller explains, “Writing using a process leads to more thoughtful and accomplished work.”

• Prewriting. Part of the first stage of the writing process, prewriting activities can include drawing, free-writing, brainstorming, or even using a “graphic organizer” like a Venn diagram to compare two ideas. During this stage, the writer should be working to envision a target reader or audience. The writer should feel confident that the writing and the audience are a good fit.
• Drafting. The writer then develops a topic on paper or using a computer. At this stage, the focus is on the content of the writing, not the mechanics. Writers should begin to organize their thoughts and develop the structure of the paper, beginning to think about the "hook" that will engage the reader. Lastly, they develop a conclusion that ties everything together.
• Revising. Next the writer makes changes to the draft to improve the writing and make it clear. This may include additions or deletions, or changes in the sentence structure or organization. At this stage, a friend’s or teacher’s input can be especially helpful.
• Editing. In the editing stage, the writer pays careful attention to mechanics, including spelling, punctuation, grammar, and handwriting. It’s helpful to have a peer or teacher edit the work.
• Publishing. The final draft is then shared with the desired audience, which might include classmates or parents. Miller sees the finished product as a crucial step in the process because of its psychological rewards. “Publishing helps the writer interact with the reader through a finished document,” she says. "[When] students understand that this is ‘my writing at its best,’ it helps them transform from writer to author.”

Writers' workshop

Writers’ workshop is a technique that uses story planning, peer conferencing, revision, and teacher editing to help students become more comfortable with the writing process. Ideally, students learn about the conventions and mechanics of writing, while becoming better writers’ themselves.

Six-trait writing model

The “six-trait writing model” is used to teach writing and is often used in conjunction with workshop. The six-trait model breaks down writing into a manageable group of teachable and measurable skills. It focuses on six traits considered essential to good writing: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and mechanics (grammar, sentence structure, capitalization, punctuation, etc.).

For more on the six-trait model, this website from Minnesota’s Edina Public Schools includes rubrics as well as a description of each trait.

Writing mechanics

Mechanics — encompassing grammar, sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation — are taught in the context of student’s own writing and through dedicated lessons. Teachers should encourage their students to write paragraphs with complete sentences. Children should learn how to express their ideas clearly, by using complete sentences and well-constructed paragraphs.

Fifth graders should spell words correctly and often continue to have weekly spelling tests based on lists of words teachers distribute beforehand.

State tests

Your fifth grader might take a state writing test. These tests typically include questions about writing mechanics, such as capitalization, punctuation, and grammar, and a timed exercise in which students write an essay responding to a writing prompt. Students may also be asked to write summary statements about passages.

Scroll down to page 22 of the California English-Language Arts Test Questions to view sample test questions. To see if your state releases their test questions, search your state Department of Education online.

By the end of fifth grade, you can expect your child to:

• Write organized multi-paragraph compositions in logical order and with a central idea
• Use correct punctuation, (for example, when to use a colon or quotation marks)
• Use correct capitalization, (for example, capitalizing the days of the week)
• Spell roots, suffixes, prefixes, and contractions correctly
• Write legibly in cursive
• Use a computer as a writing tool

Look at fifth-grade writing samples, with teacher commentary that range from high to low, from the Oregon Department of Education.

The National Writing Project compiled helpful information on what to look for in a good writing program in this chart.

Updated May 2010