Conventions

Suggested Expectations for Conventions by Grade Level

(This list is cumulative. Skills are introduced PRIOR to this level. Students should use these conventions correctly and consistently by the end of each grade level. They may move beyond these conventions as writing becomes more sophisticated.)

Grades K - 2

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences/ Paragraphs
K	Some sound to letter correlation, particularly consonants Print in the classroom as reference	Capitalization of own name Capital and lower-case letter formation	Teacher models use of ending punctuation	Teacher models correct usage	Nouns as labels Writing left to right and top to bottom
1	Conventional spelling of high frequency and grade-level words Some common spelling patterns (e.g., sat, mat) Phonetic spelling on other words, including vowels	First word in a sentence Pronoun "I" Names of people Days of the week Months	Period, question mark, or exclamation point at end of sentence	Correct use of singular and plural nouns	Spaces between words Complete simple sentences Questions Exclamations
2	Increased correct spelling (from first grade) of high-frequency and grade-level words Phonetic spelling on some words Common contractions Spelling resources	Local geographic names (e.g., Yakima) First word in greeting and closing of a letter	Comma after greeting and closing of letter Colon when writing time (e.g., 12:30) Apostrophes correct in contractions (e.g., don’t) Some use of quotation marks	Standard verb forms in past tense or past participle (e.g., He went home. We were going home.) Possessive pronouns (e.g., its, theirs) Subject pronouns (e.g., she vs. her)	Multiple sentences

Grade 3

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences / Paragraphs
3	Correct spelling of high-frequency and grade-level words Some phonetic spelling on other words Resources to find correct spelling for words identified as misspelled	Person’s title (e.g., President Smith vs. the president) First word inside quotation marks All proper nouns	Period after an abbreviation or initial (e.g., Dr. George Scott, M.D.) Comma between the day of the month and the year (e.g., March 2, 2000) Comma between city and state (e.g., Seattle, Washington) Commas in a series (e.g., She bought red socks, white shoes, and a blue dress. OR She bought red socks, white shoes and a blue dress.) Quotation marks in dialogue Apostrophe in possessive nouns (e.g., the dog’s house, the dogs’ houses) Comma in compound sentences	Use of "would have" instead of "would of" Correct pronoun as subject (e.g., "I" rather than "me.") Consistent verb tense Future tense, especially in dialogue No double negatives Correct use of "it’s" vs. "its", "your" vs. "you’re", "their" vs. "there" vs. "they’re", "to" vs. "two" vs. "too" Consistent person	No "run-together" sentences (e.g., They went to the store they bought groceries.) or comma splices (e.g., They went to the store, they bought groceries.) No sentence fragments (e.g., Going into town.) Paragraphs are in place and designated using indentation or block format

Grade 4

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences/ Paragraphs
4	Correct spelling of grade-level words Syllabification, word patterns, and letter patterns to spell unusual words Resources to find correct spelling for words identified as misspelled	Important words in a title of a book or article (e.g., The Little House on the Prairie.) Correct use of state abbreviations (e.g., WA or CA)	Comma to set off titles or initials (e.g., Dr. Smith, M.D.) Colon after greeting in a business letter Comma in complete address (e.g., 12356 7^th Ave., Spokane, WA) Comma after an introductory phrase (e.g., After seeing the opera in person, she wished she had read the story.) or clause (e.g., Before she went to the opera, she read the story.") Commas in numbers over 4 digits (e.g., 10,000) Hyphen between syllables at line breaks	Single/plural agreement between nouns and modifiers (e.g., one child vs. one children) Correct use of "among" (more than two) vs. "between" (two) Resources cited using a standard bibliographic form Correct use of conjunctions Correct use of prepositions (e.g., in the past, from one to another) Collective nouns (e.g., cache, herd) Correct use of "either…or" and "neither…nor"

Grade 5

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences/ Paragraphs
5	Correct spelling of grade-level words Resources used to find correct spelling for words identified as misspelled	Brand names (e.g., Nike) Correct capitalization of geographic regions (e.g., the West)	Correct use of quotation marks in dialogue, internal and external (e.g., "How’s it going?" the boy asked.) Commas to set off interjections (e.g., Okay, if you say so.) or explanatory phrases (e.g., They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet.) Comma after date or address within text (e.g., Her birthday was June 1, 1993, when she was 23.) Hyphen in numbers (e.g., twenty-three) Hyphen to join numbers (e.g., The Mariners won, 17-6.) Periods in abbreviations (e.g., pg., ft.) Correct uses of ellipsis ( . . . ): ~ to show omitted words ~ to show a pause Correct use of semicolon between two independent clauses Resources to check punctuation	Correct use of subject vs. object pronouns (e.g., "I" vs. "me") Resources to check usage	New paragraphs to change speakers in dialogue

Grade 6

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences/Paragraphs
6	Correct spelling of grade-level words Resources to correct own spelling	Languages, races, nationalities, and religions Resources to correct capitalization	Commas in appositives (e.g., Bob, the dog, was fun.) Apostrophe to show quotation within a quotation in dialogue (e.g., He asked, "Didn’t you just say, ‘I want to go home.’ ") Correct use of italics, underlining, or quotation marks for titles Correct use of parentheses (e.g., Bob (the dog) is fun.) Colon to introduce a list (e.g., We received the following items: books, pencils, and pens.) Hyphen to make a compound word or form an adjective (e.g., three-year-old car) Commas to set off direct address (e.g., "Mom, may I go to the dance?") Resources to check punctuation	Generally correct grammar and usage Agreement of pronoun and its referent (e.g., A person needs his or her own space.) Resources to check usage	Parallel construction particularly in informational and technical writing (e.g., Parallel: chooses action verbs selects vivid modifiers Not parallel: chooses verbs modifiers are correct)

Grade 7

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences/ Paragraphs
7	Correct spelling of grade-level words Self-corrected spelling errors Correct spelling in final draft Resources to find correct spelling for words identified as misspelled	Capitals in an outline or list Consistent capitalization when formatting technical documents Resources to check capitalization	Commas to separate an interrupter (e.g., The teacher, however, was not impressed.) Correct use of semicolons to separate groups that contain commas (e.g., The Seahawks traveled to Washington, D.C.; New York, NY; and Oakland, CA.) Correct use of bullets in technical writing Correct uses of the dash (—): ~ to indicate emphasis or a sudden break ~ to set off an introductory series ~ to show interrupted speech Hyphen to prevent confusion (e.g., re-elect) Resources to check punctuation	Correct use of adverbs vs. adjectives (e.g. Correct usage ~ He ran well in the race. Incorrect usage ~ He ran good in the race.) Correct use of comparative and superlative adjectives (e.g. better, best) Resources to check usage	Fragments used for effect or in dialogue

Grade 8

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences/ Paragraphs
8	Consistency in use of correct spelling Resources to find correct spelling for words identified as misspelled	Title of a specific course (e.g., History 9A) Resources to check capitalization	Commas to enclose titles (e.g., Joe Miller, M.D., is a pediatrician.) Commas for emphasis or clarity (e.g., What the cook does, does affect the meal.) Colon between title and subtitle (e.g., Write Source 2000: A Guide to Thinking, Writing, and Learning) Correct use of diagonal slash (/) ~ in a fraction ~ to show a choice Apostrophes to form plurals of letters or numbers (e.g., Know your ABC’s.) Apostrophes in compound nouns (e.g., the mother-in-law’s birthday) Commas and periods inside quotation marks Resources to check punctuation	Refinement and review of past grammar and usage issues Resources to check usage

Grade 9

Gr.	Spelling	Capitalization	Punctuation	Grammar & usage	Sentences/ Paragraphs
9	Consistency in use of correct spelling Resources to find correct spelling for words identified as misspelled	Resources to check capitalization	Brackets ~ around an editorial correction ~ to set off added words Comma to set off nonrestrictive clauses (e.g., The gym, which was built last year, is used every day.) Resources to check punctuation	Correct use of "who" vs. "whom" No dangling modifiers (e.g., After I stood in line for hours, the tickets were sold out. rather than: After standing in line for hours, the tickets were sold out. The second sentence makes it appear that the tickets were in line.) Correct use of "that" vs. "which" Appropriate use of passive voice (e.g., it was seen by them) vs. active voice (e.g., they saw) Correct uses of many commonly confused words (e.g., "accept" vs. "except" or "can" vs. "may") Resources to check usage	Paragraphs for effect

In grade 10, students use resources to obtain specialized information about conventions, and instruction matches needs for specific pieces or types of writing. In particular, scientific or research-based forms may be explored.