By the end of the year, fifth-graders will have learned to use a five-step writing process effectively. Students begin with pre-writing, during which they may use diagrams, pictures or notes to organize their ideas. They also will determine the piece's audience at this stage. During the second phase, drafting, the student focuses on the piece's content, creating a rough draft. During the next step, revising, students improve the writing's clarity and style, changing the organization as necessary. Next, during editing, the student looks for any spelling, punctuation, grammar or handwriting problems, soliciting help from a peer or teacher. Finally, the student "publishes," producing the final draft.
Fifth-grade students might learn to use a six-trait model to improve their writing. This model teaches writers to divide their attention between ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and mechanics. Whether or not students formally study the model, their writing at the end of the year should reflect an improvement in each of the categories. For example, the mechanics will evidence appropriate use of grammar, sentence structure, capitalization and punctuation markings.
By the end of the fifth grade, students will not only show adeptness at writing clearly and expressively, but also they will be able to write in a wide range of styles and modes to express slightly different shades of meaning in various scenarios. For example, a fifth-grade student should be able to create writing with an academic or a personal tone, which is aimed at a familiar or a formal audience.
Besides the improved stylistic sophistication, fifth-grade students will be able to draw on a much broader base of language. By reading grade-level books throughout the year and through a range of vocabulary exercises, students will be able to incorporate far more complex diction into their writing. In addition to the broadened vocabulary, they will be able to use figurative language and rhetorical devices, drawing on their readings in literature. Mechanically, students will have improved their spelling skills, as well, in line with their broadened vocabularies.