Check expressive writing for the student's ability to convey her individual perspective on an event. In grade six, the event which is being written about is assumed to be personal or related to the person. Look for historical, social or cultural issues inspiring expressive writing with grade seven or eight children. Ensure that the narrative is expressive and personal, and look for evidence of reading of other expressive pieces of writing.
Ensure that a variety of sources has been used for any informational written work. For grade six papers, check that the student has effectively explored and analyzed information from the sources, as well as looking into other informational pieces of work. Grade seven students should be able to synthesize the information garnered from the sources efficiently, and should begin responding to material they read. Check for any evaluation of the sources in grade eight work, showing that the student has the ability to criticize sources. Informational writing should be expressed in a formal, encyclopedic tone.
Judge how well the student understands the use of the argument form. During middle school, the student should gain a better understanding of how and why arguments are used, and demonstrate an understanding of the persuasive writing form. In grade six, students should begin to explore argumentative writing, and through grades seven and eight should begin to analyze and evaluate arguments. Grade seven and eight students should also be able to create argumentative writing.
Determine whether the student has effectively used his critical thinking skills to evaluate written materials. Students should gain a better understanding of the criteria used to judge written work as they advance through the grades. Check that sixth grade students can determine the aim of the writer, and in eighth grade students should be able to analyze the impact that the writing has had. Check that students have been able to adopt the stance of a critic in their writing.
Study any literary writing to determine whether the student understands the different characteristics of various literary genres and forms. Students should gain skill at evaluating written literary work as they advance through to grade eight. Search the work for any insights into the nature of the book, poem or play in question. Read the original work yourself and judge the student's level of understanding.
Check for grammatical and spelling errors throughout any piece of writing. Ensure that all of the subjects and verbs are in agreement, and that there are no discrepancies when it comes to the tense of the writing. Middle grade students should use sentences of varying lengths and different structures as part of written work. Look for any instances of poor proofreading or a lack of proofreading of written work.