Standard: 8.W.2F – Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
Grade level: Grade 8
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: Writing
Teacher Overview
This standard focuses on the importance of providing a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. It is crucial for students to understand how to effectively wrap up their writing in a way that reinforces their main points and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Students should already be familiar with the basic structure of essays and paragraphs, including how to write clear and coherent body paragraphs.
Mastering this standard will enable students to write more cohesive and persuasive essays and research papers, with conclusions that effectively reinforce their main points.
Common Misconception 1
A common misconception is that students think a conclusion is merely a summary of the main points. This is incorrect because a good conclusion should also provide a final insight or implication of the information presented.
Intervention 1
An effective intervention is to provide students with examples of strong conclusions and have them practice writing their own conclusions that offer final insights or implications.
Common Misconception 2
Another misconception is that students believe conclusions can introduce new information. This is incorrect because a conclusion should only summarize and reflect on the information already discussed, not introduce new ideas.
Intervention 2
To address this, teachers can emphasize the importance of maintaining focus in the conclusion and practice revising conclusions that stray from summarizing and reflecting on the discussed content.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should understand how to structure a paragraph and the basics of essay writing, including introduction and body paragraphs.
Subsequent Knowledge
Students will develop skills in creating cohesive and persuasive essays, and will be able to write more complex research papers with well-supported conclusions.
Instructional Activities
- Analyze examples of strong and weak conclusions in essays.
- Practice writing conclusions for given essay prompts.
- Peer review of essay conclusions to provide feedback.
- Revise poorly written conclusions to improve clarity and support.
