CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.3a

ELA7th GradeKnowledge of Language

The Standard

Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to choose words that say exactly what they mean without extra padding. They should revise sentences by cutting repeated ideas, replacing vague words with precise ones, and keeping the original meaning clear.

Mastery looks like a student explaining why a revision is stronger, not just shorter. Students often cut too much and lose meaning, or they leave phrases like “in my opinion I think” because they sound school-like. They may also swap in fancy words that do not quite fit.

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs five wordy sentence strips and have them physically cut, rearrange, and tape a cleaner version onto chart paper.
Ask students to revise “The character is kind of really upset” and explain which words they kept, cut, or changed.
Use an exit ticket with three bloated sentences and ask students to make each one clearer in twelve words or fewer.
Show a wordy email or announcement, then have students rewrite it so a busy reader can understand it in ten seconds.