South Dakota ELA 7.W.5.b

ELA7th GradeWriting

The Standard

Focus on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students reread a draft with its goal and reader in mind. They revise details, wording, and tone so the writing does what they intend for that reader.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain what they want the reader to think or do. They can point to a sentence that helps, spot one that does not, and revise it.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think fixing spelling means the draft is ready. They may add details that do not help their goal or use the same tone for a friend and a principal.
How to Assess It: Give students this draft of a request to the principal: “We need a water refill station. It would be cool.” Ask them to rewrite it with a useful reason and a respectful request.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a printed request for longer library hours; have them highlight reasons a principal would find useful and rewrite one weak sentence.
Ask students to write how a request for new library books would change if it went to a friend instead of the principal.
Hand out audience and purpose cards; students draw one of each and rewrite “We need more time” to fit both.
Have students draft a two-sentence email to a coach requesting a schedule change, then check whether the reason and tone fit.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 7.W.5.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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