Virginia SOL 10.W.2

10.W.2 is a Standards of Learning standard. These are the knowledge and skills expectations under it.

• 10.W.2.A.i

  Composing a thesis statement that clearly communicates the writer’s position or assertion.

• 10.W.2.A.ii

  Introducing and developing central idea(s), and organizing ideas in a logical sequence to exhibit unity.

• 10.W.2.A.iii

  Defending a position using sufficient reasons with evidence from credible sources as support.

• 10.W.2.A.iv

  Embedding narrative techniques (e.g., anecdotes, dialogue, and description) to develop and enhance writing.

• 10.W.2.A.v

  Using transitions effectively to connect ideas within and across paragraphs.

• 10.W.2.A.vi

  Elaborating ideas clearly through intentional word choice and varied sentence structure.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students plan, draft, revise, and edit writing for a specific audience and goal. They build a clear claim, arrange ideas logically, and support reasons with credible evidence. They use relevant narrative details, transitions, precise words, and varied sentences to strengthen the piece.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

The draft presents a focused claim and develops it in a logical order for a clear audience. Each reason is supported by credible evidence and connected through useful transitions. Anecdotes, precise words, varied sentences, and careful editing strengthen the argument.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may write a broad topic instead of a claim that can be defended. They may drop quotations into paragraphs without explaining how the evidence supports a reason. Some treat revision as proofreading, add transitions randomly, or include anecdotes that do not advance the argument.

04

How to Assess It

Give students a short article about later school start times. Ask them to write a thesis for a parent audience, outline two reasons with evidence, and add one transition and one relevant anecdote.

1. 01

   Give pairs sentence strips from a scrambled argument, then have them arrange the thesis, reasons, evidence, anecdote, transitions, and conclusion.

2. 02

   Ask students to write two thesis statements about lunch phone use, one for students and one for the principal, then compare choices.

3. 03

   Run a transition relay where teams choose the best connector for paragraph pairs and explain the relationship it signals.

4. 04

   Have students draft a school board email defending one campus change with survey data, a brief anecdote, and a clear call to action.

• 9.W.2

  The 9th Grade version of this standard.

• 6.W.2

  The 6th Grade version of this standard.

• 2.W.2

  The 2nd Grade version of this standard.

• K.W.2

  The Kindergarten version of this standard.