Virginia SOL 11.W.3.C
The Standard
Edit writing for appropriate conventions, style, and language (See Language Usage for grade level expectations).
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students reread drafts and correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and sentence structure. They adjust word choice, tone, and sentence flow to fit the audience and purpose.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students catch errors without changing the writer's intended meaning. They improve sentence flow, word choice, and tone, then explain why each change makes the writing clearer.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may rely on spell-check and miss errors involving homophones, agreement, punctuation, or sentence boundaries. They may also replace words with longer synonyms that change the meaning or create an awkward tone.
How to Assess It
- Give students a five-sentence paragraph with six errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, and tone. Ask them to edit it and explain two changes.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print a flawed paragraph, then have pairs cut apart sentences, repair errors, and arrange them for smoother flow.
Ask students to revise a casual message for a principal, then explain which words and sentence patterns they changed.
Run an editing relay where teams correct one marked sentence at a time and earn points for accurate explanations.
Compare a workplace email with a group chat message, then rewrite each for the other audience while keeping the same information.
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Printable 11.W.3.C Worksheet

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Related Standards
- 9.W.3.C
The 9th Grade version of this standard.
- 10.W.3.C
The 10th Grade version of this standard.
- 12.W.3.C
Edit writing for appropriate conventions, style, and language in informal and formal contexts. (See Language Usage for grade level expectations)
- 1.W.3.A
With guidance and support from adults, edit writing for conventions e.g., spelling, capitalization, usage, punctuation). (See Language Usage for grade level exp...
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