Editor’s Guide Please edit only the sections you’re being asked to edit!

Score for Fluency You’ve already scored for fluency, but how many errors did you have? 4 = I had 0 to 3 errors. 3 = I had 4 to 6 errors. 2 = I had 7-10 errors. 1 = I had more than 10 errors.

Score for Organization 4 = The heading and the closing (i.e. “Sincerely,” are both on the middle seam of the paper; the paragraphs are indented a full thumb-space; the greeting (Dear So-and-so) is against the pink margin line and is followed by a comma; the writer skipped a line between paragraphs; the letter has one-inch margins on all sides. 3 = One of the above criteria is missing. 2 = Some of the above criteria are missing, but it still looks like a letter. 1 = It doesn’t look like a letter.

Score for Word Choice 4 = The person who chose the words in this letter has a very good vocabulary, and he/she obviously used both a dictionary and thesaurus to choose fancy words. 3 = The person who wrote this letter tried to use big words, but he/she probably didn’t use a thesaurus and/or dictionary to do so. 2 = This letter is written in typical seventh-grader language, but there’s no slang. 1 = This letter uses slang, texting, symbols, and/or abbreviations, and/or sometimes it’s hard to understand because of poor wording.

Score for Conventions Part 1 Use a highlighter to mark all of the “Commonly Misspelled Words” from the list on your desk. Swap with a partner who sits in your row. Mark each misspelled word with “SP” over the top. Listen as Mrs. Fogelsong reads the entire letter to you. Mark any missing punctuation as a proofreading symbol. If you find other mistakes (capitalization, spelling, or grammar errors) mark these using the appropriate proofreading symbols. If the writer is missing a bunch of words, just say, “You’re missing words here.” Switch back.

Score for Conventions Part 2 4 = There were no spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors at all. 3 = My partner found one or two errors in spelling, punctuation, and/or grammar. 2 = My partner found 3-10 errors. 1 = My partner found more than 10 errors.

Score for Voice 4 = When my parent reads this letter, he/she will laugh out loud, cry, or gasp in awe, because it’s so filled with fascinating and wonderful information. 3 = This letter was written with information that’s important to the intended audience (your parent), but it won’t make him/her laugh or cry or gasp in awe. 2 = The letter lacks information that’s relevant to the audience, or it’s written like it’s meant for a different audience (like a kid doing a homework assignment meant only for his/her teacher). 1 = The letter is written in a language the audience can’t read or it’s unfinished.

Score for Ideas 4 = This letter’s topic is unlike anyone else’s. It’s completely original. 3 = This letter’s theme is pretty much like everyone else’s, but it’s kind of a creative topic. 2 = This letter’s theme is just like everyone else’s. The writer probably copied one of the teacher’s examples for their topic. 1 = This isn’t a letter. It’s a poem or an essay or a story.