Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Don't you hate it when sentences are excessively wordy and complex, with a whole bunch of words that really don't need to be there or exist in the sentence? Unfortunately, students think that they have to sound "sophisticated" in order to impress their teachers, though all it usually does is make their essays sound too confusing. This is where the Common Core comes in: according to this standard's sub-standard, teachers should drill into their students' heads that “smarter, sophisticated" essays almost never mean better. In fact, the best writing are essays that can explain something in the simplest of words.

P.S. If your students need to brush up on their spelling and grammar, send 'em over to our Grammar Learning Guides so they can hone their skills before conquering the Common Core.

Standard Components

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.3.A