Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 7, Writing · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What W.7.2 Means in Plain English
Seventh graders open by telling the reader what is coming, then organize by the plan the content calls for, like cause and effect, with headings or a chart when they help. Facts and quotations develop it, transitions show how ideas connect, terms are exact, and the conclusion supports the explanation.
Sixth grade (W.6.2) uses the same organizing strategies, headings and formal style. Seventh grade adds the preview in the introduction, transitions that create cohesion and a conclusion that supports the explanation instead of just following it. Eighth grade (W.8.2) sorts information into broader categories with varied transitions and well-chosen facts.
W.7.2 I Can Statements
I can introduce my topic and preview what my writing will cover.
I can organize facts by a plan such as cause and effect.
I can use precise subject terms, clear transitions and a formal style.
W.7.2 Worked Example
Two answers to one question about sinkholes: the first lists what the writer half remembers, and the second follows the chain from a raindrop to a hole in the ground.
Prompt
Explain how a sinkhole can open suddenly in ground that looks solid. Organize your paragraph by cause and effect, and use the terms carbonic acid, bedrock and water table correctly.
Not YetSinkholes are super scary and they can swallow cars. They happen when the ground falls in because there is a hole under it. Rain has something to do with it. In conclusion, people should watch out for sinkholes.The opening previews nothing, and the chain skips the step that explains everything: rainwater slowly dissolving the rock underground. “Rain has something to do with it” is vague, none of the three terms appears, “super scary” breaks the formal style, and the conclusion turns into a warning instead of an explanation.
Meets the StandardA sinkhole looks sudden, but it is the last link in a slow chain of cause and effect that starts with rain and ends when the ground can no longer hold itself up. As rainwater soaks through soil, it picks up carbon dioxide and becomes carbonic acid, the same weak acid found in soda water. When that acid trickles into cracks in limestone bedrock, it dissolves the rock a little at a time, and over thousands of years the cracks widen into hidden caves. While groundwater fills those spaces, it helps hold up the soil above them. If a drought or heavy pumping lowers the water table, that support drains away, so the roof of a cave must carry the full weight of the ground on top of it. As a result, the roof can give way in minutes, and the ground drops into a space the water spent thousands of years carving. A sinkhole, in other words, is not a sudden event but a slow one that people only notice at the end.The first sentence previews the whole chain, from rain to collapse. Each step causes the next, transitions like when, if and as a result mark those links, all three terms are used precisely, and the last sentence sums up what the explanation shows instead of adding a warning.
Moves to Use
Preview the whole explanation in the first sentence, so the reader knows the route.Choose the plan the content demands: cause and effect for a process, comparison for two things.Define each subject term the first time it appears, then use it exactly.Mark each link with a transition that names the relationship, like as a result or in contrast.Conclude with what the explanation adds up to, not a call to action.
Common Mistakes with W.7.2
An introduction that previews nothing
“Sinkholes are super scary and they can swallow cars.”
Try this: Have students write the preview sentence last, after drafting, so it names the steps the body actually covers, in order.
Facts in the order they were found
A paragraph that jumps from swallowed cars to rain to underground caves and back again
Try this: Ask students to choose an organizing plan before drafting, then number their notes in that plan’s order: cause first, effects after.
A conclusion that turns into a slogan
“In conclusion, people should watch out for sinkholes!”
Try this: Have students end by answering “So what does this explain?” in one sentence that uses a term from the body.
Writing Prompt GeneratorFree ToolAn informative prompt from the 6 to 8 bank. Students name their organizing plan, cause and effect, comparison or definition, before writing a word.InformativeGrades 6 to 8On screen
Which sentence of the strong response previews what is to follow, and what does it preview?
The first. It tells the reader the paragraph will trace a slow chain of cause and effect that starts with rain and ends when the ground can no longer hold itself up.
In the strong response, why does a falling water table matter?
Groundwater in the underground caves helps hold up the soil above. When the water table drops, that support drains away and the roof of a cave can collapse.
Which step of the chain does the weak response leave out?
Rainwater becoming carbonic acid and dissolving the limestone bedrock. Without it, the reader cannot see where the hole under the ground came from.