English Language Arts · 6th Grade

Active learning ideas

Informational Writing: Formal Style and Tone

Active learning works for formal style and tone because students need to confront their own casual language patterns directly. When they see examples side by side and rewrite in real time, the gap between informal speech and formal writing becomes visible and actionable. This hands-on comparison builds metacognitive awareness that lectures alone cannot produce.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.d

• 15–30 min
• Pairs
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Formal vs. Informal Rewrite Stations

Post 5-6 short informational paragraphs around the room, each containing informal phrases, contractions, or first-person references. Students rotate with a sticky note, flagging one problem and writing a formal revision on the note. After the rotation, pairs discuss the most common informal patterns they noticed.

Explain how word choice contributes to a formal tone in academic writing.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, place one paragraph per station with a mix of formal and informal language, so students practice identifying tone in short, manageable chunks.

What to look for

Provide students with a short paragraph containing a mix of formal and informal language. Ask them to highlight all informal words or phrases and rewrite the paragraph using only formal language.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Word Choice Trade-offs

Present students with a sentence written in informal language and a list of three possible formal alternatives. Students individually select the best option and explain why, then share with a partner. Pairs report their reasoning to the class, opening discussion about when precision and formality overlap.

Differentiate between objective and subjective language in an informational text.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, provide sentence stems that force students to choose between two vocabulary options, making the trade-offs explicit and reducing vague word choice.

What to look for

Students exchange drafts of their informational paragraphs. They use a checklist to identify: 1) Any contractions or slang, 2) Any personal opinions stated as facts, and 3) At least two words that could be replaced with more precise, formal vocabulary. They provide written feedback based on the checklist.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Peer Teaching
• 25 min · Pairs

Peer Revision: The Formality Sweep

Students exchange their own informational drafts with a partner and complete a structured checklist: identify all contractions, first-person pronouns, slang terms, and opinion statements. The partner circles each instance and suggests a formal revision. Writers then apply revisions before submitting.

Critique a piece of writing for instances of informal language or biased tone.

Facilitation Tip

During Peer Revision, give students colored pencils to mark contractions and slang, then require them to write the formal alternatives directly above in the margin.

What to look for

Ask students to write two sentences on a slip of paper. The first sentence should be an example of objective language about a common topic (e.g., dogs). The second sentence should be an example of subjective language about the same topic.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach formal style by starting with what students already know: texting and casual speech. Use contrastive examples to show how informal habits bleed into writing. Avoid teaching formal style as a set of rules first; instead, let students discover the rules through guided analysis and revision. Research shows that students learn tone best when they revise their own writing rather than just editing someone else’s. Keep the focus on clarity and precision, not on sounding “fancy.”

Students will demonstrate the ability to distinguish formal from informal language and apply formal style to their own writing. Successful learning looks like clear revisions that replace contractions, slang, and opinions with precise vocabulary and objective phrasing. Peer feedback should show students recognizing these shifts in each other’s work.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Gallery Walk: Formal vs. Informal Rewrite Stations, watch for students who think using long or unusual words automatically makes their writing formal. They may select words like ‘utilize’ instead of ‘use’ without considering accuracy or clarity.

  During Gallery Walk, hand students a ‘precision checklist’ with columns for ‘simple but correct’ and ‘complex but unclear.’ Have them mark each vocabulary choice before proceeding to the rewrite.

• During Peer Revision: The Formality Sweep, students may believe objectivity means writing without personality or clarity. They might strip sentences of all vivid language, resulting in vague, passive prose.

  During Peer Revision, provide examples of strong objective sentences with confident clarity (e.g., ‘The data reveals a clear trend’). Have peers compare these to dull, passive versions and discuss which maintains voice without opinion.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share
• Peer Teaching