Students are asked to decide which government system is more effective and to "defend her reasoning" or "defend his reasoning," which requires composing an argument (Option 1 and Option 2). Several discussion and writing prompts ask students to give reasons and explain why (e.g., "Which system of government? Why?" and prompts to compare American city governments and Sparks). Vocabulary and thesaurus activities require students to choose precise synonyms and consider connotations, encouraging more careful word choice.

Students are asked to write a 6–8 sentence speech to explain a nonviolent solution and why both groups should work together peacefully, which requires choosing an appropriate tone and word choice. The Parent Plan instructs caregivers to "Discuss the tone of such a speech and how to effectively deliver a speech to a small group," prompting attention to formal presentation. Additional writing tasks (writing experiment directions, describing impacts of electricity) require structured, clear writing that could be rendered in a formal style.

The Day 2 directions explicitly tell students to use a professional, not conversational tone and to avoid using "I," contractions, and slang, with a clear example showing how to restate an opinion without "I." Students are instructed to write a formal five-paragraph argumentative essay (introduction, body, refutation, conclusion) and to produce a first draft, revise, and create a final copy, which requires maintaining that formal style across drafts. The final-copy directions (double-space, indent, run spelling checker) and the editing/revising step require students to review and improve their writing, supporting continuation of a formal tone.

The Parent Plan lists skills that require students to "Revise drafts to clarify meaning and enhance style," "Edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling," and "Use elements of the writing process to compose text." Students practice editing with proofreading symbols (inserting commas, apostrophes, quotation marks) and rewrite corrected paragraphs in their journals. Students also produce written responses (a four- or five-sentence summary, a before/after poem, or an impact chart) that require revision and editing.

Students are asked to "revise drafts to clarify meaning and enhance style" and to "use elements of the writing process to compose text," which indicates they will practice revision and stylistic choices. Students practice editing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling using specific proofreading symbols and copy/correct paragraphs in their journals. Students also create persuasive propaganda posters and summarize the messages of historical posters, engaging in persuasive composition.

The lesson explicitly instructs students to use a formal magazine style: "your writing style should be formal. That means you should avoid using 'I' in the essay, contractions..., and slang." Students are directed to draft, revise, and edit their article (Activities 4–6), with editing symbols and a rubric that emphasizes word choice, organization, and mechanics. Transition examples and guidance to paraphrase sources and correctly quote and credit material provide additional guidance on word choice and formal presentation.

Students are asked to write extended pieces such as an essay (researching Alexander Hamilton) and a newspaper-style article, and to compose summaries and book-jacket text, which are visible tasks that can require formal writing. Students are prompted to paraphrase major ideas and supporting evidence in "formal and informal presentations" in the Skills section, explicitly naming formal presentation as a skill. Students are given editing-symbol practice on the test, which addresses conventions that support formal writing.

Students are given explicit rules of debate that instruct them to avoid exaggeration, avoid presenting opinions as facts, avoid saying 'you are wrong' and instead say 'your idea is mistaken,' and to watch tone of voice—guidance that targets formal, respectful language. Students must prepare a two-minute opening argument and a one- or two-sentence closing statement, with guidance to use note cards rather than read verbatim, which requires them to craft and maintain an appropriate style while speaking. The skills list includes using conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively, linking the task to language conventions and formal presentation.

Students are asked to write a 6–10 sentence formal letter to the head of the school board and to follow a provided formal letter template that shows sender address, recipient address, date, salutation, body, closing, and signature. The Parent Plan and Activity text list common formal salutations and closings and instruct students to include specific content (identify problems, explain why they are wrong, and propose corrections). The lesson also tells students to "Review the format for a formal letter" and to check that letters include appropriate conventions (e.g., date, salutation, closing).

The Parent Plan lists as a skill: "Revise drafts to clarify meaning and enhance style," and the lesson's Activity 2 has students revise and edit passages by combining sentences, correcting fragments/run-ons, and adding descriptive verbs and details. The student activity pages require students to rewrite given paragraphs (fixing fragments and run-ons, combining sentences, and adding detail) and encourage incorporating information from reading or research to improve wording.

The Book Report Rubric asks students whether they "stick with one consistent voice" and whether the voice makes the reader want to check out the book, and the Sentence Structure section asks students to vary sentence openings and lengths. The writing tasks require a five-paragraph essay with topic sentences, body sentences, and concluding sentences, and Activity 3 directs students to focus on quality sentences and convincing the reader. The Organizing Ideas pages guide students to plan formal paragraph roles (setting, characters, problem, events, and recommendation).

Students plan and deliver a four-slide presentation to the mayor that requires them to "support opinions with detailed evidence" and to provide examples, suggestions, and projected community changes. The rubric asks that "tone is used effectively" and that the speaker "maintained a clear and coherent message," and the Skills list includes delivering focused, coherent presentations and supporting opinions with evidence and visuals. Students are prompted to consider purpose and audience (presenting to a mayor) and to practice speech elements such as pitch, tone, and coherence.

The lesson's skills list includes "Write persuasive letters," and Option 1 directs students to "Write a short letter to Jonas' community that explains freedom," providing a sample opening paragraph that uses a formal salutation ("Dear Members of the Community") and explanatory tone. The assignment asks students to explain benefits and justify why freedom is worth pain, which requires argumentative writing for an audience.

Students are asked to reread "Obituary for a Clam" and then write their own obituary for a prehistoric animal, which requires studying the obituary genre. The lesson instructs students to read examples of obituaries in their local newspaper or online as preparation and to research their animal so they can include factual details about habitat and life.

Students are instructed to vary sentence beginnings and use transitions ("Things to Know - Using a variety of sentence beginnings"; Activity 1: Varying Sentence Beginnings). Students rewrite a choppy paragraph into a smoother version by combining sentences and adding transitions, and they are given explicit tips for starting sentences (verb/phrase, prepositional phrase, clause) on the About the Author activity page. The Skills list also directs students to identify and use prepositional phrases, appositives, independent/dependent clauses, and transitions to connect ideas.