Writing
According to the Developmental Continuum (2001), writing development encompasses a series of stages through which individuals progress as they acquire and refine their writing skills. These stages generally unfold as follows:Preconventional: (ages 3-5). Children primarily communicate through pictures and begin to augment these pictures by adding simple labels and attempting to write basic words, such as their own names. Writing consists of scribbles and random recognizable letters.Emerging Writers (ages 4-6). Writers utilize both pictures and print to convey meaning. They can demonstrate an understanding of letter-sound relationships. They typically print using uppercase letters and begin to grasp the use of initial and final consonants to represent sounds in their writing. They pretend to read books and other texts.Developing Writers (ages 5-7): Writers can compose 2-3 sentences about a given topic. They can confidently write their names and familiar words. They experiment with the use of upper- and lower-case letters and write from left to right and top to bottom on the page. Writers begin to explore punctuation and capitalization, as well as the concept of spacing between words. Their spelling utilizes beginning, middle, and end sounds to phonetically spell words.Beginning (ages 6-8): Writers write full pages on topics of interest, drawing from their own observations and personal experiences. They write short nonfiction pieces, with guidance, consistently use spacing between words and form most letters legibly, and employ phonetic spelling to write independently, accurately spelling simple words and some high-frequency words. They are also starting to use periods and capital letters correctly.Expanding Writers (ages 7-9): Writers can create both fiction and poetry under guidance, alongside a variety of short nonfiction. They focus on expressing a central idea and structuring their writing into complete sentences, while organizing their thoughts logically with support. Writers begin to use interesting language in their compositions and utilize pre-writing strategies like webs and brainstorming sessions with guidance. They receive guidance on editing for capitals and punctuation, and they are introduced to the concept of publishing their own writing. They are progressing towards writing legibly and spelling high-frequency words correctly.Bridging Writers (ages 8-10): Writers explore expressing feelings and opinions through their writing. They write fiction with clear structures, including well-defined beginnings, middles, and ends, while also moving into poetry, with guidance. Nonfiction pieces such as reports, letters, and lists are organized with support, and they are beginning to write paragraphs. With guidance, they incorporate strong verbs, interesting language, and dialogue to enhance their narratives. These writers actively seek feedback and revise their work for clarity, adding description and detail to strengthen their ideas. They utilize resources like thesauruses and word lists to refine their writing, and they edit for punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Supported by guidance, they publish their writing in polished formats.Fluent Writers (ages 9-11): Writers begin to explore organized fiction and nonfiction; they begin crafting stories that include identifiable plots with problems and solutions. They develop characters within their narratives and experiment with poetry. Writers experiment with sentence length and complex structures. With guidance, they incorporate descriptive details and utilize dialogue to enrich their narratives. They employ a range of strategies for planning their writing and adapt their style for different purposes and audiences. They revise their work, focusing on specific traits such as ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, voice, and conventions, and they actively seek and apply suggestions from others. They edit for punctuation, spelling, and grammar.Proficient Writers (ages 10-13): Writers develop persuasive skills, articulating ideas, feelings, and opinions effectively. They construct plots with clear problems and solutions, while beginning to develop main characters and detailed settings in their narratives. In nonfiction writing, they organize their thoughts cohesively, including simple bibliographies, and construct paragraphs with reasons and examples under guidance. They utilize transitional sentences to link paragraphs and experiment with varied sentence structures, leads, and endings. They start integrating information from multiple sources on topics, gradually revising for specific writing traits such as ideas, organization, and voice. They independently use tools like dictionaries and spell checkers to edit, selecting and publishing their writing in polished formats.Connecting Writers (11-14): Writers use an array of genres and forms tailored for various audiences and purposes with independence. They write plots that build to a climax, establishing settings and believable characters. In nonfiction, they produce organized compositions, including bibliographies in correct format. Writers construct paragraphs with supportive reasons and examples. They integrate dialogue for character development and infuse their personal voice into their writing. They gather and synthesize information from multiple sources, utilizing charts, graphs, and tables as needed to present information effectively. These writers employ pre-writing strategies to organize and strengthen their compositions and revise for specific writing traits. They incorporate feedback from peers and mentors.Independent Writers: Writers exhibit a mastery across various literary forms, adeptly incorporating references with correct bibliographic format. They compose cohesive, fluent poetry and fiction, with clear paragraph sequences and effective transitions. These writers skillfully integrate literary devices such as imagery, metaphors, personification, and foreshadowing into their work, while weaving dialogue to enhance storytelling. They develop plots, characters, setting, and mood, creating a distinctive personal voice and style. Independently revising through multiple drafts, they actively seek feedback to refine their writing, publishing pieces across diverse audiences and purposes. They consistently demonstrate correct grammar usage, ensuring subject-verb agreement and verb tense accuracy.
Why is writing important and what is the impact on student success?According to Sedita (2023), the ability to write is as essential as the ability to read. She quotes Graham and Perin (2007), who stated: Writing is not an option for young people—it is a necessity. Along with reading comprehension, writing skills is a predictor of academic success and the basic requirement for participation in civil life and the global economy….all students need to become proficient and flexible writers. Writing plays a crucial role in education, significantly impacting children's academic success and overall development. It enhances communication skills, allowing children to express ideas effectively and engage in critical thinking across various subjects. The connection between reading and writing is strengthened, as proficiency in one often leads to proficiency in the other. Writing also improves organizational abilities, logical reasoning, and creativity, empowering students to structure their thoughts coherently and explore their individuality. Ultimately, a strong foundation in writing prepares children for future challenges by equipping them with essential communication and problem-solving skills (Sedita, 2023).
Strategies:1. Two-Column Notes: This graphic organizer can be used to generate, capture, and organize ideas as students read a passage or watch a video in preparation for a writing assignment. Students often have a difficult time generating ideas when given a writing assignment. Two-column notes work well with both short and lengthy writing pieces, and can be created as simply as folding a sheet of notebook paper in half, or teachers can create their own and give students individual copies. Either way, the format provides a clear visual distinction between the big ideas, which are written in the left column and supporting details, which are written in the right column. The topic is written at the top of the page. For example, if students are instructed to write a response based on a text or video, the students would gather relevant information from the sources, and then organizes it into topics or main ideas in the left column and relevant details in the right. See the illustration in Figure 1.
2. Writing Introductions: So many students struggle with writing introductions. “How do I begin?” is the question of the day. Sedita (2023) provides a helpful chart with guiding elements to spur students’ thought processes and help them organize their thoughts to develop an effective introduction. “The length of an introduction can vary from one sentence to multiple paragraphs to pages, depending on the length of a writing piece” (Sedita, 2023). I think we can all agree that getting a student to write a page length introduction is stretching our power as an educator. However, using the template provided, a strong paragraph is certainly obtainable. Similar to the Two-Column chart in form, the Introduction Element Chart lists the elements included in an introduction. The best way to implement this chart is to give each student a copy of the chart, review the elements, and then model using each element using a smart board to write an introduction about a pre-selected topic. Students will be exposed to the elements of writing an introduction and will listen to the thought process as the teacher thinks aloud and writes an example introduction. See the example below in Figure 2.
3. Writing Templates: To help students organize their writing, Sedita (2023) offers several templates, including informational, opinion, cause and effect, sequence, argument, and many more. Here, I am sharing an opinion writing template. To implement, teachers would display the template and model its use, using an article read together in class. Next, the teacher would scaffold, as students read an opinion piece and complete the graphic organizer in pairs and groups based on the text. In the next step, teachers assign an opinion writing prompt and have students pre-write by using the graphic organizer for their own ideas before they write their first draft. Obviously, a teacher could use these three strategies in conjunction as they teach the writing process. See Figure 3. 4. Syntax and Sentence Skills: Often, students can write a well-organized essay, but they struggle with form and style, especially with sentence variety. One way to help students expand their sentences is using a technique recommended by Sedita (2023) called Kernel Sentences. To describe this strategy, she recommends thinking about kernels of popcorn. One kernel is small, but when heat is applied, the kernel blows up into a large piece of popcorn. A kernel sentence is also small with just a noun and a verb, but when students put energy into adding other information, the kernel sentence blows up. To implement this strategy, the teacher asks students to follow the steps in the following example provided by Sedita(2023) in Figure 4. Using a scaffolding technique, the teacher would display a simple sentence and model the use of the questions to help the sentence "pop." Once the teacher models, students would work in groups on their own sentence and then share the sentence with the class. Finally, students are given their own sentences on which to practice. After students become proficient with the process, the teacher could identify sentences in the student's own writing that need enhancing. Writing Websites: No Red Ink (https://www.noredink.com/). No Red Ink is an online platform that helps improve writing and grammar skills through personalized, interactive exercises. It offers tailored practice and allows teachers to assign tasks and track progress. Quill (https://www.quill.org/). Quill.com is an educational platform that enhances writing and grammar skills through interactive exercises and assessments. It provides tools for tracking progress and offering feedback.
References:Developmental Continuums (2001). Christopher-Gordon Publisher. Retrieved from https://vsu.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/ content/3070163/viewContent/62273524/View.Sedita, J. (2023). The Writing Rope. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
2. Writing Introductions: So many students struggle with writing introductions. “How do I begin?” is the question of the day. Sedita (2023) provides a helpful chart with guiding elements to spur students’ thought processes and help them organize their thoughts to develop an effective introduction. “The length of an introduction can vary from one sentence to multiple paragraphs to pages, depending on the length of a writing piece” (Sedita, 2023). I think we can all agree that getting a student to write a page length introduction is stretching our power as an educator. However, using the template provided, a strong paragraph is certainly obtainable. Similar to the Two-Column chart in form, the Introduction Element Chart lists the elements included in an introduction. The best way to implement this chart is to give each student a copy of the chart, review the elements, and then model using each element using a smart board to write an introduction about a pre-selected topic. Students will be exposed to the elements of writing an introduction and will listen to the thought process as the teacher thinks aloud and writes an example introduction. See the example below in Figure 2.
3. Writing Templates: To help students organize their writing, Sedita (2023) offers several templates, including informational, opinion, cause and effect, sequence, argument, and many more. Here, I am sharing an opinion writing template. To implement, teachers would display the template and model its use, using an article read together in class. Next, the teacher would scaffold, as students read an opinion piece and complete the graphic organizer in pairs and groups based on the text. In the next step, teachers assign an opinion writing prompt and have students pre-write by using the graphic organizer for their own ideas before they write their first draft. Obviously, a teacher could use these three strategies in conjunction as they teach the writing process. See Figure 3. 4. Syntax and Sentence Skills: Often, students can write a well-organized essay, but they struggle with form and style, especially with sentence variety. One way to help students expand their sentences is using a technique recommended by Sedita (2023) called Kernel Sentences. To describe this strategy, she recommends thinking about kernels of popcorn. One kernel is small, but when heat is applied, the kernel blows up into a large piece of popcorn. A kernel sentence is also small with just a noun and a verb, but when students put energy into adding other information, the kernel sentence blows up. To implement this strategy, the teacher asks students to follow the steps in the following example provided by Sedita(2023) in Figure 4. Using a scaffolding technique, the teacher would display a simple sentence and model the use of the questions to help the sentence "pop." Once the teacher models, students would work in groups on their own sentence and then share the sentence with the class. Finally, students are given their own sentences on which to practice. After students become proficient with the process, the teacher could identify sentences in the student's own writing that need enhancing. Writing Websites: No Red Ink (https://www.noredink.com/). No Red Ink is an online platform that helps improve writing and grammar skills through personalized, interactive exercises. It offers tailored practice and allows teachers to assign tasks and track progress. Quill (https://www.quill.org/). Quill.com is an educational platform that enhances writing and grammar skills through interactive exercises and assessments. It provides tools for tracking progress and offering feedback.
References:Developmental Continuums (2001). Christopher-Gordon Publisher. Retrieved from https://vsu.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/ content/3070163/viewContent/62273524/View.Sedita, J. (2023). The Writing Rope. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
FIgure 1 Two Column Notes (Sedita, 2023)
FIGURE 2 Writing Introduction (Sedita, 2023)
Figure 3 Opinion Writing Template (Sedita, 2023)
Figure 4: Kernel Sentences (Sedita, 2023)