Written Language

Written Language is communication in both reading and writing.

• frequent spelling errors

• longer stories written as one paragraph with run-on sentences

• poor punctuation, including no capitalization on first word or no ending punctuation

• poor spacing between words

• cramming information on the page rather than lining on the page

• show signs of dysgraphia

• illegible handwriting

• longer time forming letters and completing assignments

• events in a story out of sequence

• explicitly teach conventions: punctuation and capitalization

• teach what constitutes a sentence fragment

  • work with students directly on how to fix a fragment

• explicitly teach students how to recognize and fix run-on sentences.

• focus on mastery of grammar rules before moving on to the next rule

• grade on content rather than grammar

• make the abstract more concrete by providing feedback on student's written work

  • this should not be overwhelming to the writer or the teacher, provide feedback and instruction on a couple of skills

  • start with sentence-level writing and set goals for the next writing

• allow students to pick topics that interest them to write about

• writing about the content and across the curriculum helps students acquire the skills in writing and building knowledge of the topics they are learning.

• assign sentence stems that students can complete

  • write one sentence using one conjunction: because, but, so

• allow students to free-write the first draft, follow up with editing after free write

• provide graphic organizers, such as an outline or web to organize his thoughts

• break larger writing assignments into short, sequential steps; providing feedback at the end of each segment

• teach real-world writing tasks, such as writing to a penpal using the correct letter writing format

  • use a post office to have students mail letters and postcards

• encourage writing daily in a journal or diary

• Accessibility tools on Google Docs and Slides

• Universal Designs for Learning

• allow students to type assignments

• Grammarly to check for spelling and grammar errors

• allow students to record their story or writing assignment using a video app

• allow for alternative writing assignments, such as iMovies, pamphlets, storyboards,