Discussion Question

Your turn to assess: Do you see any consistent patterns in errors?

Here is some initial analysis of Dave's writing sample:

• Improper use of capitals and punctuation
• Phonetic spelling only ( i.e. sno instead of snow); but Dave is recognizing that words don't appear to be spelled correctly
• Inconsistent spelling of the common words (the, thu)
• Dave did search through to find the correct spelling when he thought a mistake was being made (i.e. the word "the")
• Inappropriate use of past, present and future tense (rode instead of ride)
• Adding an extra letter because he hears it (i.e. wentd, madt)
• The learner is using conjunction words such as "and" but needs help to use them appropriately to avoid run on sentences and inappropriate capitalization

What does this mean?

By reviewing writing samples we hope to determine two things:

• Are errors consistent? This will help develop focus for instruction.
• Are the areas a result of a potential learning disability or a general lack of knowledge of the actual skill?

In order to effectively answer the two questions posed above, we need to review a variety of writing samples and integrate teaching of the related skills. If you find that after integrating the teaching strategies, Dave's writing samples still exhibit some consistent errors, then it is more likely that a learning disability is present. The first step towards increasing Dave's self-awareness of his writing difficulties and strengths has occurred through the practice of reviewing his various writing samples. Together, Dave and the practitioner need to begin exploring various teaching and learning strategies to help him manage his errors and improve his writing skills.

Possible strategies that may help Dave:

The following ideas were taken from "Strategies for the Reluctant Writer"

By Regina G. Richards, MA Educational Therapist, Riverside CA February 2002 http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/writing/reluctant_writer.html. Remember that at each level, learners need substantial explicit instruction and modeling, followed by a great deal of practice before the step will become automatic. For some students, it is helpful to divide the preplanning and organizing step into two different activities.