Writing Composition (W5)

Question 1

Spelling problems may be more common with ________, whereas writing composition errors may be more common with ______________.

Answer 1

Spelling problems may be more common with dyslexia, whereas writing composition errors may be more common with specific comprehension deficits

Question 2

Development of writing (general characteristics - birth through 1st grade)

Answer 2

• Hand motions for “writing” and “drawing” can be distinguished for 2-3 y/os
• By age 4, writing marks are linear and evenly spaced
• By the end of 1st grade, most children are conventional writers

Question 3

What does it mean to be a ‘conventional writer’

Answer 3

By the end of 1st grade

-Another person can read it (mostly), child can read it back to you, child believes s/he can write

Question 4

Learning to Write: Grades 1-2 - characteristics (2)

Answer 4

• Narrative writing is typically more developed (i.e., longer text, more sophisticated sentences, better organized) than informational writing
• Early informational text tends to be labels, lists, and attribute series

Question 5

Learning to Write: 3rd Grade - characteristics (4)

Answer 5

• Writing = speaking
• Correct beginnings/end-of-sentence punctuation about 50%
• Expository text structure is improving
• Beginning signs of unique written form

Question 6

Learning to Write: 4th grade - (4) characteristics

Answer 6

• Writing > speaking (becomes more complex)
• Many more unique written forms
• Planning and revising are still relatively undeveloped
• First year of state and national writing tests using narrative prompts (so we’re expecting them to write well enough for us to assess it.)

Question 7

Learning to Write: 7th-8th grade - (2) characteristics

Answer 7

• Expository and persuasive writing: developing text structure (expos. comes first)
• Planning & revising are improved, but still difficult

Question 8

Characteristics of writing in LLD (9)

Answer 8

• Writing < speaking
• Lower productivity (#1 characteristic! - fewer words/sentences)
• Higher error rates than in speaking
• Difficulty w/verb morphosyntax in particular
• Shorter sentences, less syntactic complexity
• Lower rate of unique written structure
• More difficulty planning & revising
• Expository writing exacerbates all writing difficulties more than narrative writing
• Heterogeneity of relative strengths and weaknesses