Transcript Chapter 8: Teaching Reading

Chapter 10: Assessing and Teaching
Handwriting and Written Expression
SPED 562: LD Methods
Issues with writing
• Incorrect letter and number formation, also
called dysgraphia
• Difficulty or inability to write words fluently
from dictation
• Difficulty with organization of words into
meaningful thoughts
• Poorly formed or organized passages
Handwriting
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Teach positioning
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Back, head, wrist, elbow, and finger placement on writing
utensil
Tape paper to desk; use clipboards to assist position
Fade lines on paper to help develop size, proportion
and alignment
Start with capitals for ease of line development
Line quality
Handwriting Skills
• Use close pins to work on a pincer grasp
• Exercise to work on wrist, elbow, shoulder,
and trunk strength
• Copying geometric forms and lines
• Copying previously formed letters from one
specific point to the next
• Faded instruction from copying to freehand
• Faded use of adaptive paper
Written Expression Issues
• One’s inability to communicate in writing or a significantly
lower level of written communication
• Characteristics of difficulty with WE
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poor or illegible handwriting
poorly formed letters or numbers
excessive spelling errors
excessive punctuation errors
excessive grammar errors
sentences that lack logical cohesion
paragraphs and stories that are missing elements and that do
not make sense or lack logical transitions
– deficient writing skills that significantly impact academic
achievement or daily life.
Teaching Writing
• Know the stages of writing and teach each one explicitly
and even directly one at a time.
• Start with subject verb agreement
• Build in multiple nouns and verbs
• Teach conjunctions to combine sentences
• Vocabulary development improves sentence readability
• Teach outlining to combine ideas across sentences
• Teach organization using graphic organizers and
outlining techniques.
Supporting Writing
(Block, 2003)
• Prewriting
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Make a list
Create a semantic map (make a list of thoughts)
Revise previous writings through reading work aloud
Ramble and write for 10 minutes or focus writing one idea for
10 minutes
– Peer reading (also read to the peer)
– Create sentence starters
• First Draft
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Dictating
“Choose your own adventure” books
Dialog journals
Storytelling first then write second
Supporting writing continued(Block, 2003)
• Revising Process
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Adding to the end… keep going with afterthoughts
Making insertions into a draft
Highlight the main ideas
Delete and rewrite – ugh
Self-Question
• Assessment Ideas
– Feedback should be plentiful, positive and specific
– Teach self-assessment about how the writer felt, what
he liked the best, the least, and why he chose certain
verbs or ideas
Questions
• Connect handwriting and written expression.
• How do we build handwriting ability?
• What is written expression and how do we
assess it?
• Name techniques to support writing.