What to
Look For

Observation/ Examples

Interpretation

Class Recommendations

Individual Recommendations

View of self as author/writer

She stated that she is "not really" a good writer

She likes to write because "you can write about what you want" and she likes the action of what happens in the story.

Deisy likes to write on her own, but does not think that she is a very good writer.  This may have to do with responses she has gotten in the past to her work.  I am pleased that she enjoys writing but I think that she might have a more positive view of herself as a writer if she has more choice in what she writes.  She might also be benefited by writing family stories.  Deisy loves to talk about her family.  Writing these stories down may help her gain confidence in herself as a writer.

All children need a risk-free environment in which their writing is validated and important.  (Kidwatching)

I would recommend using writer's notebooks (S&H) so that students can write down their ideas for writing as they think of them.  Positive comments from teachers in these journals might also validate students as writers/authors.

Deisy might benefit from using "Invitations for Writing" (S&H) to help get her started on ideas, but then needs the freedom to choose how and what she will write.  She will then care more about what she writes (Radical Reflections)

Using the authoring cycle recommended in S&H in a group of her peers with whom she is comfortable would allow her to improve her writing while still validating her efforts as a writer.

Encourage her to write down her family stories (S&H), or pair her with another student and have them tell/record their stories to/for each other.

View of writing as mechanics, product or process

Good writing = good spelling and sounding smooth when read aloud

Penmanship is also very important (it is a skill that her parents are helping her develop)

Gets excited about the prospect of making a book.

Only writes one draft.  It is very difficult to convince her to revise the piece.

Her writing emphasis appears to be very mechanical/technical in nature.  She is focusing on penmanship and spelling.  This may be an issue in elementary school because handwriting and spelling are frequently taught as independent subjects.  Deisy needs to learn more about the process of writing, as well as how to develop an idea into a whole story.  She may also need to realize that all writers need to revise and edit their work.  She also needs opportunities to publish her work.

If at all possible, a visit from an author, who would share his/her writing experiences, would help all students see the importance of writing process.

Using the authoring cycle (S&H) in the classroom would help all students focus on collaboration and writing process.

After a student publishes his/her work, with his/her permission, include it in the classroom library along with all of the books by ‘real authors'.  This will help children understand that they are ‘real authors' too (S&H).

Deisy may benefit from some slight accommodations.  For example, allowing her to type her writing projects on a computer or alphasmart would free her from the emphasis on penmanship (Risk Taking).

Exploring the roles of revision and editing in the authoring cycle with Deisy may help her work through them on a piece. 

Knowledge about the functions of writing

Writing is "a way of communicating with someone"

Writing is "sharing your feelings"

Deisy seemed quite adept at pointing out the functions of writing, but I wonder if she was just repeating what she had been told because I have seen little evidence of these statements about writing in the writing samples she has created with me.  She is very good at drawing a picture and telling me a story in which she communicates an experience and shares her feelings, but those things do not carry over to her written versions.  I would like to examine some of her school writing to compare it with her samples, but she does not want me to see any of it.

Engage students in ‘authentic' writing experiences.  ("Real writing has its roots in everyday experiences" – Writing Workshop) Perhaps even have them do a brief study on how writing is used in their lives and then invite them to write in those ways.

Keeping a writer's notebook as suggested in S&H would be a good activity for Deisy because it could help her see all of the ways that writing is/can be used in her life.

Knowledge about written language formats and genres

Reads books from many genres – fiction (historical and realistic), poetry and non-fiction/informational

Told me that written language is "everywhere"

When asked to write a story about one of the items on her list, she rewrote the list in story form.

She appears to understand the format of a story versus the format of a list, but she appears to have some difficulty understanding that the information in a list would be more different from the content of a story about one of the items on that list.  It is, however, very good that she sees written language ‘everywhere' and does not restrict it only to books that she reads at school.

Deisy appears to have a wide range of interests in different genres.  Her reading of many different genres will help her be more comfortable writing in those genres.

Before asking students to write in a specific format or genre, bring examples of that format or genre to class for students to browse or for the teacher to read aloud (Writing Workshop).

Provide mini-lessons before workshop time as suggestion by the Writing Workshop article.  Over the course of the year include many (or most!) of the different genres and formats in the mini-lessons.

Continue exposing Deisy to new genres of books.  (Poetry is her new favorite.  I brought a favorite poem to my first meeting with her and it was so successful that we have continued sharing poems!)  This can be done during reading alouds or simply by bringing other genres to her attention during work time.
Reading other writing frequently sparks ideas for students own writing (Workshop).

Knowledge about spelling
(calculate percent of conventional spellings)

Uses functional spellings

62 conventional spellings out of 77 words = 80.5%

If include apostrophes in plurals as functional spellings - 60 conventional spellings out of 77 words = 77.9%

Frequently asks "is this right?" when attempting to spell a word

Rarely changes the spelling of a word after writing it unless she adds letters to it (ie I'v – I'ev or wen - hwen)

Consistently misspells
the same word
(ie York – Yourk)

Frequently sounds out words in order to spell them

Her spelling is highly dependent upon how words ‘sound'.  This is not surprising because Spanish (her native language) is a more phonetic language than English is (F&F).  She has a high rate of conventional spellings (near 80%), however, many of the words she spells conventionally are both short and common words (ie go, to, the, been).  It is interesting to note that she gets some longer, less common words right.  For example, she correctly spelled remember, know, and soccer.  She also spells some words conventionally in certain contexts while not in others (friend's and frends).  These things all point to her being a ‘developing speller' (Writing & Spelling).

In the classroom, place less emphasis on sounding-out strategies for spelling.  Encourage students to use it AND other strategies to attempt to spell words (Writing & Spelling). 

In addition, encourage proofreading as part of S&H's authoring cycle.  Encourage students to use functional spellings until they reach that step because it will allow them to be more fluent writers (Writing Cycle). 

Encourage her to begin self-editing.  This may require helping her learn how to use textual sources.  In addition, encourage her to ask questions about spelling.  These things will help her become a more independent speller (Writing & Spelling)

Knowledge about punctuation

Uses apostrophes for pluralization

Uses spaces between words

Does not frequently include periods at the end of sentences

Uses apostrophes for contractions

Deisy does not show much knowledge about punctuation in her writing samples.  Her words have enough space between them, but she otherwise shows little orthographic knowledge.  She seems confused about the role that apostrophes play in making plurals and possessives, but does seem to understand their role in contractions.

DOL, as it was done in the video that we watched in class, would be a great way for students to work together to figure out the punctuation needed in a given phrase of a story.  It also allows them to be active and to build community.

Since we know that spaces and periods are usually the first punctuation that children begin to use (Kidwatching), it is important that Deisy begin to use periods at the end of her sentences.  Partner sharing of writings-in-progress may help her begin to see how to segment her writing.  It will also help her see her drafts as a work-in-progress (Workshop).

Knowledge about grammar

Words are in correct order according to English grammar rules in her story/list

Deisy seems to have a good grasp on English grammar.  I would have expected to see more grammatical errors because English is her second language and she does make occasional grammatical errors when speaking (which she usually self-corrects).  She may be choosing to use only writing patterns with which she is very familiar so that grammatical errors are less common, but I would need many more writing samples to be certain that was the case.

During the writer's workshop authoring cycle (S&H) set up an editor's table.  They will be responsible for checking for grammar errors (and all other editing needs).  Every member of the class will be an editor during the year.  This will help all students become more aware that everyone needs editing, as well as helping them realize how to spot and correct grammar errors in their own and their peers' pieces.  (S&H)

Encourage Deisy to self-edit for grammar as she is being encouraged to do for spelling.

Processes of getting ideas on paper

Says "I don't know what to write" frequently

Turned a list of ideas in list form into a list of activities in story form.

Deisy stated that she likes to write because she can write about what she wants, but when asked how she decides what to write, she responds with "I don't know" or "what the teacher told me to".  I spent some time trying to help her brainstorm some ways to come up with ideas, but all she wants to do is a list.  This is a good way to start (it is listed in nearly all of our readings as a way to start writing ideas), but it is not enough for her.  She needs more strategies.

Have all students keep a writer's notebook and keep one yourself.  This will allow the students to see you writing as well as encourage them to write down their own ideas.  (S&H)

Allow students the freedom to engage in whatever prewriting strategy works for them.  Recognize prewriting as an important part of the writing process.  (Writing Cycle)

Have Deisy keep a writer's notebook in which she can record her ideas for writing as they come to her throughout the day.  (S&H)  This may need to be modeled by the teacher.  Students who see their teacher writing will be more likely to take their own writing seriously.  (Workshop)

Deisy might also benefit from attempting to create a web of her thoughts.  In S&H, this idea was introduced as a way to respond to something a student read, but I think that the same idea could be used to web out all the things she is thinking about writing, choose one, and then extend it.

Understanding of writing processes (ie revision vs. editing)

Frequently confuses reading with writing (told a story about teaching her brother to write in which he sounded out words from a book)

When asked what she wants to revise, she focuses on spelling, handwriting, or punctuation.

Deisy seems to have little concept of writing processes and is much more concerned with the mechanics of writing than with the processes.  It is, therefore, not surprising that she considers revision and editing to be the same thing.  She needs to learn the difference between the two.  She also appears to believe that revising a work means fixing a bad piece of writing.  This is a mentality that needs to be changed.

In the classroom, encourage revision, but do not require it.  Show students that you revise your own writing.  (Writing Cycle)
Invite visiting authors to share how they revise theirs.  (S&H)

During author's circles (S&H) encourage students to help each other revise.  Provide a general list of possible revisions (ie Writing Cycle, 65)

Have Deisy pick one piece to revise, (do not expect her to revise everything - Writing Cycle) and then have her with a partner, or in a conference with the teacher begin to revise. 

Provide a mini-lesson with a visual that will help her construct a "brick wall" between revision and editing. (Writing Cycle)
 Allow her to practice revision on sample pieces. 

Evidence of invention

Uses invented spellings – buter (butter), I'ev (I've), Yourk (York), gramas (grandma's), howes (house), shoue (shoe), californa (California), cliare (Claire), friend's (friends) , techer's (teachers), stores (stories), hwen (when), thing's (things), aktevete's (activities), got to (for go to), wach (watch), moves (movies), frends (friend's), cusin (cousin), etc

Deisy uses many invented spellings.  Some are transpositional in nature, a few are overgeneralizations, articulations, or visuals, but most of them are spelling-it-as-it-sounds (phonics), or are multiple strategies where at least one of the strategies involved was sounding-it-as-it-sounds.  (Writing and Spelling)
Deisy seems to be very dependent upon phonics for her spellings.  This is both good, as well as cause for concern.  It is good because she is relatively comfortable using functional spellings, which help her be a more independent writer.  The concern is that she is in fifth grade and it is time for her to begin using spellings that are more conventional.

Allow the use of functional spellings.  Encourage it, if possible, in order to help students become more fluent writers.  However, there should also be an understanding that formally published pieces must use conventional spellings.
(Writing Cycle)

Help students by creating editor's tables (S&H) and by pairing students and having them help each other edit. 

As before, Deisy needs to begin to use strategies other than sounding-it-out for spelling.  Her inventions are good.  Many are missing only one letter.  She could begin to use textual sources to self-edit (after she has written/revised the piece).  She might also benefit from working with a friend or parent volunteer.  (Writing & Spelling)

Indications of second language learning (code-switching, L1 influence on L2)

Emphasis on phonics for spelling

Difficulty with possessive vs. plural (-‘s vs. –s)

Spanish has a strong phonemic orientation (F&F) which may contribute to her dependence on phonics in English.  She also may have been taught phonics in order to learn how to pronounce words in English.

Spanish also has an obvious difference between possessives and plurals.  Since Deisy reverses the two, it seems as though she has simply memorized the English rule in reverse.

Allow and encourage students to work with peers during the revision and editing phases of the authoring cycle (S&H) but also be available for individual conferences.

Stress that writing is more important than spelling.  Allow students to write for a long time before introducing proofreading.  (Writing Cycle)

Place less emphasis on ‘sounding-out' strategies for spelling.  Help her find other strategies that work for her.  For example, she could use a writing partner, or textual sources (Writing & Spelling).

Deisy might enjoy a brief mini-lesson on –s endings if it was presented in an upbeat manner