Remedial

Instruction
in Writing
what are we learning today
Areas of Difficulty in Writing
Instruction

Qualities of Strong Writing Instruction

Teaching Handwriting

Teaching Spelling
 Lesson 1
Areas of Difficulty in
Writing Instruction
 Introduction
Many children make mistakes or experience problems as
part of the process of becoming better writers. They may
reverse words, spell poorly, or have difficulty producing
their thoughts in writing.

If a child or student is struggling with a writing problem,

this also clearly interferes with the child’s learning process
as writing deficits rarely occur in isolation, and
improvements in writing go hand in hand with the
development of other non-writing-specific skills. Tr.
Students faced with such difficulties also have trouble
staying motivated.
Developmental variations and learning disorders
(Dr. Mel Levine)
1. Attention Problem
2. Spatial Ordering Problem
3. Sequential Ordering Problem
4. Memory Problem
5. Language Problem
6. High-Order Cognition Problem
7. Graphomotor Problem
Attention Problem
Children who struggle with attention may be
inattentive and impulsive. An attention problem
may manifest itself as:
• Difficulty getting started on writing
assignments
• Easy distractibility during writing tasks
• Mental fatigue or tiredness while writing
• Inconsistent legibility in writing
• Uneven writing tempo
• Many careless error
• Poorly planned papers and reports
 Spatial Ordering Problem
Children who struggle with spatial ordering have decreased awareness
regarding the spatial arrangement of letters, words, or sentences on a
page. A spatial ordering problem may manifest itself in a child's writing
as:
• Poor use of lines on the paper
• Organizational problems
• Uneven spacing between letters
• Many misspelled words
 Sequential Ordering Problem
`Children who struggle with sequential ordering have
difficulty putting or maintaining letters, processes, or
ideas in order. A sequential ordering problem may
manifest itself in a child's writing as:
• Poor letter formation
• Transposed letters and spelling
• omissions
• Poor narrative sequencing
• Lack of transitions
 Memory Problem
Because so many writing processes need to be
automatic, active working memory is critical. Children
may have difficulty recalling spelling, grammar, and
punctuation rules, accessing prior knowledge while
writing, or organizing ideas. A memory problem may
manifest itself in a child's writing as:
• Poor vocabulary
• Many misspelled words
• Frequent capitalization, punctuation,
and grammar errors
 LANGUAGE PROBLEM
Good writing relies on a child's language abilities improving
steadily over time. A language problem may manifest itself in
a child's writing as:
• Poor vocabulary
• Awkward phrasing and unconventional grammar
• Inappropriate use of colloquial language
• Difficulty with sentence structure and word order
• Trouble reading back what is written
• Difficulty with word sounds, spelling, and meanings
 HIGH-ORDER COGNITION
Children who have PROBLEM
difficulty with higher-order cognition
are often unable to use writing to present a sound argument
or convey sophisticated or abstract ideas. A higher-order
cognition problem might manifest itself in a child's:
• Trouble generating ideas or elaborating on them
• Difficulty developing and organizing ideas
• Lack of opinion or sense of audience
• Difficulty with writing tasks that require creativity
• and/or critical thinking
Graphomotor problem
Children with graphomotor problems struggle to
coordinate the small muscles of the fingers in order to
maneuver a pen or pencil, especially as assignment
length increases. A child with a graphomotor problem
might:
• Write only very short passages
• Write exceptionally slowly and with great effort
• Use an awkward pencil grip
• Lack fluidity in cursive writing
• Find it hard to form letters
 As in any academic area, teachers and parents
must watch carefully and try to understand an
individual child's strengths and weaknesses to
ensure progress. One way to monitor progress is
through collecting a portfolio of a child's work
over time. This may help in identifying a problem
early on and developing effective strategies
 Lesson 2
Qualities of Strong
Writing Instruction
 Learning to write is a​​complex process encompassing
cognitive, physical, social and cultural dimension​​s (Daffern,
Mackenzie & Hemmings, 2017).

Writing, as a mode of English in the Victorian Curriculum, is

an integral part of learning in all disciplines requiring students
to write or compose a diverse range of texts that meet the
literacy demands specific to the various curriculum or
discipline areas.
 Texts produced, and interpreted, might be print based or
multimodal. In the composition of modally complex texts,
‘writing is one of several modes of representation’ (Kress &
Bezemer, 2009, p. 167). As such, students need to be taught a
range of skills and meaning-making codes to compose texts.
 Skills and understanding
To be an effective writer or composer of texts requires an understanding
of:
encoding meaning and the processes of writing and/or composition

the processes of writing and/or composition

the purposes of texts and their intended audiences

the language and visual choices which shape the meaning of texts.
 Goswami (2014) highlights the significance of writing in the early
development of these skills, stating:

‘One of the best ways of developing ‘phonological awareness’ in young

children is via the motivation to write’ (p. 83).

He also acknowledges the impact of oral language on the development

of early literacy skills:

‘Given a strong oral language phonological foundation, and good oral

language skills, most children will learn the alphabetic code quite
quickly, and will be able to recode simple regularly spelled words to
sound during the first year of schooling’ (2014, p. 84).
 The Curriculum
The Victorian Curriculum: English F-10 provides the following account of
writing:
Writing involves students in the active process of
conceiving, planning, composing, editing and publishing a
range of texts.

Writing involves using appropriate language for particular

purposes or occasions, both formal and informal, to express
and represent ideas and experiences, and to reflect on these
aspects.
 The Curriculum
The Victorian Curriculum: English F-10 provides the following account of
writing:

Writing involves the development of knowledge about

strategies for writing and the conventions of Standard
Australian English. Students develop a metalanguage to
discuss language conventions and use.
 The Qualities of
Strong and Effective
Instruction
The Qualities of Strong and
Effective Instruction
Involves students writing for authentic
audiences and purposes.

Involves students in focused and scaffolded

writing experiences using principled
approaches to the teaching of writing such as
the teaching and learning cycle or the writing
workshop.
The Qualities of Strong and
Effective Instruction
Develops a grammatical metalanguage
through discussion of examples and patterns
of language choices in texts through teaching
practices such as modelling or
deconstruction, guided practice or joint
construction, and writing conferences.
The Qualities of Strong and
Effective Instruction
Encompasses a range of teaching practices
such as modelled writing, shared writing,
interactive writing and independent writing
where varying levels of support can be
provided at different points of need.

Opens up ‘a repertoire of possibilities’ for

students (Myhill, Jones, Lines & Watson,
2012).
The Qualities of Strong and
Effective Instruction
Includes dedicated, uninterrupted blocks of
time for writing that occur daily.

Makes clear connections between meaning

making in reading and writing.

Supports students to understand the

difference between spoken and written
language as they progress through the
primary years.
The Qualities of Strong and
Effective Instruction
Provides opportunities to compose a range of
genres in various formats.

Takes place in subject English and across the

curriculum.

Includes whole group, small group and

individual instructions.
The Qualities of Strong and
Effective Instruction
ensures teachers model writing and make
their own processes visible

provides scaffolding and feedback to

students at all stages of the writing process

includes explicit instruction about

foundational phonic and phonological skills
necessary to encode meaning as well as
knowledge about language
 Lesson 3
Teaching Handwriting
 How to teach handwriting?

According to the Edutopia

Organization Learning how to print is a
developmentally appropriate first step
of handwriting instruction for students
in grades pre-K to 2, in terms of their
fine motor skills.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
1. Pencil Grasp
The correct grasps - (Index finger and
thumb hold the pencil against the
middle finger)—result in comfortable
and efficient handwriting.

Incorrect grasps can cause poor letter

formation and fatigue.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
1. Pencil Grasp
A student with a poor
pencil grasp may benefit
from using tools such as a
pencil grip or from
wrapping a rubber band
around the ring finger and
pinkie
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
1. Pencil Grasp
“Pinch and flip” trick: The student places the
pencil with the writing end facing her, pinches
the pencil between the thumb and index finger,
and flips the pencil into the correct position.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
2. Formation
This refers to how a student goes about forming
letters. Straight lines are easier for students to
write than curved ones, so it’s developmentally
appropriate to teach students to write capital
letters before moving on to lowercase ones.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
2. Formation
Some students struggle with letter formation thus,
explicit instruction is particularly important

Start writing letters at the top (or middle, as is the case

with some lowercase letters), and use continuous
strokes as much as possible.
Some letters will require them to lift up their pencils,
and they should be taught when to do this.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
2. Formation
Some students struggle with letter
formation thus, explicit instruction
is particularly important

Use lined paper.

“Skywrite” letters—tracing letters

in the air with an index finger
while holding their arm straight
out.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
3. Legibility
An important factor impacting legibility is spacing
between words. It’s helpful to encourage students to use a
“finger space” between words—right-handed students can
put an index finger on the line after one word before
writing the next one.
This technique doesn’t work for left-
handed students, who will benefit from
using a narrow tongue depressor or
most commonly known as popsicle
stick as a spacing tool.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
4. Pacing
If students are using an appropriate pencil grasp and
forming letters correctly, that will often solve any pacing
challenges. However, it is important to consider how the
students press during writing.
Students should not be pressing the pencil down on the
paper too hard as they write because doing so can lead to
writing fatigue and a greatly reduced rate of letter
production.
If the students press too lightly, it can be a sign of weak
muscles or inappropriate pencil grasp.
4 main aspects of handwriting instruction
4. Pacing

Encouraging students to write with a variety of

materials (markers, short pencils, crayons,
erasable markers on whiteboards) will help them
adjust how hard they press.
 Lesson 4
Teaching Spelling
It is important to meet the individual needs of each student for
optimal learning and there is a four step process that would
help in meeting the needs of struggling spellers

1. Rule out any vision or hearing problems by asking the

family to pursue the needed testing. This is something that
the child’s pediatrician can do.
2. Understand the core cognitive based weaknesses or
difficulties that can cause spelling struggles. These include:
• Auditory processing
• Visual processing
• Memory
• Optilexia
• Sequential processing
• Passive learning
• Inattentive learning
• Stress
 3. Know how to use prior testing to uncover the core
difficulties or conduct an assessment.

4. Tailor the best remedial approach based on the student’s

unique profile.
Teaching spelling curriculum
considerations

Spelling vocabulary includes words drawn from

children’s reading materials, children’s writing, self-
selected words, high-frequency word list and pattern
word.
Teaching spelling curriculum
considerations
Students are typically taught phonemic awareness and
phoneme- grapheme associations (reserving the least
consistent mappings, such as consonants /k/ and /z/ and
long vowels, for last) in kindergarten and first grade.
Common spelling patterns (e.g., phonograms or rime
families) are taught in the first and second grades.
Morphological structures (i.e., roots and affixes) and
helpful spelling rules (e.g., add es to make words ending
in s, z, x, ch, or sh plural) are taught in second grade and
beyond.
Teaching spelling curriculum
considerations
Students are taught systematic and effective strategies for
studying new spelling words (e.g., mnemonic spelling
links, multi-sensory strategies).

Previously taught spelling words are periodically

reviewed to promote retention.

Correct use of spelling vocabulary in students' written

work is monitored and reinforced.
Teaching spelling curriculum
considerations

Students are taught and encouraged to use

dictionaries, spell checkers, and other resources to
determine the spelling of unknown words.
Weekly Routine
Weekly Routine
• A minimum of 60-75 minutes per week is
allocated for spelling instruction.
• Students take a Monday pretest to determine
which words they need to study during
subsequent activities and to set spelling
performance goals.
• After studying new spelling words, students
take a Friday posttest to determine which
words were mastered.
• Immediately after taking a spelling test,
students correct their misspellings.
Weekly Routine
• The teacher conducts word sorts and guided
spelling activities to explicitly teach spelling
patterns and rules at the beginning of the
week.
• Daily opportunities are provided for
cumulative study and testing of new spelling
words (e.g., through computer-assisted
instruction).
• Students work together each day to learn new
spelling words.
• While studying, students monitor their on-task
Thank you for
listening!