Assessment: Writing Portfolios
This assessment tool is used throughout the school year, but can provide guidance for the placement of students and their writing in an authentic way. Writing portfolios provide a growth of writing throughout a period of time.
Below are some strategies to support when a student needs help with their writing, and can be used in their portfolio as well.
Writing: Interactive Writing (Sharing the Pen)
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: Although this strategy is mostly used for younger children, it can be modified for older children and can provide ways for students and educators to collaborate and create a written piece together.
Procedure: First, the educator should ask the small group of students what they would like to write about concerning an event they share (possibly a story they read together). Then, ask the students to each write a coherent sentence. The students should help one another if spelling or sentence structure is difficult for different students. The educator’s role in this activity is to monitor appropriateness of the task and whether students need further assistance with writing a story in an appropriate order, while also checking for writing skills.
Source: Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement (2nd ed.)
Writing: Writing on Demand
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: Some students struggle with writing from a predetermined prompt and time, this strategy allows for students to feel comfortable with writing appropriately in a short time slot.
Procedure: “POW” Strategy-This is used when the writing prompt asks a student to write what they know about a certain topic. POW stands for: Pick your ideas, Organize your thoughts using notes, and Write your ideas.
“TREE” Strategy-This is used when students need to respond with a persuasive voice. TREE stands for: Write a Topic sentence that states point of view, state the Reasons, at least three, Explain each of the reasons with details that have been learned from reading materials, and End your passage by writing a good sentence summary.
Source: DeVries, B.A. (2011). Literacy assessment and intervention for K-6 classrooms (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.
Writing: Expository Frames
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: The Expository Frames strategy helps students to understand the structure of expository text and how they can begin to write in an expository structure and generally a way to begin to organize text.
Procedure: First the educator should ask the students to write a paragraph about a topic that uses ordering, first, next, then, and last. Next, the students should copy these sentences onto sentence strips (however big or small they need). Then, have the students arrange the sentences (of their partner’s paragraphs) in correct order. Next, have the students read their paragraphs together to check if they are correct. Last, have the students glue/tape their sentence strips onto construction paper and have them provide a non-linguistic representation in the same number of boxes (depending on how many sentences they have included) to show what is happening in the story in each box.
Source: DeVries, B.A. (2011). Literacy assessment and intervention for K-6 classrooms (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.
*see appendix for Expository Text Frame example
Writing: Wordless Books
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: Wordless books help students who are unable to think of a plot for a story because normally stories students read already have a plot line. Using Wordless books are just the first step to help students begin writing stories that already have pictures.
Procedure: First, look at the story with the student(s) and they can read the pictures with you as you discuss what the plot of the story might be. Then, the students can write down possible ideas for each page of the wordless book. Next, have the student(s) write in neater handwriting on large lined sticky notes a draft of their story and place each sticky note on each page. Then have the student(s) read through the story on their sticky notes to make sure it matches up with the correct page. Last, once the student(s) feel comfortable with their draft, they are able to write a final copy on lined paper or type it on the computer. (Use wordless books that are age and grade level appropriate)
Source: DeVries, B.A. (2011). Literacy assessment and intervention for K-6 classrooms (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.
This assessment tool is used throughout the school year, but can provide guidance for the placement of students and their writing in an authentic way. Writing portfolios provide a growth of writing throughout a period of time.
Below are some strategies to support when a student needs help with their writing, and can be used in their portfolio as well.
Writing: Interactive Writing (Sharing the Pen)
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: Although this strategy is mostly used for younger children, it can be modified for older children and can provide ways for students and educators to collaborate and create a written piece together.
Procedure: First, the educator should ask the small group of students what they would like to write about concerning an event they share (possibly a story they read together). Then, ask the students to each write a coherent sentence. The students should help one another if spelling or sentence structure is difficult for different students. The educator’s role in this activity is to monitor appropriateness of the task and whether students need further assistance with writing a story in an appropriate order, while also checking for writing skills.
Source: Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement (2nd ed.)
Writing: Writing on Demand
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: Some students struggle with writing from a predetermined prompt and time, this strategy allows for students to feel comfortable with writing appropriately in a short time slot.
Procedure: “POW” Strategy-This is used when the writing prompt asks a student to write what they know about a certain topic. POW stands for: Pick your ideas, Organize your thoughts using notes, and Write your ideas.
“TREE” Strategy-This is used when students need to respond with a persuasive voice. TREE stands for: Write a Topic sentence that states point of view, state the Reasons, at least three, Explain each of the reasons with details that have been learned from reading materials, and End your passage by writing a good sentence summary.
Source: DeVries, B.A. (2011). Literacy assessment and intervention for K-6 classrooms (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.
Writing: Expository Frames
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: The Expository Frames strategy helps students to understand the structure of expository text and how they can begin to write in an expository structure and generally a way to begin to organize text.
Procedure: First the educator should ask the students to write a paragraph about a topic that uses ordering, first, next, then, and last. Next, the students should copy these sentences onto sentence strips (however big or small they need). Then, have the students arrange the sentences (of their partner’s paragraphs) in correct order. Next, have the students read their paragraphs together to check if they are correct. Last, have the students glue/tape their sentence strips onto construction paper and have them provide a non-linguistic representation in the same number of boxes (depending on how many sentences they have included) to show what is happening in the story in each box.
Source: DeVries, B.A. (2011). Literacy assessment and intervention for K-6 classrooms (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.
*see appendix for Expository Text Frame example
Writing: Wordless Books
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, Fifth, & Sixth Grades
Purpose: Wordless books help students who are unable to think of a plot for a story because normally stories students read already have a plot line. Using Wordless books are just the first step to help students begin writing stories that already have pictures.
Procedure: First, look at the story with the student(s) and they can read the pictures with you as you discuss what the plot of the story might be. Then, the students can write down possible ideas for each page of the wordless book. Next, have the student(s) write in neater handwriting on large lined sticky notes a draft of their story and place each sticky note on each page. Then have the student(s) read through the story on their sticky notes to make sure it matches up with the correct page. Last, once the student(s) feel comfortable with their draft, they are able to write a final copy on lined paper or type it on the computer. (Use wordless books that are age and grade level appropriate)
Source: DeVries, B.A. (2011). Literacy assessment and intervention for K-6 classrooms (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.