Writing Growth

The student:

• Scribbles

• Notices print in the environment

• Shows interest in writing tools

• Likes to make marks on paper

• Begins to recognize the power of print

• Likes listening to stories, poems, etc.

• Begins connecting writing/pictures with self-expression

• Likes expressing himself/herself orally

The student:

• Draws pictures with recognizable shapes

• Captures more feeling in art through motion, color, facial expressions

• Enjoys dictating or recording stories, poems, etc.

• Begins dictating or recording stories, poems, etc.

• May dictate or record stories to accompany pictures

• Begins labeling and using titles

• Plays with words and letters

• Often orients letters correctly

• Associates more letters than before with sounds

• Writes letter strings

• Feels confident to "write by myself"

• Enjoys writing

• Adds details that might have been overlooked earlier

• Uses words or pictures to express personal feelings

The student:

• Feels more confident imitating environmental print

• Writes more

• Experiments with letters and rudimentary words

• Shows greater attention to detail in letters and prephonetic words

• Attempts longer expressions (two or more words)

• Shows more awareness of conventions of print: spaces between words, spaces between lines, use of capital letters, up-down orientation, left-right orientation, use of punctuation

• Begins using some capital letters, which may be randomly placed or used on words of personal importance

• Begins to experiment with punctuation, though not necessarily appropriately placed

The student:

• Becomes a keen observer of environmental print

• Feels increasing confidence copying and using environmental print

• Enjoys writing words, phrases, and short sentences on his or her own

• Expands oral stories

• Enjoys drawing pictures - then creating accompanying text

• Writes longer, more expansive text or uses pictures in a series

• Asks more questions about writing

• Asks questions about conventions

• Includes more conventions of writing in own text, including periods, question marks, commas, quotation marks, commas, quotation marks, capital letters - which may or may not be appropriately placed

• Likes to share - may ask others to read text

The student:

• Writes more - multiple sentences up to a paragraph or more

• Experiments with different forms: lists, recipes, how-to papers, stories, poems, descriptions, reports, journals, notes

• Begins using some conventions (spaces between words, capitals, periods, title at the top) with growing consistency

• Shows increasing understanding of what a sentence is

• Adds more detail to both pictures and text

• Expresses both ideas and feelings purposefully and forcefully through pictures and text

• Shows increasing confidence experimenting with inventive spelling - especially if encourages

• Aims for correct spelling, and uses environment as a resource

• Shows expanding vocabulary - especially if inventive spelling is encouraged

• Increasingly uses writer's vocabulary to ask questions or discuss own writing - especially if traits are taught`