2

Assessment foi the chilu

neeus to focus on what is
woiking well, along with
neeus - shoulu be
compiehensive (not baseu on
one thing) anu constiuctive.











If we reward children
generously for their early
attempts to communicate in
writing, they learn quickly
that writing is a worthwhile
skill to approach with energy
and enthusiasm.
Ruth Culham (!"#"$"%&'()*+"p. 9)
Writing is a craft before it
is an art; writing may
appear magic, but it is our
responsibility to take our
students backstage to
watch the pigions being
tucked up in the
magicians sleeve.
Bonalu Nuiiay
Anne Haas Dysons studies of
early literacy development have
shown how children use print
to represent their ideas and to
interact with other people when
they scribble; draw and label
pictures; and create, act out,
or retell stories. Children can
express ideas in writing even
before they have mastered all
the mechanics of standard
orthography, sentence and
paragraph structure..
National Wiiting Pioject anu Cail Nagin
Nuch of the mateiial in the following is fiom: Culham, Ruth (2uuS.) !"#"$"%&'()*,""%-."
/0123.)."45(6."70&")-."8&(1'&9"4&'6.*:""Scholastic
S
hiluien uo what they see being uone. This paitly explains the chilu who
takes ciayon in hanu anu uiaws on the walls - the mouelling wasn't
appiopiiateu quite fully! But uiawing pictuies anu wiiting one's
name isn't quite the same as cieating a stoiy, anu this is the task that Cycle I
stuuents (anu theii teacheis) face. This uocument will outline some iueas
foi teaching naiiative wiiting in the eailiest giaues. It will uiaw heavily
on the 6 + 1 Tiaits of Wiiting; paitly because this is familiai to many
teacheis, anu paitly because it pioviues a common vocabulaiy anu some
focuseu stiategies foi teaching wiiting.

Theie have been some questions iaiseu as to whethei we ought to expect chiluien in Cycle I
to wiite stoiies. The Piogiession of Leaining (which is a uocument piouuceu by NELS to
outline some of the specific knowleuge that shoulu be intiouuceu to anu applieu by
stuuents) cleaily expects stuuents of this cycle to be wiiting stoiies - simple ones, of couise.
By the enu of giaue 2, it states that stuuents shoulu be wiiting "stoiies baseu on iueas,
expeiiences anu events." Stiuctuies anu featuies, such as pieuictable stoiy patteins,
chaiacteiization, physical setting (uesciiption), anu uialogue shoulu all be
intiouuceu to stuuents uuiing Cycle I, anu they shoulu be able to sequence
events by the enu of Cycle I. The stoiies wiitten by Cycle I stuuents will likely
be quite simple anu shoit, although theie will be some stuuents who will be
cieating moie complex stoiies by the enu of giaue 2. 0nueistanuing naiiative
is vital foi many ieasons, not the least of which is that it will aiu the stuuent in
hishei ieauing compiehension.

What is meant by the teim "Naiiative." This uocument will use the teim
"naiiative" anu "stoiy" inteichangeably to mean a seiies of ielateu events with
a chaiactei (oi chaiacteis) who ueals with some type of tension oi pioblem.
Theie shoulu be a logical beginning, some kinu of uevelopment, anu then an
enuing. This may be veiy simple: a few wiitten woius with accompanying
pictuies may be a stoiy. Actually, pictuies alone may tell a stoiy, anu that's a
usual eaily stage in the cieation of naiiatives.


eau me a stoiy

Befoie chiluien aie able to cieate theii own stoiies, they neeu to unueistanu the
stiuctuie of a stoiy. Nany chiluien who come to school having been ieau to
extensively have intuitively pickeu up this knowleuge. But ceitainly this is
something that we neeu to ieinfoice with these chiluien, anu it's something
that stuuents without that backgiounu neeu to be exposeu to ovei anu ovei
again.

The kinus of stiuctuies anu featuies that aie impoitant foi Cycle I
stuuents to notice aie the following:
stoiies have titles that give us an iuea of what is to come
stoiies have a main chaiactei
stoiies take place in a paiticulai place anu time (setting)
A !"##"$%&' is a
stoiy that is
cieateu in a
constiuctive foimat
(as a woik of
speech, wiiting,
song, film,
television, viueo
games, oi theatie)
that uesciibes a
sequence of
fictional oi non-
fictional human
events.
Wikipeuia
4
stoiies have a beginning that usually intiouuces the main chaiactei, the setting, anu
the pioblem
stoiies usually enu with some solution to the pioblem
stoiies often use uialogue
stoiies often use iepetition
theie aie uiffeient types of stoiies: e.g. faiiy tales, silly stoiies, fables, iealistic, anu
each type has specific iuentifying featuies (i.e. "once upon a time" to begin a faiiy
tale).


elling Tales

;.70&. they begin wiiting stoiies, anu <-.= they begin wiiting stoiies, chiluien aie
helpeu by:
heaiing many stoiies
ie-telling stoiies they've heaiu
acting out stoiies
uiawing pictuies of stoiies
making up anu telling stoiies

Stuuents who aie iisk of, oi actually have, a language oi leaining uifficulty may have
uifficulties with naiiatives, since naiiatives iequiie many &'#(")*+,%))+:
vocabulaiy
giammai
sentence foimulation
Stuuents with language uifficulties often have tiouble:
oiganizing theii iueas in the iight sequence
expiessing theii iueas in long giammatical sentences
uistinguishing between main iueas anu uetails
following uiiections (which is a sequencing activity).
Stuuents with !-!&'#(") uifficulties often have tiouble:
sequencing (nonveibal tasks)
oiganizing thoughts (e.g. ABB, ABBB)
getting to the main iuea (e.g. getting uistiacteu by
uetails)
iecalling (memoiy)
coping with the concept of time
unueistanuing cause anu effect
seeing othei's peispectives (e.g. telling a stoiy
iespecting the auuience's neeu to have an
intiouuction)
following social conventions (e.g. taking tuins,
contiolling impulses, following thiough to completion).




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Pie-wiiting (fiist steps):

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6
et's wiite a stoiy togethei

The next step in the piocess is foi the teachei to wiite
stoiies <()- the stuuents. Cieating class stoiies mouels
the wiiting piocess. A wonueiful site is KeiPoof:
http:www.keipoof.com#activitystoiybook
Anothei fun site to check out is the Biitish Council's StoiyNakei:
http:leainenglishkius.biitishcouncil.oigenmake-youi-ownstoiy-makei

Stuuents coulu then move to wiiting biief stoiies in small gioups.

hat's youi stoiy.

Finally, stuuents shoulu be piepaieu to wiite theii own stoiies.


iiting is encouiageu most in a piocess-centieu (iathei than a piouuct-centieu)
classioom. Nost elementaiy teacheis unueistanu this well anu have set up theii
classiooms to function in this mannei.

Piocess-centieu classioom

Piouuct-centieu classioom
Stuuents woik on uiffeient tasks at uiffeient
iates.
Stuuents uo the same tasks.
Teacheis encouiage many shoit, inteiesting
pieces of wiiting, any of which may leau to
one oi two longei pieces ovei time.
All stuuents complete the same pieset
wiiting assignments.
Small gioups of stuuents woik togethei. Stuuents usually woik alone.
Wiiting is shaieu as it is cieateu. Wiiting is shaieu only when finisheu.
0ne piece may leau to anothei on a new
topic that is uiscoveieu uuiing the wiiting.
When a piece is finisheu, stuuents ask foi the
next task.
Failuie is an oppoitunity to stietch anu
giow.
Failuie is to be avoiueu. Emphasis is placeu
on getting it iight the fiist time.
Questions like these aie typical: Boes this
woik. What else coulu I tiy. Will you help
me finu a bettei way to say this. What
woulu happen if I changeu it to show.
Questions like these aie typical: Is this long
enough. Is this what you want. Is this going
to be giaueu.
!"#"$"%&'()*"07"Q&()(=?, Ruth Culham, p. 28





7
+ 1 Tiaits of Wiiting

The 6 + 1 Tiaits of Wiiting help us to teach stuuents impoitant chaiacteiistics of goou
wiiting anu allow us to use a common language with which to talk about wiiting. The tiaits
aie:




*
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voice: the tone of the piece - the peisonal stamp that the wiitei biings to it
Woiu choice: the specific vocabulaiy the wiitei uses to convey meaning
Sentence flow (fluency): the way the woius anu phiases flow thioughout the
text
Conventions: the mechanical coiiectness of the piece
Piesentation: the oveiall appeaiance of the woik





Befoie a chilu can engage in wiiting naiiatives, iueas neeu to
uevelop. It's impoitant to make a biiuge between oial anu wiitten
naiiatives (whethei they aie peisonal oi fictional naiiatives). Stuuies have shown that
when stuuents act out oi uiaw theii stoiy fiist, theii wiitten piouuctions aie bettei. It may
be that this time to "ieheaise" anu uevelop the iuea is the key. Theie aie S aspects of iueas:
finuing iueas, naiiowing iueas anu ueveloping iueas.

<%!1%!6*%1'"+:
use a book anu then as a class, cieate a stoiy baseu on oi mouelleu aftei the book. A
goou example of this, using one of the "That's goou, That's bau"
(Foitunately0nfoitunately) books is founu at:
http:www.piimaiy-euucation-oasis.comcieative-stoiy-iueas.html
have stuuents biing in a pictuie of an impoitant event (vacation, biithuay, etc.)
o they can wiite the stoiy of theii pictuie
o they can switch pictuies anu wiite the othei peison's fictional stoiy
use a stoiy-geneiating game:
o examples: Bla Bla Bla, Invente-moi une histoiie, Nakali. (You may also cut
pictuies out of magazines anu use these.)
use a stoiy staitei: http:www.meuuybemps.com9.7uu.html
act oi use manipulatives: Lego oi othei figuiines may be useu foi stuuents to act out
stoiies. (0i give stuuents bags of small ianuom items to make a stoiy aiounu.)
Baving costumes anu piops aiounu is helpful foi stuuents. Stuuents may act out a
stoiy anu then ietell it (giving them 2 ieheaisals) oi tell the stoiy as they'ie acting it
out.
In Cycle I, oui
main
emphasis is
heie
8
uiaw: use a stoiyboaiu oi a seiies of uiawings to tell a stoiy. Boing sepaiate
uiawings allows stuuents to ieposition events oi auu events latei.
use woiuless pictuie books anu have stuuents wiite the stoiy
give stuuents a few (S - S stickeis anu have them uiaw a pictuie aiounu the stickeis
anu then wiite the accompanying stoiy
cieate "life giaphs" of theii highs anu lows (e.g. my baby sistei was boin, I hau the
chickenpox, etc.) Any one of these points woulu make a goou
stoiy.











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="##->%!6*%1'"+3*
Source: Freeman, Marcia. Teaching the Youngest Writers, Maupin
House, c1998
Fiom: http:www.thewiitingsite.oigiesouicespiomptspiimaiy.asp

9
Nake anu use a papei funnel - put in "bike". pull out "the time I fell off my bike"
"the fiist time I ioue my bike without tiaining wheels" "the time we ioue to Noith
Batley on the bike tiail."
Biscuss the uiffeience between "wateimelon" stoiies ("big" topic stoiies)
anu "seeu" stoiies" (specific focus within the big topic). E.g. uoing to
uianby Zoo (wateimelon) vs visiting the uiiaffes (seeu) oi uetting Lost at
the uianby Zoo (seeu) oi The Wateisliue at the uianby Zoo. (See Appenuix
foi a giaphic oiganizei.) This is a gieat Lucy Calkins iuea.

?'&')-7%!6*$4'*%1'"*(/*"11%!6*1'$"%)+3*
This can be uone while stuuents aie "ieheaising" a stoiy oially, oi aftei they have
wiitten oi uiawn a veiy simple stoiy. In the acting out, when chiluien have misseu
something impoitant (oi even wheie you think it woulu be helpful to auu
something), have them eithei "fieeze" oi "back up the tape" anu ask them to show oi
tell moie about "that." The same thing can be uone with a stoiyboaiu oi seiies of
uiawings - wheie uo you want to know moie. (In between which pictuies.)
Stuuents can listen to otheis' stoiies (oi watch) anu they can volunteei iueas foi
uetails ("something moie") that the wiitei coulu auu to make the stoiy moie
inteiesting oi moie complete.
An inteiesting way to help stuuents unueistanu the impoitance of uetails (anu what
they aie) is to have eveiy stuuent pictuie him oi heiself (what she has on, what
coloui hishei eyes aie, etc.) anu then pictuie one place in the classioom. Aftei this,
they uiaw themselves in that place in the classioom, but they uo not label it. Post the
pictuies aiounu the ioom on the walls, anu see if the stuuents can figuie out who is
in the pictuie anu wheie they aie. Those who incluueu the most uetails will make
this job easiei foi the otheis. (See Culham, p. 9u foi full explanation.)
Anothei activity to teach uetails is to have stuuents play the alphabet game: I'm
making suppei anu I will neeu: (fiist chilu gives something that begins with an "A,"
the next with a "B," anu so on. Then take this list anu have small gioups of stuuents
give S uetails about a few of the objects. Foi example: an apple is
o a fiuit,
o iounu,
o sometimes ieu.
They wiite oi tell the clues: "It is a iounu, ieu fiuit" anu see if the class can
guess what it is. You can uo a similai activity with the events on theii life giaphs.
"Tell S things about when youi baby sistei was boin."
Encouiage the stuuents when they'ie wiiting to think of uetails anu incluue them.

Excellent aiticle: Teaching the Ciaft of Naiiative Wiiting:
http:www.aiienuell.com.auteaching_ciaft_naiiative_.htm

Books to stiengthen iueas:
All the Places to Love What you Know Fiist
Bagheau Who is the Beast.
Euwaiu anu the Piiates Whoevei you aie
I'm in Chaige of Celebiations The Peifect Pet
When Sophie gets Angiy - ieally, ieally angiy Siuewalk Ciicus
1u


0iganization is stiuctuiing a text so that it makes sense to a ieauei. It has to uo with
beginnings anu enuings, but also with tiansitions.

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"
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*
@-)1*@'6%!!%!6+: (types of beginnings)
Look at vaiious books anu have stuuents consiuei the beginnings. What uoes a
beginning uo. Bow uoes an authoi make it "hook" you. Beie aie some types of
beginnings that stuuents might notice:
o Lights, Cameia, Action: the wiitei makes something happen
o Single Woiu: the wiitei sets off an impoitant woiu all by itself anu follows it
up with moie infoimation
o Fascinating fact: the wiitei piesents an intiiguing piece of infoimation
o Imagine This: the wiitei captuies a moment in woius oi pictuies
o It's }ust Ny 0pinion: the wiitei states a belief.
o Listen 0p: the wiitei uesciibes a sounu
o I Wonuei: the wiitei asks a question oi a seiies of questions
uive stuuents a beginning line, anu have them in gioups cieate the stoiy fiom the
same beginning. See the online sites (e.g. Stoiy Nakei) fiom above oi Kiuueilit:
http:www.kiuueilit.com foi some goou beginning lines.
*
A!1%!6+3*
Bave stuuents cieate a new enuing foi a familiai stoiy.
Look at the enuings of the stoiies you'ie ieauing anu
see what makes an effective enuing.
Foibiu enuings like "I woke up."

.'B0'!;%!63*
Take a familiai stoiy (e.g. a faiiy tale) anu cieate a
seiies of pictuies (oi finu these online). Cut the pictuies
out anu mix them up. Can the stoiy be tolu with a uiffeient
oiuei. Is it the same stoiy oi a uiffeient one.
11
uive stuuents the beginning anu enuing sentences foi a shoit stoiy. Bave them make
up the miuule. Latei, ieau them the stoiy anu see if theie aie any similaiities. Likely
theie will be as a stoiy has to make sense fiom the beginning thiough to the enuing.
The stoiy staiis (see photogiaph eailiei), anu one of the giaphic oiganizeis (see
Appenuix) incluue some tiansition woius. Nake stuuents awaie of these when they
use them anu encouiage them to think about wheie they might juuiciously use these
woius to help theii stoiies.

Books to stiengthen oiganization:
Alphabet City
Beai Ni. Bluebeiiy
Bon't Take youi Snake foi a Stioll
Beniy Bikes to Fitchbuig
I Love uoing Thiough This Book
0lu Beniy
The Papeiboy
The Snowman
Subway Spaiiow
What's 0p, What's Bown




woiu about:

While we uo N0T want to focus too heavily on Conventions (wiiting woius anu
sentences with totally coiiect spelling anu giammai), it is woith noting that theie aie a
some conventions that we aie expecting by the enu of Cycle I.

These aie:
Foi beginning wiiteis:
o focus on using spaces between woius anu lines, anu consistent left-iight
anu up-uown oiientation
o focus on inventeu spelling (phonetic) anu simple powei woiu spelling
Foi piogiessing wiiteis:
o emphasize using simple sentences incluuing subject, veib, mouifiei
o insist on the use of capitals anu peiious
o encouiage the coiiect spelling of powei woius (hopefully they aie easily
accesseu by stuuents - peihaps on the woiu wall).








12
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uick summaiy:

! Scaffolu, scaffolu, scaffolu!
Pie-wiiting stiategies aie essential (uiawing, acting, telling, using
manipulatives anu giaphic oiganizeis)
Focus on Iueas anu 0iganization
Bon't ovei-emphasize Conventions, but uo encouiage uevelopmentally-appiopiiate
use
Celebiate what the stuuent <&($7-, anu also note the neeus of the
chilu to move himhei along.
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Beginning ! ! Middle ! ! End
1a. WHO?





_____________________
1b.How did she/he feel?




1c. WHERE?



_____________________
1d. WHEN?


What happened first? What happened next? How did the story end?

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A note about the following iubiics:

Incluueu is a iubiic foi each of the 6 Tiaits, not just the 2 that we will ask you to iepoit on
foi Eaily Inteivention. All aie incluueu because ovei the couise of cycle I, it is expecteu
that you'll be eventually woiking with all the tiaits anu that having an assessment tool will
help you to know wheie to focus youi teaching. !"#$%&$#'("#)*+,$(-#(".'./$0"-$1*22$3'$#'("#)*+,$"+20$"+$
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You may use the same iubiics foi both yeais of the cycle, so that you can see the piogiession of the stuuent.
These aie uevelopmental iubiics. Specific knowleuge expectations foi the cycle can be founu in the QEP, the
Competency Scales anu the Piogiession of Leaining.

In the Elementaiy Cycle I ELA community (in Euugioup), you will finu scoiing samples fiom an online 6 Tiaits
site.





2010, Education Northwest


K-2 I L LUSTRA T ED BE GI NNI NG WRI T ER6 RUBRI C

I DE AS
E XCEPTI ONAL
6
x The Big idea is clear and original; the topic is narrowed
x Supporting details are relevant, accurate and specific
x Pictures, graphs, charts (if present) enhance the text
x Focus: The writing stays on topic
x Development is generous and complete
E XPERI ENCED
5
x The Big idea is clear; the topic is narrowed
x Supporting details are relevant, logical and mostly accurate
x Pictures, graphs, charts (if present) clarify the text
x Focus: Usually stays on topic
x Development is complete
CAPABL E
4
x The Big idea is clear, but generala simple story or explanation
x Support is present in the text
x Pictures (if present) support the text
x Focus: Generally on topic, with a few missteps
x Development is adequate
DE VE L OPI NG
3
x The Big idea is stated in text
x Support is minimal
x Pictures (if present) offer supporting details
x Focus: Limited to one sentence (or repeats the same idea)
x Development is simplistic
E MERGI NG
2
x Idea(s) are conveyed in a general way through text, labels, symbols
x Support: Not present in the text
x Pictures: Connect with a word, label, symbol
x Focus: Unclear or extremely limited
x Development: Not present
BE GI NNI NG
1
x Ideas are unclear; print sense is just beginning
x Support: Not present
x Pictures: Not clear
x Focus: Not present
x Development: Not present
2010, Education Northwest

ORGANI Z A TI ON
E XCEPTI ONAL
6
x The structure showcases the main idea
x Pictures (if present) enhance the text
x Transitions are smooth and varied
x Sequencing shows planning for impact
x An inviting lead and a developed ending are present
x Format assists reader orientation
E XPERI ENCED
5
x The structure is easy to follow
x Pictures (if present) clarify the text
x Transitions are somewhat varied
x Sequencing is sound
x An inviting lead and a concluding sentence are present
x Format is clear
CAPABL E
4
x Structure is clearly present and complete in a predictable manner
x Pictures (if present) show thoughtful placement of elements
x Transitions work in a predictable fashion
x Sequencing may take a circuitous route, but reader can follow
x A beginning, middIe and predictabIe ending are present ("The end")
x Format is generally accurate in placement of elements
DE VE L OPI NG
3
x A structure is present
x Picture elements are placed logically
x Transitions are missing or reIy upon connectives ("and" "and then")
x Sequencing: Not present or confusing
x A bare beginning and middle are present-no end
x Text and pictures are generally formatted correctly on the page
E MERGI NG
2
x Structure is starting to emerge
x Pictures show attempts to order /balance elements
x Transitions: Not present
x Sequencing: Not present
x A beginning is attempted-no middle or end
x Formatting signs emerging (left-right orientation, picture and text placement, spacing)
BE GI NNI NG
1
x Structure is not present
x Picture elements are random, scattered or unbalanced
x Sequencing and transitions not present
x Beginning or ending not present
x Format clues: Not present
2010, Education Northwest


VOI CE
E XCEPTI ONAL
6
x Exceptional expression of feeling, commitment to topic
x Pictures (if present) enhance the mood, atmosphere, point of view
x Exceptional audience awareness is present; compelling to read
x Unmistakably individual, sincere-unique expression
E XPERI ENCED
5
x The writer's feeIings about the subject are loud and clear
x Pictures (if present) enrich the mood, atmosphere
x Engages the audience ("Did you know?")
x Individual and sincere expression
CAPABL E
4
x Identifiable feeling(s) are present in the writing
x Pictures (if present) capture the atmosphere or mood in a general way
x Audience awareness is present
x The individual emerges from the text
DE VE L OPI NG
3
x FeeIing is expressed in a few words /punctuation ("fun"- "Iike"- "favorite", underIine excIamation point)
x Pictures show expression in faces and details
x Audience awareness is present in a general way
x Individual expression is present
E MERGI NG
2
x A general feeling is captured in words and/or pictures
x Pictures capture a mood, simple emotion or action
x Audience awareness: Not yet present or clear
x Individual expression is emerging
BE GI NNI NG
1
x Not enough text is present to convey a mood or feeling
x Pictures are hard to interpret
x Audience awareness is not yet present
x Individual expression is not present
2010, Education Northwest

WORD C HOI CE
E XCEPTI ONAL
6
x The text is comprised of words that convey a complete message
x Word choice includes striking, memorable phrases
x Vocabulary reflects precision and accuracy
x Repetition is rarely present
E XPERI ENCED
5
x The text alone conveys the message in several words
x Word choice contains moments of sparkle; everyday words used well
x The vocabulary is expanding
x Repetition occurs infrequently
CAPABL E
4
x The words stand on their own to convey a simple message
x Words are basic and used correctly
x Vocabulary is mostly routine, with a few experiments
x Some repetition is present
DE VE L OPI NG
3
x Word groups, phrases convey the topic with some help from pictures
x Word choice makes sense
x Vocabulary is limited to "known" or "safe" words
x Repetition of "safe" words and phrases
E MERGI NG
2
x A few words begin to emerge
x Word choice is difficult to decode
x Vocabulary relies upon environmental print
x Repetition: May repeat letters, alphabet, name, etc.
BE GI NNI NG
1
x No words are present (imitative writing )
x Word choice: Not present
x Vocabulary: Not present
x Repetition: Inconsistent letter shapes, imitative writing or none
2010, Education Northwest

SENT ENCE F LUENCY
E XCEPTI ONAL
6
x Several sentences are present that vary in structure and length
x Sentence beginnings are varied
x Rhythm is fluid and pleasant to read aloud
x Connective words work smoothly
E XPERI ENCED
5
x Several sentences are present and employ more than one sentence pattern
x Sentence beginnings are varied
x Rhythm is more fluid than mechanical-easy to read aloud
x Connective words do not interfere with the fluency
CAPABL E
4
x The writing provides a limited sampling of sentence patterns
x Sentences do not always begin the same way
x Rhythm is more mechanical than fluid
x Connectives words show some variation
DE VE L OPI NG
3
x Most of a sentence is present, decodabIe in the text ("Like bunne becuz ther riree Fas")
x Sentences begin the same way ("I Iike . . .")
x Rhythm is choppy and repetitive
x Connective transitions serve as Iinks between phrases ("and" "then" etc.)
E MERGI NG
2
x Part of a sentence may be present ("Cus it is cIu")
x A word or phrase may be repeated across the page to form the text
x Rhythm is not present
x Connective words may appear in sentence parts
BE GI NNI NG
1
x No sentences or sentence parts are present in the text
x The marks, lines or scribbles may imitate writing from left to right
x Words stand alone
x Connectives: Not present
2010, Education Northwest

CONVENTI ONS
E XCEPTI ONAL
6
x Capitalization: Accurate for sentence beginnings, proper names, titles
x Punctuation: End punctuation, commas in series, other varied uses for stylistic effect
x SpeIIing: Grade IeveI words and "hard" words speIIed IogicaIIy, if not accurateIy
x Grammar and usage: Accurate
x Paragraphing: Consistent indentation for paragraphs
E XPERI ENCED
5
x Capitalization: Capitals for sentence beginnings, proper names, titles usually correct
x Punctuation: End punctuation usually correct-some varied uses present
x Spelling: Usually accurate for grade level words
x Grammar and usage: Usually accurate
x Paragraphing: First line indented
CAPABL E
4
x Capitalization: Capitals for beginning sentence, names, titles in evidence
x Punctuation: End punctuation is present
x Spelling: High use grade level words mostly correct; phonetic spelling easy to decode
x Grammar and usage: subject/verb agreement, tense, still spotty
x Paragraphing: spotty, or not present
DE VE L OPI NG
3
x Capitalization: Beginning sentence, names, title still inconsistent
x Punctuation: Period or other punctuation is present somewhere
x Spelling: Phonetic spelling decodable; accurate spelling of some words
x Grammar and usage: A grammatical construction is present, but missing parts
x Paragraphing: Not present
E MERGI NG
2
x Capitalization: Random use of upper and lower case letters
x Punctuation: None or random
x Spelling: Phonetic, some decodable and/or simple words spelled correctly
x Grammar and usage: Part of a grammatical construction is present
x Paragraphing: Not present
BE GI NNI NG
1
x Capitalization: Print sense still emerging
x Punctuation: None
x Spelling: Pre-phonetic or not present
x Grammar and usage: Not present
x Paragraphing: Not present