Inquiry End of Term 4: Getting around a Writing Road Block Successfully?

This Term I have been trying to help some of my writers who struggle to write a complete sentence.  They are able to generate their ideas into a sentence orally but fail to write all the words into their sentence. They are reading at a level whereby the sentences are varied and not just simple sentences so they see and read examples of sentences each day.

An example of the "missing words" writing.

To help these children I have observed them writing and wondered if it was "the remembering what they have said" in the process of writing that is the problem.  I have been working with a small group getting them to generate an oral sentence, say it to the group, check with the group that it makes sense and has the correct grammar, then record it on their iPad.

Already I am finding that the group listen carefully to each other's sentences and will say, "That doesn't sound right.  We say it like this...", or "You need to say 'the shop' not just 'shop'."  This is helping them to remember to think carefully how they say things.  When they think it is correct they push the record button and then the recording is played right through to see if it sounds right.

The writing phase can then begin in their writing books.  At first it was just a single word that was remembered and even then it was often checked and rechecked before progressing to the next word.The sentences are mainly simple sentences with the high frequency words from the "Butterfly" spelling resources but as the aim of the process is to get the children to write a complete sentence "that makes sense" and not just a list of random words we have had great success from the first day.  The process is now taking them less time, they are remembering more words to transfer and there is fewer corrections from their peers.

How does one measure the success of using digital technology to get around this "writing road block"?  Unfortunately, on our formal assessment of writing (easTTle) there was no change.  But informally when we use group discussion and the iPads there has been a measure of success.  They are small steps in relation to what a similar aged child might be able to do but it is huge when measuring the confidence in writing for the two children who have had a measure of success with it.

One child is now writing simple sentences independently "with some teacher encouragement" to complete the job.  Not only is she able to put her ideas into a sentence "that makes sense" she now has the confidence to write without having to record and check her story and for her this has been a huge step forward and a boost to her confidence.  Another still checks with me, but he is beginning to have more confidence and gets on with his writing without recording his sentences.

Two other children find that they still need the recorded story to help get a simple sentence written.  The time factor of constructing their stories orally, recording it, listening to the recording then writing it out has not made these two despondent about writing which is a positive thing in itself.

I would certainly introduce this method earlier next year to help children gain confidence in their ability to form their ideas into a sentence and write it down using class spelling resources. It might not be helpful to all children but if it can be a confidence boost for some of those who struggle with writing, it is worth trying to make writing a more positive experience each day.