Analyze Writing

Bri Bell Date: 11/30/17

Directions: Evaluate student writing using the following prompts.

What are you analyzing? _Pen Friend Letters__________

Pen Friend Name: Sierra

1. Strengths: (Lists strengths exhibited in the writing, approx. 6-10.)

 Good use of periods and punctuations

 Good spacing between words
 Good content and ideas
 Good formatting (letter format)
 Great improvement on letter size consistency
 Sight words are great

2. One Strength: (Identify one strength that is developmentally appropriate based on

the writing sample.)

 Letter size consistency

3. Script for Strength: (Write the exact words you would say to the student in a
conference about his/her writing strength.)

“I really like that I can see how great you have gotten with your letter sizing. Your
small letters stay below the dotted line and your big, capital, letters reach all the
way to the top line!”

4. Teaching Points: (List possible different teaching points, approx. 6-10.)

 Spelling (she is currently in an inventive stage)

 Middle parts of words (when spelling, she writes letters from the first and
last part of the words, but often leaves out the middle part of the word).
 Capitalization (beginning of sentences, Names, and proper nouns: random
letters are capitalized throughout a sentence).
 Letter neatness and accuracy
 Indenting


5. One Teaching Point: (Identify one teaching point that and explain why it is
developmentally appropriate based on the writing sample.)
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 Middle parts of words.

 Throughout the letters I noticed Sierra often left out the middle parts of
words. For example, in the second letter, she was saying she liked the leafs
also, but spelled it “Le fso.” Another example, in letter four, she was saying
favorite but spelled it “Faviot” and another time spelled it “frit.”

6. Script for Teaching Point: (Write the exact words you would say to the student to
teach the select teaching point.)

“Great letters Sierra. I want you to help me take a look at this. I am going to read
your letter our loud, and I want you tell me if it sounds funny when I read it. My
faviot buk character is fancy nacy. Now did that sound a little funny? Yeah, I agree
the word faviot sounded a little weird, too! Now, I know you were trying to spell the
word, favorite, lets listen close as I say it slowly, faavvooooorrrrriiittee. What do you
hear in beginning of the word? What do you hear at the end of the word? And what
do you hear in the middle? I’ll say it again, ffaavvooorrrriiittee. Yeah, I hear an /or/
sound in the middle, too! Now lets try spelling the word favorite together. Can you
begin sounding it out? F-a-v-o-r-i-t-e.”

7. Statement of Improvement from January-April,2017: (Please explain to student’s

teacher the progress you have seen from your Pen Friend based on 1st grade writing
skills (please give an example of a content improvement and mechanics improvement
with an explanation of how your student improved in those areas: use examples from
their writing!).

Over the course of the 7-8 letters, I noticed Sierra improved on a handful of skills.
Her writing became neater and her words began fitting on the lines and at the end
she became better about making the big letters reach the top line and kept the small
letters below the dotted line, especially in letters 4, 7, and 8. She had good content
and almost always gave a good explanative reason to support her statements. She
has good use of periods and always uses them at the end of the sentence, as well.
Overall, Sierra is improving and developing her writing in a typical way and stage.

Letter 1:
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Letter 2:
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Letter 3:
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Letter 4:
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Letter 5:
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Letter 6:
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Letter 7:
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