Assessment Tools for Early Writing

1. Assessment Tools for Early Writing Reported by: Karla Gaerlan August 10, 2013

2. Early Attempts at Writing: • Scribbles, Lines & Drawings

3. 1 ½ years old: • Fine motor skills starts to improve steadily • Physical readiness in his grab and hold of a crayon • Some scribble vigorously • Others start cautiously— • they'll drag a crayon around on paper, doodling carelessly

4. 1 ½ years old: • Children develop at different rates • Around 16 months: scribbling pro • Own gallery of drawings for the refrigerator

5. Almost 2 years old: • apparent shapes, though does not yet form letters and numbers • difficulty in holding and writing crayons or pencils in forming such figures • fascinated by anything he/she can draw with crayons, pens, and coloredpencils

6. Almost 2 years old: • the prime time for crayon scribbles on the wall. Furthermore • starting to spend longer on each individual drawing • covering more of the paper rather than making a single swirl

7. 2- 2 ½ years old: • scribbles to true art • more interested in coloring and painting • adding colors and trying to represent real objects and things

8. 2 ½- 3 years old: • hold a thick pencil or crayon solidly in a writing position • According to Nina Lief,a child development expert and co-author of The First Three Years of Life • children this age are usually able to master the up-and-down movement required to make a "V," which is a little trickier and requires more skill than making a straight line

9. 2- 2 ½ years old: • language into his drawings • larger scribbles are figures • chicken scratches are attempts at letters or words • start signing his pictures

10. 2 ½- 3 years old: • circular strokes • Some will able to write a few letters or marks • Some will start to write their first name or a few letters of it

11. Pre-schooler (4-5 y/o) • more skilled at using crayons and pencils • more elaborate and accurate drawings • horizontal lines, copy a circle and a square, and draw people • before entering kindergarten, most children would already start and know how to write their first name

12. Early Writing: • requires knowledge of the ff: • Alphabet Recognition • Spelling skills and reading comprehension • Teachers must assess their students' writing skills at designated intervals throughout the year to ensure that progress is being made

13. Early Writing: • Alphabet Recognition: • For beginners: alphabet recognition with students three to four times a year by showing either an uppercase or lowercase letter • The student must tell the teacher what letter it is • provide the sound of the letter

14. Early Writing: • Spelling Tests: • administered throughout the year: both reading and writing skills • Teachers should only ask words that the students are expected to have learned prior to the exam.

15. Early Writing: • A spelling exam is generally not advised for kindergarten • at least 15 words per test are suggested for first graders Second and third graders can show mastery of up to 25 words per exam • spelling bee in class, asking student to spell words out loud

16. Early Writing: • Children who are still not capable in writing should not be easily judged • Parents or teachers should not feel pressured to push a child in learning how to write • a developmental skill that does not have a formal timetable A toddler can take his/her time and still be developmentally on track

17. Early Writing: • However, children who still exhibit problems in writing by the time in which they should be actually starting to demonstrate writing skills should not be ignored • should be given an intervention so that the child could catch up with his class