CLIMBERS
Writing Samples Coding
Scheme
CLIMBERS PROJECT
IES R305G0404145
The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Educational Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.
Department of Communication Sciences
and Disorders
The University of Iowa
Richard Hurtig
Carolyn Brown
Nancy Jackson
(Anna Bradburn Wu assisted on development
of first draft)
copyright 2008, The University of Iowa
REVISED October 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1-2 Language
2. DRAWING AND WRITING LETTERS
2-7. Punctuation and Capitalization
3-2. First-Subsequent Consonant Sound
3-4. Advanced Spontaneous Spelling
4-1. Labels (words produced that are not part of a text)
5-1. Interpretable Proposition (See Writing Structure codes)
5-2. Discrete Actions and States/ Verbs and Verb Phrases
5-3. Compound Noun Phrase or Verb Phrase (Presences/Absences of)
5-4. Relative Clause (Presences/Absence of) 18
6-5. Connectives (Temporal Words)
References AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
NATURE OF THE DATA
CODING SCHEME DEVELOPMENT
During the development of the coding scheme, we learned that some contextual information was needed for coders to be able to evaluate young children’s writing. The coders needed some idea of what the children were writing about or referring to in their samples. For this purpose, information on the Book-of-the-Week and the writing prompt associated with each writing sample was collected. In addition, coders were familiarized with the relevant books in the BTL curriculum prior to coding.
Code VALUES
Each feature should be coded (unless otherwise indicated) as 2 =present/emerging/some evidence of feature is present, 1 =uncertain, may be present, or 0 =no evidence that feature is present in sample. Codes of 1 should be rare, indicating coder uncertainty, not a modest degree of ability in that realm. Some features have more extended rating schemes or are features for which absolute counts are made.
FEATURES WITH DEFINITIONS:
1. IMAGE QUALITY & language
1-1. Image Quality-
Code Values [Good, Poor]
During the creation of this coding scheme, it was noted that periodically a sample’s quality would interfere with the scoring of a particular code. Coders score the image quality of each sample as “poor” or “good.” If overall image quality makes coding difficult, the sample should be coded as “Poor.” If a sample receives the code of “Poor” then no further coding of the sample occurs.
NOTE: If the sample has multiple images that appear to be from different children then give a code of poor so that the sample will not be coded."
1-2. Language
Code values [English, Spanish-Coded, Spanish-not coded]
Enter language used in sample. If the sample is in other than English, select Spanish-coded if you can code it, otherwise select Spanish-not coded.
NOTE: If samples are in another language, they should be coded Spanish-not coded. That way the sample is set aside for later coding by a coder with knowledge of that language.
2. DRAWING AND WRITING LETTERS
The features in the Drawing and Writing Letters section were developed based on research by Levin and Bus (2003) in a study of Israeli children. The features used in this coding scheme are a collapsed version of the features coded in that study.
2-1. Form
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0 or 2 |
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Child draws at least one good form. This is intended to indicate that the child's graphic production is more than a scribble. A wobbly, imperfect circle would qualify. Do not count drawings associated with letters (example, filled in punctuation). If child draws an object, code the Form feature as 2. |
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Code as 2: · Games Code as 0:
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2-2. Object
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0 or 2 |
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1. Child draws at least one recognizable representation of an object. The object could be the classic "pod person" with legs and arms extending from a head with eyes, or it could be a representation of an animal, tree, toy, or whatever. A scribble labeled by the teacher or child but otherwise unrecognizable does not count. Coloring doesn’t count. Code colored pictures with no independently drawn objects a zero.
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Code as 2: · Cat Dog Code as 0: · Games |
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2-3. Linear Pattern
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0 or 2 |
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If child writes/draws horizontal scribbles, the sample provides some indication of repeated forms such as zig-zags, loops, or waves or if the child writes the child's name or other words code as 2.
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Code as 2: · Shirt 1 Code as 0: · Shirt 2
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2-4. Letter-Like
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0 or 2 |
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If the child produces either long or short strings of letter-like forms code as 2. If the child produces real letters code as 2.
NOTE: Sometimes the ink a child uses bleeds through to the reverse side. Be aware of this and look at all the images in a Writing Sample before determining anything about the spelling. Click here for an example Luki01.
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Code as 2: · Soccer 1 Code as 0:
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2-5. Writing Name
Children typically learn to write there own names well before they begin to write other words
(Molfese, Beswick, Molnar, & Jacobi-Vessels, 2006).
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0, 1 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1 or 2 |
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If the child makes a reasonable approximation of writing his or her name. Letters may be omitted, in an incorrect order, or written backwards but the name should be identifiable. If a child places a recognizable letter in a NAME slot code as 1.
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Code as 2: Reasonable approximation of their name Code as 1 Initial in NAME slot Code as 0: No name |
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2-6. Real Letters
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0 or 2 |
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Child produces at least 2 well-formed, recognizable English letters. They can be either capital or lower case, with left-right reversals acceptable. If the child writes his/her name, the writing of the name does not count. The child must write more than his/her name. A vertical line that could be the letter “I” or the number “One” and/or a circle that could also be the letter “O” do not count unless there is at least one other recognizable letter. There is no credit for letters in name (i.e. code as 0 if the child only writes his/her name).
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Code as 2: Code as 0: · Soccer 2
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2-7. Punctuation and Capitalization
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0, 1, 2 or 3 |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, 2, or 3 |
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This feature should be coded for writing other than the child’s name. Capitalization in the child’s own name does not count. If the child writes his/her name, the writing of the name does not count. The child must write more than his/her name for the code to be applied. No capitalization or punctuation, or capitalization at the beginning of lines that are not beginning of sentences, or names only should be coded 0; some use of either beginning-of-sentence capitalization and end-of sentence punctuation should be coded 1; consistent correct use of capitalization and periods in a sample of several sentences should be coded 2; advanced use of punctuation in several instances should be coded 3. The sentence has to have at least two words next to each other and has to show a reasonable attempt towards a sentence for us to code punctuation ( the sentence should include a verb). There must be a clear difference between capital letters and lower case letters for the sample to be given credit for capitalization.
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Code of 0: No use of capitalization or punctuation Code of 1: Some use of both beginning-of-sentences capitalization and end-of-sentence periods. Code of 2: Consistent correct use of capitalization and periods in a sample of at least several sentences Code of 3: Advanced use of punctuation (e.g. ,”?!) in a sample of at least several sentences |
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3. SPELLING
The spelling features in the following section of the coding scheme were designed to identify emerging features in children’s representations of sounds within words. Based on research by Bereiter and Scardamalia (1995), Gentry (1982), Wagner and Barker (1994, and others (Chiappe, Glaeser, & Ferko, 2007; Critten & Pine, 2007; Lombardino, Bedford, Fortier, Carter, J. & Brandi, 1997; Richard Liow & Lau, 2006; Treiman & Kessler, 2006) and on patterns observed in the initial set of writing samples, we defined a rough sequence of spelling patterns that reflects the phoneme positions that children are likely to represent at successive points in the development of their spelling skills and to show awareness of in performance on phonological awareness tests.
Some stipulations were imposed on the coding of spelling features due to the nature of the data. One such restriction is the requirement that the coder have some reasonable idea what the intended word was that is represented in the sample. Often beginning spellers do not provide enough orthographic cues for readers to decode the intended message. In cases such as these, it is difficult to know if the intended word was correctly represented orthographically. Therefore in order to give credit for a spelling feature, the coder must have some reasonable belief as to what word was intended. This belief can be based on pictorial representations the child has made, the teacher’s notes, or the context of surrounding text.
The features in the Spelling category were created in an attempt to code the writer’s ability to spell independently. Therefore with the exception of Feature 3-5 (Correct Spelling) and Feature 4-2 (Space), correctly spelled words cannot be used to give credit for spelling features. In pre-K, kindergarten, and primary classes, correctly spelled words may be copied from models provided by the teacher or available in the classroom, and therefore may not be examples of the child’s independent spelling. (Incorrectly spelled words could represent inaccurate copying from a model, but the nature of the data makes this impossible to determine.)
NOTE: Letter reversals (e.g. [b][d]/ [b][p]/ [s][z]) do not count against correct spelling.
3-1. Initial Consonant Sound
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, or 2 |
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Count the number of instances in which the word initial consonant (or one that follows an initial vowel) is represented in a spontaneously spelled word (not spelled correctly). NOTE: letter reversals do not count as spelling errors. When the target word starts with a vowel, the child may write the first occurring consonant sound (ex. R for are, or M for am). The coder must have a reasonable belief about what the target word was in order for the word to be given credit for this feature. The target word may be deduced from the teacher's notes or the child’s drawing. Do not count the child’s first or last name. Do not count correctly spelled words since these words may have been copied.
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Using the criteria at the left, search the writing sample for one instance of this feature. Code as 2 if there is at least one instance of an initial consonant (or one that follows an initial vowel) represented in a spontaneously spelled word (not spelled correctly). NOTE: letter reversals do not count as spelling errors; Code as 1 if you are uncertain; Code as 0 if no instances observed.
Codes of 1 should be rare, indicating coder uncertainty, not a modest degree of ability in that realm.
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Count Examples: · Gingerbread Man 12 à Count= 1 · Games 3 à Count= 0
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Code of 2: Code of 0: · Games 2
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3-2. First-Subsequent Consonant Sound
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, or 2 |
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Count the number of instances in which both initial and subsequent consonants are represented in a spontaneously spelled word (not spelled correctly). Count if the word shape is maintained and you have a reasonable belief about what the target word might be. DO NOT count consonant clusters. For example, JL for jail, hv for have, cr for computer. The coder must have a reasonable belief about what the target word was in order for a word to be counted for this feature. The target word may be deduced from the teacher's notes or the child’s drawing. When trying to decipher spellings at this level, check to see if a word represents the apparently intended sounds if read backwards (ex. GD for dog).
Do not count the child’s first or last name. Do not count correctly spelled words since these words may have been copied.
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Using the criteria at the left, search the writing sample for one instance of this feature. Code as 2 if there is at least one instance of both initial and subsequent consonants are represented in a spontaneously spelled word (not spelled correctly). Count if the word shape is maintained and you have a reasonable belief about what the target word might be. DO NOT count consonant clusters; Code as 1 if you are uncertain; Code as 0 if no instances observed.
Codes of 1 should be rare, indicating coder uncertainty, not a modest degree of ability in that realm. |
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Count Examples: · I’m outside 2 à Count= 1 · Gingerbread Man 13 à Count= 0 · Elephant 3 à Count= 1 · My Legos à Count= 5 |
Code of 2: · “lke” (like)- child wrote the first and last consonant sounds.
Code of 0: · “bla” (blood)- does not get credit since the final sound /d/ is not represented. · “bl” (blue)- “l” is part of the initial consonant clusterand therefore is not a final consonant. · “boo” (blue)- “oo” is not a final consonant. · “th” “sh” “ch” are not clusters |
3-3. Vocalic Nucleus
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, or 2 |
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Count the number of instances in which the vocalic nucleus has been reasonably represented in a spontaneously spelled word (i.e. not spelled correctly). For example, git (get), thay (they), kan (can), lvo (love), cos (clothes), vet (invite). Also count instances where the child produces a form that is phonologically accurate or plausible. For example, shu (shoe), git (get). Note that letter order sometimes may be incorrect; however, the coder must be able to have a reasonable belief about what the target word is. The target word may be deduced from the teacher's notes or the child’s drawing. Only count the nuclei in spontaneously spelled words i.e. words that are NOT SPELLED correctly. DO NOT count vocalic nuclei in unintelligible words. The number of instances is the number of words, not syllables. In compound words such as ice cream count the vocalic nuclei in both words.
NOTE: Do not count the child’s first or last name. Do not count correctly spelled words since these words may have been copied. |
Using the criteria at the left, search the writing sample for one instance of this feature. Code as 2 if there is at least one instance in which the vocalic nucleus is reasonably represented in a spontaneously spelled (not spelled correctly) word. For example /git/ for /get/ or /thay/ for /they/; Code as 1 if you are uncertain; Code as 0 if no instances observed.
Codes of 1 should be rare, indicating coder uncertainty, not a modest degree of ability in that realm. |
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Count Examples: · Dog1 à Count= 1 · Special Power 2 à Count= 1 · Sculpture 7 à Count= 2 · Magical Shoes1 à Count= 5 · My Bike à Count= 4 · I’m Outside3 à Count= 3 · I’m Outside4 à Count= 0 |
Code of 2: · “Two” (to)- gets credit since the intended word (to) was spelled incorrectly and the vocalic nucleus is represented. · “I name my fish Derek.”- Since “name” is supposed to be “named” it is not spelled correctly. Tense errors count as incorrectly spelled words. It can be assumed the child did not copy the word, so we can be reasonably sure they understand the necessity of a vocalic nucleus. · (Picture of cat.) “I love my a.”- This sample would coded 2 only if the Coder is reasonably sure that the word “a” was intended to be “cat” either due to a clear picture representation or the teacher’s comments. · Dog 1 · My Bike
Code of 0: · “lve”- · “tb” (ta-ble)- First syllable does not have a final consonant sound that can be represented. · “r” (are)- Child used the letter name “R” to account for the vocalic nucleus.
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3-4. Advanced Spontaneous Spelling
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, or 2 |
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Count the number of instances in which a multisyllabic word was spelled incorrectly but with ALL sounds represented in some reasonable way in shorter words (up to 8 letters). For longer words (> 8 letters) some omissions, insertions and reversals are acceptable. In order to qualify as an advanced spontaneous spelling, the sample word must contain a vowel; although not necessarily the vocalic nucleus. The child must have recreated the spelling of the word based on the phonemic rules of English; however, the sounds do not have to be written in the correct order. For example, pepol (people) respeceababilty (respectability). The coder must have a reasonable idea as to what the target was, which may be supported by the teacher’s comments or the child’s drawing. At this level, spaces between words probably will be indicated, but this is not a criterion if words can be inferred. Do not count the child’s first or last name. Do not count correctly spelled words since these words may have been copied.
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Using the criteria at the left, search the writing sample for one instance of this feature. Code as 2 if there is at least one instance of a multisyllabic word is spelled incorrectly but all of the sounds are represented. The word MUST contain a vowel. Letter reversals do not count as spelling errors. Code as 1 if you are uncertain; Code as 0 if no instances observed.
Codes of 1 should be rare, indicating coder uncertainty, not a modest degree of ability in that realm.
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Count Examples: · Barbie1 à Count= 1 · Party1 à Count= 2 · Elephant 4 à Count= 1 · Roller Skate 2 à Count= 0 |
Code of 2: · “PAUL.IS.GOWING.TO.RUN.A.RAWND.AND.JUMP.AND.EXRSIZ.” (Bissex, 1980, p. 30)- The words gowing, a.rawnd, and exrsiz qualify this sample for a code of 2. · “cmptre” (computer) · Barbie 1 · Party 1 · Elephant · axadently (accidently) Code of 0: · Any correctly spelled words · Any words without a vowel represented o “r (are)” · One syllable words
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3-5. Correct Spelling
Note: Words missing punctuation (e.g. possessives and contractions) do NOT count as correctly spelled words.
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, or 2 |
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Count and record the number of correctly spelled words in the sample. Letter reversals do not count as spelling errors. Do not count Arabic (2, 5, 10) or Roman Numbers (II, V, X), but do count numbers correctly spelled alphabetically. There may not be consistent spaces between words. The child's own name does not count, but the names of others do.
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Code 2 if at least one word, at least two letters in length is correctly spelled. Letter reversals do not count as spelling errors. Code as 1 if you are uncertain; Code as 0 if no instances of correctly spelled words are observed. The word may be copied. The child's own name does not count, but the names of others do. There may not be consistent spaces between words. Codes of 1 should be rare, indicating coder uncertainty, not a modest degree of ability in that realm.
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Count Examples: · Barbie 5 à Count= 1 · Party4 à Count= 11 · Gingerbread Man 14 à Count= 0 |
Code of 2: · Barbie 2
Code of 0:
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4. Other
4-1. Labels (words produced that are not part of
a text).
Note: labels must be close to the object to count, labeling the whole picture
does not count.
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, or 2 |
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Count the number of labels (words or letter like forms) that the child produces on objects in a drawing. |
Code as 2 if the child produces labels (words or letter like forms) on objects in a drawing. Code as 1 if there was no drawing and no opportunity for labels. Code as 0 if no labels present in the sample when there is a drawing.. |
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Count Examples: · Some letter or letter-like form that is placed near an object |
Code of 2: Labels present Code of 1: No opportunity for labels. Code of 0: No labels present |
4-2. Spaces
The use of spaces between words (Feature 4-2) is a skill
that beginning writers seem to display erratically. In looking at the
initial set of samples used to define this coding scheme, we noticed that many
children used spacing sporadically. It appeared that when other skills
(such as syntax, printing, and structuring) demanded more attention, the use of
spacing disintegrated. Therefore, only one instance of evidence of
intentional use of spacing is required to code the sample as having that
feature.
Note: To help decide if there is a space, compare to
the surrounding words. If the spaces between
the letters are equal or greater than the spaces between the actual words then
do not count as space.
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 1, or 2 |
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Only count spaces between recognizable words. Count and record the number of intentionally used spaces between two words within the same sentence. Spaces between sentences should not be counted if there is punctuation demarcating the sentence boundary. Spaces between labels should not be given credit. Coder must have some reasonable belief about what the intended words were. Do not count spaces used incorrectly in multisyllabic words (ex. ele phant) . But do count spaces in compound words (ex. mail man). In the case of lists (one word written per line), give the child credit for one space per listed word except for the last word in the list (as long as there isn’t punctuation and it isn’t in the middle of a word). |
Code as 2 if there is consistent uses spaces between two recognizable words within the same sentence. Code as 1 if there is some inconsistent use of spaces. Code as 0 if there is no evidence of spaces. DO NOT code spaces placed between LABELS. Some evidence of intentional use of spaces between words when two or more words are printed on the same line. Intentionality can be deduced by the correct usage of spaces between words. Do not count spaces used in an incorrect manner. NOTE: If words are written only in a list format, a code of 1 should be given.
Spaces between labels should not be given credit. Coder must have some reasonable belief about what the intended words were. |
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COUNT: · Favorite Animal01 à Count= 0 · Sprinkles01 à Count= 3 · Dear Santa01 à Count= 2 |
Code of 2: Code of 1: · Barbie 3 Code of 0: · Party 2
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5. Propositional Forms
The features in the Propositional Forms Section were intended to distinguish those writers with limited complexity in their writing from more advanced writers. Propositions, as the basic idea units in a text, were chosen as the distinguishing characteristic in the development of children’s writing complexity. Feature 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4 Code the level of complexity/maturity of the child’s grammatical writing production.
5-1. Interpretable Proposition (See Writing Structure codes)
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0,2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0,2 |
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At least one proposition in which the predicate (verb) is present. The subject of the sentence must be included in order for credit to be given. The unit may or may not be correctly punctuated- however, see examples below. NOTE: When coding samples in written in Spanish, note that because of Spanish Pro-Drop Rule the subject is often not present. In that case give credit for proposition even if the subject is not present.
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Code of 2: · “Sit!” (An implied subject can be coded as an interpretable proposition only if the appropriate punctuation (!) is provided.) · “She kicked the ball.” · “She kicked.” · “I like to sit on the zoo.” This is an example in which there is an error in sentence construction. However, the example is given a code of 2 because both the subject and the verb are present. · Gingerbread Man 8 This is an example in which both the subject and the verb are present, but an addition pieces (“old”) has been added to the sentences. · Zoo Code of 0: · Single words (see exception above) · “Old Lady” · “Hits ball” |
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5-2. Discrete Actions and States/ Verbs and Verb Phrases
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: : Count the Number of Instances |
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Record the number of verb phrases in the sample. The verb phrase must occur in at least a sentence fragment and cannot stand alone. Also, the verb must be interpretable by the coder. Count auxiliary/helping verb and the main verb as one verb. · “He was eating his dinner.” The auxiliary verb and main verb are “was eating.” · “Didn’t he eat his dinner?” The auxiliary and main verb are “didn’t eat.” Count concatenative/linking verb and the main verb as one verb. · “Jana is ready to go.” The concatenative verb and main verb are “is ready.” Count modal verb and the main verb as one verb. · “Tanya could learn to fly helicopters.” The modal verb and main verb are “could learn.” Count the verb “to be” when it stands alone as a verb. Don’t count gerunds and gerundive (verbs turned into nouns or adjectives) as verbs. · “The walking, talking man.” Examples: · John went to the store, bought the vegetables and prepared dinner. Count=3 · “John ran and jumped.” The counted verbs are “ran” and “jumped.” Count =2 · “I’m going to play with Drew. I’m going to play with Andrea.” The counted verbs are “am going to play” and “am going to play.” Count =2 · “Another thing I remember is a party.” The counted verbs are “remember” and “is.” Count =2 · “I do not think it is fair.” The counted verbs are “do not think” and “is.” Count =2 · “I like playing with Tiffany.” The counted verb phrase is “like” and “playing.” Count =1 · “I can play and play.” The counted verb phrase is “can play.” In this case, the repetition of “play” indicates the length of time spent playing rather than a new action; therefore, it is not counted again. Count =1 · “I am going to have dinner.” The counted verb phrase is “am going to have.” Count =1 · “Baked gingerbread man.” The verb occurs in the presence of at least a sentence fragment, so the counted verb phrase is “baked.” Count =1 In this case the child omitted the sentence subject so baked is functioning as a verb. If the child had written “he is a good baked gingerbread man” ‘baked’ would not be counted as a verb. · “The teachers will still love you.” The counted verb phrase is “will love.” Count =1 · Bike · Zoo 2
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5-3. Compound Noun Phrase or Verb Phrase (Presences/Absences of)
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0, 1, or 2 |
1st and higher: Code as 0, 1, or 2 |
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The sample only needs either a compound noun phrase or a compound verb phrase in order to be given credit for this feature. If neither type of compound phrase is present, code the sample as 0 (zero) for this feature. If either a compound noun or verb phrase is present code as 2, if the sample has a comma delimited list of nouns or verbs code as 1.
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· Compound Noun Phrase: “noun” and “noun” · CREDIT: § “I got a bike, a radio, and a doll for Christmas.” [code 2] § “he had pizza tonight and popcorn tonight [code= 2 § “For Christmas I got a bike, a radio, a doll” [code 1] § Fair 4 · NO Credit: § “Two girls played.” § “The girl with red hair played.” § Barbie 4 § “Tom and [UW]* went to the park.” No credit because the second noun is not interpretable. · *UW = Uninterpretable word · Compound Verb Phrase: “verb” and “verb” · CREDIT: § “John ran and jumped.” [code 2] § “Mike ran, laughed, and jumped.” [code 2] § “He came in and got some milk.” [code 2] § “After dinner Sue washed, dried” [code 1] · NO Credit: § “John ran and he jumped.” This is a compound sentence and has neither a compound noun phrase nor a compound verb phrase. § “I like to build a mountain and [UW]*.” No credit because the presence of a second verb cannot be confirmed. · *UW = Uninterpretable word
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5-4. Relative Clause (Presences/Absence of)
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Pre-K and K: Code values 0, 2 |
1st and higher: Code values 0, 2 |
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A clause is a group of related words containing a subject and a verb. A clause can be distinguished from a phrase by noting the lack of a subject-verb relationship in a phrase. Examples of a phrase are "in the morning", "running down the street," or "having grown used to this harassment." There are several types of clauses. A relative clause acts as a clause that modifies a noun or pronoun. Relative clauses begin with a clause word (who, whom, which, that, whose), which may be optionally deleted. However, when deletion of the clause word occurs, the verb must remain in the sample.
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· CREDIT: · “The waitress, who was wearing a white hat, served us coffee.” The relative clause “who was wearing a white hat” modifies the noun “waitress.” · “This is the bed that I sleep in.” The relative clause “that I sleep in” modifies the noun “bed.” · “The waitress, wearing a white hat, served us coffee.” In this case the clausal word “who” has been deleted; however, the verb “wearing” remains so this sample is given credit. · NO Credit: · “I didn’t get any presents. Santa forgot.” No modification of nouns or pronouns. · “I like to walk in the swimming pool.” No modification of nouns or pronouns. · “The waitress in the white hat served the coffee.” · “What is that?” In this case, “that” acts as a pronoun and does not modify another noun or pronoun.
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6. Global Writing Structure
In developing the present coding scheme, several standardized tests, listed at the end of this paragraph, were examined to identify normative sequences of global writing skill development. These tests placed importance on the child’s ability to organize his/her writing. In order to code a sample’s organization, a coder must first identify it as primarily narrative or expository writing. Different organizational elements are associated with these two genres. Narrative and expository writing styles were chosen as the primary structures or genres because these structures were most common in the samples used to develop the coding scheme. Some writing samples may not be strictly narrative or expository. When this happens, coders should choose the structure that the sample is most like or chose the ‘mixed’ genre code..
* Tests used as references for features:
Test of Early Written Language, Second Edition (1996)
CTB Writing Assessment, (1993)
Test of Written Expression, (1995)
6-1. Genre
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Pre-K & K: Code values 0, Narrative, Expository, Mixed |
1st and higher: Code values 0, Narrative, Expository, Mixed |
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Is there more than one proposition present in the sample? (See Proposition code Click Here.) · No- then Code Feature 6-1 as 0 (zero) and move to Feature 6-2. Also, if writing is undecipherable either because of messy handwriting or poor spelling, code as 0 (zero) and move to Feature 6-2. o “This is my Brat.” o “My teddy bear is going to Chicago.” (Not more than one compound verb phrase) o “And Barbie” (Not more than one compound verb phrase) o “Baked River Jumped Pig Run Fox” (Random words) o “Baking Making Woman” (Labeling) o “John ran & jumped.” (Running and jumping are mentioned without an implied or explicit sequence and is therefore considered one compound verb phrase) · Yes- Don’t code yet. Continue to next step/bullet below. o “My Brat is brown and she is tall.” o “John ran and then jumped.” o Movies 1 · Is the sample an example of Narrative or Expository writing? If the sample is a mixed genre, then Code it as whichever is the dominant genre. See the chart below to help you decide genre type. Once you have chosen a genre type, follow the questions relating to the genre listed under that particular column. · Biography (e.g., Matthew Henson) often is used in children’s literature to present science or history content within a narrative framework.
§ For very brief samples it is often difficult to distinguish narrative from expository- used MIXED code. |
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Expository |
Mixed |
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Generally includes such elements as a theme, plot,
conflict(s), resolution, characters, and a setting; uses a story to inform
and persuade.
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Explains something by definition, sequence,
categorization, comparison-contrast, enumeration, process, problem-solution,
description, or cause-effect; uses facts and details, opinions and examples.
If there are references outside of a description of the picture, the writing sample could be a narrative or mixed.
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Mixed: Code as mixed if the sample is too short or if you find it hard to decide; that is you read the sample twice and you see elements of both genres.
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Examples: · Wallet |
Examples: · Fair · T Rex 1
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6-2. Beginning and End
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0, 1, or 2 |
1st and higher: Code as 0, 1, or 2 |
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· No defined beginning or end: code as 0 · Wallet 2 · Has a clear beginning, but not a clear end: code as 0 · “One day my friend and I went to the park to play. We played baseball and Frisbee.” · Has a clear beginning and end: code as 1 · “My first day of school was very neat. We read stories and played tag. Nate, Karri, and Tom were on my team. We tagged everyone. We won. We are going to play tag again tomorrow.” · The beginning and end are explicitly linked: code as 2
More Examples: Beginning may be a Topic Sentence - the title of the writing may function as the Topic Sentence. · T Rex 2 End or Conclusion Sentence is present · T Rex 3 · My Legos
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6-3. Paragraphs
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0 or 2
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1st and higher: Code as 0 or 2 |
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If the writing is divided into at least two paragraphs (child moves to the next line and indents) code as 2. The indention of the paragraph must be clear. The paragraphs’ content may or may not be appropriately divided. Code of 2: Code of 0: · Fair 5
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6-4. Topic Sentence
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0 or 2
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1st and higher: Code as 0 or 2
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In order for the sample to receive credit, the topic sentence must be explicitly stated requiring only automatic inferencing (lexical inferences like entailment). One sentence may qualify as both the topic sentence and the beginning of the story. A story title may also count as the topic sentence if the title gives the reader a reasonable idea of what the story is about. Code of 2: Code of 0: · Fair 6
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6-5. Connectives (Temporal Words)
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0 or 2
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1st and higher: Code as 0 or 2 |
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· If a narrative sample contains words that indicate temporal order such as “when, then, next, finally,” code as 2: Note: temporal words that only function as adverbial modifiers to not count; code as 0
(Temporal and Causal) · Cause and Effect- describes a relationship between events that is causal in nature and explicitly stated. · Cause and Effect Examples (Code as 2): · “If à Then” statements. · “Because” statements · Statement of Rule Examples (Code as 2): · Party 3 · T Rex 4 · Procedural writing such as “First, you beat the eggs. Then you mix the batter.” · “The light turned red; I had to stop.”
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6-6. Narrative Setting
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code as 0 or 2 |
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Code as 2 if the setting is stated overtly within the narrative/title or enough information is provided via description that the reader could make an accurate guess with reasonable certainty. |
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6-7. Monologue/Dialogue
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code as 0 or 2 |
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If Monologue/Dialogue is present code as 2. In order to count, the character must be speaking (i.e. a direct quote such as, “Mom said, “Go to bed.””); it cannot be a paraphrase such as, “Mom & Dad told me to go to bed.” Quotation markers are not required . Code as 2: Code as 0: · Mom & Dad told me to go to bed.
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0, 1, or 2 |
1st and higher: Code as 0,1, or 2 |
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Characters are present and developed?
Code as 0 if no characters are present Code as 1 if at least one character is present and at least one attribute ispresented Code as 2 if characters are present and developed (multiple attributes).
Characters may be embedded in process descriptions.
Note: If they are just labeling the picture. Code as 0 for “This is a baby panda.” Code as 1 for “This is a baby panda. He eats bamboo.” “I like a bee. A bee is black and yellow.” “There was a clown. He was sharing.”
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7-1. Complexity
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Pre-K and K: Code as 0, 1, or 2 |
1st and higher: Code as 0,1, or 2 |
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· No Details- Code as 0 if no details are provided or they do not relate to the topic.
· Simple- Code as 1 See picture below. Details all relate to the topic, but are not expanded upon with another layer of detail (compare with Elaborative Complexity below). · Fair 7
· Elaborative- Code as 2 See picture below. There is clearly an extra layer of detail that creates a hierarchy.
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7-2. Sequencing
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Pre-K and K: Code as 1 or 2 |
1st and higher: Code as 1or 2 |
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· Code as 1 for unordered list · Unordered List- Details within the same level are provided in no particular order. · Fair 8
· Code as 2 for an organized list · Organized- Details within the same level are given in a constrained order, which provides structure to the passage; not free-association.
Note: If the child uses both unordered listing and organized listing, code the child based on the majority of the sample. If there is no clear majority, code the child as using organized listing.
Note: A code of 0 is automatically generated if there are less than two propositions in the sample.
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8. Global Word Production
8-1. Unintelligible Word
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Count the Number of Instances |
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Count the number of instances in which a word is unintelligible. There must be a sense that the productions are wordlike. This would include words that cannot be deciphered due to poor handwriting or poor spelling. In other words, the Coder does not have a reasonable belief about what the intended word is. Words that are misspelled but are otherwise interpretable with the help of the teacher’s comments and/or context should not be included in the Unintelligible Word count. Word boundaries can be established based on a combination of space use and established words (i.e. if there is a recognized word in the midst of unintelligible words, then you have established that the unintelligible words stop and start around the recognizable word).
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Count Examples: · Christmas 3 à Count= 5 · Dear Santa02 à Count= 0 · Elephant 5 à Count= 0 |
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8-2. Word Count
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Pre-K and K: Count the Number of Instances |
1st and higher: Count the Number of Instances |
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Notes: This feature codes the total word production to get a measure of productivity. There is no minimum word/letter length. This counts only recognizable words. In other words, the coder must have a reasonable belief about what the intended word is. Words that are misspelled but are otherwise interpretable with the help of the teacher’s comments and/or context should be included in the Word Count.
Hyphenated words are counted as a single word. Count all words except the unintelligible ones.
· Regarding the child’s name: o Do not count the child's name when it appears as a label of the writing sample. o Do record the child’s name if it is used as part of the actually writing, such as “By Maurice” or is a label for them in a drawing. In these cases, the first and last name counts as one word. · Regarding dates: o Do not count the date of the sample. o For dates within the sample please see “Regarding Numbers” below · Regarding numbers: o Strings of Arabic/Roman Numbers should be counted as one word unless there is significant spacing between the numbers. o Number that are alphabetically spelled out should be counted as shown below: § “2004” is one word. § “Two thousand and four” is four words. § “May 19, 2004” is three words. § “May nineteenth, two thousand and four” is six words § If the child writes out the word “three” and superimposes a “3” count each as a word. · Regarding page numbers: o Do not count numbers written by the child for the purpose of numbering the pages. · Spacing: o If words are marked by spaces but not always interpretable, count each apparent word as denoted by the spacing. · Run-on words: o Run-on words not separated by spaces should be counted as individual words if they are fairly decipherable on their own or from teacher notes. However, only count those words that the child actually wrote, not the teacher’s (adult) version of it. o Long strings of letters (e.g. 10 letters) with no interpretable words should be coded as 0. · Other notes: o Only count words actually written by child, not interpreted by the teacher. o Count all the words the child writes and do not discount words that make the text ungrammatical. o Do not count class name (Kindergarten/KE) in the Word Count. o Do count symbols as words. § “$” would count as one word. o Multisyllabic words should be counted as one word even though the child has included a space. Example: § “Yestr day” is one word. o Compound words with a space at the natural boundary should be counted as separate words. Example: § “mail man” is two words. o Contractions (can’t, won’t, couldn’t) and such words as “gonna” (going to) and “hafta” (have to) should be counted as one word. § “colud int”- In this case use the spacing and count this as two words.
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REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Bereiter, C. & Scardamalia, M. (1987). The Psychology of Written Composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbau
Berninger, V., Yates, C., Cartwright, A., Rutberg, J., Remy, E., & Abbott, R. (1992). Lower-level developmental skills in beginning writing. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 4, 257-280.
Bissex, G. (1980). GNYS AT WRK: A child learns to write and read. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bradburn, A. (2005). Writing development in the kindergarten child. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Iowa Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Iowa City, IA.
Brown, C. J. (2003). Developmental writing taxonomy. Unpublished manuscript. Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.
Calkins, L. (1985). “I am one who writes.” American Educator, 9(3), 26-29, 42, 44.
Chiappe, P., Glaeser, B. & Ferko, D. (2007). Speech perception, vocabulary, and the development of reading skills in English among Korean- and English-speaking children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 154-166.
Coker, D. (2006). Impact of first-grade factors on the growth and outcomes of urban schoolchildren’s primary-grade writing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 471-488.
Critten, S. & Pine, K. (2007). Spelling development in young children: A case of representational redescription? Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 207-230.
CTB Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. (1993). CTB Writing Assessment. CTB/McGraw-Hill. USA. Retrieved from
http://buros.unl.edu/buros/jsp/results.jsp
Ehri, L. (1997). Learning to read and learning to spell are one and the same, almost. In C. Perfetti, L. Rieben, & M. Fayol (Eds.), Learning to spell: Research, theory, and practice across languages (pp. 237-269). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Fitzgerald, J. & Shanahan, T. (2000). Reading and writing relations and their development. Educational Psychologist, 35, 39-50.
Fletcher-Flinn, C.M., Shankweiler, D., & Frost, S.J. (2004). Coordination of reading and spelling in early literacy development: An examination of the discrepancy hypothesis. Reading and Writing, 17, 617-644.
Gentry, J.R.. (1982). An analysis of developmental spelling in GNYS AT WRK, Reading Teacher. 36, 192-200.
Gibson, E.J. & Levin, H. (1975). The psychology of reading. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Graham, S., Harris, K.R., & Fink, B. (2000). Is handwriting causally related to learning to write? Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 620-633.
Hresko, Wayne P., Herron, Shelley R., and Peak, Pamela K. (1996). Test of Early Written Language (2nd Ed.). Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed.
http://www.stoeltingco.com/tests/store/ViewLevel3.asp?keyword3=927
http://www.agsnet.com/group.asp?nGroupInfoID=a19195
Levin, I. & Bus, A.G. (2003). How is emergent writing based on drawing? Analyses of children’s products and their sorting by mothers and children. Developmental Psychology, 39, 891-905.
Lombardino, L.J., Bedford, T., Fortier, C., Carter, J. & Brandi, J. (1997). Invented spelling: Developmental patterns in kindergarten children and guidelines for early literacy intervention. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in the Schools, 28, 333-343.
McCutchen, . (1995). Cognitive processes in children's writing: Developmental and individual differences. Issues in Education, 1, 123-160.
McGhee, Ron; Bryant, Brian; Larson, Stephen; and Rivera, Diane. (1995). Test of Written Expression. Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed. Retrieved from http://www.agsnet.com/Group.asp?nMarketInfoID=31&nCategoryInfoID=2590&nGroupInfoID=a19185
McGraw-Hill. (2004). Breakthrough to Literacy. Retrieved June 19, 2006 from http://www/breakthroughtoliteracy.com.
Malecki, C.K., & Jewell, J. (2003). Developmental, gender, and practical considerations in scoring curriculum-based measurement writing probes. Psychology in the Schools, 40, 379-390.
Mehta, P.D., Foorman, B.R., Branum-Martin, L., & Taylor, W.P. (2005). Literacy as a unidimensional multilevel construct: Validation, sources of influence, and implications is a longitudinal study in Grades 1 to 4. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9, 85-116.
Molfese, V.J., Beswick, J., Molnar, A., & Jacobi-Vessels, J. (2006). Alphabetic skills in preschool: A preliminary study of letter naming and letter writing. Developmental Neuropsychology, 29, 5-19.
Rickard Liow, S.J. & Lau, L. H.-S. (2006). The development of bilingual children’s spelling in English. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 868-878.
Rieben, L., Ntamakiliro, L., & Gonthier, B. (2005). Effects of various writing practices on reading and spelling. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9, 145-166.
SEDL. (undated). Reading Assessment Database for Grades K-2. Retrieved August 25, 2006 from http://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/rad/cgihttp://www.sedl.org/cgi-bin/mysql/rad/cgi