The Value of a Literacy Intervention tool that offers a Framework for Writing
by Hannah MacLellan
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Well, that’s according to Ernest Hemingway.
Mark Twain would probably have agreed with him, as he once said: “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.”
Hmmm, if only!
For those of us who are not Hemingways or Twains, the reality is quite different. I have lost count how many times I have heard students exclaim “I don’t know where to start!” Many students struggle to get thoughts down on paper. Students with dyslexia, who often have many ideas going around in their heads, can find it hard to get them all down and in the order they want. Knowing how to start can be the hardest part.
Why is writing a challenge for many? Let’s look at what it involves. Firstly, you must know what you want to write: you need a plan. Then you build up words into phrases; the phrases need developing into sentences and ultimately paragraphs. If it’s a long piece of writing, there may be lots of paragraphs that need fitting together. It is, essentially, about sequencing bits of information to make sense. And everything, at every stage, needs to be structured, easy to follow for the reader and with correct spelling and punctuation. So, far from there being ‘nothing to it’, there’s an awful lot to it.
Unlike spelling, which can mostly be corrected by spell checkers and assistive technology, the planning and organising of writing needs more input, and therefore takes time and practice. Older students often think they are wasting time doing a plan for written work. Under pressure, especially in exam conditions, it’s understandable that students can think it is better to just start writing without ‘wasting time on planning’.
However, time-wastage usually comes from having no plan, no framework - without a framework the starting point is harder to find, there’s a lack of structure, key points are missed out, and students can get into all kinds of problems along the way - including giving a great answer to a different question.
A student can greatly benefit from a literacy intervention program that guides on writing using a secure framework from which to practise building up sentences, and then plan, write and edit paragraphs.
But how? Imagine you are a student who struggles with the very basics of writing. If I asked you to write a paragraph about a cat, even that might seem like quite a challenge. You may not know how to start. What if, instead, I gave you a ‘framework’ sentence to help you get started? A sentence like: The cat sat on the mat. What if I then asked you to describe that cat, the mat and maybe how the cat is sitting, and then add those ideas into the sentence? You may come up with something like: The velvety grey cat sat lazily on the sun-drenched mat.
It would then be easier for you to extend this sentence by adding on another one or two sentences to continue the story. Before you know it, you’ve got yourself a paragraph.
With planning longer text comes the importance of planning techniques to create a more solid framework. Mind mapping works well for those who are very visual. Mind maps focus the brain on organising thoughts into topics and key points, sequencing the information and helping with the flow of thought. Others may prefer to do linear planning using lists or tables to help organise thoughts. It’s whatever works for the student.It would be great if we could all just ‘bleed’ out structured writing, but usually what is necessary is a framework to ease the way. Any literacy intervention program that can help with this is a hugely valuable resource.
Hannah worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
by Hannah MacLellan
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Well, that’s according to Ernest Hemingway.
Mark Twain would probably have agreed with him, as he once said: “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.”
Hmmm, if only!
For those of us who are not Hemingways or Twains, the reality is quite different. I have lost count how many times I have heard students exclaim “I don’t know where to start!” Many students struggle to get thoughts down on paper. Students with dyslexia, who often have many ideas going around in their heads, can find it hard to get them all down and in the order they want. Knowing how to start can be the hardest part.
Why is writing a challenge for many? Let’s look at what it involves. Firstly, you must know what you want to write: you need a plan. Then you build up words into phrases; the phrases need developing into sentences and ultimately paragraphs. If it’s a long piece of writing, there may be lots of paragraphs that need fitting together. It is, essentially, about sequencing bits of information to make sense. And everything, at every stage, needs to be structured, easy to follow for the reader and with correct spelling and punctuation. So, far from there being ‘nothing to it’, there’s an awful lot to it.
Unlike spelling, which can mostly be corrected by spell checkers and assistive technology, the planning and organising of writing needs more input, and therefore takes time and practice. Older students often think they are wasting time doing a plan for written work. Under pressure, especially in exam conditions, it’s understandable that students can think it is better to just start writing without ‘wasting time on planning’.
However, time-wastage usually comes from having no plan, no framework - without a framework the starting point is harder to find, there’s a lack of structure, key points are missed out, and students can get into all kinds of problems along the way - including giving a great answer to a different question.
A student can greatly benefit from a literacy intervention program that guides on writing using a secure framework from which to practise building up sentences, and then plan, write and edit paragraphs.
But how? Imagine you are a student who struggles with the very basics of writing. If I asked you to write a paragraph about a cat, even that might seem like quite a challenge. You may not know how to start. What if, instead, I gave you a ‘framework’ sentence to help you get started? A sentence like: The cat sat on the mat. What if I then asked you to describe that cat, the mat and maybe how the cat is sitting, and then add those ideas into the sentence? You may come up with something like: The velvety grey cat sat lazily on the sun-drenched mat.
It would then be easier for you to extend this sentence by adding on another one or two sentences to continue the story. Before you know it, you’ve got yourself a paragraph.
With planning longer text comes the importance of planning techniques to create a more solid framework. Mind mapping works well for those who are very visual. Mind maps focus the brain on organising thoughts into topics and key points, sequencing the information and helping with the flow of thought. Others may prefer to do linear planning using lists or tables to help organise thoughts. It’s whatever works for the student.It would be great if we could all just ‘bleed’ out structured writing, but usually what is necessary is a framework to ease the way. Any literacy intervention program that can help with this is a hugely valuable resource.
Hannah worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
