Post Primary - Writing

Age 11 -1 6

Executive Function Difficulties

The Executive Function has been described as the 'air traffic control' of the brain; carrying out multiple everyday basic tasks such as planning, organising, managing time, controlling emotions, thoughts, and behaviours whilst storing and retrieving key information and filtering distractions. For further information on Executive Function, refer to the specific section. 

Impact on WritingRecommendations for Reasonable Adjustments
The pupil may have a difficulty following and remembering the teacher's instructions 
  • Keep instructions simple and give one at a time - repeat key words and phrases 
  • Chunk information by breaking tasks into small bite- sized chunks, provide time to review and revise before the pupil moves on

The pupil may have a difficulty with planning, organising, and executing a piece of work 

 

He / she may be unsure of how to structure written work, where to begin and how to formally record ideas 

  • Break writing down into planning, monitoring and evaluation. Support pupils by modelling each step 
  • Provide planning time for the pupil to talk, share, think and make connections
  • Within the modelling stage, use colour-coding to highlight certain writing features 
  • Check the pupil’s arrangements and adjustments. Check use of accessibility tools to address any specific barrier he / she may have in learning
  • Scaffold the written process by providing access to alternative formats:
  • Speech-to-Text (STT) or Text-to-Speech (TTS) access
  • Record using mind maps, graphic-organisers or bullet points
  • Set targets:
    • What I know
    • What I want to know
    • What I have learned
  • Give specific feedback at each stage so the pupil knows what to repeat or improve
The pupil may have a difficulty in structuring work
  • Use the Paragraph Technique:
  • Select the theme for the paragraph
  • Select a key word
  • Introduce in the Topic Sentence
  • Add 3 details in the supporting sentences
  • Sum it up with a Concluding Sentence
He / she may have a difficulty in structuring extended writing
  • Teach the PEEL Framework:
  • Point: Make your point
  • Evidence: Back it up with examples
  • Explanation: Explain how evidence supports the point
  • Link: Link to the first point or next point
The pupil has a difficulty in summarising, short written articles, writing about a topic
  • First, list all the key words related to the topic (no more than 10)
  • Then, organise them into order of re-telling
  • Next, select the first key word, say a sentence out loud containing the word and write it down
  • Do this for all key words
  • Finally, edit and expand
  • 10 sentences in 10 minutes
The pupil may have a difficulty in self-checking his / her work 
  • Teach the pupils to colour-code when evaluating his / her own work   
  • Teach proofreading strategies
  • Provide a buddy
  • Comment positively on his / her attempts to self-correct work "You showed good awareness of evaluating / self-correcting your work"   
  • Encourage a metacognitive approach at each stage of the process of writing, reflecting, reviewing, monitoring and transferring new learning
Processing Speed Difficulties

Processing speed is a way of describing how the brain receives, understands, and responds to information. Not everyone thinks at the same pace. A pupil with slow processing speed may struggle to follow lessons and complete tasks.  

Impact on WritingRecommendations for Reasonable Adjustments
The pupil is slow to begin work 
  • Provide an overview of the topic at the start and define what needs to be achieved by when. Make sure the pupil understands what to do 
  • Ensure the learning objective is explicitly and clearly shared and explained to the pupil using a:

Teacher Resource: WALT Board

  • Provide visuals of the learning intention- WALT Board (and explain explicitly what the pupil is learning today) and at the end of the lesson summarise what has been taught
The pupil has a difficulty organising work or plan ideas 
  • Explicitly teach the pupil planning strategies:
  • Break down tasks into independent steps using visual prompts and clues
  • Use graphic organiser, calendar, timetable, diagram, picture, photo and mind maps 
  • Provide an example of what a completed written task should look like  

The quantity of writing produced may be limited 

The pupil may be unable to take accurate notes at a reasonable pace

If a pupil must sustain writing speed over a prolonged period, fatigue is more likely to set in   

  • Allow extra thinking time and more time to finish tasks and tests  
  • For younger pupils (Years 8-10) and to improve speed give 1-minute timed activities, for example, pupil to write, in cursive script, all the vocabulary on a given subject
Working Memory Difficulties

Working Memory involves the ability to keep information active in your mind for a brief period of time to use it for further processing. Working Memory involves manipulation and transformation of verbal and visual information, while also involving retrieval from long term memory store

Impact on WritingRecommendations for Reasonable Adjustments
The pupil may use avoidance tactics when asked to write as he / she finds the task very challenging
  • Keep instructions simple and give one at a time - repeat key words and phrases 
  • Restructure complex tasks –break down tasks into independent steps and shorten writing task to allow completion 
He / she may have difficulty planning, sequencing, and organising written text 
The pupil may have poorly presented written work, with many spelling errors 
  • Provide access to Speech-to-Text technology (STT):

Teacher Guidance: Microsoft Dictate Help Sheet

Limited semantic and syntactic knowledge:

Pupils with limited semantic and syntactic knowledge struggle to use words correctly in their writing due to a lack of word knowledge and understanding of word meaning. They are unsure of how words can be combined to give meaningful structures. 

Impact on WritingRecommendations for Reasonable Adjustments
The pupil may find the ability to build a mental model of the event he / she wants to write about difficult, which may be due to lack of background knowledge or limited experience
  • Link prior knowledge with new information when teaching
  • Teach new vocabulary for a specific topic
  • Ensure the pupil understands what the new words mean
The pupil may have limited vocabulary 
  • Provide a vocabulary list using Texthelp, Read and Write, to help the pupil remember key words:
  • Share this electronically with the pupils so they can use text-to-speech software to have difficult words and sentences read to them
  • Write in language that is easily read and understood
  • Always check the readability of the exercise
The pupil may be unsure of correct punctuation 
  • Teach the pupil the meaning of any new vocabulary

He / she may be unsure of how to arrange words in the sentence 

Incorrect use of grammar is evident 

  • Phrases such as: ‘in effect’ or ‘as a consequence’, can help a pupil to use cause and effect in writing  
  • Model grammatically accurate sentences
Lack of confidence, self-esteem, and motivation

Pupils with learning difficulties often feel discouraged when it comes to writing tasks; they may consider writing to be boring and unfulfilling as they believe they have limited knowledge and skills. Given the range of specific difficulties mentioned above, a pupil who has not had writing opportunities that increase their motivation is more likely to become withdrawn, display an unwillingness to write and make little progress in their ability to write.  Research has shown a very strong connection between writing and motivation.  

Impact on WritingRecommendations for Reasonable Adjustments
The pupil may have a poor attitude and motivation for the writing task and may use avoidance tactics 
  • Display learning intentions clearly at the beginning of the lesson and set aside time at the end of the lesson to summarise what has been learned 
  • Remove barriers caused by difficulties with spelling, for example, sequencing ideas, grammar and remembering ideas long enough to record them
  • Provide accessibility tools
  • Check the pupil’s understanding of the task and help him / her to interpret questions
  • Provide sentence starters
  • Plan a lot of group discussion and group work to motivate and engage the pupil while helping with ideas
The pupil may be a reluctant writer 
  • Teach the pupil how to answer written questions and plan written work – model examples for the pupil
  • Allow the pupil to use alternative forms to record information such as:
    • Venn Diagrams for Compare and Contrast
    • Grids for the pupil to record, what they know, what they want to know and what they want to learn (KWL) Grids
    • Timelines
    • Thinking Maps  
  • To motivate the pupil, relate to how he / she communicates outside school by writing (via technology on social media) and have the pupil transfer these writing skills (use templates of SMS text box, blogging, short stories, captions, and descriptions) 

The pupil may feel overwhelmed by the demands of the writing process due to difficulties such as the inability to concentrate and plan

 

His / her reluctance may be due specifically to handwriting and spelling difficulties

  • Present information in a multisensory way - Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic 
  • Encourage pupils to work in small groups this encourages collaboration as pupils share ideas and creativity and confidence are enhanced 
  • Build pupil's confidence regularly to encourage him / her to self-reflect and self-evaluate his / her work  
The pupil may be pressurised as he / she is expected to produce written pieces of work within a time scale and can become stressed which impacts upon legibility  
  • Give frequent positive feedback focusing on the actual attempt  
  • Provide a completed model for the pupil to refer to as a visual guide
Handwriting difficulties

Pupils with a diagnosis of Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia or Developmental Coordination Disorder are especially disadvantaged as writing requires a huge amount of physical and mental strength. By the time a pupil reaches post primary school the motor plans for handwriting have been established which means it can be exceedingly difficult to overwrite their handwriting style as it would require extensive overlearning and practice to build up new motor memory in the brain. For those pupils who struggle with handwriting there may be a need to develop keyboard and typing skills as pupils are often required to submit their coursework and assignments ‘word processed’. 

Impact on WritingRecommendations for Reasonable Adjustments
The pupil’s writing is slow and laborious and as a result composition may be compromised
  • Allow the use of word processing for pupils to produce work using ICT, for example, typing utilising Read and Write Prediction tool or Microsoft Dictate in Word:

Teacher Guidance: Microsoft Dictate Help Sheet

  • Provide opportunities for the pupil to compose writing, typing accurately and quickly and at a speed faster than his / her handwriting
  • Plan and/or allow for word processing to be ‘the norm’ during lessons and homework so pupils who really benefit from the software do not feel singled out

The pupil may have inaccurate hand-eye coordination  

 

The pupil may have signs of inaccurate visual form constancy, for example being unable to tell the difference between a ‘b’ and a ‘d’

 

Writing often appears overcrowded and legibility is impacted

  • Allow the pupil to use systems that work best for him / her - focus on his / her strengths 
  • Some pupils may enjoy trying a cursive script:           
  • Enable, access and empower the pupil:
  • Provide accessibility options
  • Word processing software
  • Shared working
  • Customise the Interactive Whiteboard
  • Audiobook, Video clips and Podcasts
  • Apps for learning and time- management
  
Signposting for Free Professional Learning Modules

The following professional learning modules may be helpful for additional information regarding the strategies recommended in this chapter. They are provided by the Literacy Service and are available through the Children and Young People's Services Professional Learning Programme, which is hosted on the EA website. The access code to the courses is updated each year and shared with your Principal in September:

Bibliography and References

Bilton & Duff, (2021) ‘Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2’, Guidance Report, EEF 

Kelly, K & Philips, S. (2022) ‘Teaching Literacy to Learners with Dyslexia: A Multisensory Approach’, Sage, London

Quigley, A. & Coleman, R. (2018) ‘Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools- Guidance Report,’ The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), England