ADAPTATIONS FOR STRUGGLING WRITERS

Introduction

Hi Future teachers! This is your first module titled, Adaptations for struggling
Writers.

You have already studied the Areas of Difficulty for Students with Writing
Problems and the Qualities of Strong Writing Instruction. Now, you are ready to learn
and acquire the modifications to task demands and modifications to learning task. This
may help you in teaching especially in writing part of your lesson. Not only the teacher
but also the students. The four macro skills will also develop as you read some of the
example of this module though the main focus of this module is writing. Reading,
listening, speaking are connected to writing that is why it is important for us to know
more about this. This will be a big help for us future teachers especially when we
encounter difficult students or if we are assign to lower grade.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:

a. identify the modifications to task demands that can use to help your student;
b. acquire the modifications to learning task; and
c. use the modifications to task demands and modifications to learning task in teaching
and developing the writing skills of the students.

Lesson 4

Modifications to Task Demands

a. Increase the amount of time allotted for completing written assignments.
Example
Assignments: 03/25/19
1) Choose one topic from each type of essay listed below and then write an essay
about it:
 Narrative Essay
a. “What you don’t know won’t hurt you”.
As a saying goes but more often than not, the opposite proved true.
b. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”.
Tell an experience that will prove this true.
c. “Happiness result not in getting what you want but by giving what we
have”.
Share an experience about this.

Descriptive Essay
a. The person I most looked up to.
b. The life that I dreamt of but never had.
c. My Journey towards victory.

Persuasive Essay
a. Filipino Youth still the hope of the mother land. (Yes or No)
b. Is 4Ps a boon or bane?
gift curse
c. Is “an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth for a tooth” acceptable and
humane
punishment? Why or Why not?

Expository Essay
a. Explain the common ways on how to end up a relationship.
b. When it’s hurting, yet you keep on staring.
c. When I strip off my clothes, don’t make me feel naked.

2) Research about Figures of Speech

a. Types
b. Give one example from each type

Deadline of Submission: 03/29/19

* When we give written assignments we give enough or increase the amount of

time to our students, so that the outcome is good. They will also have the time to
further their ideas in the task given by the teacher. They will also have the time
to research for additional information and the time to review their work.

b. Decrease the length and/or complexity of written assignments.

Example
Assignments:
1. Write a short story minimum of 50 words and maximum of 70 words. Choose
any topic or ideas you want.
2. Research about poetry.
c. Have students complete text frames (i.e., partially finished text).

Example

Grammar
Fill in the blanks using an appropriate pronoun.

Daniel is a teenager _________ lives in Jerusalem. ________ is smart

and very handsome. One day, the Babylon takes _______and others as
prisoners. The king of Babylon chooses Daniel to work in ________ palace.
First, Daniel has to learn a new language. ______ begins to study the language
and culture. While in class, ______ makes three good friends. ______ names
are Shadrach, Meshach and Abenego.

d. Reduce or eliminate copying demand.

Example

Teach students abbreviations for notetaking, supply worksheets with math

problems from textbook.
 Mnemonics – this will help the student to lessen the amount of time in
writing and they can also use this as their strategy in studying i.e., when
they are reviewing.

e. Allow students to use temporary/invented spelling.

Example

beke nemen Charot chakaness

Aqoh Lodi besh

*When students use invented spelling they become more participative in class
may be because they can relate or they use the word in talking to their friends.
*Take note temporary/invented spelling are not allowed in formal or academic
writing.

f. Pre-teach spelling vocabulary assignments.

Example

Vocabulary

Unlocking of difficulties

 Vineyard – are field were grapes are grown.

  Workers – a person who does particular job to earn money: a person who
is actively involved in a particular activity.
 Full – containing as much or as many as is possible or normal.
 Envious – feeling or showing a desire to have what someone else has:
feeling or showing activity.
 Point – an idea that you try to make other people accept or understand: a
particular detail of an idea or argument.

After giving and discussing the vocabulary words from a certain story the
teacher can now give the assignments.

Assignments:

1. Write a sentence using a synonym for each word in the vocabulary words that
we
discuss. (A synonym is a word that carries the same meaning.)

Example: (receive)
The workers came to get their pay.

2. Research about synonyms and antonyms.

g. Evaluate spelling using correct letter sequences e.g., hopping has 8

possible correct letter sequences rather than number of words spelled
correctly to measure and reward incremental progress attributable to
partial correct spelling.

Example:

When we write on the board we must be careful on our handwritten because

some of our students may write the words incorrect. We must also check our
handwritten or ask our students if they understand it. For example, in a situation
the teacher writes the word portfolio but the student write as pontfolio.

 Alarm clock
 Flower
 Shoes
 Book

* Check the letters if it is correct they might interchange the vowel letters
or they might write the wrong vowel, just like (flower, flawer).
h. Permit students to dictate written work to transcribe.

Example:

When the teacher gives the assignments we can call some of our students to
read the assignments that they have written this will also help some of their
classmates who have not yet done writing their assignments. This will also be
good for clarifications and aside from they are writing they also listen to the
person talking and read their assignments.

i. If students have adequately developed keyboarding skills, permit them to

write papers with a word processor.

Example:

Students can download a typing master which can develop their keyboarding
skills. At first they will type the letter, next is word, phrase, sentence and
paragraph.

j. Permits students to use outlining and semantic mapping software to

facilitate learning.

Example:

Outlining

I. _______ Main Topic ________

A. ___________ Supporting Details ___________

B. ___________ Supporting Details ___________
C. ___________ Supporting Details ___________

II. _______ Main Topic ________

A. ___________ Supporting Details ___________

B. ___________ Supporting Details ___________
C. ___________ Supporting Details ___________

III. ________ Main Topic _______

A. ___________ Supporting Details ___________

B. ___________ Supporting Details ___________
C. ___________ Supporting Details ___________
Semantic Mapping
* Outlining and semantic mapping is a big help to facilitate student learning and
help them determine the relationship of the ideas. Microsoft Word and Microsoft
PowerPoint are also example of this, there are various types of outlining and
semantic mapping that they can use. Students may also download or research
other software that they want to use.

k. Use of voice recognition technology.

Voice recognition technology can use to check the diction, intonation and the
proper pronunciation. Sometimes there are applications that when you type the
words there is voice that will read of what you type.

l. Use of integrated spell checker or word prediction software to facilitate

correct spelling.

Student can also use the Microsoft Word to check the spelling aside from
Microsoft Word there are some application software which they can use and also
websites.

m. Use of speech synthesis technology to facilitate revising and editing.

Speech synthesis technology will help the student to revise and edit their written
work. Aside from it will help the student to revise and edit their work it will be
easy for the teacher to check their work because it was already checked by the
speech synthesis technology. The teacher will still double check the written work
of the students.

n. Weight grading for content, organization, style and conventions.

The teacher must also have the rubrics and it should be present and explain to
the class so that they are aware of what they have to write.
Example

Write an essay about the country/countries that you want to visit.

Rubrics:

Content 50%
Orderliness 25%

o. Grade assignments based on the amount of improvement rather than

absolute performance.
In grading the students’ performance, we grade based on the amount of the
improvement like for example one of your student was not good in spelling
before but after the 1st quarter you have observed his improvement in spelling.
During quiz in spelling your student didn’t get a low score. You have observed
that he is doing research or asking for the help of his/her classmates.

Peer tutoring can also be done so that they will working and helping with each
other to improve their weakness in writing may be in spelling or in grammar.

p. Assign letter grades for body of work collected over time (i.e., portfolio
assessment).

In secondary level some teacher uses 100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95… for giving
grades of the students work or A+, A-, B+, B-, C+, C-, D+, D-… while in
elementary level some teachers uses the stamp especially for Kinder and grade
1, and the rest they also give 100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95…for the work of the pupils.

In tertiary level they use 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25, 3.0 for giving grades to
work of the students while some uses A+, A-, B+, B-, C+, C-, D+, D-… for some
of the written work i.e., lesson plan.

q. Provide feedback on content, organization, style, and conventions for

some rather than all assignments (which may reduce students’ anxiety
about writing).

Example:

When we return the written work of our students we must give our feedback on
content, organization, style, and conventions so that they will know part that they
need to improve and also they will know the strength of their work or which part
they are good at. This will help for the improvement of the student work.

r. Provide feedback on targeted aspects of writing rather than all aspects

to avoid overwhelming students.

Teachers must have the specific target aspects of writing for giving feedback. If
the teacher gives the feedback on all the aspects the student may feel very
overwhelm. Teacher must avoid doing that.

Modifications to Learning Task

a. Permit students to dramatize or orally present a written assignment,
either in lieu of writing or in preparation of writing.

When the teacher gives a written assignment, the teacher can also tell his/her
students to present their work in role play or they can present it in a form of
trailer. Students may think of creative way on how they will present their work.

b. Assign students’ suitable roles (e.g., brainstorm manager) for the

creation of group generated paper.

Students has different role but suitable to them, with this student can work by
group but has their part to do. This will help the students to produce a good
work, this will only depend on they do their part or the good communication in a
group. Teacher must also monitor the students while doing it especially if it is
inside the classroom. If not student must have papers to submit for the checking.