Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

Writing

Writing combines thought processes including coming up with ideas, deciding what to write about and how to write about it, developing the topic and so on. The writer will need a certain level of knowledge about the topic at hand. From a technical standpoint, writing involves a good knowledge of spelling, grammar, sentence structure, paragraphing, etc. He or she will need to be able to edit the work and make corrections and changes as needed.

Experienced writers know that all of the above activities must go on simultaneously in order to produce a piece of work. These activities are intertwined and, for the most part, occur at the experienced writer’s subconscious level. Beginning writers, however, need to learn about these various activities and learn how to use them and combine them to produce written work. They also need to learn that experienced writers seldom get things perfect the first time, and that writing is a work in progress!

Beginning writers will often say that they don’t know what to write about. However, if they can talk about something, they can write about it. They just need to learn the right skills.

The Ontario Literacy Coalition’s Level Descriptions Manual gives authentic writing samples and describes the five LBS levels of writing. It also includes possible performance indicators for each level.

Level One: The writer writes for some specific, personally relevant purposes, using a few simple forms and sentences, a familiar vocabulary, and some basic grammar, punctuation and spelling. For example, when you write a shopping list, you are using level one skills.

Level Two: The writer writes for a variety of specific, familiar purposes and audiences, using various simple forms and a basic paragraph structure, with simple support to convey a main idea. The writer uses words and phrases appropriate for the purpose and audience, and basic grammar, punctuation and spelling. For example, the simple message you write on a postcard may require only level two skills.

Level Three: The writer writes for a variety of specific purposes and audiences, using various forms of some complexity and developed paragraphs to convey a main idea. The writer begins to use a appropriate style for the purpose and audience and common grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Level Four: The writer writes for a variety of different purposes and audiences, using complex forms, and well-linked and well-developed paragraphs, with effective supporting details to convey a main idea. The writer uses a style appropriate for the purpose and audience, as well as more complex grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Level Five: The writer writes for a wide variety of different purposes and audiences, using a wide variety of complex forms and organizational approaches with appropriate and precise supporting details to convey a main idea creatively and logically. The writer uses a style that reinforces the purpose and engages the audience, as well as complex grammar, punctuation and spelling.

When a beginning writer starts to work towards becoming an experienced writer, he or she goes through a series of stages. These stages are described in excellent detail in a curriculum guide from Saskatchewan available at www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/mla/writing2.html.

At first, the student will have only a minimal awareness of the writing process. He or she will need support and coaching to develop writing skills. Modelling the writing process for the student can be very beneficial. For example, the instructor can demonstrate that writing a story doesn’t start with the first word and end with the last word – the writer edits, reorganizes, deletes and adds throughout the writing process. As learners become more comfortable with the writing process, they also need to discover the benefits of having someone read and critique their writing. Eventually, they will learn to express their voice and to take risks and experiment with their writing and become more comfortable with their new skills.

Becoming an experienced writer, like so many other things in life, does not happen overnight. Literacy students, and instructors, need to realize that it takes time and practice. Experienced writers aren’t born that way, they have benefited from lots of practice! They have also benefited from constructive feedback and learning to revise their work.

Whether a writer uses a pen, a pencil or a keyboard, it takes time to become comfortable with the physicality of writing. Noise distractions, uncomfortable chairs and sore hands or wrists can all hamper the writing process!

NEXT PAGE

Designed and hosted by in collaboration with CLO