This past year was particularly challenging. If you are currently in the classroom, you know what I mean! Two areas where my students struggled were grammar and writing mechanics. I found that I had to backtrack and review some writing basics before I could expect them to dig into narrative, argumentative or informative writing in a multiple-paragraph format.
So, I took baby steps and started with daily writing prompts and very basic writing goals. For example, capitalizing the word “I” would be a writing goal for the week and I would get them started every day with a narrative writing prompt in the first person, so the students would have ample opportunity to practice and attain that goal. Read more about my ELA block.
I recently designed a rubric to incorporate these basic writing skills all in one place! I hope this will prove helpful going into the start of the coming school year. The rubric includes the following categories: Spelling, Structure, Punctuation, Capitalization, and Handwriting. This resource will be very helpful for students in grades 3-5. I’m excited to implement it this year and I feel it will be an excellent accompaniment to my other 5th grade rubrics.
Are your students struggling with basic writing mechanics too?
