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Controlled Writing Activities

Copying: To help learner become comfortable with writing words and sentences.

• Ask learner to read something and circle words s/he wants to learn. Copy them onto separate index cards for sight word practice.

• Ask learner to copy all the traffic signs on his/her street. Then review them together.

• Ask learner to copy a language experience story s/he dictated.

• Ask learner to dictate a note to a friend or relative, copy it, and mail it.

• Help learner make a vocabulary list related to a reading. Ask the learner to dictate sentences using these words and then to copy the sentences.

• Make a crossword puzzle using words learner knows; the learner can copy the words into the puzzle from a word list you provide. (If using a story in Laubach Skillbook, use correlated puzzles.)

Select activities that reinforce a reading, or work with topics of interest to the learner. Keep copying activities short. Ask the learner to copy only materials that have personal value.

Cloze Exercises: To help learner who can copy words and sentences begin to use writing to communicate meaning.

Suggestions:

• Ask learner to complete sentences by selecting from a word list.

  • (bread/Fred) I asked _______ to get ______ from the store.

• Write a list of words and a sample sentence. Ask the learner to write the sentence several times, using a different word in the blank each time.

  • (brother, sister, father, mother, mechanic)
    My _________ fixed the brakes on the car.

• Rewrite sentences from a language experience story as a cloze exercise.

Filling Out Forms: To encourage learner to use writing to meet practical needs.

• Collect samples of the types of forms you want to work on (such as employment application forms from area businesses). Work with learner to fill out one of the forms. Ask the learner to complete another form independently, using information from the one you did together.

• Practice writing checks. Ask a bank for sample checks. Give learner a list of bills to be paid. Include name of a person or company and the amount owed. Ask the learner to write a check for each bill. Provide a reference chart with number words if needed.

• Clip coupons for free items from newspapers and magazines. Ask learner to fill them out and mail them. Then use what company sends as part of a future reading lesson.

• Other forms: Library card application, voter registration, health history forms, school permission forms.

Sentence Completion: To provide structured activities to help the learner begin using writing to communicate ideas.

• Prepare a number of open-ended sentences. E.g., "When I think of my mother, I feel ___________." "My favorite color for a car is _____________."

• Ask the learner to copy the beginnings of the sentences and then to complete them with a single word or phrase. Ask the learner to read the sentence to you and to explain why s/he selected the word or phrase.

• Write questions for the learner to answer with complete sentences. To start, select questions that can be answered with information in the reading selection. Then move to questions that do not require a specific answer. E.g., "What is your favorite season?"

Making lists: To help learner use lists to organize activities or remember important information.

• Ask a question or set a task related to a reading or to the learner's life:

  • List the names of people in your family

  • List the jobs you have held and the dates you worked in them

  • List the names of the people on your Christmas list and what you will get each person

  • Make a list of chores for each person in your family

  • Make a list of items you need at the grocery store

  • Name the tools you need to fix a flat tire

  • Make a list of what you have to do this week. Include day and time.

• Discuss the list with your learner. Is the list complete?

• Help the learner start keeping a calendar for writing, appointments, meetings, or special events to remember.