Assignment # 4 Writing Analysis

by
Ramonita M. Ruiz
TSOL 0525 - CRN 22080-L02
Teaching Reading and Literacy Development in Spanish
Dr. Onaidy Moran

Nova Southeastern University

Gerde et al. (2020) states that writing is an essential early literacy skill that establishes the

groundwork for subsequent literacy proficiencies and reading achievements in children. Writing

is the act of communicating thoughts, feelings, and perspectives through the medium of print:

composing or writing for communication (Gerde et al., 2020, p. 2). Erkan (2022) asserts that the

analysis of students' writing may provide significant insights for educators regarding their

students' writing proficiencies, as well as their areas of strength and areas in need of

improvement. This information can assist educators in customizing their feedback to target

specific areas in which students want enhancement. Teachers can discern recurring error patterns

in grammar, vocabulary, and organization, enabling them to offer specific feedback aimed at

enhancing students' proficiency in these domains. Furthermore, the examination of students'

written work enables educators to gain insights into their students' writing methodologies and

strategies, enhancing their ability to provide effective instruction and assistance. On the contrary,

the act of students engaging in self-analysis of their own writing can prove beneficial in

identifying areas of weakness and subsequently formulating effective solutions to fix these areas.

Through engaging in self-reflection on their own writing, students can enhance their awareness

of both their strengths and limitations, cultivating a more comprehensive comprehension of the

intricate writing process. This practice can facilitate the development of independent writing

skills and foster a sense of responsibility for one's own learning.

Erkan (2022) proposes that instructors can instruct students on the writing process

by offering constructive criticism that serves as a guide. The process approach to writing

underscores the notion that writing is a multi-step and intricate undertaking that demands

diligence and investment from both the instructor and the learner. To assist students in

developing their writing abilities, instructors may offer feedback at various phases of the process,
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including pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing. Teachers can model the writing process for

their students by illustrating how to organize, compose, revise, and edit a piece of writing, in

addition to offering constructive criticism. Additionally, instructors can afford students the

chance to engage in activities that simulate every phase of the writing process, including

ideation, outlining, and peer editing. Through participation in these exercises, students can

cultivate a more comprehensive comprehension of the writing process and evolve into more

confident and autonomous writers. This paper will analyze two collected writing samples in

Spanish and two in English from one student in third-grade level or higher.

Student’s Background Information

The writer looked over several of student A's writing assignments in both Spanish and

English. Student A, an eight-year-old Puerto Rican student whose native language is Spanish, is

enrolled at the George Washington School, a small primary school in the town of Lares. The

school initiated a program called “On My Way to Bilingualism," which means that main subjects

such as math and science are given in English. This program began during the pandemic and has

had many challenges, but it has not been interrupted. Currently, this initiative program has

served student A since first grade. The student is a protestant who lives in a rural locale with a

low-income family. The parents of Student A are not prepared academically. Also, the student

lives with his parents and younger brother. Although this student is not a member of the special

education program, he is enrolled in his own institution's after-school tutoring program, which

offers homework assistance and reinforces math, Spanish, and English abilities. Additionally,

student A has always done remarkably well in school, earning commendations for both his good

behavior and grades. Furthermore, this student has an almost perfect attendance record. The
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parents of the student participate actively in all school events, are responsible, and communicate

well with teachers despite not being professionals.

Student’s Spanish Writing Level and Overview

The student's Spanish teacher gave the writer two writing assignments with the topics of

favorite sports and an autobiographical essay to analyze. Each work involved the writing of a

five-sentence paragraph. During a short interview with the Spanish teacher, she indicated that the

student is classified as an independent writer and reader. The student's writing practice samples

indicate that he is at level five. According to Freeman and Freeman (2006), level five students

employ consonants as well as vowels to represent all the sounds in each phrase more frequently,

and most of the text is correctly spelled. After analyzing the students writing, the writer came

upon many errors. For example, in Appendix A of this assignment, there is writing about the

student's favorite sport, which shows an error between the consonants of b and v in the word

favorite that is found in the first sentence of the paragraph. Also, many accent remarks were left

out of this writing piece. In addition, the writer observes that the student struggles with letter and

word spacing, and mistakes related to capital and lowercase letter application. Additionally, the

writer has observed repetitions of words and phrases at the beginning of four sentences. In the

second writing sample of Appendix A, where the student was assigned to write about himself in

Spanish, the student did not confuse any letters. However, he continues to omit accent remarks,

misspell phrases, and repeat words at the beginning of sentences in English that refer to I. This

writing sample shows no misunderstanding between consonants and vowels, and his letter and

word spacing have improved from the initial writing sample. Even though both samples of the

written work contain multiple errors, they are understandable and feature expected flaws that

indicate the student's effort. To summarize, the issues discovered in both pieces of writing show
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that the student is at the final writing level and that with additional writing practice, the student

would be able to improve his writing skills (Freeman & Freeman, 2006). In other words, despite

all the errors in his tasks, the student's writing in Spanish is understandable and easy to

understand.

Student’s English Writing Level and Overview

During the school year, student A completed two writing assignments. In the first

assignment that is included in Appendix B, the student wrote about a favorite sport, and in the

second assignment, the student wrote an autobiography. Both assignments consisted of writing a

five-sentence paragraph. The writer concluded that the student's writing is level five after

studying both assignments. According to Freman and Freeman (2020), in level five, students

refine their alphabetical theories, and errors found between pieces of writing are common among

young authors. After analyzing the two pieces of writing from student A, the writer has found

that the student has many grammar mistakes and that most of the words misspelled are missing a

letter or have a wrong letter added to the word. For instance, in the first writing sample of

Appendix B, the student spelled favorite without the last letter. Also, there are two other

misspelled words, such as clear and mind, that allow the writer to come to the hypothesis that

student A intends to combine words that are used in the native language with words in the

English language. In addition, the second writing task that appears in Appendix B also reflects

many grammar mistakes. Furthermore, student A repeats many pronouns at the beginning of the

sentences. However, in both pieces of writing found in Appendix B, there are very few

punctuation mistakes. Even though writing in English is difficult for student A, the writer

discovers that the student is writing at his grade level. However, the writer notices feature of

insecurity in the student's writing, which has an impact on the tasks' results. Although the
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student's work presents many errors, the message of each paragraph was transmitted and

understood effectively. The writing samples show that the vocabulary used is appropriate and

adequate for student A. The writer may consider writing activities that help the student gain

security and confidence during the writing process. Consequently, the student will be able to

produce paragraphs with fewer errors and more length.

Which Language is the Dominant Language of the Student and Evidence of Language

Transfer

Spanish is the child's dominant language. The samples acquired from the student show

that Spanish is the student's dominant language since he can compose a five-paragraph essay in a

short amount of time when compared to other peers in the same group. Furthermore, the writer

found fewer grammar mistakes in the Spanish tasks than in the English writing examples.

Although student A can write a five-sentence paragraph in English, the writer has seen that the

student frequently struggles and needs the writer's help. The student employs transfer throughout

the writing samples. For example, the writer observes numerous comparable words in Spanish

and English in all of the writing tasks assigned to the student. Also, some of the English concepts

have flaws that show that the student was code-switching during the writing process. For

example, the student wrote "clera" instead of "clear" and "meend" instead of "mind in the first

writing sample of Appendix B." Both errors demonstrate that the child was attempting to

translate words from one language to another.

Conclusion

Overall, an analysis of the students' writing samples yields significant observations regarding

their linguistic proficiencies and domains requiring enhancement. It is clear from the student's

specific error examples that they struggle to write in English and frequently need help.
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Nevertheless, the analysis reveals that the student is advancing and possesses the capacity to

further refine their writing abilities through further instruction and assistance. In general, the

feedback regarding the student's writing is vital for customizing instruction and delivering

efficacious assistance to facilitate the student's achievement. The teacher values the student's

writing information because it provides insight into the student's language proficiency and areas

requiring further development. Analysis of the student's writing samples reveals that the student

frequently requires assistance with writing in English. The writer can use this information to

tailor the lesson to the student's needs and provide additional support as needed. Moreover, the

analysis furnishes the instructor with instances of mistakes committed by the student in their

sample writings, enabling the instructor to focus on domains that require enhancement. In

general, the data contained in the student's written work holds significance in enabling the

instructor to deliver efficacious guidance and assistance to the student.

References

Erkan, G. (2022). The impact of teacher e-feedback on students’ writing: A waste of time or

a road to success? Focus on ELT Journal, 4(1), 46-59.

https://doi.org/10.14744/felt.2022.4.1.4

Freeman, Y. S., & Freeman D. E. (2006). Teaching reading and writing in Spanish and English

(2 nd ed.). Heinemann.

Gerde, H., Bingham, G. & Wasik, B. (2012, December 1). Writing in Early Childhood

Classrooms: Guidance for Best Practices. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40.

https://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/migrated/Writing-in-Early-Childhood-

Classrooms-Best-Practices.pdf
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Appendix A Spanish Writing Samples

Appendix A Spanish Writing Samples

Appendix B English Writing Samples

Appendix B English Writing Samples