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  • Writing

What Early Writers Need

Transcription vs. Composition

Joan Sedita, M.Ed.
young boy writing in class at his desk

Kindergarten Expectations

Composition Skills Transcription Skills
Composition is expressed primarily through speaking, dictating, or drawing. Students know that writing differs from drawing, has distinct letter forms, and can be read back.
Students may attempt to write messages of their own and read them back. Students know how to write at least some letter forms.
Students produce complete sentences when speaking. Students know that spaces are between words.
Students use frequently occurring nouns, verbs, and question words while composing. Students know that writing goes from left to right and is organized from top to bottom of the page.
Students capitalize the first word when writing a sentence. Students may or may not know the alphabetic principle and produce early phonetic spellings of some sounds in words.

Grade 1 Expectations

Composition Skills Transcription Skills
Composition is expressed primarily through speaking, drawing, words, and gradually written sentences. Students know the alphabetic principle and spell by sound using alphabet letter names and sound-letter correspondences.
Students begin to produce the four types of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory) and compound sentences when speaking. Students remember the spellings of commonly used high-frequency words.
Students use a wider variety of nouns, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, and verb tenses while composing. Students begin to write words in sequence with word spaces, capitalize the first word, and use punctuation at the ends of sentences.
Students may be amenable to adding details to drawings and text in response to feedback from peers and adults.

Grade 2 Expectations

Composition Skills Transcription Skills
Composition is expressed primarily through speaking and writing sentences. Spelling and handwriting are becoming more sufficient to focus more on the demands of composing.
Students write compound and complex sentences, and all four types of sentences. Students apply basic capitalization rules and begin using more punctuation (e.g., commas in letter greetings, apostrophe for contraction and possessives).
Students begin to link sentences into a basic paragraph.
There is more independence in generating ideas.
Students use more complicated forms of nouns and pronouns, irregular verbs, and a variety of adjectives and adverbs when composing.
Students begin to be aware of task, audience, and purpose.
Students may be amenable to adding details and text revision in response to feedback from peers and adults.

Grade 3 Expectations

Composition Skills Transcription Skills
Composition is expressed primarily through writing. Spelling and handwriting are sufficiently fluent to focus on the demands of composing.
Students write compound and complex sentences. Students use more complex punctuation (e.g., commas and quotation marks in dialogue).
Students link sentences into multiple paragraphs.
Students use a wider range of vocabulary, including terms that represent abstract concepts, when composing.
Students write with an awareness of task, audience, and purpose.
Students revise writing with feedback support from peers and adults.

Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (opens in new window); the AFT (opens in new window); the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (opens in new window); and three anonymous donors.