Academic and Behavioral Interventions

Are you looking for ways to teach students to correctly form letters while writing? If so, keep reading.

1. To enable appropriate holding of a pencil, put colored tape on portions of the pencil to correspond to finger positions. Then put colored tape on the student’s fingernails and have the student match colors.

2. Give the student an alphabet strip attached to their desk in either printed or written form to serve as a model for correct letter formations.

3. Praise the student for making correct letters: (a) give the student a concrete reward (e.g., privileges such as leading the line, handing out learning materials, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the student an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

4. Get the student to practice forming letters correctly by using writing learning activities that are most likely to cause the student to want to be successful (e.g., writing a letter to a friend, rock star, famous athlete; filling out a job application, contest form, etc.).

5. Inspect the student’s handwritten work at several points throughout a handwriting learning experience to make sure that the student is forming letters correctly.

6. Acknowledge quality work (e.g., display the student’s work, congratulate the student, etc.).

7. Give the student the appropriate learning materials to finish the task (e.g., pencil with eraser, paper, handwriting sample, etc.). Make sure that the student has only those appropriate learning materials on the desk.

8. Do not require the student to learn more information than they are capable of learning at any time.

9. Make the student proofread all written work. Praise the student for each correction made.

10. Teach the student handwriting skills at each level before introducing a new skill level.

11. Minimize the emphasis on competition. Competitive learning activities may cause the student to hurry and fail to form letters correctly.

12. Give tactile stimulation for the child (e.g., sand, fur, clay, wood, etc.).

13. Utilize specific manipulatives (strings, toothpicks, etc.) to form letters for visual models.

14. Select a peer to model working daily on drills involving letter formation, ending, and connecting strokes, spacing, and slant for the student.

15. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking for strategies to help students who cannot form letters correctly while writing? If so, keep reading.

1. Make sure the student is instructed in each letter formation, giving the student oral as well as physical descriptions and demonstrations.

2. Give the student physical prompts by moving the student’s hand, giving them a feeling of directionality.

3. Utilize arrows to show the student directionality when tracing or using dot-to-dot to form letters.

4. Inspect the student’s writing position. A right-handed person writing in cursive should tilt the paper to the left so the lower left-hand comer points toward the person’s midsection. As writing progresses, the paper should shift, not the writing ann.

5. Utilize color signals for lines (e.g., red for the top line, yellow for the middle line, green for the bottom line) to indicate where letters are to be made.

6. Draw simple shapes and lines for the student to practice writing on lined paper.

7. Highlight the baseline or top line on the paper to help the student remain within the given spaces.

8. Make sure the student sits in an appropriate size chair with feet touching the floor, their back pressed against the back of the chair, shoulders slightly inclined, arms resting on the desk, and elbows just off the lower edge of the desk.

9. Get the student to practice tracing letters at their desk.

10. Get the student to practice tracing letters on the smartboard.

11. Get the student to practice forming letters correctly by tracing over a sequence of dots.

12. Inspect the student’s pencil grasp. The pencil should be held between the thumb and the first two fingers, one inch from its tip, with the top pointing toward the right shoulder (if righthanded).

13. Get the student to practice tracing with reduced signals. Write the complete letter and have the student trace it. As the student shows success, slowly give less of the letter for them to trace (e.g., dashes, then dots).

14. Find those letters the student does not form correctly. Get them to practice the correct form of one or more of the letters each day.

15. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking for ways to help students who leave out or change words while writing? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the student to write a daily log or diary expressing thoughts in finished sentences.

2. Create a list of the student’s most common omissions, additions, and substitutions and have them refer to the list when engaged in writing learning activities to check for errors.

3. Increase supervision (e.g., by a paraprofessional, peer, etc.) of the student while they are writing.

4. Provide consistent expectations for the student to write information without omitting, adding, or substituting words.

5. Teach the student the relationship between unacceptable behavior and the consequences that follow (e.g., omitting, adding, or substituting words when writing instructions down will result in homework tasks being done incorrectly).

6. Make sure that the writing tasks given to the student are appropriate for their level of development and capacity and ability.

7. Teach the student to use context clues when reading to aid word recognition and meaning.

8. Make sure the student has written work proofread by someone (e.g., aide, peer, etc.) for omissions, additions, and substitutions before turning in the finished task.

9. Get the student to take part in writing learning activities designed to cause them to want to be successful in writing (e.g., writing a letter to a friend, rock star, famous athlete, etc.).

10. Make sure you are not requiring too much of the student at one time and causing them to hurry to get things done.

11. Minimize distracting stimuli when the student is engaged in writing learning activities by placing the student in a carrel or “office” space. This is used as a way of reducing the distracting stimuli, not as a form of punishment.

12. Get the student to read simple passages and record them. Then have the student underline passages that were omitted.

13. Minimize the emphasis on competition. Competitive learning activities may cause the student to hurry and omit, add, or substitute words when writing.

14. Make the student rewrite a selection if it has been done incorrectly due to their hurrying just to get things done.

15. Get the student to finish “fill-in-the blank” stories and sentences and then read them aloud.

16. Converse with the student to explain what they are doing wrong (e.g., substituting words, leaving words out, etc.) and what they must be doing (e.g., writing each word carefully, rereading written work, etc.).

17. Ensure that the student knows the types of errors made (e.g., omits words, substitutes words, etc.) to be more conscious of them when writing.

18. Get the student to proofread all written work for omissions, additions, or substitutions. Praise the student for correcting omissions, additions, or substitutions.

19. On occasions where correcting the student’s written work, give evaluative feedback that is constructive (e.g., point out omissions, additions, and substitutions; explain to the student the effect these mistakes have on content and meaning; have the student rewrite their work to correct the omissions, additions, and substitutions; etc.).

20. Organize their surroundings to lessen distracting stimuli (e.g., place the student on or near the front row, Give a quiet space away from distractions, etc.). This is to be used as a way to lessen distractions, not as a form of punishment.

21. Acknowledge quality work (e.g., display the student’s work, congratulate the student, etc.).

22. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking for strategies to help students who leave out or change words while writing? If so, keep reading.

1. Assess the level of task difficulty to ascertain whether the student will require additional information, time, assistance, etc., before assigning a task.

2. Support the student in writing information. As the student shows success, slowly decrease the assistance, and require the student to assume more responsibility.

3. Inspect the student’s performance for accuracy when writing. Working quickly is acceptable if the student performs the task accurately.

4. Inspect the student’s work at several points throughout a writing task to detect any omissions, additions, or substitutions.

5. Take into account the student’s capacity and ability level and experience before expecting the student to finish tasks independently.

6. Dictate sentences to the student so they can practice writing simple sentences accurately.

7. Urge the student to create stories about topics that interest them to give more experiences in writing.

8. Get the student to practice writing simple sentences successfully without omissions, additions, and substitutions.

9. Provide the student a group of related words (e.g., baseball, fans, glove, strikeout, etc.) and have them make up a paragraph that includes each word.

10. Create an environmental setting for the classroom that promotes optimal individual performance (e.g., quiet room, background music, fresh air, etc.).

11. Provide the student a list of transition words (e.g., therefore, although, because, etc.) and have them make sentences using each word.

12. Make the student proofread all written work. Praise the student for each correction made.

13. Assess the visual and auditory stimuli in their surroundings and remove or lessen unnecessary environmental stimuli.

14. Show the student what they are doing wrong (hurrying just to get things done) and, what they must be doing (working slowly and carefully). For example: The student is hurrying through writing tasks. Tell them that they are hurrying and need to slow down and write carefully so the tasks will be correct.

15. Make sure the student is not interrupted or hurried when engaged in writing learning activities .

16. Get the student to assist in grading or proofreading other students’ written work to become more aware of omissions, additions, and substitutions.

17. Provide dictation sentences to the student to urge the successful writing of simple sentences.

18. Urge the student to read all written work aloud to detect omissions, additions, or substitutions.

19. Provide the student scrambled words from a sentence and have them put them in the correct order to form the sentence.

20. Get the student to ask for help when they need it.

21. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking ways to teach students to organize writing activities? If so, keep reading.

1. Teach the student writing ideas at each level before introducing a new skill level.

2. Get the student to practice writing paragraphs according to “Who, What, Where, On occasions where, How, and Why.”

3. Make sure the student is not interrupted or hurried when engaging in writing learning activities .

4. Get the student to write a daily log, expressing their thoughts in finished sentences.

5. Do not require the student to learn more information than they are capable of learning at any time.

6. Teach the student that paragraphs, essays, etc., need an introduction, a middle section where information is contained, and a conclusion or ending.

7. Get the student to read sentences, paragraphs, stories, etc., written by peers who demonstrate excellent organizational skills in writing.

8. Give the student a paragraph in which a statement does not belong. Get the student to find the unacceptable statement.

9. Give the student appropriate time limits for the conclusion of tasks.

10. Acknowledge quality work (e.g., display student’s work, congratulate the student, etc.).

11. Get the student to practice organizational skills in writing learning activities by having them take part in writing learning activities designed to cause the student to want to be successful (e.g., writing a letter to a friend, rock star, famous athlete, etc.).

12. Minimize the emphasis on competition. Competitive learning activities may cause the student to hurry and fail to correctly organize their writing learning activities.

13. Praise the student for correctly organizing writing learning activities: (a) give the student a concrete reward (e.g., privileges such as leading the line, handing out learning materials, etc.) or (b) give the student an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

14. Make the student proofread all written work. Praise all corrections in the organization.

15. Teach outlining principles to the student so they know the difference between main ideas and supporting details.

16. Get the student to write a weekly account of the prior week, past weekend, etc., with primary attention given to organization (e.g., sequencing activities, developing a paragraph, using correct word order, etc.).

17. On occasions where correcting the student’s organizational skills in writing, make sure to give evaluative feedback that is designed to be instructional (e.g., help the student rewrite for better organization, rewrite passages for the student, etc.).

18. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

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Are you looking for strategies to teach students to organize writing activities? If so, keep reading.

1. At the top of a piece of paper, write five or six sentences out of sequence about a story the student has read. Get the student to cut the sentences apart and paste them in the proper order at the bottom of the paper.

2. Inspect the student’s work regularly to make sure that the student is organizing the writing learning experience appropriately.

3. Provide the student a group of related words (e.g., author, read, love, bestseller, etc.) and have them write a properly organized paragraph that includes each word.

4. Provide the student several short sentences and have them combine them to make one longer finished sentence (e.g., “The cat is big. The cat is brown. the cat is mine.” becomes “The big, brown cat is mine.”).

5. Get the student to arrange a sequence of statements on a topic in an appropriate order so that they make sense in a paragraph.

6. Get the student to begin to practice organizational writing skills by writing simple sentences with subjects and verbs. Get the student to then expand the sentences by adding adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.

7. Get the student to create stories about topics that are of interest. The student is more likely to be successful if they are writing about something of interest.

8. Get the student to create an outline or skeleton of what they are going to write. From the outline, the student can then practice organizational skills in writing.

9. Get the student to develop organizational skills in writing simple sentences. As the student shows success, slowly increase the complexity of sentence structure required and move on to paragraphs, short stories, etc.

10. Get the student to read a short story and then list the activities of the story. From that list, have the student construct a paragraph using the correct sequence of activities.

11. Minimize distracting stimuli by placing the student in a study carrel or “office” when engaged in writing learning activities. This should be used as a way to lessen distractions, not as a punishment.

12. Get the student to read their own written work aloud to help them find errors in organization.

13. Give practice organizing writing learning activities using an app or a handheld educational device that gives the student instant feedback.

14. Get the student to write a paragraph describing the activities of a daily comic strip.

15. Using a written essay that the student has not seen, cut the paragraphs apart and ask them to reconstruct the essay by putting the paragraphs in an appropriate order.

16. Get the student to write step-by-step instructions (e.g., steps in making a cake) so they can practice sequencing activities.

17. Assist the student to brainstorm ideas about a topic and then show them how to put these ideas into outline form by combining some ideas and discarding others.

18. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking for hacks to support students who cannot finish sentences ot complete thoughts when writing? If so, keep reading.

1. Teach the student the concept of a “finished ” sentence by pointing out the subject/verb/ object components through the use of objects, images, and/or written sentences (depending on the student’s abilities).

2. Praise the students in the classroom who use finished sentences or thoughts when writing.

3. Provide the student a sequence of finished and unfinished sentences, both written and oral, and ask them to find which are correct and incorrect and make appropriate modifications.

4. Teach the student that a finished sentence has to express a finished thought about a subject and what that subject is or does.

5. Play the “trash” game by providing students with a box tagged “Trash.” Give sentence strips with finished and unfinished sentences. Train students to “trash” unfinished sentences.

6. Get the student to write letters to friends, relatives, etc., to create additional ways they can practice writing finished sentences and thoughts in legible handwriting.

7. Give a multitude of writing chances for the student to practice expressing finished sentences and thoughts in legible handwriting (e.g., writing letters to sports and entertainment figures, relatives, or friends; writing for free information on a topic in which the student is interested).

8. Give the student a topic (e.g., rules to follow when riding your bike) and have them write finished sentences about it.

9. Give the student additional time to finish schoolwork to achieve quality.

10. On occasions where correcting/grading the student’s writing, give specific evaluative feedback that will assist the student in constructing finished sentences (e.g., Learner writes: “Going to the show.” Teacher remarks: “Who is going?” or “Subject is missing.”). After checking the student’s written work, make sure they make all appropriate corrections.

11. Give the student ample chance to master handwriting skills (e.g., instruction in letter positioning, instructions, spacing, etc.).

12. Give the student examples of subjects and verbs on a classroom chart.

13. Read verbally to the student to encourage the student’s thought and writing processes.

14. Provide the student a subject and have them write as many finished sentences in legible handwriting as possible about the subject.

15. Acknowledge quality work (e.g., display the student’s work, congratulate the student, etc.).

16. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking for ways to teach students to finish sentences and express complete thoughts when writing? If so, keep reading.

1. Provide older students with functional writing chances (e.g., job application forms, reinforcer surveys, order forms, checks to write, customer surveys, etc.).

2. Select a peer to read the student’s written work aloud to help them find unfinished sentences.

3. Get the student to assist in grading or proofreading other students’ written work to make them more aware of unfinished sentences or thoughts.

4. Get the student to give oral or written process statements to sequence a learning experience (e.g., how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich). Get them to focus on making each statement a finished thought.

5. Get the student to find who they think is an excellent writer and why.

6. Provide the student a list of conjunctions (e.g., therefore, although, because, etc.) and have them make sentences using each word.

7. Get the student to read/go over schoolwork with the teacher so the student can become aware of the quality of their work.

8. Get the student to read/go over written communication so the student can become aware of the quality of their work.

9. Get the student to write a daily log, expressing their thoughts in finished sentences.

10. Select a peer to model writing and speaking in finished sentences or thoughts for the student.

11. Make sure that parents and all educators who work with the student keep consistent expectations of writing quality.

12. Find the attributes an excellent writer possesses (e.g., writing in finished sentences or thoughts, using appropriate vocabulary, etc.) and have the student assess themselves on each characteristic. Establish a goal for improvement in only one or two areas at a time.

13. If the student’s errors reflect the lack of a language-enriching home environment, explain to the student that language can be fun and that you and they will work together to help them discover this.

14. Provide the student a sequence of written phrases and have them indicate which ones express a finished thought.

15. Make sure the student has the appropriate learning materials for writing with legible handwriting (e.g., pen with ink, sharpened pencil, lined paper, etc.).

16. Minimize the emphasis on competition. Competitive learning activities may cause the student to hurry and fail to write in finished sentences or thoughts.

17. Teach the concept of verb and noun phrases as soon as possible, so the student has a means of checking to see if a sentence is finished.

18. Get the student’s hearing reviewed if it has not been recently reviewed.

19. Utilize a pencil grip (e.g., three-sided foam rubber, etc.) to give the student assistance in appropriate positioning of the pencil or pen.

20. Make groups of cards covering subjects, verbs, adjectives, etc. and get the student to combine the cards in several ways to construct finished sentences.

21. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking for strategies to help students who cannot finish sentences or express complete thoughts when writing? If so, keep reading.

1. Embody writing in finished sentences or thoughts in legible handwriting for the student to mimic.

2. After the student proofreads their written work, have them explain why specific sentences do or do not express finished thoughts.

3. Assess whether the student uses finished sentences or expresses finished thoughts when speaking. Proficiency in spoken language typically precedes and influences the type of language used in written work.

4. Ask questions that encourage language. Refrain from those that can be answered by yes/no or a nod of the head (e.g., “What did you do at recess?” instead of “Did you play on the slide?” or “Tell me about your vacation.” instead of” Did you remain home over the holidays?”).

5. Give the student shorter tasks while increasing the quality of expectations.

6. Inspect the student’s written work at several points throughout the task to make sure the student is using finished sentences and thoughts in legible handwriting.

7. Give exercises for making sentences out of non-sentence groups of words.

8. Provide the student a group of related words (e.g., author, read, love, best-seller, etc.) and have them make up a paragraph including all the words. Place emphasis on the use of finished sentences or thoughts in legible handwriting.

9. Select a topic for a paragraph or story and alternate writing sentences with the student to give a regular model of the components of a finished sentence.

10. Give the student clearly stated criteria for acceptable work (e.g., neatness, finished sentences, legible handwriting, etc.).

11. Ask the parents to encourage the student’s use of finished sentences and thoughts, both oral and written, by praising them when these are used at home.

12. Urge the student to read written work aloud to help find unfinished sentences and thoughts.

13. Create levels of expectations for quality handwriting performance and require the student to correct or repeat tasks until the expectations are met.

14. Provide the student a factual statement (e.g., some animals are dangerous) and have them compose several finished sentences relating to that concept.

15. Ensure that the student knows the types of errors made when writing (e.g., not finishing sentences or thoughts, writing too big or small, etc.).

16. Provide the student a notecard to keep at their desk to serve as a reminder that all sentences must have a subject and a verb.

17. Provide the student scrambled words and have them put them in the correct order to form a finished sentence.

18. Provide the student several short sentences and have them combine them to make one longer finished sentence (e.g., “The cat is big. The cat is brown. the cat is mine.” becomes “The big, brown cat is mine.”).

19. Get several students to build a sentence while someone writes it down (e.g., The first one starts with a word such as “I.” The next student adds the second word, such as “like.” This process continues as long as possible to create one long, finished sentence.).

20. Select a peer to model writing in finished sentences or thoughts for the student. Designate the students to work together, perform tasks together, etc.

21. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners

Are you looking for strategies to teach students to use subject-verb agreement while writing? If so, keep reading.

1. Create a list of those verbs the student most commonly uses incorrectly. This list will become the guide for learning activities in subject-verb agreement.

2. Get the student to finish written worksheets on which they must supply the correct verb forms to go with specific subjects (e.g., “He __ the dishes.”).

3. Teach the student that various forms of verbs go with various subjects and that correct subject-verb agreement requires an appropriate verb form. Get the student to practice matching verbs to lists of subjects.

4. Make sure the student receives instruction in subject-verb agreement for those subject-verb combinations they commonly have difficulty writing correctly.

5. Daily, examine those skills, ideas, tasks, etc., that have been previously introduced.

6. Teach the student the concept of subject and verb by demonstrating through the use of objects, images, and/or written sentences (depending on the student’s abilities).

7. Acknowledge quality work (e.g., display the student’s work, congratulations).

8. Exhibit appropriate subject-verb agreement when speaking, so the student learns appropriate subject-verb agreement through oral channels.

9. Get the student to be a peer tutor to teach a concept they have learned to another student as reinforcement.

10. Give a review of standard subject-verb agreement rules through a chart posted in the classroom (e.g., cows run, a cow runs, etc.).

11. Give the student an increased chance for help or assistance on academic tasks (e.g., peer tutoring, instructions for work sent home, frequent interactions, etc.).

12. Teach the student the concept of plurality (e.g., have the student “point to an image of a cat” and “point to an image of cats”).

13. Minimize the emphasis on competition. Competitive learning activities may cause the student to hurry and make errors in subject-verb agreement.

14. Do not require the student to learn more information than they are capable of learning at any time.

15. Praise the student for using appropriate subject-verb agreement when writing: (a) give the student a concrete reward (e.g., privileges such as leading the line, handing out learning materials, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the student an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

16. Make the student proofread their written work for subject-verb agreement. Praise the student for correcting all errors.

17. Teach the student that sentences express thoughts about a subject and what that subject is or does.

18. Provide the student specific verb forms and have them supply appropriate subjects to go with each.

19. Present the student images of people, places, or things. Ask them to make a statement about each image. Get the student to find the subject and verb of the oral sentence and tell whether they agree.

20. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:

The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources

Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners

11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners

10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners