Child Writing Writing allows for a child's full self-expression, especially when the activity offers the opportunity for the child to explore beyond the written word itself. For example, younger students in classrooms stocked with colorful writing implements can use color, shape, and size of lettering to convey emotion and intent. Whereas older children are training themselves to apply strictly cognitive processes to the writing exercise, a young student in the second grade still explores writing from a holistic perspective. It is therefore possible to evaluate and analyze one young child's writing sample from a holistic standpoint. Arianna is in the second grade, and she wrote a letter to a classmate as part of this assignment. Clarity, support, organization, and mechanics are the four criteria used to evaluate Arianna's material, albeit from an age-appropriate foundation.

Arianna's sample reveals a strong sense of clarity for someone her age, as she writes a letter directly to a classmate about an event that occurred in the past. In this case, the event was her friend's party. The first sentence of the letter reads, "Dear Cameron, I enjoyed seeing you and your family at your party." After this, Arianna describes why she had fun and recalls several details. She does not stray from the main idea of the letter, which is the party and how much she enjoyed and appreciated it. The final sentence reads, "Your party was lots...

Arianna remains on topic, and exhibits genuine gratitude to her reader, Cameron. Therefore, Arianna's letter deserves a 5 on a scale of 1-5 for the criterion of clarity.
Arianna describes the party using a striking amount of detail to support her thank you letter. For example, she mentions seeing her friend's family and states that it was "nice" to do so. The restaurant was also "nice," and "the food was good." Therefore, Arianna recalls and communicates the details of her experience, using shared icons like the family, food, and restaurant to communicate with her friend clearly. Likewise, Arianna mentions that she had fun playing games at the party, as well as eating cupcakes. Because of this level of detail, Arianna's writing sample deserves a 5 on a scale of 1-5 for the criterion of support.

Arianna's thank-you letter is organized sequentially. The opening address and the closing statement sandwich a list of detailed elements related to the main topic of the children's party at a restaurant. After addressing Cameron directly, Arianna lists reasons why she appreciated the party, why she had fun, and how she liked the food. Arianna mentions the cupcakes separately from the food for several reasons. For one, the cupcakes likely came out later in the party than the main meal. This is why the…