These sheets (see links below) were prepared to provide a way for teachers to give relevant, individual pupil or group writing targets following the use of APP criteria to assess writing. APP criteria were not created for pupil use, but some teachers may feel that, having used APP to determine the level at which a pupil is working in his or her writing, and having spotted one or more areas of comparative weakness, it may be helpful to offer the pupil individualised targets to have with them as they write. These sheets, on which the teacher might highlight one or more statements, can help by focusing a pupil's attention on a particular aspect of writing, offering them a prompt as they work, being available to be used by the pupil as a checklist when writing and by providing a basis for discussion between pupil and teacher when they look at a piece of the pupil's writing together.
Use the links below to download the "From APP to Learning" sheets:
Please read on for further information about the sheets and possible ways they could be used.
The statements on the sheets are based closely on the APP statements for assessing writing at levels 2 to 6 but modified into language intended to be more accessible to the pupils. The seprate pages in each document mirror those produced for teachers to use to track the progress of children from one level to the next, but each sheet focuses on only two, related strands.
The idea is that the children are given the sheet most appropriate to their level of work and needs and this provides them with "success criteria" like statements intended to support their progress in writing. When they are writing the sheet can act as a prompt to remind the pupil of their target(s) and they can use it as a check-list (possibly with a partner) to review a completed (or partially completed) piece of writing they have produced.
These sheets are my first drafts and I am not at all sure about whether they will be useful - or even the about the advisability of using them - but it has been an interesting exercise trying to create them! Please let me know what you think. I do very much appreciate feedback on the likely usefulness of resource on this website to other practising teachers.
Please contact me if you have any comments at: g.jennings@ntlworld.com