Content Dimensions (Adapted from High Scope Curriculum)

Handwritten-Beginning

Handwritten-End

Computer-Beginning

Computer-End

Descriptive detail about objects, persons, and events

Objects, persons, events, actions (naming them)

Attributes such as color, texture, shape, length, size, weight, temperature, taste, light, speed, rhythm, gender, age, feelings, sound, pitch, etc.

Quantity terms and relationships (a lot, a little, number, cupful, inch, numerical relationships, some, all, most of, the rest of, bigger than, smaller than, etc.)

Space and spatial relationships (behind, next to, on top of, symmetry, enclosure)

Sounds associated with objects or actions (buzz, whirr, boom, eek, etc.)

Time and temporal relationships (date, season, first, last, next, earlier, later; two o'clock, yesterday; duration, at the same time, while, during)

Description of how something was done

Actions that produce changes in materials (cutting, gluing, tearing, baking, cutting apart, etc.)

Combining materials (mixing, sorting, stacking)

Who did what and/or how they did it

Giving directions about how to do something

Discussion of problems and solutions

Problems that stood in the way of plans

Solutions to problems

Explanation of actions of outcomes

Causal statements (if...then, because)

Purpose of object or event (I'm making a bunny for Easter)

Why something happened or didn't happen (car didn't run because it was out of gas)

Narrative with setting, character, plot and storyline

Predictions (the plant gets no sunlight so it will die)

Conclusions (things will spread better if they are heated up)

Quantity of Writing Elements

Number of words

Number of sentences

Number of punctuation marks

Number of "invented" spellings

Number of nouns

Number of verbs