Sentence Composition Instruction With Language Supports for a Fifth Grader With a Learning Disability: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: Writing interventions for elementary-grade students with learning disabilities have traditionally focused on paragraph-level strategies (McMaster et al., 2018). Students who struggle to compose a complete sentence need more explicit instruction and may benefit from additional language and self-regulation supports (Kim & Graham, 2022). The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of a sentence writing intervention on the writing of a fifth-grade student with a learning disability.

METHOD: This pilot study used an exploratory AB single-case design to measure the effects of a sentence writing intervention on the writing of a fifth-grade boy with a learning disability. The participant received 10 daily sentence writing lessons focusing on writing complete sentences with adjectives to describe pictures. Supports included steps for planning a sentence, a self-checklist for evaluation, and word banks.

RESULTS

Results indicated that the sentence writing instruction with supports had a large effect on the participant's use of sentence elements (e.g., noun, verb, adjective) and the length (total correct word sequences), accuracy (incorrect word sequences), and complexity (correct word sequences per sentence) of his sentences.

CONCLUSIONS

Explicit instruction in sentence construction has potential to increase the length, accuracy, and complexity of the sentences students with learning disabilities write. Added language and self-regulation supports through planning, oral sentences, and checklists increased the current participant's consistency in their final product.