Written Composition

WHAT IS WRITTEN COMPOSITION?
Writing a composition is a complex activity that includes the mechanics of writing, including handwriting (or keyboarding, using an adaptive device, etc.), spelling, andthe basics of language knowledge (i.e., word morphology, syntax, and vocabulary). In addition it includes the following cognitive, meta-cognitive, self-regulatory, and motivational aspects:• generating ideas to put into print
• planning what to say and how to say it
• organizing the ideas into a coherent whole
• recognizing the needs of readers and how tomeet those needs
• translating these plans into a written text, including a style of writing and word choice appropriate to the writing task and projected readers
• remembering allof the components that need to be included in producing the composition
• self-monitoring the process and reviewing the content, organization, and mechanics and then editing as needed• possessing the cognitive capacity to deal with all of these aspects of complexity
• possessing the confidence, motivation, and perseverance to engage in the hard work needed to createa well written product

Written composition also includes all of the processes related to reading comprehension. comprehension includes a large number of linguistic, cognitive,strategic/self-regulatory, and motivational processes involved in deriving meaning from written language (including books and other forms of written language) and constructing meaning from written language. Problems inany of these areas may contribute to writing difficulties.

Because of the complexity of its demands, writing is considered by many students with and without disability to be their most challengingacademic task. College and university professors often comment on the inadequate writing proficiency of their undergraduate and even graduate students. Therefore it is no surprise that writing is...