Some children grasp the component skills of writing more easily than others. Writing requires generation of an idea/story line, spelling/handwriting, and editing, all of which need to cohere in order to produce a meaningful and elaborate text (Berninger & Winn, 2006). Writing-skills practice that employs mnemonic-strategy instruction can help students who struggle with generating text, offering a step-by-step process to improve their planning, organization, and composition skills. Struggling writers may not have successfully attained these skills during general education classroom instruction; thus, they can benefit from a specific course of action and visible/concrete teacher examples and feedback (Graham, 1997; Graham & Harris, 1993, 1997). These mnemonic-strategy components help students enhance their knowledge about the writing process while promoting their capabilities as writers. Foorman (2007) suggests that all students in general education classrooms may benefit from such strategies.
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