Resources › For Educators Strong Report Card Comments for Language Arts A Collection of Comments Regarding Students' Progress in Middle School Share Flipboard Email Print jaker5000 / Getty Images For Educators Secondary Education Grading Students for Assessment Lesson Plans Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Special Education Teaching Homeschooling By Janelle Cox Education Expert M.S., Education, Buffalo State College B.S., Education, Buffalo State College Janelle Cox, M.S., is an education writer specializing in elementary school education. our editorial process Janelle Cox Updated January 27, 2020 A comment on a report card is meant to provide additional information about the student's progress and level of achievement. It should give the parent or guardian a clear picture of what the student has accomplished, as well as what he or she has to work on in the future. It can sometimes be hard to think of a unique comment to write on each student's report card. To help you find the right words, use this compiled list of language arts report card comments. Positive Comments Use the following phrases to make positive comments regarding students’ progress in language arts. Reading Reads eagerly during silent timeMakes good use of classroom libraryUses text and pictures to predict and confirmElects to read or look at books during free timeTakes home books from our classroom libraryCompares books to others by the same authorIs choosing suitably challenging reading materialHas a good attitude about booksReads with expressionChooses suitably challenging reading materialReads at __ grade levelHas good reading comprehension and decoding skillsHas read __ chapter books so far this quarterIt is refreshing to see that __ enjoys reading in his/her free time Writing Chooses to write during classroom free timeShares their written work with the whole classWrites legiblyIs a creative writerHas a refreshing sense of voice, clarity, and styleHandwriting is very legible/a joy to readIs very successful in note-takingWorks to make their handwriting legibleHas many interesting story ideasHas well-developed characters in their storiesWorks on their editing processIs writing on a variety of topicsIs writing in a variety of styles: friendly letter, factual reports, imaginative retelling, poetry, fictionOrganizes their writing wellApplies skills to all written workPuts a great deal of time and effort into their writing Analytical Skills Analyzes characters' actionsAnalyzes story plotsCompares and contrasts similar and dissimilar ideasSelf-correctsAsks thought-provoking questionsUses imaginationStrives to be accurateExplains themself clearlyDeduces meaning from information givenIs competent using the dictionaryIs learning to do independent research Grammar and Vocabulary Recognizes high-frequency wordsUses approximations for spelling, which is very appropriate at this timeUses beginning and ending sounds to identify wordsSpells many difficult wordsHas a strong command of the English languageUses correct grammarIs developing a fine vocabularyUses expansive vocabulary Verbal Skills Is a major contributor at our brainstorming sessionsProduces oral reports that demonstrate knowledge and research skillsSpeaks very well before the classListens as well as shares during classroom discussions and presentationsCommunicates with accuracyRetells stories in the correct sequenceIs eager to speak in front of a groupIs a good audience as well as presenter during our presentation time Other Is rapidly mastering the fundamental skillsShows increasing confidence and competence in...Is showing good growth in...Has shown an increased interest in...Is trying hard and continues to make steady progress in...Is making progress in all areas, especially in...Strongest work is in the area of...Has turned in extra-credit work Needs Improvement On those occasions when you need to convey less-than-positive information on a report card, use the following phrases. Note that you can easily convert comments from both groups into positive or encouraging ones. Reading Does not use classroom libraryDoes not choose books or writing as an activity for free timeShows some attention to print, but mostly makes up meanings from picturesHas trouble sitting still while listening to a storyDoesn’t seem to enjoy books or stories to readI would like to see __ read for 20 minutes each day at homeStill making many reversals of letters, words, and phrasesHesitant to read stories to the classStruggles with reading comprehensionHas difficulty understanding what they readsNeeds to choose books at their own reading levelIs choosing books that are too difficult/simple for their levelNeeds to take their time and think about what they readsSkims quickly through books without attention to detailIs unable to retell a story with much accuracy Writing Unwilling to rewrite or make changes in written workDoes not edit work carefullySpeech development may be hindering correct spellingI would like to see __ check their writing more carefully before handing in assignmentsNeeds to work on creating stories that are realisticOften forgets capital letters and punctuationTheir stories lack a clear beginning, middle, and endHas difficulty getting their thoughts on paperNeeds to add more detail to their workHandwriting indicates that student is inclined to hurryCould improve their written papers with more attention to detailWritten work lacks description/detail/varied vocabulary Analytical Skills Cannot predict story outcomes with confidenceIs not making use of a dictionary or resource booksIs not using classroom library Grammar and Vocabulary Has difficulty with high-frequency wordsHas a limited vocabularyLacks sight vocabularyNeeds to build their reading vocabularyHas difficulty using reading strategies to decode new wordsNeeds to focus on rules of grammarReluctant to use approximation with word spelling, wants to be correct Participation/Other Reluctant to speak in front of the group or whole classHas trouble sitting while listening to a storyHas difficulty focusing on the assignment at hand during __ workshopGets discouraged when...Wants to talk instead of listening to others share their ideasI would like to see ___ participate more in more independent...Is easily discouraged when...Is hesitant to... Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Cox, Janelle. "Strong Report Card Comments for Language Arts." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/strong-report-card-comments-for-language-arts-2081374. Cox, Janelle. (2020, August 28). Strong Report Card Comments for Language Arts. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/strong-report-card-comments-for-language-arts-2081374 Cox, Janelle. "Strong Report Card Comments for Language Arts." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/strong-report-card-comments-for-language-arts-2081374 (accessed January 24, 2021). copy citation