Let's Write! A Ready-to-Use Activities Program for Learners with Special Needs

by Stowe, Cynthia M.

• ISBN13: 9780130320100
• ISBN10: 0130320102
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-16
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

For all educators grades 3 and up, here is a proven ready-to-use resource that tailors writing experiences to the needs of any student having difficulty writing - even the most reluctant writer. Starting with simple words and progressing to sentences, paragraphs, reports, stories, and essays, Let's Write! Takes into account all ability levels and learning styles to help each student achieve success. Basic to more advanced skills are presented sequentially in lessons that devote small amounts of time to four diverse tasks. The program provides over 200 activities and over 100 worksheets, and is organized into two parts: Part I - focuses on teaching the basic structures of written language in seven sections: Words, Sentences, Paragraphs, Research Reports, Book Reports, Stories, and Essays. Part II - offers a combination of specific skills development and opportunities for practice in nine sections: Grammar, Editing, Poetry, Literature Connection, Holidays, Letters, Using the Newspaper, Real Life Writing, and Gimmicks & Gags.

Author Biography

Cynthia M. Stowe has taught writing for many years. She is a certified classroom teacher, special education teacher, and school psychologist. She has taught writing to students of all ages, including adults.Cynthia's main area of interest has always been working with students with special needs. Because she found that these students do not always flourish with traditional writing programs, she developed Let's Write! over a twelve-year period while she was working in public school, private school, and clinic settings.Currently, Cynthia is teaching writing to students with special needs at the Eagle Mountain School in Greenfield, Massachusetts. She has taught many writing workshops to teachers and to parents with their children present.Cynthia is also an author. She has published three children's books: Home Sweet Home, Good-Bye (middle grades, Scholastic, 1990), Dear Mom, in Ohio for a Year (middle grades, Scholastic, 1992), and Not-So-Normal Norman (grades 3-6, Albert Whitman, 1995). In addition, she has recently published Spelling Smart! A Ready-to-Use Activities Program for Students With Spelling Difficulties (The Center for Applied Research In Education, 1996).

Table of Contents

About This Resource	ix
How to Use This Program	xix
PART ONE
Word Writing	3	(17)
Grammar Concepts Presented at This Level	5	(1)
Editing Concepts Presented at This Level	5	(4)
Activities	6	(3)
Reproducibles:
A Category Game (1)	9	(1)
A Category Game (2)	10	(1)
Find the Right Word! (1)	11	(1)
Find the Right Word! (2)	12	(1)
An Interview of a Fellow Student	13	(1)
An Interview of an Adult in the School or Community	14	(1)
Riddles (1)	15	(1)
Riddles (2)	16	(1)
Fill in the Blanks (1)	17	(1)
Fill in the Blanks (2)	18	(1)
Answer Key	19	(1)
Sentence Writing	20	(18)
How to Begin the Actual Writing of Sentences	21	(2)
Grammar Concepts Presented at This Level	23	(1)
Editing Concepts Presented at This Level	23	(5)
Activities	24	(4)
Reproducibles:
Write It With Nouns	28	(1)
Write It With Verbs	29	(1)
Write It With Subjects	30	(1)
Write It With Predicates	31	(1)
Write It With Challenge Words	32	(1)
A Description	33	(1)
About Me (1)	34	(1)
About Me (2)	35	(1)
An Interview	36	(1)
Write It With Questions	37	(1)
Paragraph Writing	38	(19)
Reproducibles:
The Start of a Paragraph	40	(2)
A Paragraph	42	(1)
Paragraphs for Sequencing Skills	43	(2)
Grammar Concepts Presented at This Level	45	(1)
Editing Concepts Presented at This Level	45	(6)
Activities	45	(6)
Reproducibles:
Write About an Animal	51	(1)
A ``How-To'' Paragraph	52	(1)
An Opinion Paragraph	53	(1)
A ``What If'' Paragraph	54	(1)
A ``Can You Beat This?'' Paragraph	55	(1)
A ``Find the Lies'' Paragraph	56	(1)
Writing Research Reports	57	(16)
The Four Levels of Report Writing	58	(2)
Two Issues	60	(4)
Possible Writing Topics	60	(4)
Reproducibles:
Write About an Animal	64	(1)
Report on a Place (1)	65	(1)
Report on a Place (2)	66	(1)
Write About Places	67	(1)
Write About a Person	68	(1)
Write About Amazing Facts	69	(1)
Write About an Object of the Future	70	(1)
Write About an Imaginary Place	71	(1)
Write an Autobiography	72	(1)
Writing Book Reports	73	(14)
Traditional Book Reports	73	(4)
10 Book Report Activities	74	(3)
Reproducibles:
A Book Report (1)	77	(2)
A Book Report (2)	79	(2)
A Book Report (3)	81	(2)
A List	83	(1)
Write a Testimonial	84	(1)
Questions for a TV News Interview	85	(1)
Write a Diary	86	(1)
Writing Stories	87	(25)
A Note on Sharing	88	(4)
Activities	89	(3)
Reproducibles:
A Story (1)	92	(1)
A Story (2)	93	(1)
A Story (3)	94	(1)
A Story (4)	95	(1)
A Story (5)	96	(1)
A Story (6)	97	(1)
Story Starters	98	(3)
Five-Object Find (1)	101	(1)
Five-Object Find (2)	102	(1)
Five-Object Find (3)	103	(1)
Five-Object Find (4)	104	(1)
A Very Long Excuse---Story Starters	105	(3)
This Is How I ... Story Starters	108	(2)
Help! There's an ... ABC Story	110	(2)
Writing Essays	112	(7)
Reproducibles:
``Write About'' Topics for Short Essays	114	(1)
Political Topics for Short Essays	115	(1)
Personal and Moral Topics for Short Essays	116	(3)
PART TWO
Grammar	119	(14)
Which Grammar Concepts Should Be Taught, and When Should They Be Presented?	119	(3)
How to Teach Grammar Concepts and Usage	122	(5)
Activities	122	(5)
Reproducibles:
Write the Most Nouns Contest Rules	127	(1)
Where Does the Word Belong?	128	(1)
Finish These Sentences (1)	129	(1)
Finish These Sentences (2)	130	(1)
Search and Destroy	131	(1)
Can You Read This?	132	(1)
Editing	133	(8)
Specific Techniques for Teaching Self-Editing Skills	135	(3)
Independent Activities	137	(1)
Teaching Self-Editing at the Advanced Level	137	(1)
Reproducibles:
Find My Mistakes (1)	138	(1)
Find My Mistake (2)	139	(1)
Find My Mistakes (3)	140	(1)
Writing Poetry	141	(20)
Reading Poems	141	(6)
Activities	143	(4)
Reproducibles:
A Pizza Poem (Example)	147	(3)
A Backpacking Trip (Example)	150	(3)
Never Will I Ever	153	(1)
An Alphabet Poem	154	(2)
A City Poem	156	(1)
A Pattern Poem	157	(1)
A Tell-It-Like-It-Is Poem	158	(1)
Rhyming Pairs	159	(1)
A Poem Full of Lies	160	(1)
The Literature Connection	161	(13)
Activities	161	(8)
Reproducibles:
A Turnip Story	169	(1)
Don't Lie a Little, Lie a Lot	170	(1)
More Lies	171	(1)
Animal Questions	172	(1)
Good or Bad?	173	(1)
Holidays	174	(12)
Talking About Holidays	175	(5)
Holiday Activities	175	(5)
Reproducibles:
What I Found in My Bag After Halloween	180	(1)
A Candle Poem	181	(1)
A Thanksgiving Poem	182	(1)
A Holiday from the Past	183	(1)
A Holiday from Another Culture	184	(1)
If They Met	185	(1)
Writing Letters	186	(14)
Writing Friendly Letters	186	(1)
Writing Business Letters	187	(1)
Reproducible:
Bad Letter and Better Letter (Example)	188	(2)
Activities	190	(4)
Reproducibles:
Something New	194	(1)
It's Horrible!	195	(1)
Believe It!	196	(1)
It's Very Strange Here	197	(1)
These Earth People Are Too Much!	198	(1)
Hello Human	199	(1)
Using The Newspaper	200	(11)
Activities	201	(4)
Reproducibles:
An Advertisement	205	(1)
Job Wanted	206	(1)
Someone Special	207	(1)
Dear Gertrude	208	(1)
It Really Happened	209	(1)
A Tale Retold	210	(1)
Integrating Writing With Real Life And The Rest Of The Curriculum	211	(8)
Activities	211	(5)
Reproducibles:
Banking Forms	216	(1)
Checks	217	(1)
A Job Application	218	(1)
Gimmicks And Gags	219	(14)
Activities	219	(1)
Games That Develop Auditory and Verbal Skills	219	(1)
Activities and Games for the Development of Word Writing	220	(2)
Activities and Games for the Development of Sentence Writing	222	(1)
Activities for the Development of Paragraph Writing	223	(2)
Reproducibles:
A Tin Can Label	225	(1)
An Architectural Drawing	226	(1)
A Map	227	(1)
A Menu	228	(1)
Write Directions	229	(1)
Draw a Monster	230	(1)
A TV Commercial	231	(1)
A Ridiculous Interview	232	(1)
Appendix A List Ideas	233	(4)
Appendix B Read-Aloud Books	237