Scenario 2 – Supporting emergent writing

Introduction

When pupils are beginning to put words together to form phrases and sentences, ICT can be extremely useful in allowing them to ‘play’ with structures and build sentences easily. The pupil(s) can be given easy access to words or phrases using on-screen grids or word banks, or by using an overlay keyboard.

For some pupils the need to use a keyboard as an alternative pencil will be as a direct result of a physical or sensory difficulty. For those who are developmentally delayed, text entry will be easier if a simplified keyboard (large coloured keys or a specially designed overlay) is available. For the majority of pupils who need help to develop basic literacy skills, it is the facilities offered by the software that will support differentiated learning activities.

2a – Early writing

Example 1 – ‘Scribbling’

Very young children enjoy making marks on paper and as soon as they can control a crayon with any degree of accuracy they will pretend to write. Pupils with special needs may not take this initiative or may want to, but to do so is a physical impossibility.

Ben began to use a keyboard when he was five years old. The keyboard layout was taught in a structured way and then Ben progressed to copy typing. At eight years old he was still copy typing, making no attempt to spell a word without calling to his assistant for help. An enlightened teacher took away his copy-holder and encouraged him to ‘scribble’ on the keyboard, pressing letters at random. After an initial panic Ben began to type strings of letters just for the pleasure that this freedom gave him. His teacher held his breath and waited. Within a month Ben was beginning to group letters into ‘words’ and was able to read back his ‘story’. His teacher recognized spelling patterns emerging and built upon these. Ben’s confidence as an independent speller grew and his creative writing took off.

Pupils who do not hand write, for whatever reason, will benefit from early access to an alternative means by which they can ‘write’. Why not leave them to play with a talking word processor? Pupils enjoy hearing the ‘word’ that they have written read back to them when they enter a space. Set up an on-screen alphabet or word / graphic grid with the individualized access method that they need – for example, an overlay keyboard, a mouse, a mouse alternative, or switches. If the pupil is using a switch to scan a grid, use a talking word processor and turn on the auditory scan so that the word can be heard before it is chosen.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• connect overlay keyboard and switches
• create on-screen grids and paper overlays, incorporating graphics
• set up appropriate switch scanning method
• load a word processor and turn on speech feedback (word-by-word)

The key equipment is:

• overlay keyboard and switches
• talking word processor
• grid-making software
• overlay maker

Example 2 – Missing words

The teacher in Green Class is intending to create a meaningful activity for the literacy hour that is based on real text. She has photocopied a short passage from a favourite story book and blanked out certain key words. The pupils have to fill in the blanks from a list of words that she has written on the board. Henry cannot do this on his own. He finds pencil control very difficult and has perceptual difficulties that make it hard for him to adjust his gaze from the chalk board back to his exercise book.

For Henry, his teacher has typed the passage in to a program that allows her to delete the key words. These are then automatically entered into an on-screen word grid. Henry uses mouse clicks to rebuild the text by matching the words from the grid to the text If he gets it right the highlight moves to the next blank, if he needs help he can use the speech feedback to check for meaning. Henry finds it much easier to complete the exercise using the computer. He only has to focus on one plane – the vertical.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• create the exercise using appropriate software
• understand properties of the right and left buttons on the mouse

The key equipment is:

• All My Words software, or for work on spelling and punctuation, Sherlock software, Fun with Texts for extended 'cloze' proceedure exercises

Example 3 – Putting words together

The second part of the literacy hour is a whole class focus on word or sentence work. Blue class is working on matching adjective to noun and having a great deal of fun experimenting with inappropriate combinations! Although Abigail can listen and join in at this point, she will be unable to work individually on this skill later in the lesson. To help her, her assistant has created a word grid on the computer using Clicker 4. Half of the words are nouns and half are adjectives. Abigail uses her joystick to complete the exercise set by guiding the pointer over the grid and listening to each word in turn before entering it into her text. Her assistant has adapted this exercise for another pupil in Red class who needs to use a switch. The nouns are on a red background and the adjectives on green. With listener scan – on, John is able to listen to each word before making his selections.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• attach joystick to the computer
• create a grid to teach parts of speech
• understand properties of the right and left buttons on the joystick
• attach switch to computer and set up user scan

The key equipment is:

• joystick
• Clicker 4 or Inclusive Writer, Word Bar for older pupils

2b – Working together

Literacy can be about shared writing as well as shared reading and there is no better tool to use for co-operative writing than a word processor. The opportunities to develop and redraft text are many and again a vital element is the teacher’s involvement in the process. When the whole class focuses on word or sentence work, this might be based on text generated earlier in the lesson or chosen especially to teach grammar or punctuation. Changes to the text are easily made using the word processor viewed via a projector or on a large TV or computer screen.

Example 1- Sequencing

The pupils at Mousegrove Language Unit follow a structured language programme which uses a colour coding system for parts of speech. When constructing sentences the pupils choose word cards and order these with the help of the coding system. When the school invested in a computer for the first time they needed to be convinced that it would be a tool that would complement their existing paper based resource. The facility to change the background colour of on-screen word grids immediately sprang to mind and staff were shown how to construct these using grid-making software. As several of the pupils also had very poor fine motor skills, the ability to follow the language programme using a word processor rather than a pencil was welcomed. Speech feedback was an added bonus. The pupils used either a mouse or a rollerball to take turns at completing sentences but access through an overlay keyboard or with a switch would also be possible.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• liaison with the Speech and Language Therapist
• create on-screen colour-coded word / symbol grid or overlay
• connect two PS/2 devices to the PS/2 port on the PC
• attach overlay keyboard and/or switches

The key equipment is:

• grid-making software
• rollerball and Y-mouse connector PS/2
• Overlay Maker software

Example 2- Making real books

Emergent writers are just beginning to understand that ‘writing’ is a form of communication. They are beginning to recognize letters, that these may be in upper or lower case and that letters stand together to make words, and words with spaces between them make sentences.

A word processor with large clear font and spaces on a back-lit screen demonstrates this very well. Given the freedom to experiment with words at this point develops confidence and pupils begin to see themselves as ‘writers’.

Making books using digitized images of people and places that are real to the pupil and then adding personalized text, reinforces the links between speech, reading and writing.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are:

• learn how to use the software
• insert images from existing saved files
• use a digital camera to add photographs to the text
• use a scanner to add pictures, photos and other images to the text
• use a binder and a laminator

The key equipment is:

• a PC and colour printer
• Book Spinner software, book making templates in Clicker 4 or Book Workshop
• a binder and laminator if available

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