Interactive Read Aloud
I started out by gathering my small group together on the floor then I read aloud the book, These Hands by Hope Lynne Price. I actually taught the lesson to three different groups of children and also with some students I worked with individually. I wanted the kids close so I could hear their conversations. I managed to make two audio recordings of the read aloud using Explain Everything on my iPad. Below are audio clips from a kindergarten group and a second grade group.
Have a Go at Writing
All of the students on the audio clips received direct speech and language services. Most of the second grade students had articulation or expressive language difficulties. Many of the students from the kindergarten clip had significant phonological and language deficits and were difficult to understand in their classroom without knowing the context of what they were talking about. Several of the students would get frustrated, shut down, or pretend that their listener understood them. In the Artifacts section, there are additional audio clips of oral story telling from students with significant oral language challenges.
As part of the read aloud discussion, the children were encouraged to think about their own hands. The next step was to get the kids to get that thinking down on the paper. I wanted to see what they could do and how they went about their writing so I could plan my next steps. As expected, some kids struggled and others seemed to effortlessly put words down on paper. Since I only had a half hour, and ten minutes was spent on the read aloud and discussion, the sharing portion of the lesson was very brief, no more than 3 minutes. I asked kids to share about their process (What did you learn about yourself as a writer today?) rather than focus on their product at that point. I wanted to see how kids responded to the struggle of getting words on paper or if they asked for help, gave up, or showed avoidance behavior.
As part of the read aloud discussion, the children were encouraged to think about their own hands. The next step was to get the kids to get that thinking down on the paper. I wanted to see what they could do and how they went about their writing so I could plan my next steps. As expected, some kids struggled and others seemed to effortlessly put words down on paper. Since I only had a half hour, and ten minutes was spent on the read aloud and discussion, the sharing portion of the lesson was very brief, no more than 3 minutes. I asked kids to share about their process (What did you learn about yourself as a writer today?) rather than focus on their product at that point. I wanted to see how kids responded to the struggle of getting words on paper or if they asked for help, gave up, or showed avoidance behavior.
Model Oral Story Telling
The next time I saw the groups, I told my own story about my hands. I recounted a story about being in second grade and how I loved to sew with my hands. As I told my story, I used objects such as gingham fabric, a needle and thread, and an old sock with a hole. When I was done with the story, which lasted no more than 5 minutes, I had the kids tell me what remembered most about my story. As they talked, I took notes on a simple 6-square graphic organizer. Again, since time was a factor, even if my organizer wasn't filled, I quickly started to model write in front of the children to show them how I used my notes to help me write a story. In preparation for a lesson in which I plan to model write or write aloud, I write a draft ahead of time. Typically, my model writing isn't the same as my draft but it gives me a start. Students were asked to say what they noticed about the writing. I wanted them to talk about how there were sentences that were connected and not just a list of phrases or words.
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Students Tell Their "Hand" Story
During the next session, students had the opportunity to tell their own "hand" story while I took notes. Below are audio clips of some of their stories. Next to the audio clip is a sample of their "hand" writing. Additional clips and samples are available in the Artifacts section.
Using Notes to Build Story
Students were able to use the notes I took while they told their story to write their story. They were able to use the notes like they might use a word wall. Some students recopied the lists right onto their paper which prompted me to bring out a copy of my story. We were able to lay the two pieces side -by-side and talk about the difference between a list of words and sentences. Then, I brought out the spider legs, small sentence strips, and had the child create a sentence orally. Word-by-word, I guided them to craft a sentence. With two students in one of the groups, all I had to do was show them that my story had sentences. They were then asked to put the story they told to me down on the paper in sentences and they took it from there. When they asked how to spell words, they were directed to look at their notes and use their alphabet chart to help them as they stretched out words. Since I work with children in a small space that is shared with other teaching professionals, I don't have a word wall. I use mini-word walls that can be used at a table. The words on the mini-word walls came from Fountas & Pinnell's high frequency word lists included in their Phonics Lessons program. Links for PDF's are below under Some Useful Tools.
E, Kindergarten
T, Kindergarten
Confer and Revise
While the students composed their "hand" pieces, I tried to use conferring language that might assist them to reread their writing and remove or add words and sentences that could help a reader understand their story. Some students needed direct intensive instruction to form letters, spell words, add spaces, and write sentences. Below is an audio clip of a lengthy conference with a kindergartner, J. Her oral language and phonological deficits contributed significantly to the challenges she had crafting her written story.
J's Direct Instruction
Some Useful Tools
When showing children what writing in sentences looks like, it is helpful to have a writing sample of your own ready to go. If the child is writing in a list of words, place their piece next to yours and see what they notice.
Fountas & Pinnell Alphabet Linking Chart
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