Teaching Writing… and Loving It! Savannah Boone-LaRue County High School Nicholas Newton-Rineyville Elementary School

A bit of background about us... Savannah has been teaching for 10 years, 7 of those as a special educator. During that time, she taught 2nd-5th grade resource and collab classes as well as 9th-12th grade collab classes in Biology, Chemistry, and English. Nick Newton Rineyville School has been teaching since 2010 as a teacher for students with Low Incidence disabilities at Rineyville School. He has taught self- contained K-5 SPED and has presented at CEC, KRA, and in district trainings.

What’s our purpose here?

Writing - defined *Idea development *Communicating thoughts and ideas through the written word *Mentor texts

A Tried and True Method For years, we have both used the Four Square Writing Method with our students at every grade and ability level.

The Basics PPoint 1 Point 2 Point 3 Conclusion Topic of the piece

My Favorite Zoo Animals Getting Started Point 1 Lion Point 2 Giraffe Point 3 Zebra Conclusion These are my favorite zoo animals. My Favorite Zoo Animals

The Result? I have 3 favorite zoo animals. I like lions. I like giraffes. I like zebras. These are my favorite zoo animals.

Idea Generation/ Information/ Organization Examples Students can use 4 squares to plan beginning, middle, end within pieces. For informational writing, a 4 square can be used as a CAN HAVE ARE/frayer model for research. Use of EET

Severe Profound Use objects Let students pick objects and then scribe the story for them. Place objects on or near switches to allow students to work on cause/effect. These students will need more guidance during the process. They can give the objects and plot points that go with the story, you may need to add the grammar. Remember to use their scribe. In fall, I like to walk. I play in the leaves. I smell grandma cooking. It is getting colder outside. I see pumpkins and falling leaves in autumn.

A Tool for your Toolbox

Adding Meat to the Bones Point 1-First of all Lion Loud roar Big mane Reminds me of Simba Point 2-Second Giraffe Long neck Beautiful spots Love to watch them eat Point 3-Third Penguins Funny swimmers Look like tuxedos Love watching them waddle Conclusion-In Conclusion There are many animals I like at the zoo, but lions, giraffes, and penguins are my favorite. I love going to the zoo to see my favorite animals.

The Result? I love going to the zoo to see my favorite animals. First, of all I like to visit the lion. The lion has a loud roar and a big mane that remind me of Simba! Second, I like to visit the giraffes. They have long necks, beautiful spots, and it’s so fun to watch them eat! Third, I like to visit the penguins. They are great swimmers who look like they’re wearing tuxedos while they waddle. In conclusion, there are many animals I like at the zoo, but the lions, giraffes, and penguins are my favorite!

Application to On Demand Writing 4 Square Writing is easily applied to On Demand Writing Each square represents a paragraph instead of a sentence. This is an organizer that is applicable to all on-demand prompts.

Example On Demand Organizer Body Paragraph 1 Body Paragraph 2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion Paragraph Intro Paragraph

Some Examples

More Examples

Four Square for Narrative Writing Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Resolution Topic: Who? What? When? Where? Why?

Other Tips and Tricks Mentor Texts Teacher made examples Descriptive Word Lists TECHNOLOGY (Google, Abilipad, SnapType, Dragon Dictation) Schoolwide Implementation

Fun and Authentic Writing Most of my students are not intrinsically motivated to write, so I use extrinsic motivation. However, I want the motivation to be logical and authentic. So, I provide opportunities for writing that add to the allure of writing. Writing Centers Mailbox Dialogue Journals

Technology Tools Google Keywords Inku Abilipad SnapType

More Tech Tools Dragon Dictation Voki ThingLink 30 Hands

Resources Writing Centers https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/10-Writing-Centers-for-Early-Childhood-or-Special-Education-330620 Visual Sentence Building https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Special-Education-Visual-Sentence-Building-for-Early-Readers-1503482 Descriptive Word Lists https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/WORD-LISTS-Detailed-and-Descriptive-Writing-2110597 Four Square Writing http://www.amazon.com/Square-Writing-Method-Grades- Enhanced/dp/1429117427/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1458784881&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=four+square+writing Dialogue Journals http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/Dialogue_Journals.html Mrs. Boone’s Website (Including Several On Demand Websites) http://savannahboone.weebly.com/for-teachers.html Kenton County On Demand-https://kcclusterleaders.wikispaces.com/

Resources Mentor Sentences