Case
A Case of Writer's Block and then some...

Mrs. B is a third grade teacher. She is the inclusion teacher and is self-contained. She has 18 students with 6 students being SPED students. Writing is a huge initiative at her school this year and she is ready to jump on the task. Each day at writing time, her six SPED students struggle to write. She has them sit at the back table and assists them in a small group, she showed them how to use a graphic organizer to organize their ideas, etc Despite these many efforts, Mrs. B's students still struggle to write. How can Mrs. B help these students become better writers?

Posted on: 10/17/14 | Views: 956
Solution #1
Mrs. B could change the routine of writing time. She could group students with a peer helper on one day, use a mixed small group approach, set up centers for specific elements in writing, and discuss the situation with the school SPED teacher to see if that teacher may have any additional ideas. Using other approaches to teaching writing will be more beneficial than to continue using the same method which has not worked to this point.

I also feel that changing the routine of writing time will assist all of the students. Discussing the topics ahead of time, creating partners or groups will help students succeed.

I agree that the method she is using is not working, and it would be beneficial to try other methods. I think the idea of pairing up is a good first strategy to use.

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Solution #2
I think that one approach Mrs. B could take would be to ask students to discuss the topic before they start to write about it. Many students do not have any trouble talking about topics and I think a classroom discussion about the activity would be very beneficial. During the class discussion, get the students to write down key points other students make in hopes they can use it as a resource during their writing. Teach them the art of rewording to get them initiating their writing.

I like this solution about classroom discussion. This gives the students a chance to hear ideas from their peers. I also believe that music may encourage writing.

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Solution #3
I would modify my classroom to help the entire class instead of these few students. Studies have shown that using modifications class wide is extremely beneficial to all students in the classroom. It does not single out the SPED students and sometimes helps students that are not formally diagnosed as SPED but would benefit from modifications. I would research class wide modifications.
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