Everyone has Something To Say.
The majority of my students with social and cognitive issues initially hate writing. They shut down at the mere mention of a sentence. My primary goal every year, is to motivate them. When they are motivated, wonderful things happen. Three of the best moments in my young teaching career have involved writing.
The first one was a student with a learning disability, living in an unstable home. His positive attitude about writing was rare and refreshing.
The first one was a student with a learning disability, living in an unstable home. His positive attitude about writing was rare and refreshing.
He said, "I love writing, because it helps me get my feelings out."
Another moment involved a student with emotional disturbance, who had rarely been in the classroom due to behavior issues until 5th grade. Although an extensive amount of scaffolding was required, he ended up having such a powerful message to share. He wrote about his brave dad helping the US Army in Iraq. He described feeling safe for the first time, when his family landed in the States. His dad was dying from cancer at the time my student was writing his story. Writing was a way for him to sneak out from under his anger to express himself.
The final moment was a student with Aspergers, who wrote a story about his 4th grade teacher. It began with his first impression of her being an old hag! By the end of his story, there was no doubt he loved her and she was the best teacher in the world! When he shared with the class, he was a one-man show; extremely entertaining and not a bit self conscious.
Most of the time, my students are convinced they have nothing to say. Shadow Puppet was a great motivator for them, making it a perfect first writing project of the year. Shadow Puppet is easy for students to use. There is no visual clutter on the site; just simple steps to follow. They loved choosing the background music and recording themselves!
I have shared the students' puppets below. Unfortunately, one of them works in the app, but when I share it via a link or in email, it doesn't play the music. It's a small draw-back.
I have shared the students' puppets below. Unfortunately, one of them works in the app, but when I share it via a link or in email, it doesn't play the music. It's a small draw-back.
Wow! What connections you made with students this week through writing! I love when students are writing more online than they ever wrote on paper, and expressing so much emotion. Thank you for posting two student examples! Powerful!
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