MSirmans

     Craft lessons for K-2 writing were continued on pages 29-43.  These lessons discussed the elements : "Writing a Strong Lead", Flushing Out Sketchy Writing by Cutting and Pasting", "Time Transitions", " Using Talk Bubbles", "New Ways to Write About an Old Topic", ' Choosing and Describing the Setting", " Staying On the Topic ", "Cause and Effect", "Discription of a Character", "Writing through a Mask", designing patterns and a shape for a story by repetition of words,phrases or sentences, and surprise endings.

      All of these elements of writing skills are difficult for language delayed or disordered students and the simple,concise methods offered by the authors are helpful and functional.  I appreciate having the resources listed with the lesson and the specific examples offered.  Manipulating the texts by cutting and pasting will be motivating for my visual,kinesthetic students and is a beneficial way to reinforce sequencing skills.  My stutterers are more verbally fluent when speaking through a mask so it stands to reason that some children will write more fluently when using these techniques.  Determining a setting and describing it using details expands vocabulary and will provide practice for all SI students whose IEP objectives address weak semantic skills.  

       The pages 15-29 in Craft Lessons explain and define what is expressed as "writing" from K-2 students.  The authors lead us through explicit step-by-step lesson plans that teach the elements of craft.  These pages help reinforce ways to encourage and develop writing fluency with many strategies that we are now using but not categorizing as "crafting" writing skills.  The lessons are specific and simple to follow and the authors provide the resources and list the materials needed to teach the lesson.  Step-by-step instructions shown by example help teachers understand how and why to teach every element of craft to students on a K-2 level. Teachers gain a better understanding of what to expect of K-2 students from the examples in the lessons.

       I especially related to "Nudging Students to Move Beyond List and Love Stories " because many of my language disordered/delayed students are working on using  answering the  "WH" questions correctly and relevantly. These children are required to expand their oral sentences and compose longer oral presentations by answering questions.  The student can transfer his/her comments to paper and become a more proficient writer as well as speaker.

As a speech/language pathologist, I am closely involved with the strategies and methods used for improving writing skills.  My language disabled children do not grasp language concepts readily and I am always open to new methods and ideas and anxious to try different ways to help them.  I appreciated the thoughts of the authors and identified with their mission to search for proven ways to improve students' writing and to communicate thoughts more concisely. My objective is to help the SI students express thoughts both orally and in writing on an  appropriate age/grade level.  This book will be very beneficial as I work with all grade levels Pre-k - 6th and will understand general guidelines of what is acceptable for my students in the classroom.  Since my time is limited with the students, I have to rely on the classroom teacher to provide the time to form the ideas (conceive) and see my role as dealing with the "middle element " as the authors refer to the crafting process.  This includes sequencing, spelling, organizing ,questioning, and rereading to craft the text.

          The speaking, reading and writing skills are blended nicely through the ideas in this book, and I look forward to reading more of it and trying the projects with my language students both in the resource room and through inclusion in the regular education classroom.