ACCESSIBLE
Presenter(s)
John Crick
Crick Software Inc
Day Phone: 425 467 8260
Fax: 425 467 8245
Email: john.crick@cricksoft.com
Students who are physically challenged
need tools to help them to do the basic reading and writing tasks that are
essential for learning. Most of
us take it for granted that we can browse through a CD to find out information,
then write about it using pen and paper, or a word
processor.
For students who depend on a switch to access
the computer, this is normally an impossible task, particularly at a K-5 level.
Even if there is a way of accessing the information, how do they then
write about it? Many able-bodied readers and writers, too, struggle with
extracting information from a text, and then writing about it. They need
carefully structured support to help them to become active learners.
The National Reading Panel emphasizes the
importance of Active Comprehension, and we know that for learning to be truly
effective, it has to be active. When students read information, they need
to communicate that information to others in order for real learning to take
place. For the teacher, too, this written feedback is essential to find
out what the student has understood, and what further instruction is necessary.
Find Out & Write
About is an innovative and highly effective series that enables K-5 students of
all abilities to research information and write about it independently.
It is very carefully structured, and because it is built in Clicker, it
is fully switch accessible. The series focuses
strongly on the principles of active comprehension and text restructuring, both
of which are recognized by the National Reading Panel as highly effective
teaching methods.
Each Find Out &
Write About title has been carefully researched and includes three levels. The
text has been meticulously restructured at each level to suit children of
different abilities. The text is supported by real speech, so it is very
appropriate for early and struggling readers as well as those who are more fluent.
Students are able to read or listen to the well-illustrated pages of
information at whichever level suits their ability.
Each page of information has a ‘write about’
button which links to a Clicker writing grid that is directly related to that
page. The writing grids enable students to write with whole words and
phrases. At the simplest level, students rebuild the exact sentences they
have read on the information page. At level two, the grids offer a wider
choice of words, enabling students to write sentences of their own. Level
three grids provide writing frames with a vocabulary list, and a link to a
keyboard grid, so that students can create their own text.
As the student works through the material, they
gradually build up a significant piece of writing. They are able to work
independently and at their own pace, with the continuous support of writing
grids linked to every page. With the built-in speech support too, the
student is firmly in control of his or her own learning.
At this presentation you will see in detail how
this award-winning series enables students of all abilities to experience
success with real reading and writing tasks, and how switch users have totally
equal access to the materials.
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