Individualized Writing With Special Words"Special words" are one way I give students voice and choice in writing. During Writers' Workshop, instead of canned journal prompts, each child chooses a special word: something they are excited about such as birthday, Frozen, dinosaurs, etc. If a child chose birthday they would find the B page in their alphabetized special words book, and tell me, "My word starts with b...." I would then write it in their book for their future reference.
Students choose what to write about their special words in their journals, from a simple sentence to a more involved story. They are encouraged to use the word wall and estimated spelling. They may or may not choose to illustrate their writing. Special words give students motivation to write, a database of words they care about, help focusing on a topic, practice in alphabetizing and sounding out words, and differentiation. From here, a child can read their story to a partner or the class, go through the writing process to edit and publish their own book, or save it to reread later. |
Creating High Interest
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