KB Journal #4

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In our class we have a student with special needs who did not produce any work during the first marking period.  It would take forever to get this Writer4 to start working on a piece of writing, then a lot of one on one support to create a few sentences.  This was very frustrating for my co-teacher and I because we felt like we couldn’t reach Writer4 and the other students in our class at the same time.  We knew that Writer4 responded well to social stories, so at the beginning of the marking period I created a step by step social story about the process of writing a story.  I put pictures of the supplies needed in writing workshop and my co-teacher and I created a spot for our friend to work in the classroom.  The first few days, Writer4 was still really dependent on us for support during the writing process.  After a few short weeks, Writer4 was shouting, “Look Ms. B I am writing all by myself!  I don’t need your help!”  My co-teacher and I were so proud of how hard Writer4 was working and the progress that was made in such a short time. 

Today I sat down to conference with Writer4 again.  I looked at Writer4′s folder and was so excited to see a huge stack of stories that were written this marking period.  I know the point our research is to see how the goals the students create help them become independent writers.  With this student, the teachers came up with a goal.  Either way, Writer4 was able to meet his goal of working in writing workshop everyday.  The bonus is that Writer4 is now working independently.  It is so exciting!