Story Writing for Struggling Students

**This article is a guest post from Karla at http://lifeinspecialeducation.blogspot.com. Thank you for your wonderful contribution!**

Story Writing for Struggling Students

Many students who struggle with reading, writing, and spelling have a very difficult time getting their words and ideas on paper even though they may be amazing storytellers. There are several simple ways that you can help these students to be successful and allow them to show off their storytelling talents.

Allow students to tell their story to another person and have them script it for them. I know in the classroom this isn’t always possible. Another solution is to have the student record his story. With all of the technology that is available today, audio recording is easier than ever. With an audio recording, the student can playback his story several times as he writes it or you can have an adult write the story at a later time.
Graphic organizers are wonderful tools for students to organize their ideas. There are thousands of free graphic organizers available on the internet to print. Finding the best graphic organizer for your child will involve trying several and seeing which one fits your child’s needs. Search “free graphic organizers for writing.”
Draw a picture of the main idea of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Once the main idea has been transformed into a visual tool, the student can write the main idea from each part of the story and add a few detail sentences for each picture. Then, they will have created an entire story.

Storytelling is often an area our students can succeed at if we provide them with the proper accommodations. It’s important for the student and his peers to see him as a valuable member of the classroom.

Karla Banks is a special education teacher in an arts integrated, Title I school. She taught a pull-out resource program for 5 years and has taught a k-5 self-contained classroom for students with a variety of disabilities since 2004. For additional tips and help for your struggling students visit Karla at http://lifeinspecialeducation.blogspot.com

Kelly Thoresen Isselhardt

2021-12-24

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As a parent working through the 20/21 school year in distance learning with 3 elementary kids, there were at least some positive upsides. For example, my daughter Laine’s (2nd grade, 8 years old at start) reading ability (when she is such a bright, exuberant, creative, SMART kid) kept me up at night. Something was not connecting. No amount of pressure or more reading was making up for the missing pieces in her ability to read. I was literally awake in the middle of the night, by chance watching Dr. Morgan’s Facebook ad and knew he was talking about my daughter. I started crying and felt I had been given such a gift. By morning in February 2021 she was signed up and on her way to decoding and cracking her reading struggles. It’s not been easy all the time, we have struggled through some lessons with tears and frustration. BUT today, Laine passed her 223 lesson, earned her helicopter (the code words/spy prizes have been a great motivator), and has gone from a 1.5 grade reading level to reading at a 5th grade level with limited assistance in only 10 months. I am so grateful for the Easyread program. Their attention to detail, one on one phone calls and Zoom meet ups, quick response time to questions, and consideration for my kid’s development has made us feel cared for each step of the way. If you have looked into the Easyread program and David’s description of your child’s reading journey hits home, run don’t walk to sign up. It has been one of our favorite blessings of this crazy year and I shout it’s praises to anyone who has a struggling reader.

Laura Stoker

2021-12-21

I was really skeptical about this for my 8 year old, how can 15 minutes a day and video, and games work? He struggled with blending and decoding. He know can use the trainer texts faster then I can figure out the word myself to see if he is correct. The system moves as he needs and the personal support is amazing.

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Jared Amanda Stone

Our daughter has loved the Easyread program. She thinks she is just playing fun games on the computer but she's actually improving her reading and spelling skills. Her Spelling grades have improved from 50% to 90% in only a few months. Thank you Easyread for an amazing program! I would highly recommend your program for any children struggling to read and spell.

Carly Banks

2021-12-14

Wow, this program works! My 9-year old became a more fluent reader within weeks of starting, and she really enjoyed doing the assignments (structured like fun games) every day! She never complained about it once, even 2 months in she was excited to decode the words and play the games in Easyread. And she has so much more confidence now. Thank you Easyread!

Story Writing for Struggling Students

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