For children who are challenged by writing, the task of composing an essay can seem daunting. Thanks to new software used by LASE, children with writing disabilities can learn to construct stories that include varied sentence structures, a wide range of vocabulary words, and interesting content. Story Book Weaver software is an innovative program that encourages students to personalize each essay by adding colorful characters, outrageous settings, and even sound effects. Austin is a 6th grader at Atonement who uses Story Book Weaver as he learns to write paragraphs with Mrs. Carol Lima, LASE Speech and Language Pathologist, and Mrs. Kim Paquette, LASE Resource Teacher. His mother, Nicole, is thrilled to follow his progress in writing with this new software. Recently, Austin used Story Book Weaver to independently write a clever story about Gila monsters. He accomplished the goal of using lengthy sentences and specific vocabulary words in descriptive fashion. Austin is delighted to share excerpts from his essay with you:
The Gila monster emerged from the desert. The man pulled out his binoculars to see what the Gila monster was doing. The Gila monster was stashing his food. The lizard came to the man and the man ran away. He told the guys at work what he had seen. They did not believe him. The man cringed and was exasperated at them. He showed them were he had seen the lizard. One of the guys was mesmerizing the lizard. The man was legendary. Way to go, Austin the Author!