1.

Cruz, Colleen. M. (2008). Reaching Struggling Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 4-74

Section 1: What? You can start helping these students if you take a few minutes away from conferring during one writing period to just observe a student who has been off your radar. Notice the students behaviors: her posture, her focus on the paper, where her eyes look in the classroom: Does she look to the chart you made during the minilesson? (Cruz, Colleen, p. 4). Students may not struggle with stringing words together into sentences in instances when they are confident about the content, but when the content is tougher; the students confidence takes a nosedive. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 5). We need to do a little digging to learn whether the students comfort zones reflect her past schooling experiences or whether they are more indicative of a fear of making a mistake. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 5). Lev Vygotsky taught us that a child learns best when she is challenged within her zone of proximal development. When a child finds a task too easy, she is not learning anything and might in fact become bored and see learning as not for her. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 9). The challenge for educators is to strike that fine balance of creating opportunities where the child feels both challenged and supported. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 9). We might have a conference with the student, where we talk about setting goals for ourselves that stretch us past our own best work. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 9). We can invite writers to our schools and ask them to talk about the challenges of writing as well as the joys. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 14). The single most important support system we can help our students obtain and maintain is a relationship with peers. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 66). Offer students choice, to tell them that they can and should write anything they want to write, (Cruz, Colleen, p. 67). Perhaps the best way to help a student who needs to know that something is at last completed is to help him create way stations inside the writing process-place where the writer can stop, admire the view, and catch his breath before moving on. (Cruz, Colleen, p. 74).

Section 2: So What? This book is a great book for teaching motivational writing strategies for all students. It talks about giving students choices and setting high achievable goals. It also talks about the importance of students being proud of their writing, which will then make them more excited about writing. I think it is so important to find strategies to help motivate the students in your classroom to become writers. This book talks about a variety of ways motivate and get students excited about writing. Section 3: Now What? This book was so informational and gave me great ideas on how to incorporate motivational writing strategies in my classroom. My focus is writing for students with autism, this book was not directed towards that specific topic; however, I believe all of these strategies can be used with students who have autism. I will conference with all students in my class and find out what writing strategy works best for each individual students. I will encourage students to use their imagination when it comes to writing, but at the same time if a student struggles with that, I will give choices on what to write about.

2.

Kamberg, Mary-Lane. (2008). The I love to write book. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Crickhollow Books.

Section 1: What? A writer is someone who writes, thats all. You cant stop it; you cant make yourself do anything else but that. (Kamberg, Mary-Lane, p. 15). The easiest way to learn to write is to read. Read books, magazines, newspaper articles, comic books, and signs on the subway. (Kamberg, Mary-Lane, p. 19). An important skill all writers need is the ability to notice things. (Kamberg, Mary-Lane, p. 29).

Section 2: So What? In order to be a good writer, you must also be a good reader. This book talks about how reading and writing go hand in hand and to improve your writing skills you must read more. Read anything from picture books, to newspapers, to novels, practically anything with words. Noticing things is something a good writer is able to do; keep your eyes open, there is always something to write about. Section 3: Now What? I think reading is very important because it is the base of writing. I plan on having a variety of things to read other than books in my classroom, one in particular being a classroom newspaper that the students write, and then they will be able to read it. This book does not focus on students with autism; however, it does in fact have some very good material that I will use with my students who have autism; including, having things to read that are related to their daily lives, such as, cereal boxes, food labels, directions, along with many other things. 3. Grandin, T. (2002, December). Teaching tips for children and adults with autism. Retrieved from www.iidc.indiana.edu/?pageId=601

Section 1: What? Many people with autism are visual learners (Grandin, Temple) Some autistic children learn reading more easily with phonics, and others will learn best by memorizing whole words (Grandin, Temple) Many children with autism are good at drawing, art and computer programming. These talent areas should be encouraged. (Grandin, Temple) Many autistic children have problems with motor control in their hands. Neat handwriting is sometimes very hard. This can totally frustrate the child. To reduce frustration and help the child to enjoy writing, let him type on the computer. (Grandin, Temple) Some children and adults can sing better than they can speak. They may respond better if words and sentences are sung to them. Some children with extreme sound sensitivity will respond better if the teacher talks to them in a low whisper. (Grandin, Temple) Individuals with visual processing problems often find it easier to read if black print is printed on colored paper to reduce contrast. (Grandin, Temple) Sequencing is very difficult for individuals with severe autism. Sometimes they do not understand when a task is presented as a series of steps. An occupational therapist successfully taught a nonverbal autistic child to use a playground slide by walking his body through climbing the ladder and going

down the slide. It must be taught by touch and motor rather than showing him visually. (Grandin, Temple) Section 2: So What? This article talked about teaching tips for students with autism, both academically and socially. It went into detail about how to use fixations to motivate them; it also talked about giving short verbal instruction and demonstrating tasks before they are to do them. Technology was also mentioned in regards to writing, using computers or iPads rather than pencil and paper might work better for students who have autism. Section 3: Now What? I would use these teaching tips in my classroom on a daily basis. Students with autism generally learn better if they are given hands on tasks rather than written. Using technology to motivate students to write is something I believe to be very important; however, I will still have them use pencil and paper to complete some assignments. Using fixations that they are interested in to motivate students will be something I also include in my daily lessons, this will help them to stay engaged and excited about what they are working on. 4. Hensley, P. (n.d.). 22 tips for teaching students with autism spectrum. Retrieved from http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8761-22-tips-for-teaching-students-with-autism-spectrumdisorders

Section 1: What? Use Task Analysis very specific, tasks in sequential order. (Hensley) Teach specific social rules/skills, such as turn-taking and social distance. (Hensley) Repeat instructions and checking understanding. Using short sentences to ensure clarity of instructions. (Hensley) Providing warning of any impending change of routine, or switch of activity. (Hensley) Recognizing that some change in manner or behavior may reflect anxiety. (Hensley) Exploring word-processing, and computer-based learning for literacy. (Hensley) Allowing some access to obsessive behavior as a reward for positive efforts. (Hensley)

Section 2: So What? This internet article talks about various strategies to use when teaching a student with autism. Being very specific on what you want the child to do is important because most students with autism are very literal and do things exactly as they are told to. There are many strategies for writing throughout this article so are no explicitly listed as writing strategies such as change in manner, exploring word-processing, and computer for literacy, use task analysis along with many more strategies. Section 3: Now What? These teaching strategies will be used in my classroom not only with writing but in all academic and social areas. I will have a reward system to give students an incentive to complete a given task. Writing on the computer will be something that I do weekly; they will be able to write about whatever they want during this time as long as they use the computer to type. The article also talks about using various means of presentation, I will find out what way each student learns best and teach that way.

5.

Pennington, R. (2012). Using Simultaneous Prompting to Teach Computer-based Story Writing to a Student with Autism. Education & Treatment Of Children (West Virginia University Press), 35(3), 389406.

Section 1: What? Writing involves a complex set of skills that can be used to affect the behavior of readers. Skinner suggested that writing serves two major functions. A technical function and a aesthetic function. Kameenui and Simmons suggested that in early stages of writing instruction, teachers should present pictures as antecdents to students writing responses. Researchers have demonstrated that writing deficits for some students are amenable to instruction and have established guidelines for intervention. The majority of the writing research for students with intellectual disabilities and ASDs has involved the use of computer-assisted instruction.

Section 2: So What? This article talks about how crucial the skill of writing is. The article was a research study some professionals did on writing for students with disabilities, specifically autism. The purpose of the study was to find effect that prompted writing such as computer-based instruction. Section 3: Now What? After reviewing this study, I am much more likely to use technology in my classroom; I will have a computer day where students specifically use the computer to construct a piece of writing. The directly relates to the fact that students with autism learn better when participating in hands-on activities. 6. Colasent, R. L. (1998). Autism and literacy: Looking into the classroom with rabbit stories. Reading Teacher, 51(5), 414.

Section 1: What? Some children with autism have precocious reading abilities, but who are unable to comprehend language, whether it is written or spoken. These children with autism are called hyperlexic. They are described as having better memory for isolated words in context. These children seem to be able to receive and store isolated bits of information but have difficulty organizing and using the information meaningfully. High-functioning autistic person with verbal abilities could tell stories based on a series of pictures, but their stories were much shorter, were less complex, and had more lexical and syntactic errors than those of normal children. Children with autism can respond to stories in a very positive way that enhances their literacy skills. Through triangulation techniques, and through analysis of the responses to questions, the writings and the drawings, we made numerous discoveries. Children with autism were able to demonstrate gains in oral retelling when thematic stories were used as content. Retellings were even better after students wrote and drew about the stories.

Section 2: So What? This study talks about how students respond differently to reading such as listening to a story being read aloud verses individual reading time. Students who had stories read out loud to them were much more likely to accurately retell a story then students who read to themselves. I think that some students with autism struggle with reading

comprehension, which is why it is important to find a just right book, a book that is on their level and one that keeps their interest. Section 3: Now What? After researching more on ways students with autism learn best, I do believe that they comprehend more when they are ready to by someone rather than reading individually, mostly because if they are unsure of the meaning of a word they can ask then and there rather than waiting till after they finished the entire book. My classroom will be a classroom full of learning; therefore, I will read to my students each day and go over what the meaning of the book is, so that they understand how important it is to understand the meaning of books when they read. 7. Bedrosian, J. (2003). Enhancing the Written Narrative Skills of an AAC Student with Autism: EvidenceBased Research Issues. Topics In Language Disorders, 23(4), 305-324.

Section 2: So What? This article talked about ways to enhance written narrative skills for students with autism. It said that students with autism are multisensory learners and do much better if they are working with technology. Section 3: Now What? I will use these narrative skills that are talked about in the article in my classroom by providing students the proper materials in order for them to produce their very best writing. If this means it takes trying all the different strategies out, I will do whatever it takes for them to become great writers. 8. Brown, J. (2010). Writers on the spectrum: How autism and Asperger syndrome have influenced literary writing. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Section 1: What? This book is a book full of biographies of people with autism and how writing influenced them. I will not use any specific quotes but reflect on the book throughout this project Section 2: So What? This book talks about different influential people who had autism and how they used writing to express their emotions. Writing can be such a great way for children to express themselves without feeling any pressure. Section 3: Now What? I will use this book as a guide and a way to share with parents how all students can be great writers regardless of the challenges they may face. I will give my students the opportunity to write daily in class so that they if they need to express their emotions and cant verbally get it out, they can write their feelings on paper. Poetry is something that I will push because I truly believe that poetry is such a great way to express an individuals emotion.