MindWing Concepts Blog
Sharing our own Stories & Social Problem Solving using Story Grammar Marker®
Over the summer I had the kind of “Kickoff” that we all hope to avoid in the course of our ho-hum days. It was a 95-degree school day and I was leaving one setting to go to my private practice and run a social skill group. As I opened my passenger side door to put my bag in the car, an oppressive blast of heat enveloped me. I decided stupidly that it would be a good idea to lean over and start the car so the A/C could have, you know, a millisecond to cool down the car as I walked around toward the driver side. Of course when I got there the door had locked automatically, as it had on the other side. Ugh...
The Importance Of Expository Text Comprehension In “Real Life” Situations
After a TORNADO, an EARTHQUAKE and now a looming HURRICANE, at MindWing we have become preoccupied by the weather. Usually snowstorms are our biggest threat! The past couple of months of weather have been surreal. We have had workshops cancelled and have spoken to colleagues and friends throughout the east coast who have had school called off due to the hurricane warning.
The paragraph below about Hurricane Irene was found yesterday on http://thesiweather.com/ and exemplifies the IMPORTANCE OF COMPREHENDING EXPOSITORY TEXT IN A “REAL LIFE” SITUATION. Below the paragraph are ThemeMaker® maps organizing the complex, extensive information from this weather report. We thought this could be used for a “content area” lesson...
Register for Both Summer Workshops in New England & Take a Vacation!
Are you looking for a fun summer get-away with a purpose? How about a trip to scenic New England?
A few out of state colleagues asked, “What could my family do if they came with me and I attended both of your workshops this summer?” So, we put together a sample itinerary we thought we’d share:
- You could fly into Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT on the weekend of July 16/17. (Make sure to rent a car that has GPS so that you will have no problems finding your way around New England!)
- Over the weekend into Monday, you could drive to New York City, it is about 90 minutes from there. Here is a link (http://www.iloveny.com/) to help you navigate the many attractions including: Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, Time Square, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and maybe even catch a Broadway Musical!...
Story Patch: A Great Context to Teach Narrative with Story Grammar Marker
There have been a number of apps for iOS (iPad/iPod/iPhone operating system) that have been released in recent months that seem like they were created for use with Story Grammar Marker! Digital Storytelling apps such as Story Patch allow children to create stories while having an emphasis on narrative structure, with choices about character, setting and actions. Students with language disorders will need assistance with organizing, expanding, and adding complexity to their narrative and sentence structure, and that is where you and the SGM come in!
In this video, I give a quick walkthrough of Story Patch (iPad only, currently only $.99- yes, that’s 99 CENTS) and its choices for story creation. You’ll see how its “Create a Story with Help” mode is a great opportunity...
The Incredible 5-Point Scale and Narrative Elements
April is Autism Awareness Month, and I wanted to highlight one of my favorite tools that I employ with students with autism spectrum and related disorders: The Incredible 5-Point Scale by Kari Dunn Baron and Mitzi Curtis. The 5-Point Scale is a tool designed to help students understand the confusing, emotional and language-heavy range of human behaviors by boiling it all down to a scale of 1-5. The approach is very versatile and can be applied to many situations and target behaviors, such as emotional state, voice volume or scales to help students grade their responses to everyday occurrences such as a “Participation Scale” within the classroom...
UMASS Amherst Alumna Maryellen Rooney Moreau Turns Honors Thesis Into Lifelong Pursuit
Maryellen Rooney Moreau '68 is one alumna who has turned her undergraduate thesis into a lifelong career. Over 40 years ago, Moreau completed an honors thesis on language development in the department of communication arts and sciences, which is now known as communication disorders. Her thesis prompted a continued interest in researching the link between oral language development and literacy, turning Moreau into an entrepreneur whose business has changed the way educators teach...