Yesterday I had 2 aha moments.
The first was when I was working with a group to help them plan their fairy tale. We brainstormed some setting from fairy tales they have read. I scribed for them so they didn't have to worry about the spelling or getting all of the ideas down. They then decided which setting they would like to further develop - a cave. The boy began to talk about what the cave could look like and what might be in it. I told the boys we would record their thought on the 'easi-speak' so we didn't miss anything ( a real brainwave that was). We decided their fairy tale will begin with once upon a time ...The boys agreed to put their hand up when they wanted to share their ideas. This worked a treat as they became so involved in sharing their story idea so that the story could develop. We then replayed their recording and I scribed it. The boys then reread their story and came up with more information and recorded it. I have downloaded their recording into their ICT folders so they can listen to it or use it at a later date.
Having used the easi-speak often in the class the boys were not phased by its presence in our writing planning session. It also reinforced to me how effective a tool it is to get our reluctant writers to share their ideas. The language these boys used was brilliant.