Tommy's Special Writing Tool


A story about a 2nd grader who gets assistive technology to help him.

By Holly and Joyce

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Welcome to Mrs. LT's 2nd grade class!  In this class, just like every class, you will find a lot of different kinds of students.  Some are tall, some are short, some have red hair, and some have brown hair.

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Just like kids have different appearances, they also have different abilities.  That means everyone has things that they are good at.  Everyone also has things that they need help with sometimes.

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In Mrs. LT's class, there is a student named Tommy.  Tommy is 7-years old.  He has a lot of fun with his friends, and he really likes to read books.  He loves to build things with Legos.

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When it is time for the weekly spelling test, Tommy can't write out all the words even though he knows how to spell them.  It makes Tommy feel bad when all the other kids finish before him.  Sometimes, Tommy doesn't even want to finish the test.


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One day, Tommy's special education teacher brought him a portable word processor.  It is like a computer with a small screen used just for typing.  Tommy was already good at typing, so he learned how to use it quickly.
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On Friday, it was time for the spelling test!  While the other students took out their pencils and paper, Tommy took out his portable word processor.  The teacher read each word aloud, and Tommy was able to keep up!  He typed each word into the processor, then he hooked it up to a computer with a USB cable.  Next, he printed off his spelling test and handed it in.  He felt so proud and happy!

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He felt good about himself, because he could keep up with everyone in class--it made him feel smart.  He still practiced handwriting, but when he was in class, he used the word processor.  He used it for other writing activities like writing stories or in his journal.

 

The End

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