Lo-Tech Writing Tool Kit

I taught Kindergarten for a few years before I was promoted (ha ha ha) to teaching 4th grade.  However, this year, I find that I am using lots of the tools that I used when I taught kindergarten when it comes to writing.  I teach many kids who have OT issues, and therefore tend to have a reluctance to write at all.  The first thing I did was bring in TOT pencils.  Those fat pencils (with fat erasers which help for totally different reasons) have helped to make even the most illegible 4th grade writers semi-decent.  I went shopping around to several local stores (not specifically teacher stores) to find items that could help kids with writing deficiencies.

When I taught kindergarten, getting students to write some days was worse than pulling teeth (which for Kindergarteners is kind of enjoyable due to their belief in the tooth fairy).  On those days, a box of chalk and some sidewalk proved valuable.  Letting kids write their sentences, paragraphs, thinking maps, ideas in chalk on the large scale of a sidewalk can help them to view the process as fun and don't worry about having nothing to grade - take a quick snapshot of their work before the rain comes. This particular chalk cost $1.00 at a Dollar Tree Store.

These two items I thought could potentially be used together.  In writing, it is often what is written that is key, not how it is conveyed.  For those reluctant writers, have the letters already sorted and the student can string together their words or sentences.  Take pictures of the work and keep as a record (or teach the student to do so).  These items together were found at Michael's (prices shown in the photos).

Who doesn't love color?  Sometimes, writing with a pencil can be monotonous and boring.  Break out the markers and it's a party!  Break out poster board and you have a festival!  Teach the students how to use the colors as tool (simply to make sure they don't spend all their time alternating between blue and pink) and let them fly.  You may even end up with some illustrations. Found these at Michael's, but they can be picked up at Wal-Mart the week before school starts for less than a dollar a pack.

These were found for $1.00 at Dollar Tree

Stamps can help take the pressure off of forming the letters, and leave the creativity behind.  Make sure that students understand the purpose of the stamps and help them to work on choosing the letters as quickly as possible so they don't forget what they are writing.  Found at Michael's priced at marked. 

This could be used on a much larger scale (as with the sidewalk chalk).  Found at Dollar Tree Stores for $1.00 a pack.

These pens are much larger than a regular pen and may be able to provide the motivation (and even some help with OT issues due to the size of the grip)  for reluctant writers.  Found for $1.00 at the Dollar Tree)

This is just fun!  Students could potentially write on their own desks (as long as you get it off really quickly).  A similar idea could be to spread shaving cream over their desks and have them write.  Imagine the ease with which to correct a mistake would be (no pressure)!  Don't forget to take photos of student work for records.

Sometimes it isn't the utensil that is the problem, but the writing surface.  Change dimension, change lines, change the color of the lines or the thickness.  Use a highlighter to accent where to write.  This school shaped paper was $1.00 at Dollar Tree.