Sentence building grids |
|
|
Sentence building grids typically contain all the words required to build a sentence. Some cells may also contain pictures to help students identify words, and all cells have speech on right-click so the user can hear the word before they write it.
Clicker grids like this enable emergent writers to get the satisfaction of building a sentence for themselves. Their success motivates them to try more sentences, and soon they develop into independent writers.
Sentence grids are usually linked, so when a sentence is completed, the user clicks the forward arrow to move to the next grid in the sequence, to write the next sentence. |
|
As they move through the series of grids, the text in Clicker Writer grows, giving students the satisfaction of creating a significant piece of writing.
The words in the grid can be color coded to define parts of speech. In addition you can offer a visual or aural model for the student to copy, or use a ‘forced order’ template to encourage left to right directionality.
Find out more about sentence building grids in our Clicker in Your Classroom guide. |
Word bank grids
Some students who can spell out most words using the keyboard may still need help with the more difficult words, or they may need encouragement to broaden their vocabulary. Clicker word bank grids provide instant access to any number of words.
Word bank grids can be linked with forward and back arrows or via a simple menu system. All words can be previewed with a right-click (Mac: Ctrl-click), which reads the word out.
|
Click image to enlarge | Download
CMYK TIF
|
Writing frames |
Click image to enlarge | Download
CMYK TIF
|
Many students find it difficult to structure their writing, especially when writing in a genre that is new to them, e.g. a set of instructions or writing up an experiment. Writing frames provide scaffolding to help students achieve well-structured writing.
Clicker Grids are the perfect vehicle for writing frames. They provide sentence or paragraph starters, subject-specific vocabulary, and other supporting phrases. |
Ready-made Clicker Grids
You don't have to make all your Clicker Grids yourself! Lots of ready-made Grid Sets come with the program, and there are over 400 Grid Sets covering a range of curriculum topics available free on LearningGrids World. You can access these materials directly from within Clicker 5, without even opening your web browser, and we add more every two weeks! |
 |
Creating and editing Clicker Grids |
|
|
Teachers can edit Clicker Grids at any time - just hold the Shift key and click on the cell you want to edit. Clicker Grids are really easy to create too. Choose a template and then shift-click on a cell to get started!
It's simple to move and resize cells, and you can easily add graphics in all the common formats, including digital photos from the Internet or your camera. Clicker comes with a graphics library of over 1800 pictures, so you'll usually find the picture you want!
|
|
You can quickly add more grids to your set and they'll be automatically linked with the forward and back arrows.
Soon you will find that you're creating grids for lots of different writing tasks. Many teachers like to create word banks on the fly - students suggest words and the teacher types them in. At the end of the brainstorming session, students start using the word bank right away! |
