Writing Software
In this section, you will find programs that will assist in the development of writing skills. Some of these software programs are structured as learning games, while others are writing support products. Both options provide a multi-sensory approach to learning, which is very effective for dyslexic individuals. The learning games offer many options that include writing, reading, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and much more. Some of this software is sold only in the UK (but you can easily order online). Writing support software generally offer skill improvement options in spelling, word recognition, writing skills, and grammar. For more options for writing support software, click here, or for laptops or word processors click here.
Writers’ Workshop
Grades 6-12, Inclusion
TF-2024
$69.95
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com The local newspaper has commissioned you to write an article about global warming…do you accept? This interactive program provides a bank of media assignments to inspire young journalists. Students enter the multimedia newsroom, record audio files, and broadcast their work. Each assignment helps to develop skills in diction and descriptive language usage, and gives them helpful advice on capturing the attention of readers. Compose feature articles, profiles, and autobiographies. A comprehensive library and a web link are readily available. You can even choose to run the program in English, French, Spanish, or German at the touch of a button.
Young Writers’ Workshop
Grades 2-7, Inclusion
TF-2025
$69.95
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com Young students become young journalists in the Writers’ Workshop. Students develop factual and creative writing skills in a stimulating environment. Build a face and then write a story about your character. Join the Newsgroup where a bank of video shorts, photos, and reporting assignments inspire young writers to create their own sound-track scripts. Write captions, broadcasts, and reports for newspapers and magazines. Research news stories and read from a teleprompter. Students feel like professional journalists while they learn to capture their audience’s attention with concise reporting.
Writing Focus
Grades 2-7
$69.95
TF-2042
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com You won’t find a more interactive, fun, and effective approach to writing anywhere. Young learners develop creative and factual writing skills as they complete 9 exciting activities. They can build pictures and write stories to go along with them, design comic strips, write captions, compose play scripts, and write and record voice-overs for video stories. Easy-to-use tools and banks of words, pictures, and examples also help kids create shape poems, arguments, biographies, and diary entries. Simply click on an item in the bank to insert it into the composition area, then type away! Extracts from works of literature are included in each activity to inspire young writers and serve as a reference. Words, pictures, and examples can also be added to the program to create custom activities. Teacher support material, including overviews of each activity and discussion, research, and writing points, are included.
Grammar 1 & 2
Grades 3-9, Win/Mac
$79.95
TF-2148
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com/ This bundle combines SuperSpell Grammar 1 and 2 into one package full of fun activities! Please see the individual descriptions of each title for more information.
SuperSpell Grammar 1
Grades 3-7,
2146
$49.95
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com The Hoopers family returns to make learning grammar fun! This comprehensive collection of activities takes kids back to the beach and lets them accumulate points as they complete engaging, structured grammar activities. Navigate scrambling beach crabs, avoid cruising sharks, and dangerous jellyfish while improving usage of nouns and verbs. The more points you earn, the more reward games you can play! Teachers will be astounded by the quantity and quality of the activities contained in these two programs.
SuperSpell Grammar 2
Grades 5-9, Inclusion
$49.95
TF-2147
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com The Hoopers family returns to make learning grammar fun! This comprehensive collection of activities takes kids back to the beach and lets them accumulate points as they complete engaging, structured grammar activities. Navigate scrambling beach crabs, avoid cruising sharks, and dangerous jellyfish while improving usage of nouns and verbs. The more points you earn, the more reward games you can play! Teachers will be astounded by the quantity and quality of the activities contained in these two programs.
Spell Track
$69.95
TF-2058
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com Learners ranging from pre-school to dyslexic adults will appreciate Spell Track’s expertly designed, multi-sensory activities in: phonemic awareness, left-to-right tracking, word recognition, sequencing, segmenting, blending, and proofreading.
Word Munchers
PC-2531
$69.95
http://www.turningpointtechnology.com/ Education and entertainment converge in PCI’s newly revised Word Munchers. Students in Grades K-8 practice reading skills as they journey through outer space in this engaging program. The software is ideal for students who struggle with reading or grammar skills and need reinforcement or for those who want extra practice to sharpen their skills.
Read, Write & Type!
Grades: K-3rd
Home edition
Price: $79.
K-4thgrade bundle price: $99.
http://www.talkingfingers.com/readwritetype/ The Talking Fingers approach is based on a simple idea: text is speech made visible! We use our mouths to talk, to make the sounds of words. We use our fingers (with a pencil or keyboard) to represent those sounds on paper. When children learn to link speech sounds with letters, they can use the alphabet code to write any word they can say. Their fingers are “talking”.
The best-selling Read, Write & Type!™ software program, for children ages 6-9, offered a radically new approach to learning to read and write, based on a multi-sensory method that combines phonics with whole language and the skills of reading and writing with keyboarding, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
WhiteSmoke
Standard version: $89.95
http://www.whitesmoke.com WhiteSmoke Writer includes the core grammar checker, spell checker, and style enhancement features common to all WhiteSmoke versions, and a dictionary–thesaurus and spelling database suitable for general writing needs. WhiteSmoke is an innovative proofreading and editing tool with a single aim – too help you write better. You won’t believe what a huge difference it will make to the quality of your writing skills!
Grammar -The most powerful grammar checking feature on the market lets you write freely without having to worry about making mistakes. Now you can simply let your ideas flow and let WhiteSmoke do the dirty work.
Punctuation- This feature improves the clarity of your writing with correct punctuation
Wordy Qwerty
Grades 2-4
Price: $35.
K-4thgrade bundle price: $99.
http://www.talkingfingers.com/spelling-software-wordyqwerty/ reading-spelling-fluency.html/ Our new software, for grades 2-4, demystifies spelling and teaches children to recognize frequently repeated patterns in words.Wordy Qwerty – Foundations for Reading and Writing Fluency, takes 7-9 year olds through the next steps of reading and writing fluency, and picks up where our award-winning software, the Read, Write & Type Learning System leaves off.
Draft:Builder
Ability Grade Level 3-8 • Interest Grade Level 3-12
MAC/WIN
$149.00 ea.
Code: R85WB
http://www.donjohnston.com Using Draft:Builder, a writing software technology that breaks down the writing process, your students will enjoy the pre-writing process and ultimately write effective essays and papers as they:
• build better visual maps to prepare their plans and goals
• construct visual outlines to organize their ideas
• take better notes to emphasize and process important facts
NaturalReader, Education Gold, or silver
For PC
Gold version:$99.99 (comes with 1,000 free ebooks)
Silver version:$69.99 ( comes with 100 free ebooks)
http://www.naturalreaders.com Introduce Education Gold to your child and help them understand and become proficient with the software. Spend time together on the Internet looking for eBooks, web sites, stories, and documents that are of interest to your child and then let Education Gold help open up their world. Using Education Gold routinely will help your child improve in reading, comprehension, spelling and overall self-confidence while reducing their reading frustrations.
Word Bar
Price: $109.98
Item Number: 76583983
http://www.journeyed.com/item/Crick+Software/jem_import/76583983
WordBar 2 is the cool writing support tool for older students! WordBar is a kind of toolbar which sits along the bottom of your screen and attaches itself to whatever word processor you are using. It consists of a variable number of grids. Every grid contains a number of cells, each of which holds a word or phrase which can be sent to the word processor by clicking on it. These can be set up for individuals as a personalized dictionary of words for spelling, subject specific words or a writing frame.
The Grammar Show
Uk price: £59.55
http://www.dyslexic.com/items.asp?
Designed to help Key Stage 2 & 3 children learn, The Grammar Show consolidates and tests their understanding of grammar. It uses the same TV show format as The Punctuation Show with Hamish and Gale explaining a wide range of concepts and rules.
The Punctuation Show
£59.95
http://www.dyslexic.com/items.asp?Tp=&iTpStatus=1&Cc=PUNCTGRAM&Md=Punctuation%20&%20Grammar%20Software/ The Punctuation Show is an engaging yet thorough package for teaching punctuation rules. The extensive range of topics and activities explain and then practise this important basic skill. Hamish and Gale return to explain the rules of punctuation, using the same TV show format as The Spelling and Grammar Show.
Clicker 5
MAC/WIN
Grades K-5
$249.00
Code: J16WB
http://www.donjohnston.com Clicker 5 is the versatile tool that lets teachers customize reading and writing materials for students with beginning to advanced literacy skills. Create on-screen books and talking communication boards for students developing early literacy. Built-in auditory scanning gives immediate access to switch users.
Scally’s World: Letters & Nouns
£49.00
http://www.dyslexic.com/items.asp?
Scally’s World of Letters and Nouns, an early learning grid-based pack, features Scally in 15 carefully graded interactive activities, each of which can use up to 140 words taken from the National Literacy Strategy. Each word is cleverly illustrated to aid letter and letter blend recognition, and to develop whole-word sight vocabulary. Correct answers are rewarded by bringing the word to life in a charming animation – just watch their reactions when Scally floats, swims or flies up the screen in the (optional) progress bar!
Scally’s World: Verbs & Actions
£39.00
Learning vocabulary and understanding tenses is difficult for many children, particularly those with dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties.
Use Scally’s to improve listening, vocabulary, word recognition, spelling, sentence building, sequencing, modelling, and ICT skills. Verbs and tenses (past and present) are illustrated through fun animations as Scally, a small alien, learns English. Contains five engaging activities.
Visual Thesaurus single user
UK Price: £29.95
http://www.dyslexic.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=2917&eq=&Tp= Visual Thesaurus is an exciting and unique way to explore the meaning of words in the English Language, by using this visual and easily interpreted representation piece of software. Simply enter a word, and an animated diagram of all similar meaning words is created, which can be explored dynamically.
Visual Thesaurus includes spell checker/ word suggestion, text-to-speech which requires internet connection and the ability to search the web.
Punctuate
Uk Price: £49.50
http://www.dyslexic.com/items.asp? Punctuate offers a range of punctuation exercises. Suitable for all ages, with options of using basic or advanced vocabulary, these exercises not only let you practice the proper use of punctuation but also offer explanations of how punctuation should be used in the extensive help files.
