AT Tool Kit Activity: Writing From a Word Bank
Purpose: To allow children who are having difficulty with writing the
opportunity to use a collection of words to piece together to written
sentences.
Materials needed: Index cards, a list of vocabulary word that your child
can identify
Environment: Home/School/ Community
Preparation: The adult writes out several sentences without the last word of the
sentence. On the index cards, write one word on each card that the child can use to
complete the sentence (The school bus is _________. yellow ). Place the word card at
the end of the sentences to complete the sentence.
During the activity: In this activity, the adult creates a picture word bank. Glue the
picture to each card to create a visual for the child. The child learns to associate the
picture with the word to complete the sentences. Slowly transition the picture/word card
with a card that only has text to identify if the child has learned the new word.
Extending the activity for children who need pictures supports for reading:
During the activity, the child will select a word from the word bank and place the word to
complete the sentence. In the beginning, only provide the child with a few word choices
to identify the child’s ability to make choices with a large number of word choices.
Extending the activity for children who have progressed beyond completing a
sentence: For this activity, the adult will no longer create sentences for the child to
complete. In this activity, the adult will create three word banks, one for nouns, one for
verbs, and another for the subject of the sentence. Each word bank would be color coded
subjects on blue index cards, verbs on green index cards, and nouns on yellow index
cards. The child would be instructed to use 1 word card from each word bank to create a
sentence. The use of the word bank cards will allow the child to create sentences using
proper sentences structure and not be limited by spelling difficulties or a limited
vocabulary.