UDL Book Builder

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=57676&page=1

I came up with this idea because I felt that story structure and elements is such an important concept for students to understand.  I love the book 7 x 9 = Trouble and have used it in my classroom before.  When the ELA teacher I am working with shared she was reading this with some of her students, I was thrilled.  She had already taught the story elements to the student I worked with, Joe. Joe had a great understanding of the elements.  He was thrilled to spend a few lunches with me to complete a writing assignment I asked of him.  Joe liked the idea that his work would be published into a book.  I especially liked the creation of the book I have created because it included reading, writing, and some math skills.  Although the teacher did all the instruction with the student, I tied in the writing aspect.  The great thing was is that he came up with the thought that it included reading, writing and math in his writing sample.  I thought this was amazing that he made this connection.  His teacher thought UDL Book Builder was a great way to publish students writing.  Her major concern was will the students be able to navigate through the site independently.  She did feel this tool would be so useful in higher grade levels and I agree.  I think that higher grade level teachers could have their students use this without a problem.  In speaking with a few ELA teachers we all felt this would be a great tool for us to use in a variety of ways.  Some of these ideas included: having students write actual stories, practicing using context clues or vocabulary (using the coaches) by creating books for the students, and writing book reports. I feel that the book I created could be used in a few different ways.  A teacher could use this book as an example so that students could create their own book on story elements or any other content.  This book could also be used to teach or review story elements with a class.  Furthermore, the book could be used to review the book 7 x 9= Trouble. This was a really great website and I plan on using this and sharing it a lot in the future.