"Manipulatives allow students to organize their thoughts or physically represent abstract writing concepts. They also permit flexibility in structural and stylistic choices by making it possible to rearrange ideas instantly and graphically" (NVCC WO Peer Tutors).

Students who feel little pride in or ownership of their written essays, often become proud of their work when the concepts in their essays are moved into their favored learning style or modality.

Bringing the concepts back into their own modality (preferred way of learning) makes the piece of writing theirs in a way they had never experienced before. The students are more connected to their written words and ideas.

This artful construction (figure 1) represents one student's Autobiography essay constructed through the use of manipulatives. Students wrote their essays and then, in post-processing sessions, used the manipulatives to "build" and explain their essays following the manipulatives assignment.

Student Autobiography - "I Am Beautiful"
Student Explanation of the manipulated essay
Preparation for the manipulative assignment
Using the Scrambled Essay as a way into using manipulatives
Sources for manipulatives

Students, who did not feel highly positive about their final written papers, felt more confident and self-assured after turning their essays into artful structures.

Through the use of manipulatives, kinesthetic learners experienced:

Powerful and intense emotions
Loss of tentativeness
Strength in the presentation
Sureness
Pride
Ownership