Communicate: SymWriter
Help Sheet
Intermediate Tutorial
Getting Started with Grids
Start the program in the Environment Designer
Create a single stage at the bottom of the screen.
Click on the New Grid button and create a grid
with 5 columns and 2 rows.
Click and use the blue handles to stretch the grid to fill the width of the stage.
Hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the first 4 cells on the top row of the grid
Press the Merge button to create a single cell
This cell will hold the sentence starter
Communicate: SymWriter
Intermediate Tutorial
Getting Started with Grids
Created by: Tina Voizey
Widgit Software www.widgit.com
Press F2 or click on the Text/Object Mode button to change to Text Mode
Select the long cell on the top
Type your sentence stem “Metal is”
Click in the top right box and type “and”
Click in the four boxes below and type characteristics like 'strong' 'hard' 'waterproof' etc.
Type “next” in the bottom right cell
You can choose different symbol support from options that are available for some words
Click on the Symbol Panel on the right hand side of the
screen
Click on the Place Symbol button
Click on the symbol you want from the Symbol Panel
Click into the word you would like to have the symbol
support
NOTE: Choosing the Graphics Panel will give you access to Widgit Pictures as well as any
images you have saved in My Pictures or saved to the hard drive, disk or network
Connect them to words in the manner described above
Communicate: SymWriter
Intermediate Tutorial
Getting Started with Grids
Created by: Tina Voizey
Widgit Software www.widgit.com
Press F2 or click on the Text/Object Mode button to change to Object Mode
Select the "next" cell
Click the Cell Action icon
or
right-click anywhere in the cell
The Edit Cell Actions frame will appear
Select Send cell contents action from the Cell actions list
Click on the Delete Action button
Select Speak Sentence from the New Actions list
Press Add to send it to Current Cell Actions
Select and add Send a Return to the Current Cell Actions
Click OK to save your changes and close the Edit Cell Actions dialog
Communicate: SymWriter
Intermediate Tutorial
Getting Started with Grids
Created by: Tina Voizey
Widgit Software www.widgit.com
Click on Save Environment
Hide side panels by un-ticking the boxes
below the icons for
Symbols and/or Graphics panels
Enter a file name for the environment
("Characteristics of Material")
and click Save
Test the environment
Click the Play button and create a sentence by using the grid
When you select the "next" cell, does the program speak the sentence and create a new paragraph?
Click the Edit button to return to the Environment Designer
Click into Object Mode
Press Ctrl and select the "and" and "next" cells
Right-click on the grid and select Add a new grid
here
Communicate: SymWriter
Intermediate Tutorial
Getting Started with Grids
Created by: Tina Voizey
Widgit Software www.widgit.com
The grid viewer in the side panel should now show a thumbnail of
the original grid plus a new empty grid
As you add new grids the thumbnail images of the grids in the grid
viewer are updated
You can navigate between grids by clicking on the thumbnail image
in the grid viewer
Add content to the cells in the new grid following Steps 3 & 4
Sentence stems could be:
“Rubber is”
“Fabric is”
“Glass is”
Repeat this for as many sentences as you like.
You will not have to format the cells for “and” and “next” as their attributes have been carried over
On the last grid, change the "next" cell to say "finish"
Link one grid to another:
Click into Object Mode
Select the first grid made from in the grid viewer
Select the “next” cell
Drag the Link icon from the top-right of the selected
cell onto the thumbnail image of the grid that you want
link to
Repeat to link all of your grids in order
First to the second, the second to the third etc.
Communicate: SymWriter
Intermediate Tutorial
Getting Started with Grids
Created by: Tina Voizey
Widgit Software www.widgit.com
SAVE your environment
TEST your environment to see if it works correctly
Environment ideas could be:
Communicate: SymWriter
Intermediate Tutorial
Getting Started with Grids
Created by: Tina Voizey
Widgit Software www.widgit.com