How to Add Functional Writing Skills Within Your SPED Classroom for All Students
- Emerald Boyd
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Making Writing Accessible in Special Education
One of the most challenging academic subjects to teach in a special education classroom is writing. While this may not be the case for every educator, I have personally struggled with making writing accessible for all my students—so much so that I often avoided it. To overcome this challenge, I have compiled effective strategies that have transformed writing instruction in my classroom.
What is Predictable Chart Writing?
The first strategy I use is Predictable Chart Writing, a research-backed method that supports emergent readers and writers—students who are not yet independently reading or writing. This shared writing activity provides structured support while allowing students to generate their own ideas and responses.
Developed by the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Predictable Chart Writing follows a five-day process that results in a student-written book each week.
How to Implement Predictable Chart Writing
Monday: Writing the Chart
Select a weekly theme and create a visual aid to support it.
Students generate sentences based on the theme.
Display the chart in the classroom or provide individual copies.
Tuesday: Letter and Sound Recognition
Play an I-Spy game using the chart to identify letter sounds and names.
Provide printed copies so students can highlight targeted letters or words.
Beneficial for students with visual impairments.
Wednesday: Sentence Strip Activities
Print sentence strips and cut them into words or phrases.
Students reconstruct sentences, reinforcing capitalization and punctuation.
Thursday: Be the Sentence
Print or write sentence components on separate cards.
Students physically arrange themselves in the correct order to form a sentence.
Encourage verbal or AAC-supported reading.
Friday: Creating a Student-Authored Book
Use Google Slides or PowerPoint to create a class book.
Students select images to accompany their pre-typed sentences.
Print copies for students and add one to the classroom library.
Want a FREE weekly plan for Predictable Chart Writing? Download it now!
Check out Literacyforall for more information on Predictable Chart Writing. It is a strategy I have used in my classroom for years and I love it.
Using Google Forms to Differentiate Writing Instruction
Another way I support writing development in my special education classroom is by using Google Forms to differentiate instruction. This digital tool offers predictive text features, helping students develop essential typing skills.
I designed Google Forms with three levels of writing support to meet diverse student needs:
Level 1: No Extra Writing Supports
Students independently generate responses based on a given image.
Level 2: Expanded Word Bank
Provides a mix of words to help students determine which best fits the image.
Level 3: Simplified Word Bank
Uses a structured word bank, enabling students to construct sentences with guidance.
Why Use Google Forms for Writing Instruction?
Customizable support levels for each student.
Digital record of student progress throughout the year.
To streamline differentiation, I created a drop-down menu with student names linked to their needed support level. I also like to print the word banks to help students track their writing by crossing out words they have already used.
Get Differentiated Google Forms for Your Classroom!
Looking for ready-made, differentiated Google Forms? Check out my growing bundle on TeachersPayTeachers! (Note: As I add more resources, the bundle price may change.)
Teaching Real-World Writing with Email Task Cards
The above strategies are great for teaching sentence structure and building emergent writing skills, but I found my students needed more. I wanted to create opportunities for real-world writing experiences. Since one of the most common forms of writing in adult life is email communication, I developed situation task cards that present realistic scenarios, such as inquiring about school clubs or vocational opportunities.
Teaching Email Writing in the Classroom
To introduce this skill, I had students select clubs or teams they wanted to join at school. Using their responses, I created task cards that showed how writing could help them connect with opportunities and advocate for themselves—a vital skill I always aim to develop.
I also created two types of visual supports to help students learn the structure of an email:
Parts of an Email Visual (above)
Labels the different components of an email (greeting, body, closing, subject line).
Encourages students to generate their own responses based on the scenario they pull.
Higher-Support Visual Aid (right)
Offers structured choices for greetings, closings, and content.
Helps students unfamiliar with email format learn by selecting from provided options.
Practicing Emails with Google Forms
Before students sent actual emails, I had them complete email-writing worksheets where they:
Modeled potential responses.
Identified where the email address, subject line, and message should go.
Brainstormed ideas collaboratively.
For added engagement and motivation, we wrote an email to our school’s Unified Club President to plan a party. The students were thrilled when they received a response and were able to organize the event. Seeing the real-world impact of their writing made them more excited to practice.
Digital Email Writing Practice
If you’re concerned about students having unrestricted email access, I’ve got a solution! I developed a Google Form template that allows students to practice writing emails without sending them. This:
Collects student responses in a single spreadsheet.
Lets students work independently while teachers monitor progress.
Provides a safe environment to build email writing skills.
I’ve created 40 email scenario task cards with a Google Form template to streamline this process—available now in my TeachersPayTeachers Store!
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