Writing can be a difficult task for some students in the classroom.

Some students may

feel that they are not strong writers, so they find any writing to be challenging before it even

begins. Others may have not been taught the skills they need to be successful writers. When

thinking about this topic, one question immediately came to mind: How can I help my struggling

writers become stronger writers? I began doing research on this topic and noticed something very

interesting while doing so. Many students who are struggling writers have learning disabilities

(Ewoldt & Morgan, 2017). This new knowledge that I obtained helped me narrow my search and

I came up with a new question. What can I do as a teacher to help my students with learning

disabilities become strong writers?

There are many struggles that students with learning disabilities might have when it

comes to writing. Some students with learning disabilities have handwriting that is difficult or

impossible to read, and therefore their writing is unable to be properly assessed. Poor

handwriting can also lead writers to not write as much. Datchuk (2015) offers some assistance

for teachers who have students with learning abilities who are unable to write neatly and legibly.

First, the teacher needs to identify the problem. They should collect work samples and observe

students when they are writing. Then, the teacher should analyze the collected evidence by

looking critically for errors to find a solution. Once the teacher has found the root of the problem

or problems, he or she should find a solution that is aimed at helping the students needs and

implement it. Handwriting instruction is not often taught in older grades, but if it is necessary to

help these students, handwriting instruction should be implemented every day to help the student

achieve his or her handwriting goals.

Handwriting is only one struggle that teachers may come across when helping students

with learning disabilities become better writers. Organization of both their thoughts and their
writing is something that these students tend to have issues with (Ewoldt & Morgan, 2017). In

order to help these students become more organized writers, Ewoldt and Morgan (2017) suggest

using color-coded graphic organizers as a writing tool for expository writing. They first suggest

teaching the different characteristics of sentences and then explicitly teaching students how to

color-code their sentences so that each type of sentence is a different color. In this case, the types

of sentences that students should be using are topic sentences, detail sentences, explanation

sentences, and conclusion sentences. Then, students can use a bubble map or other graphic

organizer to organize their writing. Students can identify what sentence they should start with,

what details they want to include, explanations to back up their details, and then figure out how

to conclude their writing. By using these graphic organizers, students will be able to plan out

their thoughts and organize their evidence in order to write a cohesive story.

In addition to organization strategies, several other strategies have been developed to help

students with learning disabilities become more effective in all aspects of writing. These

strategies are usually taught to students using Self- Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD).

SRSD is a six-step process that a teacher can use to help students learn strategies for writing

effectively. Step one is to develop the strategy and activate background knowledge. This is

where vocabulary and concepts are first taught and goals are set. Step two is to discuss the

strategy. During this step, the teacher and students talk about the strategy, when it is used, and

how it is used. Step three is to model the strategy. The teacher should show students how to use

the strategy and use think-alouds while doing so. Step four is about memorizing the strategy.

Students should memorize the strategy, which is often done using mnemonics. Step five is

supporting the strategy. The teacher should scaffold use of the strategy during guided practice.

This is the first step where the students really get to use the strategy by themselves. Step six is
independent practice. Students now have to use the strategy themselves by doing independent

writing. (Harris, Graham, & Mason, 2003). SRSD is used in conjunction with writing strategies

in order to help students with learning disabilities become more independent writers.

Each writing strategy has a specific purpose it should be used for depending on what type

of writing the student is doing. POW is a general strategy that can be used for most writing types.

P stands for pull apart the prompt, O stands for organize notes, and W stands for write and say

more. POW can be used for a variety of purposes, from in-class writing assignments to

standardized tests. POW can also be used with more specific strategies, such as TIDE. TIDE is

used for informative writing. TIDE stands for Topic sentence, Important evidence, Details to

support evidence, and Ending. This strategy has been proven to be highly effective when

students do factual writing, such as science writing. TIDE also fits in well with other writing

strategies, such as the color-coded graphic organizer strategy. POW can also be used with TREE,

a strategy used for persuasive writing. TREE stands for Topic sentence, Reasons (three or more),

Explanations, and Ending. This strategy will help students hone in on a topic and organize their

argument so it is clear to the reader. Lastly, POW can be used with C-SPACE, which is a

strategy that can be used for narrative writing. C-SPACE stands for Characters, Setting, Purpose

(of the main character), Actions (that the main character does), Conclusion, and Emotions (of the

main character). C-SPACE will help students gather all of the elements of their narratives so that

they are prepared to write their stories. All of these strategies should be developed using SRSD,

as it is extremely effective for helping students comprehend the strategy (Ciullo & Mason, 2017).

Ciullo and Mason (2017) mention one more strategy that students with learning

disabilities can use to help make their writing more effective. This strategy is called COPS and is

used to help students with editing their writing. COPS stands for Capitalization, Organization,
Punctuation, and Spelling. Editing and revision are two aspects of writing that tend to be difficult

for students with learning disabilities. While COPS is a great strategy used to help with editing,

FIX is another strategy that focuses more on revising student writing. FIX stands for Focus on

essay elements, Identify problems, and eXecute changes (Sherman & Paz, 2015). FIX is a great

strategy for students with learning disabilities because when these students check their writing,

they tend to only make mechanical changes to make it better. FIX encourages students to make

more quality revisions that affect the content of their writing. Strategies like FIX, COPS, TREE,

and C-SPACE are so helpful for students with learning disabilities because they are easy to

remember, and therefore more likely to be utilized.

Strategies do not have to only be memorized tips. Technology is another excellent

strategy teachers can use to help students with learning disabilities become better writers.

Technology can be a great motivator for students who have learning disabilities. So often these

students are discouraged when writing that they dont want to try. Technology adds an extra

element of excitement when writing so that it is not as daunting of a task. Technology can also

help with the earlier mentioned handwriting difficulties. Word processors allow students to type

out their thoughts which makes writing less stressful of a task for them, and it makes assessing

the writing easier on the teacher. Programs such as Inspiration, Kidspiration, and semantic

mapping programs can help students organize their thoughts when writing as well. Lastly,

technology offers a lot of technical assistance such as grammar checkers, spell checkers, and

thesauruses (Montgomery & Marks, 2006). One important thing to note about technology is that

it is a tool. Technology should not be relied on for writing, but rather used to enhance writing.

Students will not always be able to use technology when they are writing, and technology is not
fool-proof. Teachers should be aware of all of this when deciding to integrate technology in the

writing process.

After doing research on the different tools and strategies I can use to help my students

with learning disabilities in their writing, I am left with a lot of options. When deciding to use

these strategies in my classroom, I will have to be sure to tailor my instruction to specific

students. Not all strategies are appropriate for all students, and this will be evident when I work

with them on their writing. One strategy that I really liked from my research was the color-coded

graphic organizer strategy. Developing a topic, finding evidence, and explaining evidence, can

be very difficult for writers with learning disabilities. By providing an opportunity for these

learners to plan out their writing in a separate and organized manner, they will likely be more

successful in their writing. SRSD is another tool that I really liked learning about. It is useful

with so many different strategies and it has been proven to be affective in teaching those

strategies. In my classroom, I will do whatever it takes to help my students succeed in their

learning. The research that I have done is only a small portion of what I can learn as a future

teacher who will at some point have students with learning disabilities in her classroom, and I am

more than willing to do more research when the time comes for me to learn how to better teach

these students.
 References

Ciullo, S., & Mason, L. (2017). Prioritizing elementary school writing instruction: Cultivating
middle school readiness for students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and
Clinic, 52(5), 287-294.

Datchuk, S. (2015). Teaching handwriting to elementary students with learning

disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(1), 19-27.

Ewoldt, K. B., & Morgan, J. J. (2017). Color-coded graphic organizers for teaching writing to
students with learning disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 49(3), 175-184.

Harris, K. R., & Graham, S. (2013). "An adjective is a word hanging down from a noun":
Learning to write and students with learning disabilities. Annals of Dyslexia, 63(1), 65-
79.

Harris, K. R., Graham, S., & Mason, L. H. (2003). Self-regulated strategy development in the
classroom: Part of a balanced approach to writing instruction for students with
disabilities. Focus on Exceptional Children, 35(7), 1.

Montgomery, D. J., & Marks, L. J. (2006). Using technology to build independence in writing
for students with disabilities. Preventing School Failure, 50(3), 33-38.

Olinghouse, N. G. & Colwell, R. P. (2013). Preparing students with learning disabilities for
large-scale writing assessments. Intervention in School and Clinic, 49(2), 67-76.

Sherman, C. K., & Paz, D. L. (2015). A strategic approach to writing and revision for students
with learning disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(2), 93-101.