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English and Children with Special Educational Needs in Key Stages 1 and 2Writing difficulties: teaching approaches
The following approaches may be used to differentiate writing activities carried out by the rest of the class, with individuals and groups, and can be used flexibly with children with different degrees of difficulty with writing including those who lack experiences as writers. Many involve support from an adult, probably a TA/LSA.
Support for composing texts
- Scribing for children — dictated texts
For very inexperienced or reluctant writers, dictating a text to be written down by an adult provides an essential first step in discovering the powers of authorship. As children are prepared to attempt more, then may need dovetailed support from adults in order to complete their written texts.
- Recording texts
Children’s dictated texts can be recorded onto tape or by a recording facility on a computer. The text can be typed up by an adult and illustrated in a variety of ways. Creating such texts can enhance the sense of authorship.
- Shared writing
Creating a text together is the means by which an adult can demonstrate any aspect of the writing process from writing the simplest story opening to dealing with complex aspects of sentence structure. The adult builds discussion with the class or group into the construction of a text – which can be a complete text or simply a beginning. All children are supported by such demonstrations and the discussions which accompany them. For children with literacy difficulties/SEN shared writing is most effective in a small group context.
Support for writing words
- Software using word banks and lists
For some children the use of word banks can be helpful – it is possible to create these around a particular story or theme. These can be created collaboratively and simply written on a flipchart, or can be created and stored using a computer program such as Clicker 5, which speaks words as they are clicked.
- Symbols
A mixture of words and symbols on computer can be used to support children with severe language and learning difficulties.
- Use of keyboard
For some children who find handwriting difficult the use of the computer keyboard may provide an alternative. Clicking on a word bank, using a programme such as Clicker 5 or Textease, may make writing may make writing more accessible. Some children may benefit from typing on a computer a story they have dictated to an adult.
Support for children who are inexperienced writers
- Collaborative approaches
Less experienced writers benefit from working with more experienced writers – as a pair or part of a group of three. In particular the need to discuss all aspects of the writing helps to make the process of putting words together more explicit for the less experienced writers. Reading aloud writing to a writing partner is helpful in developing a sense of audience and a reader’s needs.
- Supportive frameworks for writing
Writing frames, starting points or other structures to support writing can be developed for a piece of writing, often through discussion with the class, group or individual, rather than using pre-formatted writing frames.
Planning
- Use of flexible planning frameworks
Inexperienced writers find help from simple structures such as ‘mind maps’ or ‘spidergrams’ created collaboratively as a class or in groups. Children are supported by the provision of simple beginnings or structures for their texts – these can often be developed collaboratively. Matrices are helpful structures for collecting information and planning information texts. Computer programmes such as Kidspiration and Inspiration which turn mind maps into paragraph headings offer good support to inexperienced writers.
Other forms of text
- Multimedia texts
Use of digital photographs and video, words, sounds, and animations, can, with the support of an adult, be used to compose high status, interactive texts. Software such as 2Create a Story for younger children, or presentation software such as PowerPoint can be used for this purpose.
- Digital video
Digital video can be used in a variety of ways – to create moving texts from drama activities for example, or to create animations. This is a powerful and inviting way of creating texts for children for whom writing is inaccessible.
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