Writing Across the Curriculum for Special Educators

This workshop is designed to increase the confidence and competence of special education teachers in helping students both learn to write and write to learn. Writing is positioned as a critical tool for students to demonstrate their thinking and engage meaningfully with academic content. The session incorporates hands-on experiences, guiding educators to plan and implement writing activities that are purposeful, accessible, and engaging. By the end, participants will leave with practical strategies and lesson ideas to make writing less cumbersome for students and more seamlessly integrated across content areas.

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• Students with special needs often struggle to use writing as a tool for expressing their thinking across subjects.
  
  
• Writing tasks can feel overwhelming and disengaging for learners without proper scaffolds.
  
  
• Teachers may lack effective strategies to design and integrate writing activities into content areas.
  
  
• Instructional approaches often fail to balance building writing fluency with teaching content knowledge.

1. Practical Strategies for Writing Integration
   Participants will learn hands-on approaches for embedding writing tasks across subjects, ensuring students use writing as a tool to deepen comprehension.
   
   
2. Designing Engaging, Accessible Writing Activities
   Educators will gain techniques for creating writing assignments that are less intimidating and more engaging, with clear scaffolds and supports.
   
   
3. Planning for Immediate Implementation
   Teachers will leave with lesson ideas and ready-to-use strategies that support students in becoming more confident and competent writers across the curriculum.