Alternatives for Writing in the Special Education Classroom

As a special education teacher, I am ALWAYS searching for alternatives for writing in other subject areas. What do I mean by this?

Writing is most often my students LEAST FAVORITE task. It doesn’t matter if it’s math or science or their favorite thing ever… if it involves writing (or even too much fine motor at all) it can often trigger an immediate shut down.

Taking the pressure off of the writing part of a task is a great way to keep students participating, happy, and engaged!

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As special education teachers… alot of time our solution for non writers or those who struggle with writing is velcro tasks… but even pulling velcro is A LOT for some students… it’s A LOT of materials to keep track of, and A LOT of money to spend for each new resource we create.

There ARE other ways to target some tasks that will work for a lot of students!

DRY ERASE MARKER

Dry erase markers are KEY. Students love them, you can motivate by offering fun color choice, and *COUGH* they actually ARE practicing writing and fine motor with these!

They are so easy to use with pretty much any multiple choice worksheet that is laminated or slipped into a dry erase pocket like this one, affiliate link.

Simple dry erase books are super easy prep and if you laminate them… you can reuse with a dry erase over and over again!

BINGO DAUBER

Another solution is the bingo dauber. I used these a TON for comprehension worksheets, or anything really with multiple choice! They can also be used on laminated materials like the dry erase books and can easily be wiped clean with a tissue, wipe, or magic eraser.

1:1? POINT IT OUT

If you have the opportunity to work 1:1 with a student, this is a great opportunity to take away the stress of writing all together and simply have students answer verbally or by pointing to the answer!

MORE BENEFITS!

I know what you are thinking… my students need to write! Writing is a life skill! But they also need math skills, reading skills, basic skills… and so much more. You could put a heavy writing worksheet in front of a student ALL DAY or you could offer alternatives when the writing isn’t the goal of the task.