What are the some guidelines or strategies to Teaching Writing to Students with Learning Disabilities?

Many students with learning differences have problems with writing because they lack

concentration or face problems with focusing for extended periods of time. These obstacles

often lead to problems related to brainstorming, organization, and coherence. In addition, many students with learning differences experience problems in revising and writing final drafts due to difficulty with

spelling and punctuation.
  

First, teachers should provide various writing tasks. Writing about what

students enjoy or are passionate about is a great first step in writing. In addition, students must be provided with the opportunity to explore various writing styles. Introducing different types of writing help students understand the different structures and components of writing.

Second, there should be continuous feedback provided by the teacher.  During this time, the teacher should encourage the students and provide questions that teach not only direct the student.  The student should be learning from the feedback, not just be directed. 
Another strategy of teaching is to promote a learning enviornemnt built on trust.  The teacher should promote and encourage creative and alternative writing technigues and strategies.  In addition, the teacher should set the tone in class.  Meaning, the teacher should also write to show the importance and usefulness in writing.  The teacher should promote the fun and creativity in writing.

(http://lilt.ilstu.edu/rlbroad/teaching/studentpubs/neglectedr/faivre.pdf)

Teaching Writing to Teens

Kristy Miller--Writing workshop
Garth Witmer--Writing poetry
Sara Roman--fictional/creative writing
Frank Romeo--Non fictional/instructional writing

Good Writing Assignments

What are some common features to good writing assignments?

 

A good writing assignment should be broken down into 5 basic principles.  First, your writing assignment should reflect your district/school curriculum.  For instance, what specific classroom/lesson objective will this assignment satisfy? Will the assignment introduce new/old course material or reinforce a specific planned objective? Next, it is essential to know your students writing styles, in addition to their strengths and weaknesses.  In addition, it is important for your students to understand the purpose and meaning behind the assignment.  For example, a good writing assignment should be meaningful to the students, authentic, and reflective of their learning abilities.  This means that the writing should serve a purpose that the students recognize as real.   In addition, the students should be writing about specific and immediate situations rather than abstract and theoretical ones.  Another feature of a good writing assignment is to specify the requirements, what you expect, of the writing assignment.  The students should be provided with a complete list of the requirements, including a grading rubric, deadlines and complete writing instructions. Finally, the assignment should be broken down into manageable and predetermined steps to help structure and formulate a well written paper.  Another important step in the process is to take the time and discuss the assignment with your students. Good writing assignments are not just handed out and forgotten until it is due (http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10d.cfm).

"Good writing assignments always start with a clear goal that the teacher can express, usually on the assignment sheet so that students understand the goal as well" (http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10d.cfm).