Closing The Gap webinar

“The complex task of writing for our students with significant disabilities and complex communication needs can be daunting. Too often, our students with CNN do not have the opportunities to write, much less have opportunities to be active participants in modeling writing activities. Erickson, Koppenhaver, & Cunningham, 2017.

In this session, vocabulary and schema-building activities continue to play a part while we explore practical strategies to actively engage our learners with complex communication needs in written expression activities.

During this session, we will learn about the developmental writing stages and how our students with CCN can be engaged throughout those stages. Students will become the center of their writing by removing the background in video clips and pictures. We will also explore how to encourage spelling and typing along with a balanced approach to using an AAC users’ icons to support their writing. The following tools and strategies will be highlighted; The Expanding Expression Tool, Descriptive Teaching Techniques, Canva, Alternative Pencil, Readtopia, Reading Avenue: Boardmaker (however, any Literacy curriculum can be used), and Youtube.

Participants are encouraged to have their computers loaded with a free Canva account before the session. Canva offers a free account to all school district employees.”