Writing with Adults (Shared Writing)

One of the different types of writing that we want to do every day, with every emergent student, is Writing with Adults, also called Shared Writing. This is where literacy learners and educators write together as a team to successfully publish a text, which can then be shared with others. One form of Writing with Adults is known as Predictable Chart Writing (Hall & Williams, 2001).

​Predictable Chart Writing is a week long activity. It is multi-level, suitable for literacy learners who are early emergent through to early conventional (transitional).

Predictable Chart Writing (PCW) is a very flexible option for shared writing and can be used with almost any subject or area. It is also great for all of the different students we work with as it has strong ties with language and is so easy to implement with AAC.  Please remember that PCW is primarily for emergent readers and writers.  It is also useful for transitional readers and writers because it provides a structure that focuses on high frequency words – so for those students it becomes a “working with words” activity.  Conventional students shouldn’t be participating in predictable chart writing – they could be doing more independent reading or writing at this time.

To assist with implementing the week long process of PCW, I have written a one page guide. I have differentiated how you would complete each day’s activities with students at different levels.  This can be downloaded below.

(Predictable Chart Writing one page guide updated October 2022)

In 2022, Coomera State Specialist School produced a video of a week of Predictable Chart Writing (PCW). The one page guide should accompany watching this video.

And just a few points about the video and classroom:

• First, the students come and go through the week for a range of reasons – at times there are only two in the class.  This isn’t ideal but we worked with it as always!
• The students in the class cover the whole range mentioned in the handout – and so you’ll get to see different students at different levels, although not always on every day.
• None of the students in the video have an established Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system at the time of the video, so I am modelling using a generic systems, and they also participate using that system as needed.
• In the early part of the week I am using an early functions Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD) book and I stumbled occasionally as I was going to use vocabulary that is in an expanded functions PODD.  My apologies for this.

Blog Posts from Jane Farrall Consulting related to Writing with Adults (Shared Writing):

• Writing with Adults: Predictable Chart Writing (blog post about the Coomera videos)
• Predictable Chart Writing: Group Writing for All

The photo above shows a perfect example of pages from a PCW Wednesday (cutting up day). The students have stuck down the words from their sentence wherever they choose to – and the teacher has modelled with her sentence after each student has finished.

Other Resources

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) self-directed learning module on Predictable Chart Writing
Handout on Predictable Chart Writing from the Centre for Literacy and Disability Studies
Predictable Chart Writing handout from Durham Road School (Perth) prepared by Mary-Louise Bertram