What is in the free pack
Six one-page scaffolds with large text, wide writing lines and consistent colors. Every page has a short note for the adult on how to use it.
1. Sentence starters
Six color-coded boxes of starters: to say what happened, describe, explain, give an opinion, compare and end a piece of writing. Cut them into desk cards.
2. First, Next, Then, Finally
A four-step writing frame with a box to draw each step first, for recounts, instructions and stories. Strips can be cut apart to sequence.
3. Paragraph planner
Main idea, two details and a closing sentence, each with a prompt, so the structure is visible before any writing starts.
4. Sentence builder
Who? What doing? What? Where? Color-coded columns with examples, so students build a sentence one part at a time.
5. Word bank
Eight picture-and-word boxes for topic vocabulary, plus time words and joining words.
6. Check my writing
A tick list for capital letters, full stops, spacing, word bank words and joining words, plus a beginning, middle and end story planner.
Free · no sign-up · US Letter · US wording
How to use writing scaffolds well
A frame helps most when it is modelled, used consistently and gradually taken away.
Model it first
Write a sentence or paragraph with the frame in front of the class, thinking aloud. Students need to see the scaffold used before they use it alone.
Talk before writing
Ask the student to say the sentence aloud, or to a partner, before writing it. Oral rehearsal takes the load off memory and spelling at the same time.
One target at a time
Choose one or two things to focus on, such as full stops or a joining word, and delete the other rows on the checklist so success is achievable.
Fade the scaffold
Move from a full frame to sentence starters only, then to a word bank only, as confidence grows. A scaffold is meant to come away.
Keep it consistent
Use the same frame and colors across lessons and classes, so the student recognizes it and does not have to learn a new layout each time.
Offer other ways to record
Where the IEP allows, combine frames with a scribe, speech-to-text, a keyboard or recording ideas as pictures, so writing difficulties do not hide what the student knows.
Choosing supports by need
Starting points, not diagnoses. You know your students: use their IEP or 504 plan to decide what fits.
Dyslexia and dysgraphia
The word bank and sentence starters reduce spelling and handwriting load, so the student can focus on ideas. Print on cream or pastel paper if it helps, and enlarge any page in Word.
Autism
Predictable frames with literal prompts make the task clear. The checklist shows exactly what finished looks like.
Language disorders
The sentence builder makes sentence structure visible, and the picture word bank supports vocabulary.
ADHD
One frame per page and short steps help with getting started and staying on task. Cut the frame into strips to give one step at a time.
Intellectual disability
Use the First, Next, Then, Finally frame with drawings or photos only, then add one word or a short phrase per box.
English learners
Sentence starters and the word bank double as sentence frames and vocabulary support. They work alongside ELL mode in LessonHQ.
Make adapted resources in a minute
Visual supports generator
A matching set for one situation, such as a fire drill or a field trip: a first-person social story, a visual schedule, Now / Next and First / Then boards, a choice board and a feelings check-in. Print it or edit it in PowerPoint and Word.
Make visual supports →Adapted writing tasks
Turn on IEP / Accessibility mode on the worksheet or activity generator for sentence starters, chunked steps, key words explained and a dyslexia-friendly layout, or set a working level under Pitch the work at.
Make an adapted worksheet →More: Special education resources · Differentiation for IEP and ELL students · Free templates
Writing supports FAQ
Are these writing supports free?
Yes. The six-page pack is free to download as Word or PDF with no sign-up. Edit it, enlarge it or print just the pages you need.
Can I use these as IEP accommodations?
Writing frames, sentence starters and word banks are common supports that can sit alongside the accommodations in a student's IEP or 504 plan. Use the plan to decide which ones fit, and record how the student uses them.
Do the frames work for older students?
Yes. The pages avoid cartoons and childish themes. For middle and high school, rename the paragraph planner to match the structure your class uses, and add subject vocabulary to the word bank.
Can LessonHQ make adapted writing tasks?
Yes. Turn on IEP / Accessibility mode on the worksheet or activity generator and the resource adds sentence starters, chunked steps and key words explained, with a dyslexia-friendly layout. You can also pitch the work at a lower working level while keeping it age-respectful.