By Kelsey Coca, Writing Coach & Site Director at Redwood @ Blackbear 

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Finding Creative Ways to Empower Writers  

The fall always brings to mind a time of reflection for me. The back-to-school season is like my New Year's Eve—I love looking back on all that we have accomplished so that we can keep moving forward towards bigger and better goals. This fall, I’ve been especially excited as I’ve reflected on all of the progress that Redwood students have made in their writing over the course of the past few years. This growth has come about as a result of our students’ hard work, as well as the intentional and strategic efforts of our Redwood teaching team.

Through the use of the Writing Our World™ curriculum—alongside some personalized, innovative supports—Redwood is seeing students begin to delight in the writing process! In addition to the practical strategies our team has implemented with students, we are also always looking to equip each student with technological tools that allow them to further develop their writing skills. In this post, I am going to briefly outline what a few of these supports look like at Redwood—and share a bit about one Assistive Technology (AT) tool in particular that I think is worth exploring further.

Practical Writing Supports: Helping Students Get Started  

Since looking at a blank page can be an intimidating experience, the Redwood writing team has been working hard to incorporate strategies that make getting started easier for students. These include:  

- Scaffolded Sentence Stems: These provide structure for students to begin writing without feeling overwhelmed by the “blank page.”  

- Word Banks: Offering a selection of vocabulary words to help students expand their writing and incorporate varied language.  

- Graphic Organizers: Tools that allow students to visually map out their ideas and plan their writing structure.  

When paired with Assistive Technology (AT) tools, these supports help writers of all skill levels overcome barriers to expression and find their voice.  

AT Tool Highlight: What Is GrammarlyAI?  

I recently checked in with a Redwood student whose writing has undergone a remarkable transformation. Since the start of the school year, his work has evolved from short and simple to elaborate and engaging. What has been the source of this tremendous growth? Grammarly’s AI function.

GrammarlyAI is a cutting-edge writing assistant that harnesses artificial intelligence to improve the writing process. While Grammarly has long been known for its grammar and spell-checking capabilities, its AI feature goes a step further by analyzing the content, tone, and style of writing to offer contextual suggestions. This makes it an ideal tool for enhancing sentence structure, improving clarity, and even helping writers develop their voice. Unlike traditional writing aids, GrammarlyAI is designed to complement a writer’s efforts, acting as a collaborative partner in the revision and editing process.  

A Student's Perspective: How AI Enhances Writing, Not Replaces It  

When I asked this student how AI helps him as a writer, I was blown away by his response. With his head held high, he shared, “Since speech-to-text doesn’t auto-correct my mistakes, I use Grammarly’s AI tool to help me write the story. It’s not that it’s doing all the work for me... It’s helping me and making the work easier for me! Now I can have stories that aren’t full of fragments and with many robust sentences.”

This young writer proudly demonstrated how to use exciting new technology as a tool—not as a crutch or a replacement for real work. His use of Grammarly’s AI is making him a more reflective, process-oriented writer as he revises his drafts with the enhancements suggested by AI.  

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI and Assistive Technology in Education  

Our students’ use of technology at Redwood has been both eye-opening and inspiring! Tools like topic dictionaries, predictive text, and speech-to-text empower students to express themselves with greater clarity. And now, with the integration of AI, the possibilities are expanding even further.  

Imagine the growth we could witness if all students learn to use AI tools like Grammarly as a means of reflection and self-improvement. By fostering these habits, we can help students develop confidence, creativity, and independence as writers—not just for this school year, but for years to come.  

Closing Thoughts

The Redwood team is excited to continue finding creative ways to empower every writer. Having the right curriculum, tailoring instruction and supports, and offering guidance in Assistive Technology are just a few of the ways we are helping students build their skills and confidence.

We look forward to watching our writers grow as they embrace these tools—not just to complete assignments, but to express themselves, share their stories, and discover the joy of writing. Together, we’re building a future where every student can feel empowered to put their ideas into words.

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Want to learn more about Redwood's writing curriculum? Check out the Writing Our World™ site to start bringining evidence-based writing instruction with an AT integration to your classroom today.

Want your school team to receive professional development around writing &/or assistive technology instruction? Learn more about what we offer on the Redwood Schools website.