If you’re studying at school or university and have dyslexia, you might find it difficult. So, we’ve created a step-by-step plan for students writing assignments with dyslexia.
Step 1 – Write Down Ideas – Writing Assignments With Dyslexia
Before collecting your research or making notes, it’s time to get your initial thoughts about the question out in the open.
The first thing you should do is start writing down whatever comes to your mind in no particular order – things related to the question, of course! There will be time to organise these thoughts later, so don’t worry about making them too coherent or tidy. Just get your thoughts on paper or typed up.
Step 2 – Write a Rough Plan – Writing Assignments With Dyslexia
Now’s the time to organise the thoughts you’ve made into a rough plan. This won’t be the final plan that you follow for the entire project – just a loose one to help you gather your thoughts for the research stage.
If you’re writing an essay, try to construct a paragraph-by-paragraph plan in this stage. At the very least, you should have a good idea of what the sections of the essay or project are, and how they link together.
Step 3 – Gather and Conduct Research – Writing Assignments With Dyslexia
In this stage, you’ll spend most of your time reading, working with others, or doing practical work so that you have something to support your assignment with. The exact nature of the research will depend on the subject and module that your assignment is in.
Step 4 – Create a Fleshed-out Plan Based on Research – Writing Assignments With Dyslexia
Once you’ve got all of your research together, you now need to apply it to your plan. If you’re writing an essay, you want to look for anywhere in your plan where you’ve made some kind of claim. Add relevant evidence from your sources here, so that everything you’re going to write in your essay is supported.
If you’re doing some other kind of assignment, such as a write-up based on lab work, your entire piece will centre around your research. Again, include evidence from your own research to your plan where relevant, so your argument is well-supported.
To make things easier, try to make a note of all the page numbers and locations of everything you’re citing in your work. This will save you from having to trawl through all your sources looking for the exact line and page where you got your evidence from.
Step 5 – Write the Assignment – Writing Assignments With Dyslexia
Now that you’ve got a full and fleshed-out plan, it’s time to write the first draft. If you’ve taken your planning seriously, you shouldn’t need to refer to any of your sources here – just follow each point of your plan, turning the bullet points and other short notes into full sentences.
If you’ve already made a full plan, this stage shouldn’t take long at all. The key is to follow your plan as much as possible, and turn a series of notes into a coherent, eloquent piece of writing.
Conclusion – Writing Assignments With Dyslexia
You now have an idea of how to plan the first half of your assignment. However, there’s still a lot more to do, such as proofreading and referencing. Check back here later this week for the next 5 steps for writing assignments with dyslexia. For more information on how to study with dyslexia, check out our guide: How to Study with Dyslexia.
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