Accommodations for Struggling Learners- Elementary Allison Stephens Jillian Boshkoski

Think-Pair-Share On your index card, write down a teachable moment or experience that you may have had in which you felt successful in helping a student with disabilities understand a confusing topic. Also give an experience in which you felt that you DID NOT feel that you helped a student with disabilities understand a confusing topic.

Accommodations Supports or services that are provided to students to help them access the curriculum. Typically divided into four areas: setting, presentation, response, and time or scheduling. Examples

Modifications Alterations or changes to what the student is learning.  Modify the content Change the level of difficulty or fewer objectives  Modify the instructions  Modify the work product Examples

Adaptations ANY adjustments in the curriculum, instructional components, environmental elements, and requirements/expectations of the student that may be needed.  How the student receives or demonstrates learning can be changed, but the content remains the same Examples

Internet Resources Typically, struggling students lack “student skills” such as time management, organization, study skills, and note-taking skills  Guided notes Guided-Notes Maker  Homework Homework Contract Intervention  Explicitly teach Study Strategies Understand the reading rate and comprehension levels of your students  Have students evaluate their own level of understanding when they read  My Reading Check Sheet My Reading Check Sheet

Start with something ALL learners can do! UDL (Universal Design for Learning) Tech Tool Kit For Struggling Writers: Story MakerStory Maker – writing stories with pictures ReadWriteThink.orgReadWriteThink.org – interactive writing tools For struggling readers: Text to speech – make texts accessible for all learners Natural Reader Natural Reader – free text to speech download CAST UDL Book Builder CAST UDL Book Builder – create modified stories quickly and easily with this tool (includes text to speech for low functioning or non-readers) Math Tools A Math Dictionary A Math Dictionary – interactive explanations of math terms Internet Resources, cont’d.

Low Tech Ideas For students who struggle with handwriting  Different pencils/pens, or paper  Different medium (whiteboards, markers)  Wiki Stix as line guides  Pencil grips  Allow student to dictate answers, or point or mark when provided with choices (words or pictures) Reading  Highlight important ideas  Provide study guides  Allow use of lower level books  Books on tape or movies that cover the same material  Have a learning buddy read the material aloud

Low Tech Ideas, cont’d. Math  Let students use concrete manipulatives  Color code key words in math problems  Use a calculator or chart Discussions  Use visual supports as much as possible (pictures, photos, PowerPoints, overheads)  Identify the main steps or components that are crucial for the student to learn  Give a summary sheet with questions to be answered at the beginning of the lecture/discussion  Ask students questions throughout or provide opportunities to interact  Respond with yes/no cards, holding up pictures or physical movement opposed to verbal response

Peer Supports Peer Tutoring One student is designated at tutor, the other student is designated as tutee. Model and demonstrate how to be a tutor and tutee. Provide students with examples of appropriate feedback and inappropriate feedback through modeling. Circulate the room. Learning Buddies Identify students who would benefit from support Recruit peers from the same classroom who would be willing to provide support Arrange for students to sit next to each other or be in close proximity during instruction Orient peers to their roles and provide strategies Provide feedback Paraprofessionals assist all students in classroom

Let’s Move! The room is set up with example strategies for you to read and use. Materials are there to take also!

Example Lesson Plan Review You can use this lesson plan format and the strategies you just saw to create a lesson that is adapted for every student in your class. Try it! OR If you brought a material that is in need of modification, we can discuss how we could modify it for struggling learners.

Exit Ticket Write down one new thing that you learned today and how you can incorporate that into your classroom instruction! Thank you for your time and attention!