Instructional Planning
During my time in the professional phase, I have created several lesson plans that differentiate for all students. I differentiate for physcial limitations, grade levels, intellectual abilities, and to meet the IEP goals of all students in the classroom. No two students are exactly the same, and therefore require different ways for material to be presented to them. I have learned to use my resources in order to achieve this. I used materials from the classroom, found my own materials online, or created my own materials when I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
Fishing for letters
I differentiated this activity to meet the needs of every student in the classroom. We "fished" for letters using fishing poles, magnets, and paper clips. Some students required hand-over-hand assistance to grip the fishing pole, while others could hold it themselves (See picture to the left). Some students only had to identify the letter they "caught", while others had to match it to a lowercase letter on a worksheet (located on the right side of the picture) or name a word that the letter started with. Essentially, the same activity was used to meet every students' IEP goal in terms of physcial and cognitive abilities and allowed them to learn through both gross and fine motor.
Several of my lessons have included all students, with different accommodations or modifications to meet the needs of each of their IEP goals. I have found that creating one simple lesson that can be adapted multiple ways is the easiest way to make sure all students are included and working on their goals. |
Adapted Books and Work Binders
Some of the students I taught required the use of adapted books in order to reach their IEP goals. The adapted books we used in our classroom consisted of laminated text with picture and velcro so that the students could choose the correct corresponding picture in order to comprehend the page. Below is a picture of an adapted book I made for Pond Week. We were learning about the life cycle of a frog, which we also had an adapted book, but I wanted to create a book that incorporated math. I used the "Speckled Frogs" song and created this book so that my student could count the frogs, count the frogs after "one jumped into the pool," and choose the correct number to stick to the page. The students were able to count with me and choose the correct number 80% of the time. We used this book throughout the entire week and as the number of read-throughs increased, so did the ability to choose the correct number.
While learning about and using adapted books, I have realized that repetition is a key factor in the learning of a lot of students. At first, I did not know it was appropriate to use the same book everyday, but after speaking with my Mentor teacher, she informed me that it exposes the students to the information and allows them to learn the material. One experience with the book will not be enough, but one read through a day will result in student achievement.
Work Binders are used in our classroom as maintenance and generalization of skills. With a variety of binders, including numbers, measurement, fractions, money, and time, we are able to give them opportunities to work on skills they have already mastered. There is also the opportunity to progress to new work binders once they have mastered the skill of the binder, or just need extra practice. For some students, this is an independent activity once they are given the directions and a model, but for other students they need prompts and one-on-one support to complete the tasks.
While learning about and using adapted books, I have realized that repetition is a key factor in the learning of a lot of students. At first, I did not know it was appropriate to use the same book everyday, but after speaking with my Mentor teacher, she informed me that it exposes the students to the information and allows them to learn the material. One experience with the book will not be enough, but one read through a day will result in student achievement.
Work Binders are used in our classroom as maintenance and generalization of skills. With a variety of binders, including numbers, measurement, fractions, money, and time, we are able to give them opportunities to work on skills they have already mastered. There is also the opportunity to progress to new work binders once they have mastered the skill of the binder, or just need extra practice. For some students, this is an independent activity once they are given the directions and a model, but for other students they need prompts and one-on-one support to complete the tasks.
Transition Plan
"After completing his Associate’s Degree from a community college, (student) will obtain a full-time job in the field of criminal justice." Career Outcome |
In order to successfully develop goals for my student, I had to listen to his interests and collaborate with not only him, but also with his family, teachers, and transition coordinator. With the information recorded during informal interviews and assessments, I was able to create and plan for my student's future with his best interests in mind. An example of a transition goal is noted to the left.
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