Kravetz, Ari S.

SPED 405 / Fall 2012 The purpose of this assignment is to integrate course information with what you know about best practice in your area of expertise. Using a teaching unit or lesson plan from a previous course or activity, describe accommodations and adaptations that should be made to individualize instruction for the target students described below. Conduct research to refresh your memory about the disabilities/problems presented below.

Micha displays the traits of an Emotional/Behavioral Disability (EBD). The fact that he has witnessed his grandmothers violent death is evidence of a situation that can cause great emotional disturbance in a persons life, and this could greatly affect his socio-emotional development as well as his schoolwork. Also, it is important to take into consideration that Micha witnessed this when he was 8 and has since been exhibiting symptoms of being emotionally distraught. Michas inability to properly interact with other students, and his inappropriate behavior when does interact with him, are both symptoms that qualify his condition under IDEA as an Emotional Disturbance that has adversely affected his educational performance. In order to help Micha succeed in my class I should remember that I may need to develop and use reinforcement in order for him to complete his work, as well as behave in appropriate classroom ways. As a teacher, I should document Michas behavior and figure out at what points does behavior begin to change, and in understanding this, I can begin, perhaps with other teachers and support staff, to implement a behavior intervention plan. As a teacher I can accommodate the student by conferencing with him and working on transitions in class since many problems can occur during transition times. Also, giving Micha a daily schedule of what will be going on in class can help him be prepared, know what to expect, and know what is left in the class so that he will know what will be going on. As far as assignment are considered, I can work to do the first question of assignments in class as an example and this can relieve some tension in doing the assignments and understanding them. It is important that Micha knows that past assignments are also important and while it may be hard to catch up, I can find a way for

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each assignment so that he does not have to do the entire thing, but instead a variation of it so that I can see that he understands the main points and is ready to move on. Once he is caught up, I can work with him to figure out an appropriate homework load for him and offer times to meet during the day or before/after school, to track progress and help him with homework. As far as group work, I can find someone who Micha does interact well with and have him work in a small group initially, before coming together as a class and working with larger groups. This way, Micha is more prepared to answer questions and may be less apprehensive about working with others. In essence, it will be my goal to scaffold Michas learning and interactions with others, and conference with him along the way to track progress, figure out goals, and reward him for working well. In regards to his cuts, I will keep an eye on them and let a counselor know that this is a problem I have become aware of. Also, during my meetings with Micha I can ask him how he is doing and perhaps one time he will open and describe what is going on. Lizzy exhibits the characteristics of a learning disability like dyslexia. Dyslexia affects the way Lizzy reads and decodes the information that she is reading. This affects the way Lizzy remembers and has a lot to do with the information processing model and how Lizzy turns her working memory into long-term memory, as well the model for her stages of learning. This means that as a teacher I have to find ways to make sure that she not only acquires the necessary information, but is able to be proficient in it, maintain it, generalize it, and apply it. What may help Lizzy in class and outside of class is making a plan. Helping Lizzy organize her time better will make sure that she is dedicating an appropriate time to school work in addition to her extracurricular activities. If she is already doing this, then I would work with her to make sure that she is doing a good job in her active reading. Working with her to write down small notes to help her remember while she reads, especially in her book, may help her focus her thoughts as

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well as be able to easily access the notes and connect them to the class discussion. If Lizzy also has a difficult time writing, then I would suggest she vocally record her thoughts so that she can listen to them afterwards and remember what she was thinking. She can label the files with the quotes or page numbers from the book so she can find them better. Lizzy also displays some of the difficulties that were discussed in the F.A.T. City video. A way to help increase Lizzys selfesteem and in-class participation is to ask her questions that I know she already knows the answers to, or give her time to prepare the answers to the questions before calling on her. This can be done by discussing the questions with her in one-on-one meetings, or giving them to her the night before so that she can look over them and come up with answers. Another way to increase her understanding is to give her, and the class, a chance to answer discussion questions with a partner, write them down, and then be prepared to share them in an in-class discussion. This would also allow Lizzy to prepare the answers to the questions, and I can even walk around the class and see which questions she appears to be most comfortable with so she can read the answer write off of her paper. Once Lizzy starts to participate in the discussion more and get the answers correct, her self-esteem and class participation can greatly increase. In order to help Lizzy remember where to find vocabulary and info in the textbook, I would work with her to develop cheat-sheet lists that help point her to page numbers, definitions, and other important info. In fact, this is something helpful that the whole class can benefit from, or an option for students that can be used as a resource. Susans blindness is a visual impairment which affects the way that she accesses information and her environment. Susan already has many accommodations in place such as her support in orientation and mobility, text and assignment accommodations, and assistive technology. She is also able to read using Braille. As a teacher it will be important for me to

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find specific ways that I can use these resources within my teaching and assignments to make sure that I accommodate her needs. When I teach I will have to keep in mind that in order to best accommodate Susan, any visual material I present should also be presented in a descriptive and verbal way. Any handouts that I do use, I should make in large print, available audibly or in Braille, and I can use other technology that I find to make it easier for Susan to access my lessons. Susans future plans are also important aspects that I need to help her with. I should try to schedule meetings with her to talk about her plans for college. Additionally, it would be great to have weekly meetings where she practices advocating herself to me by letting me know what accommodations she is going to need for specific assignments. If I tell her the schedule for the week and the activities that we will be doing in class, she could tell me what she would like me to do in order to accommodate her. This would be great practice for her to begin advocating for herself and asking for appropriate accommodations for different types of assignments. The Scarlet Letter Chapters 19 and 20

Lesson Plan: Before Class: Project/Write writing question on the board: How does Pearl react to Hester and Dimmsdale? What is it about Hester and Dimmsdale's characters that have changed?

1. [10 min] Tell students that, as always, they have 10 minutes to answer the above question. Read the question aloud. a. Remind students: This is an individual response, they should include 10 different points that answers the questions 2. Once students are done, collect their responses.

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3. [10 min] Describe to students the plan for the remainder of class. We will be discussing ch. 19 and 20. First we will talk about ch. 19, The Child at the Brook-Side. a. We will begin by setting up the chapter visually; theatre-style i. We need a student to be Pearl, Hester, and Dimmsdale 1. Hester and Dimmsdale sit together 2. Pearl on the other side of the brook ii. Set up the brook in the middle of the room 1. On it, write, what the water of the brook represents (purity; this has already been discussed in previous lessons) iii. A cut-out of the scarlet A is on the floor b. Begin talking about basic plot points: When does Pearl cross? Why wont she initially? Under what conditions does she cross? 4. [10 min] Ask students to talk about key points in the chapter (in order); these can be the things they wrote about in their pre-class writing. As they describe them, have the student actors act it out or move accordingly. *Make sure those acting are still involved in answering questions a. As they discuss, lead them in a discussion about some of the key elements of the chapter: i. Relationship btwn. Pearl and the others 1. How does Pearl react to her mother? 2. What does Pearl think of Dimmsdale? ii. The unity of Hester and Dimmsdale iii. The physical separation that the brook/water creates 1. Refer back to last weeks discussion of water as purifying: Who is pure in this situation? Why? How does Pearl react to being kissed? iv. How does Pearl deal with the Scarlet Letter in Ch. 19? 5. [10 min] Transition to talking about Ch. 20. Discussing what do the characters of these chapters represent about society? a. What does Hester want to do with Dimmsdale? i. What does going BACK to Europe say about Puritan society in Boston? ii. What are the characters trying to escape?

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iii. How does Dimmsdale react? 1. Still wants to preach Election Sermon a. I leave no public duty unperformed, or ill performed 2. His physical changes 3. Desire to do evil 4. He blasphemes 5. His talking evil to the old and young b. What does all of this say about Hester and Dimmsdales view on Puritan society and religion? i. Good? Bad? 1. Why? ii. What are its confines? iii. What about it is fake? iv. Progression of the individual? v. Expectations placed on characters by others. vi.
Questions to guide Section 2 of Assignment C Question 1. Why am I learning this? Response in relation to your unit/lesson To see how specific details in the text can help make a story easier to understand. The importance of how space is represented in the book and to understand how character relationships and values can be represented through physical boundaries. That Hester and Pearl do not fit into society, and are confined by its customs. The fact that Pearl is separated from Hester and Dimmsdale by a brook, and that Pearl will not approach Hester when she is not conforming to societys standards. The information is organized chronologically in the text, and is emphasized visually through the activity.

2. What am I supposed to learn?

3. What do I already know about it?

4. What ideas are important?

5. How is the information organized?

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6. How am I going to use it?

Will allow me to understand the rest of the book, clarify what came before, and allow me to think of how the idea of space defines people and rules. By remembering how the chapters were acted out in class combined with the theme of the book that has been discussed throughout the unit (marginalized). This information will be used in discussing rhe remainder of the unit as well as in other texts that are read throughout the remainder of the year when considering environment and people. Additionally, it will be used outside of class to think about how environment affects me and others. When doing active reading for other books, when writing essays for this class and ACT/SAT, and when thinking about the concept of space. We act differently in different environments and this will allow me to better understand how environment affects our behaviors and our relationships with other people. This will allow me to be more sensitive to others when it comes to respecting peoples space and why some people may have difficulty with being in unfamiliar places.

7. How am I going to remember it?

8. Where am I going to use it?

9. When am I going to use it?

10. How do I apply it?

For Micha the lesson on The Scarlet Letter, there are various accommodations I can make for Micha. Since Micha has expressed a lot of interest in my class and does the in-class work, as well as the fact that he feels comfortable joking around with me, I can give him an active role in acting out the scene. This is an activity that can give him confidence in the classroom, and since we will be reading the text while acting the scene out, it is okay if he has not fully caught up to be able to participate in this activity. By doing a good job, Micha can also re-earn some of the students respect who he has had issues with and this type of progress, little by little, can change the way he interacts with others. The positivity of the classroom can also help motivate him to do the work at home, and to ensure that he is able to do it and can catch up

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as well; the work load that he gets per night can be altered to make sure that he is able to do everything and does not get overwhelmed by falling more behind. By lightening the workload, Micha can focus on the academics for my class as well as for his other classes. The workload, while lighter, will still ensure that he is understanding key concepts and able to keep up with the class and what is going on. Also, so that he is able to have access to work when he is not in class, my assignments can be uploaded on a class website, or I can e-mail them directly to him so that he can print them, do them on the computer, and turn them into me via hard copy or e-mail whether he is in class or not. In order to help him in his social relationships with other students, I can find him a partner with whom he does work well and allow them to begin building a relationship together. I can even talk to the other student privately and ask him to be Michas inclass buddy and help him if he needs it. This would be paired with letting him, and the rest of the class, be aware of transition times so during the freer times in class, everyone can begin to expect the adjustment. I could also accommodate Micha, by seating him in an area close to me. That way he and the people around him are more aware of my presence and can be more cognizant of their behavior towards one another; this would also enable me to better anticipate possible issues in behavior that may be escalating. To accommodate Lizzys learning disability that primarily focuses on her ability to read, I could use many resources to enhance her reading experience and make it better. One resource that I would be extremely excited to share with Lizzy is www.librivox.org. This website has The Scarlet Letter and many other books that have been turned into recordings. This would allow her to either listen to, read, or read and listen to the book! Since her listening comprehension skills are at grade level, this would be a perfect way for her to use her listening skills in order to raise her reading skills. The great thing about this, is this can fit in really well

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with her busy schedule where she may not always have access to her book, but can access an mp3 player or computer into which she can plug in headphones. Another great resource is The Scarlet Letter student edition or SparkNotes version which makes the text more familiar to modern English and includes chapter summaries, and various annotations and definitions. This resource would greatly reduce any reading anxiety as it is easier to read and has helpful resources right at hand. In fact, this is a resource that I would feel comfortable letting many students use if they need extra support. For Lizzy specifically, this type of resource would also make it easier to remember material and find it according to chapter. Also, some of the resources in the books are things that we would discuss in class as discussion topics or questions, so she would already be more prepared to answer some of the questions in class to increase her participation. To increase participation, I could also make sure to ask Lizzy at least one question which I know she will know, and to avoid an awkward situation, I can even have the class as a whole look in their book to find the answer and then ask Lizzy to share what she thought. In order to accommodate Susan for this lesson I want to be as creative as possible because I really want the book to come alive for her. Firstly, before the main lesson is started, the daily question will be given to her enlarged on a piece of paper, or on an iPad that would allow her to enlarge whatever part of it she needs to see and move around. In order for her to answer the question, I would hopefully be able to let her type the answer on the same iPad so that she could see the keys much easier and bigger. Otherwise, an alternative would be for her to go to a computer and talk into a speech recognition program that would allow for her words to be typed so that she could answer the question that way and then I would be able to grade it accordingly. Then, as we move into the acting part of the lesson, I would have set up a video camera, and hooked it up to a computer display that can be placed in front of Susan. This way,

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as the students perform, either I or another student can operate the camera, zoom in on the action, and also be able to zoom out to see everything at once, and Susan would be able to see this enlarged right in front of her as the action happens! This would solve the issue of her not being able to see the students who are performing in front of the class. It also gets the rest of the students involved in helping her which would benefit in creating a strong classroom community. In order to allow Susan and other students to access the class work, I would love to have a website where most of what we do in class can also be found online. This would allow students to access work from numerous place and it would allow Susan to use a computer or other software to enlarge the things she needs. As far as helping Susan advocate for herself, I would recommend that Susan and I meet once or twice a week, where I can tell her my lesson plan ideas, and she could tell me what accommodations she would need for various assignments. This would put responsibility about advocating on Susan, and it would allow me to help suggest alternative ways for her to think about certain possible accommodations while at the same time being able to track her progress in this area. This would also enable us to have conversations of what worked and what did not so that things can be improved for the future. To assess Micha, I will need to find a way to adjust my assessment to the work that he does turn in and do in class, especially since he has difficulty coming to class and doing work at home. One thing I can do is give him the questions to answer during class and that way he will not have to take the work home. I can also scaffold his learning so that for a take-home essay, I can give him time in class so that he can work on it paragraph by paragraph in class. Another cool way to monitor his progress and grade him on the work that he DOES do, is to have him type this assignment using a Google Doc. Then when he shares me on it, I can track his writing process, the edits he makes, and how often he does it. This way, I can grade him on the work

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that he is doing. Giving him a shorter and more concise assignment, I could also grade him with a different rubric. Instead of a 5-paragraph essay that is 3-4 pages, his essay could be a 3 or 4 paragraphs and take up 2-3 pages. Then, my rubric would be adjusted to the things I would look for specifically in his essay. And, instead of having a lot of specific requirements, my requirements can be broader so that his window of success is wider and he is more likely to succeed and do well. This type of assessment accommodation can be used for the unit as a whole. As far as the work that is done on a day to day basis, I would meet with Micha and work with him to come up with his own rubric for day-to-day class work. This rubric would include categories like participation, work completion, and interaction. This rubric and its goals can be altered throughout the semester as well to accommodate the needs and work on specific areas that need more attention or less, accordingly. So, if Micha participates at least once, he would get credit for the day. If he does the work that is being done in-class and shows me some notes that he has taken, or the worksheet that was done, perhaps a probe that was given to everyone, or maybe just to him. This way, since he does work in class, I can grade him accordingly to the work that he does and focus less on stuff that is done outside of class. Also, by closely monitoring his social interactions in class, I can give extra credit or special extensions/opportunities when Micha interacts appropriately. I could also give Micha the permission to leave class when he begins feeling tense. Establishing with him a way that he could ask to be excused by asking for a drink or to go to the bathroom, he could take a moment to leave the classroom and cool down. Michas assessment would be tailored specifically to him and focus on the work that he does in class. The outside class work will be altered to have less amounts, and a differentiated rubric that allows him a larger opportunity to be successful and gain confidence in his outside class work. For my lesson specifically, Micha can include fewer

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points in the journal entry, and I would grade him according to the points that he does include. I could also give him a choice of questions to answer that would enable to him to have a choice in his education and answer those questions which he is more comfortable with. To assess Lizzy in a way that is fair and accommodating of her accommodations for reading difficulties, I will have to ensure that the assignments that she does are understood. To do this I can go over an example in class, so that she has something to follow when she is working at home. Additionally, I would work to grade Lizzy based more on process, success, and her improvement over the course of assignments. This would mean her assessment over the course of the unit would be more formative as opposed to summative. I would also consider grading her on her use of the accommodations in aiding her work. This way, she is being graded on the modified work that has been tailored to her needs. Additionally, by using the resources she has in conjunction with the class work, she can also be able to answer the in-class questions. In order to assess Lizzy fairly, I would also give her time extensions on assignments and would let her use her notes and books as resources to accommodate her difficulty in remembering information. Expanding Lizzys window of success in her grading rubrics to be broader and targeted specifically towards her own goals, will allow her to be more likely to succeed as well as contribute in building her self-esteem. Within the in-class assignment, I could have Lizzy participate when I ask the question regarding what water represents. Since this is something we have been discussing in numerous lessons, she would be more likely to remember it and answer correctly. I could also pose this question to the class, let them look in their notes, and then let Lizzy answer. Also, to emphasize the action that is being acted out, I could provide Lizzy with her own timeline to follow as the class discusses what is going on. This way, it would be easier for her to understand the chronology of the plot in the book, and she could also chime in if

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something is skipped that is on her timeline, once again increasing her participation and confidence in the classroom. For the initial journaling assignment, I could have Lizzie complete this in a smaller way using fewer points, or give her more time. Also, while the book is not usually allowed to be used, I could allow Lizzie to come to class with a notecard of a few things she writes down while reading so she can refresh her memory and build-off the things she had already written down. Then, I could give her a grade not only for the work that she does in-class, but I can also take into consideration the stuff that she wrote down on the note card. With the previously listed accommodations, Susan should be able to participate in the lesson really well. The video-computer screen setup should allow her to view the actions of the students performing if she chooses to not be one of the volunteers who performs. Additionally, having read the book in Braille, Susan will be able to answer the discussion questions that are posed throughout the lesson. In the case of this lesson, I believe Susan can be graded according to her participation just as all the other students. An issue that may occur, is that Susan does not pick up on non-verbal cues that go on in the discussion. To aid in this issue, before having a large group discussion, student can discuss these questions in smaller groups. This way, Susan is in close proximity to those around her and can better understand the non-verbal cues. Also, this creates a more intimate environment in which she can better hear intonation, and interact more sociably with the students. However, for the opening journal entry, besides the accommodations for technology and accessibility, I think that if Susan has read the text and is able to speak out her 10 key points and answer the questions, she can still get credit full for them. However, if she does not do as well, I can approach her about the work and have her advocate for herself after seeing how she did to describe the issues she had and what can be changed. Then, I could discuss how we can adjust the grading of the assignment and similar assignments that happen in

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the future; this would also give me an opportunity to see if she needs an accommodation of less questions. Also, since the purpose of this assignment is to assess reading, get students thinking about the class discussion, and make sure they understand key plot points, there is no reason I could think of for why I wouldnt allow Susan to redo this assignment with the accommodations that we discussed.