Self-advocacy: The idea that students need to look out for themselves. There will not always be someone there to hold a student’s hand, teach them to self-advocate so they don’t need their hand to be held. If done effectively, students with special needs will know their own strengths and weaknesses, how well they can perform, the support they need to succeed, and the skills to communicate their needs. Eventually, students will self-instruct and talk themselves through a task.

Survival skills:

-       What is due tomorrow in school?

-       What do I need to do to get it done tonight?

-       What materials or things do I need to get the job done?

-       Whom can I ask for help in doing this?

Learning strategies:

Textbook Reading	R Review headings and subheadings. E Examine boldface words. A Ask, “What do I expect to learn?” D Do it- Read! S Summarize in your own words
Read for Speed	W Widen your eye spand. A Avoid skip-backs. R Read silently. F Flex your reading rate.
Reading Comprehension	S Survey the headings. C Connect the headings. R Read the text. O Outline major ideas and details. L Look back and check your accuracy.
Textbook Reading	P Preview the material/scan. A Ask questions relating to main ideas. R Read the chapter, answer questions. S Summarize the main ideas.
Story Comprehension	C Who are the CHARACTERS? A What is the AIM of the story? P What PROBLEM happens? S How is the problem SOLVED?
Reading Comprehension on Computer	R Read the title and headings. U Use the cursor to skim the page. D Decide whether you need the page. P Print the page. C Copy the bibliographic information.
Reading Comprehension & Organize	P Predict ideas. O Organize the ideas. S Search for the structure. S Summarize the main ideas. E Evaluate your understanding.
Listening: Give Me Five	1.    Eyes on the speaker. 2.    Mouth quiet. 3.    Body still. 4.    Ears listening. 5.    Hands Free.
Listening in a Lecture Setting	T Think. A Ask why. L Listen for what? S Say to self.
Note-taking	T Try not to doodle. A Arrive at class prepared. S Sit near the front. S Sit away from friends. E End daydreaming. L Look at the teacher.
Note-taking	C Copy from the board. A Add details. L Listen and write the question. L Listen and write the answer. U Utilize text. P Put in your own words.
Writing	P Planning O Organizing W Writing E Editing R Revising
Peer Editing	T Tell what you like. A Ask questions. G Give suggestions.
Proof Reading- Self	C Have I capitalized? O How is the overall appearance? P Correct punctuation? S Spelling?
Writing: W-W-W What=2 How =2	W Who is the main character? W When does the story take place? W Where does the story take place? W What does the main character want? W What happens then? H How does the story end? H How does the main character feel?
Report Writing	1.    Choose a topic. 2.    Brainstorm. 3.    Organize. 4.    Read. 5.    Write. 6.    Check.
Spelling- Studying	1.    Say the word. 2.    Write and say the word. 3.    Check the word. 4.    Trace and say the word. 5.    Write the word from memory. 6.    Check spelling.
Math Word Problems	S Search the word problem. T Translate words into an equation. A Answer the problem. R Review the solution.
Math Regrouping	L Line up the numbers according to decimals. A Add the right column of #s and ask… M “More than 9?” If so… P Put the 1s below the column. S Send the 10s to the top of the next column.
Math Subtraction	S Smaller: Follow steps. L Larger: Leap to subtract.  O Cross OFF the # in the next column. B Borrow by taking one 10 and adding to the next. S Subtract.
Math Steps for Binomial	F First O Outer I Inner L Last

Differentiating Instruction

The ways in which a teacher differentiates instruction has a serious impact on how students learn in the classroom in terms of methods, procedures, and materials As we have discussed, students with special needs often need accommodations; however, the better the methods, procedures, and materials are in the classroom as a whole, fewer individual accommodations need to be made for students with special needs. On the contrary, there will probably still be students that need individual accommodations depending on their needs. All students deserve the means to access important skills and content knowledge. 

In order to provide accommodations on a daily basis, four aspects of basic skills instruction are: preskills; the selection and sequencing of examples; rate of introduction; and direct instruction, practice, and review. 

1. Preskills are the basic skills necessary to learn more complex skills. Example, word identification Prior to moving forward with complex skills, the teacher should always assess the preskills relevant to the lesson at hand. If students do not know the necessary preskills, they should be taught before moving forward. 

2. Selecting and sequencing examples refer to preparing and scaffolding the lesson. Help students identify the already learned, current problems from less complex to more difficult.  Sequencing can be applied to almost any lesson taught. Example sequencing directly refers to the order of presentation of examples during instruction. As students progress, the student should move from introductory examples to more difficult problems. 

3. Rate of introduction should occur at an appropriate pace. Students will have difficulty learning and understanding skills if the content is presented too rapidly. Skills should then be introduced in small steps in order to build upon previously learned knowledge. "A common accommodation is to slow down the rate of skill introduction and provide more practice" (Friend & Bursuck, 322). As you reduce rate of introduction, always hold the same high expectations for students with special needs. 

4. Providing direct instruction, practice, and review is important if students with special needs are meant to acquire basic academic skills. Problems often include retention. The same approaches do not work for all students. In order for students with special needs to grasp knowledge, they often need different approaches and introductions to content. Practice should always follow, not substitute for direct instruction. Review should occur in order to assess student understanding and aid in retention. 

Accommodations in Subject-Area Content: For students to understand content area material, they must relate new subject matter to information they already know. One way of activating background knowledge is to examine the words that make up a passage. Be sure that the students can identify and understand words before introducing the passage. If they have difficulty understanding the words, they will not be able to understand the passage. 

Student Activities for organizing learning:

PReP strategy	1. Preview the text or lesson, and choose two or three important concepts. 2. Conduct a brainstorming session with students.                    3. Evaluate student responses to determine the depth of their prior knowledge of the topic.
Planning Think Sheets: Writing preparation	What is my topic?  Why do I want to write on this topic?  What are two things I already know that will make it easy to write this paper?  Who will read my paper?  Why will the reader be interested?
Know cue words: They may tell you what is important or unimportant	Sequence words: First, Second, Third...  Comparison & Contrast: Similar, Different, On the one hand, on the other hand Cause & Effect: Causes, Effects, Because, So that Problem/Solution: Problem, Solution, Resolve

Teacher Activities for organizing learning:

Anticipation guides	Activate prior student knowledge and construct bridges to new information by making a list of statements (whether true or false), present the statements to the class and have them either challenge or support their thoughts. This will grasp student interest.
Advance Organizers: Make a general framework about information present to students.	Identify major topics and activities  Present an outline of content  Providing background information  State concepts and ideas to be learned in the lesson  Motivate students to learn by showing relevance  State the objectives of the lesson. What will they be able to do at the end of the lesson?
STUDY GUIDES: outlines and emphasizes important information in texts. Helpful in improving comprehension.	1. Go through the entire book and mark the chapters you want to cover.  2. Indicate the sequence in which you will assign the chapters. 3. Read the material carefully. Mark important vocabulary, facts, and concepts that you expect students to learn. 4. Divide the chapter into logical sections. 5. Write brief sentences that explain the main ideas or emphasize vocabulary, facts, or concepts.
Graphic Organizers	1.    Determine critical content. 2.    Organize concepts into a concept map as a visual representation. 3.    Design a completed concept map. 4.    Create a partially completed concept map to be completed by the students. 5.    Create a blank concept map for students to use as a postreading or review exercise.

Oral communication is key for students with special needs: Directions should be clear. Questions should be used as a means of assessing students. If questions are presented effectively, students will leard to ask themselves the same questions. When presenting subject matter, be clear, define what is being presented, and use a visual display. 

Students with Special Needs other than Disabilities

Diversity comes in many shapes and sizes, especially in the classroom. The term diversity can be used to describe racial, cultural, and religious differences as well as learning differences that may come from learning disabilities or disorders. Students are extremely complex. Just as teachers foster and cultivate racial, cultural, and religios differences in order to create a better informed student body, teachers need to embrace learning differences and accommodate student needs in order to provide the best learning environment possible. Equity Pedagogy is the term to describe the use of instructional strategies that address the learning characteristics and cognitive styles of diverse populations.

In 1973, Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act ensured that students with disabilities cannot be discriminated against or “excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (class notes) . Further, P.L 94-142 enacted “The Education for All Handicapped Children Act”, which outlines the whole basis up which current special education practices are based on. In 1990, IDEA was put into action which outlines the principles deemed most appropriate for individuals with special needs including: free appropriate education, least restrictive environment, individualized education, nondiscriminatory evaluation, due process, zero reject-child find, and teacher evaluation and eligibility. “When students are determined eligible and have Section 504 plans, those plans cover their instructional programs as well as after-school programs, field trips, summer programs, and other extracurricular activities” (Friend & Bursuck, 276).

Students eligible under Section 504 include students with chronic health or medical problems and students with learning problems, and students with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Accommodations should be individualized in order to meet students’ needs and they should be designed to “level the playing field” for the students.  These students have unique needs. They may not necessarily need to be in special education, but they do benefit from individualized teaching strategies and help.

            Most accommodations rely on the teacher changing work load and expectations in response to time and test administering, but administration may also need to be involved. Accommodations you may make for students with chronic health or medical problems: occasional rest periods, breaks sot he student may take medication, exemption from certain physical activities, and extra provisions for making up missed assignments. Accommodations you may make for students with learning problems: remedial reading instructions, separate testing, extended time, access to text-to-speech software, tests may be read aloud.

ADHD

Children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder suffer because they have a difficult time controlling their energy and therefore their behavior. Children with ADHD have an inability to regulate their attention and to develop executive functions.  This makes it difficult for students to pay attention to one thing at a time, including schoolwork. When routines and tasks are laid out for students, they have a much easier time controlling their behavior.

In order to best accommodate students, it is most important to understand the behavior disorder, AD/HD, also known as Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  Five out of every 100 children have ADHD, diagnosed or undiagnosed. ADHD is the inability to sit still and pay attention. Characteristics may include: fidgeting, squirming, running around, talking too much, being interruptive, blurt out answers, and not abide by social cues due to impulsivity.

There are three types of ADHD:

1. Predominantly inattentive (daydream, miss directions, lose things)

2. Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive(move around, think before act, blurt out answers)

3. Combined type (have difficulty focusing and restricting movement)

Students with ADHD are often medicated. Many students greatly benefit from being medicated. This is a decision made my parents along with physicians. An educator must not tell a student or parents that their child/student should be medicated. Teachers should be made aware of medication use, teachers and parents should tell the school nurse about medication use, and should be prepared to respond to parental and medical question regarding performance or behavior possibly related to medication.

As a teacher, here are some ways to help students with behavior intervention:

·      Give clear directions for all homework and in-class assignments.

·      Provide a rationale as to why the student should complete the assignment.

·      Have students repeat back directions in order to check for understanding.

·      Break long assignments down into shorter assignments.

·      Schedule a time in which you can provide feedback to the students.

·      Communicate student strengths.

·      Keep instruction fast paced.

·      Use movement during instruction.

·      Tailor questions to student knowledge and skills.

·      Use visual organizers.

·      Draw on student interests.

·      Place a checklist on the desk.

·      Seat the child near the teacher.

·      Provide the student with a fidget toy.

·      Post-its to warn of bad behavior or compliment on good behavior.

·      Figure out what are the specifics that are hard for the student.

·      Post rules, assignments, and schedules.

·      Follow clear routines.

·      Allow the student to channel their energy. (Standing up while doing work as long as it is not disruptive for others, a bouncy ball chair, or have the student come up to the board often.)

·      Give explicit directions.

·      Break down instructions into small parts.

·      Provide breaks.

·      Keep group settings small.

·      Provide a quiet spot in the classroom.

·      Use cues.

·      Help student with class transitions by giving them warnings.

·      Use positive reinforcement by rewarding good behavior.

·      Be in contact with parents.

·      Be firm and consistent.

·      Expect success.

Cultural diversity

            It is commonly known that the racial, cultural, and religious diversity in the classroom has been drastically growing in recent decades. It continues to escalate and increase at faster than ever rates. In 1972, 22% of students were of minority groups. In 2006, 43% of students were of minority groups. In 2006, 70% in the nation’s largest schools were of minority groups. 11% of all students receive ELL services

nExtraordinarily high failure rates

 Diversity is being redefined; recent research has shown that students that do not come from “Anglo-European backgrounds sometimes experience extraordinarily high failure rates in school” (Friend & Bursuck, 295).

-       Students often lack role models from their racial and ethnic minority.

-       Textbooks often have cultural biases and omit culturally important information.

-       Teaching practices do not always practice student-centered learning and can put students at a disadvantanve due to background and experiences.

-       School policies and practices do not always best serve students

Put away all books and reports, then listen. Learn from families from all cultures, Understand cultural values and traditions. Respond with respect and sensitivity. Try to better understand contradictions in expectations between home and school. Acknowledge that there may be miscommunications and language barriers. Learn fundamental characteristics of student backgrounds. Identify strengths and weaknesses. Understand that cultural factors influence student behavior. Find means to enhance communication with non-native English speakers. Keep a balance between material. Make class assignments culturally involved and friendly. Examine teaching practices from a family perspective.