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Inclusion: Adapting Curriculum to Meet
the Needs of Individual Students
In the following sections, I describe the modifications
I would make to a series of lessons on Rachel
Carson if I had a student with one of the following special needs.
While I provide some suggestions for changes I might make, I also recognize
that some of these suggestions would not be appropriate in all situations.
Especially in the case of a student with ADHD or an emotional issue, the
instruction might depend completely on the student's background and the
specifics of the situation. Thus, these are not meant to be solidified
plan of action, but rather just and indication of some ideas I might want
to implement. There might also be unstated goals for these students to
help them overcome or deal with their difficulty.
a) A hearing impaired student
I would be aware of the placement of the student in the classroom,
such that he or she could both hear and see the teacher and his or her
peers. The idea of being able to see the teacher would be especially
important for a child who relied a lot on lip movements to understand
speech.
While this next idea would not be specific to this unit in particular,
one goal I might have for the classroom would be improving public speaking
skills - speaking loudly, slowly and clearly, and facing someone when
you are talking to them. This would not only benefit each student personally,
but would make it easier for this one hearing-impaired student to function
in the classroom.
b) A student in a wheelchair
I might examine the layout of my classroom to ensure that there were
comfortable working spaces in the classroom for this student to work
with other students in groups, including tables with an appropriate
height and clearance.
I would most likely change the structure of the simulation to ensure both
the safety of all students and the equal participation of students in
the activity. Instead having students running around, I might slow the
simulation down by specifically directing student movements. For example,
I could still have students act out the role of the various animals, but
could tell students who or what to eat and when.
c) A student with attention deficit disorder (ADHD)
I might pair the student with a reading/working buddy during independent
work time. This other student might also be a struggling reader, or
a student who needs some sort of support. The students could then help
keep each other on-task and engaged in the reading.
During times when students are reading aloud, I might ask students
more questions more frequently. Keeping the student engaged with questions
such as "Raise you hand if you agree" or "How many of
you have gone through a similar experience?" might be a way to
keep this student, among others, engaged.
Keeping activities varied. While the activities are fairly varied already,
students could read for shorter periods of time, and alternate with
short writing activities or reflections.
d) A student with an emotional problem
Depending on the situation, a student with an emotional problem may
not be suited for an activity in which students are chasing each other
because they is both high stress and physical contact. I would be hesitant
to toss the entire simulation, but I may be sensitive to make the student
a falcon (top of the food chain, not being chased at all) or creating
a role in the simulation of observer or timekeeper, in which the student
could still be involved, but not being a direct part of the simulation.
Certainly, depending on the situation, group and partner work might
be a challenge for the student. I might give students the option of
working with another student, or working by themselves to take that
pressure away, or I might simply give this option to the particular
student. I wouldn't want to do this all the time, as one of my goals
for this particular student would be learning to do group work, but
I would be sensitive to this need.
e) A student with a visual impairment
Certainly, reading regular print might be a challenge for this student.
Photocopies of the text and worksheets with larger print could be provided
for this student.
I would be aware of student placement in the classroom during work in
which things were being written on the board and during the showing
of the movie.
Depending on the severity of the impairment, I might consider not going
ahead with the simulation as planned, rather using the simulation in
modified way in which the movement and action of the students is controlled
and teacher-directed.
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