how to modify writing assignments for special education students

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Examples of modified assignments for students with special needs.

6 comments:

Thanks for this post. I will be sharing with my daughter's teachers.

Yes yes yes! More more please... are there other links you suggest for MORE examples! Other websites or blogs??? this is a large need for school teams. THANKS

How Do you know when your modification/adaptation is too much vs just right for a student?

You can use the IEP goals to help you decide how to modify the work.

http://teachingtoinspire.com/2013/01/differentiating-math-assessments-made.html

Very nice article. (Middle School Math/Science) I've cut sheets in half, had some students do 5 problems in a section first then go back and do more if they can, 2 day testing as opposed to one day tests, cut homework in half, created guided notes, handouts, allowed word bank usage, open book quizzes, use of notes/guides during classwork, station time etc, had them work in pairs, use as many visuals as possible, color coded formulas and the numbers we inserted into formulas, created tiered lessons.... easier level problems leading up to harder problems, calculator usage..... the list can go on. Thank you so much for the article.

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How to Modify for Special Education

November 12, 2016 by pathway2success 10 Comments

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Supporting kids with special needs works best when both regular education and special education staff work together. That’s why it is helpful for all teachers to understand how they can modify and accommodate for students in their classrooms. For newer teachers, learning that you need to modify work for kids of various levels can be a bit overwhelming. Even teacher who are highly experienced might struggle with how much to modify. It’s really a balance because you are constantly trying to find out what is “just tough enough” to push your students, with it still being at an appropriate level that can help them grow. Too easy and the work doesn’t really challenge them. Too difficult and kids might shut down, causing them to not learn anything at all. It’s okay (and actually good) to fine-tune your level of modifications over time.

Most importantly, if a child requires a modification according to their IEP, the teacher needs to provide it. The IEP is a legal document and those modifications and accommodations were agreed upon the child’s planning team. Some modifications are specifically listed, such as having a word bank or being able to use a calculator. Other times, modifications are left up to the discretion of the teacher. If there is something you are unsure about in the child’s list of modifications, talk to the spec

ial education teacher and get further clarification.

Here is a quick reference list for some ideas to pull from when you need to modify for a child’s assessment, homework, or other assignment:

Reduce the Workload:

• Assign even or odd problems only – This is a great strategy for homework. It’s simple and quick for the teacher, but still gives the child similar practice to everyone else.
• Select specific problems and omit extra ones
• Give 1 essay question instead of 3 or 4
• Give choice – Let the student select 10 problems to do or let them pick whether to do the front or back of a worksheet. This will help with motivation, too, since the child sees they have a choice in the assignment.
• Put fewer problems on each page – This will be less visually distracting.
• For matching, reduce the number of items to match or break them in half
• Reduce the number of multiple choices – There will be less to select from. For example, if everyone else has a quiz with 4 possible multiple choice answers, your student might only have 2 or 3 options to choose from.
• Eliminate true or false questions – These questions can be extremely tricky, especially for kids with language-based disorders.

Modify the Content:

• Give a similar but different assignment with lower grade level material in area of weakness (math, reading, or writing) – For example: if the topic is computing with fractions, the student might be drawing fraction pictures. This will also help you target the “most important” concepts for the child to learn at the time.
• Provide an alternative assignment – This can be a research project, hands-on project, lab experiment, or making a poster to show understanding of a topic.
• Align student interest to the content – For example, you might focus on reading strategies while learning about trains.

Provide Supports:

• Give a word bank for fill in the blank or when writing an essay
• Allow students to type or orally report their responses
• Give a specific list for steps to complete a task
• Provide concept cards with an assignment
• Allow the student to use their book or notes
• Provide specific examples
• Highlight tricky or key words in questions
• Allow extra time
• Allow student to work in quieter setting
• Allow calculators
• Allow for brainstorming prior to the assignment
• Have adult read assignment to student

Learning to modify can be hard work at first. It’s best to give it a try even if you are not entirely sure it’s the right modification. Remember that you can always tweak your modifications as the year goes on. Most likely, you will need to continually reassess modifications and supports, since your students will be growing and making progress. And when in doubt, work with your special education staff to ask for feedback, support, and ideas.

If you are a special education teacher in need of a toolkit, consider the Special Education Teacher Binder . It is a huge compilation of special education resources.

Materials focus on IEPs and team meetings, progress monitoring of academics and behavior, classroom materials, building a classroom community, planning, lessons, organization, and other forms to help make the life of a special education teacher a little bit easier.

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September 21, 2018 at 5:30 am

I was wondering if you have any examples of how to provide a word bank for an essay at the high school level? I’m having a hard time figuring out how to provide words that answer either short answer questions or essay questions that typically require sentence answers.

October 7, 2018 at 9:31 am

Hi Joy- I would provide my students a separate sheet of paper with words and phrases that might be helpful to them. For example, if the essay is on the industrial revolution, I might include terms like: industrialization, labor, working conditions, migration, etc. Giving these vocabulary words would help students remember vocabulary and guide them in the right direction without steering them one way or another. Hope that helps!

January 7, 2020 at 9:21 am

I even split up word with their questions into chunks of 5-7-10 and then chunk the correct answers with those chunks of 5-7-10

So for example in a Voacb test the first five words would match the first five questions, the next 5 words would match the questions 6-10.

The students seem to really benefit from this.

October 20, 2018 at 12:48 pm

I insert a text box for a word bank for some modified exams.

June 9, 2019 at 12:18 pm

I’m curious how you might modify for chemistry, algebra II, or those other tough HS classes. We really struggle with that in our district.

June 24, 2019 at 12:53 pm

Hi Stacie! A lot of the strategies really work well for any content area, even in high school. Students who struggle with reading can learn about the same material that is written with a simpler text or vocabulary words that are defined for them ahead of time. For math, one strategy that worked for some of my learners was creating guide cards for them. I would give step-by-step examples for how to solve a certain type of problem. Kids could use these cards on quizzes or tests many times if they needed because it wasn’t giving the answer- just a guide to help them remember HOW to do the steps. Visuals are extremely helpful for any subject as well. For tests and quizzes, reduce the number of essay questions or problems and focus on what is most important. This can help kids who get fatigued. Let them focus their energy where it is most important! Also, chunk the information together (for example, if you have a test on multiple types of math concepts, keep all similar concepts together). Hope some of those ideas help! As always, every child is unique and you have to sometimes test out what works for them!

January 22, 2020 at 8:17 pm

For math in particular, I have used “doodle notes” created by Melanie Ellsworth that I purchased on tpt. The notes are fill in the blank and most of the concepts are already illustrated giving the students the chance to following along with the lesson rather than worrying about catching the finer details.

June 8, 2020 at 1:49 pm

These are some great tips for modifying special education for a student. Thanks for sharing.

December 4, 2020 at 5:00 pm

Could you please clarify if Inclusion Teachers are allowed to read assignments and testing materials to students. (Not during STAAR or State wide exam but regular classroom testing, assignments or homework)?

We are saying that when given a general ed test to the SPED students that we can modify the wording for better understanding of the questions for the student. If you have any resources to confirm this, please email it back to me.

December 5, 2020 at 6:09 am

Hi Thelma, I would think the best way to show this is to refer back to the student’s IEP. This is really another reason why it’s so helpful to be specific in IEPs. But even if it is not in the IEP, I think it’s just a best practice to rephrase or reword directions if a child doesn’t understand- on an IEP or not! If you are having a disagreement with the general ed teacher about it, my best suggestion would be to conference with them and offer to write a differentiated test together for your students. Ideally, the general ed teacher could be making 2 versions of the test: one with more complex wording for higher kids and one with more simplified wording. Both would allow kids to show knowledge of concepts. I’ll try to see if I can find some documentation on this. It’s a GREAT question. -Kris

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Make Adaptations & Modifications For Special Needs

Sometimes the only thing students need to be able to access the same instructional materials is a little tweak or adaptation. Here are 10 ways to make adaptations and modifications for students with special needs.

Reductions to modify for special needs

• Reduce the amount on the page: A busy page can be overwhelming to students. You can cover part of the page with a blank page or copy the paper to increase the amount of white space on the page.
• Reduce the amount required: Consider reducing how many times the student is practicing a skill. For example, instead of having students do a page of 10 addition problems, maybe only completing 6 problems is sufficient.

Adapt & modify the materials

• Simplify the language: Change the directions, questions, etc. to reflect the student’s language and reading needs.
• Change the format: For example, change the open-ended questions to multiple choice or fill-in formats.
• Allow alternate responses: Allow students to use or draw pictures instead of writing their answers . Other options include dictating or using a scribe. This is a modification that can be used with any level or type of learner with special needs.

provide preventative adaptions and modifications

• Build prior knowledge: Build knowledge of concepts and vocabulary before a unit or skill is taught to give the students a foundation for the lesson.
• Create vocabulary supports: Target vocabulary that pops up, again and again, to help students in lessons. Another option is to create a vocabulary glossary bank for students to refer to.

modifications & adaptions within lessons

• Provide guided notes: giving the students guided notes will help them have the correct information to work off of and study from. This is a great modification for students who are expected to take notes.
• Give extra examples: Sometimes our students need more than 1 or 2 examples to understand a concept or skill. You can plan to provide this extra support and add it to the materials or have it ready in case students need it.
• Visual supports: Use graphic organizers , and visuals for understanding the steps, vocab, etc.

Prefer resources that are already leveled and have visual supports? Check these out:

– Reading units to target letter identification, letter sounds, CVC, vowels, digraphs, and more through leveled and hands-on activities.

-Use these Math Units to teach number concepts, adding, subtracting, comparing numbers, fractions, patterns, etc. to students of all levels.

-These Life Skills resources are designed for students who need visual supports, concepts and vocabulary broken down and for classrooms with different levels.

-The Science Units in this bundle have also been adapted and modified to help students with special needs access standards and lessons.

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Transforming Challenges into Achievements

9 Effective Differentiated Instruction Strategies for Special Needs Students

Special Education Classroom • 6/5/2024

What is Differentiated Instruction?

Differentiated instruction tailors learning experiences to meet students' diverse needs.

This approach is particularly helpful for special needs students who require individualized strategies to reach their full potential.

Differentiated instruction addresses their varied learning styles, abilities, and interests by modifying teaching methods, materials, and assessments.

Differentiated Instruction in Special Education Classrooms

Special education students often have distinct learning needs that require more personalized attention.

Differentiated instruction helps address these needs in many ways:

• Individualized Support: Customize instruction to each student's strengths and weaknesses to ensure they receive the appropriate level of support.
• Engagement: When teachers teach students in a way that resonates with their learning style, they are more likely to stay engaged and motivated.
• Promote Equity: Special needs  students have the same learning opportunities as their peers in general education classrooms.
• Better Outcomes: Differentiated instruction meets students where they are; so it can lead to better academic outcomes and personal growth.

Strategies for Differentiated Instruction

1. flexible grouping.

This strategy involves students based on their learning needs, interests, or abilities.

Teachers rotate groups regularly to provide varied learning experiences and social interactions.

2. Tiered Assignments

Teachers create assignments with different levels of complexity for special needs students. This differentiated instruction strategy  also allows each tier to align with the same learning goal, but it varies in difficulty to match students' abilities.

3. Choice Boards

Teachers provide students with activity options for the current lesson. Students choose tasks that interest them and suit their learning style.

4. Learning Stations

Set up different stations around the classroom, each focusing on a specific skill or activity.

Rotate students through the stations to ensure they experience a variety of learning modalities.

5. Varied Instructional Methods

Use a mix of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic teaching methods to address different learning styles.

Incorporate multimedia resources, hands-on activities, and discussions.

6. Ongoing Assessment and Feedback

Continuously assess students' progress through formative assessments. Provide timely and constructive feedback to guide their learning.

7. Personalized Learning Goals

Set individualized learning goals based on each student's needs and abilities. Use these goals to guide instruction and measure progress.

8. Adapted Materials

Modify instructional materials to make them accessible for all students and use larger print, audiobooks, or simplified texts to help students with experiencing different learning challenges

9. Collaborative Learning

Encourage peer collaboration through group projects and discussions. Enable a classroom community where students support each other's learning.

How to Implement Differentiated Instruction: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Assess Student Needs: Assess each student's learning style, strengths, and areas for improvement, then use this information to plan differentiated instruction.

2. Plan Differentiated Lessons: Incorporate varied instructional strategies and materials in lesson plans and adjust them based on student responses.

3. Create a Supportive Environment: Create a classroom culture that values diversity and encourages risk-taking, providing a safe space for students to express their needs and preferences.

4. Implement and Monitor: Implement your differentiated instruction plans, monitor IEP progress , and adjust goals or strategies as needed.

5. Reflect and Adapt: Evaluate your strategies and get feedback to keep improving.

A Real-Life Example of Differentiated Instruction Strategies

Mrs. Thompson, a 5th-grade teacher, implemented differentiated instruction to teach a science lesson on the water cycle.

Her class included 20 students, with three special education students:

• Alex has ADHD and struggles with attention
• Maria has dyslexia and finds reading challenging
• Jamal is on the autism spectrum and prefers visual learning

Mrs. Thompson started with a brief video explaining the water cycle to engage all students.

She then divided the class into three groups based on their learning needs.

Alex joined a hands-on activity group where students created a water cycle model using common materials, allowing him to move and stay engaged.

Maria worked with a group, using simplified texts and graphic organizers to help her understand and summarize the process. She received additional support from a teaching assistant.

Jamal joined a group that focused on drawing and labeling diagrams of the water cycle, which catered to his strength in visual learning.

Throughout the lesson, Mrs. Thompson circulated among the groups, providing individualized support and ensuring each student could grasp the concepts at their own pace.

This approach not only helped the special education students but also enriched the learning experience for the entire class.

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