Unlocking the Mystery of Literacy for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities

Unlocking the Mystery of Literacy for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities Sherida Gentry and Carolyn Downing Educational Consultants West Ky. Educational Cooperative Fall 2010

Goal of Reading- deriving meaning from text Comprehension Vocabulary Fluency Decoding Word Identification Phonics P A Fluency Decoding Phonics P A Every student comes to us with different skills and different weaknesses.

Considerations for Literacy Instruction for Students With Moderate and Severe Disabilities • Where do I start? Where General Education begins. • How do I teach language arts objectives/skills to students needing significant adaptive supports? • How do I choose appropriate and motivating reading material? • How do I match supports to the student’s level of physical, reading and communication skills? • How do I instruct the standards for ALL students at their appropriate level? MS Elementary HS

Comprehension and Vocabulary • Main Idea and Details • Character, Setting, Plot, Solution • Author’s Purpose, Author’s Argument • Sequence, Cause and Effect, Compare and Contrast • Prediction • Vocabulary

Measurable Observable Skills for Alternate Assessment Standards: Main Idea

Main Idea Definition: • A main idea is important information that tells more about the overall idea of a paragraph or section of a text.

Measurable Observable Skills for Alternate Assessment Standards: Literary Elements

Literary Elements-Definitions • Characterization is the process of describing a character ( i.e. traits, physical characteristics, etc.) • Setting is the surroundings in which something is set; scene. • Plot is the pattern of events or main story in a narrative or drama. • Theme an idea or topic expanded throughout the text (i.e. Peter Rabbit-Peter should have obeyed his mother to stay out of trouble. Increased complexity: Have student answer question related to how this theme applies to them.

Measurable Observable Skills for Alternate Assessment Standards: Author’s Purpose

Author’s Purpose vs. Author’s Argument • Author’s purpose is the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic. Then, once a topic is selected, the author must decide whether his purpose for writing is to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain his ideas to the reader. • Author’s Argument is when the author is arguing to try to persuade the reader ( NOTE: You must use a “persuasive”[author’s purpose] text in order to determine the author’s argument)

Measurable Observable Skills for Alternate Assessment Standards: Organizational Pattern

Organizational Pattern: Sequencing, Cause Effect/Compare and Contrast Definition: • Cause/Effect are an action-reaction combination. The cause is the reason something happens, and the effect is what happens as a result. • Compare and Contrast pertains to a written exercise about the similarities and differences between two or more people, places, or things • Plot Sequence is the series of related events that make up a story in a point format (main summary of the story)

Measurable Observable Skills for Alternate Assessment Standards: Prediction

Prediction Definition: • A prediction is a statement about the way things will happen in the future, often but not always based on experience or knowledge. It is the student’s best guess. To get to a higher level of thinking the students must revisit their predictions and show proof.

Measurable Observable Skills for Alternate Assessment Standards: Vocabulary

Specialized Vocabulary Definition: • Specialized Vocabulary-refers to terms/vocabulary words/words in text that students need to know in order to understand the meaning of the text. (Text specific vocabulary) • The 8th grade standard refers to any word/phrase in a text that is important for kids at that age to understand ex. “Chowig steps in the way of one of the Aleuts carrying pelts back to the ship, and a fight breaks out” ( “breaks out” is a need to know phrase for an 8th grade student where “pelt” may not be important for an 8th grader to know but it is important in understanding the text.)

Comprehension and Vocabulary • Main Idea and Details • Character, Setting, Plot, Solution • Author’s Purpose, Author’s Argument • Sequence, Cause and Effect, Compare and Contrast • Prediction • Vocabulary

How?

Instructing Comprehension from Easy to Hard • Factual Recall • Who? • Where? • What? • How? • At this simplest level each question can be answered by pointing to a picture or phrase on the page. • Some students will need many weeks, months to master these types of questions Ex. Who was in the story? Where did the girl visit? SPLASH 10/09

Instructing Comprehension from Easy to Hard • Factual Recall…not on the page • Same questions but the answer is not found on the page • May be on a prior page (must remember it) • May require some minor understanding i.e. Who was Winn Dixie? Winn Dixie was a dog… and a store SPLASH 10/09

Instructing Comprehension from Easy to Hard SPLASH 10/09 • Prediction • What is this story going to be about? • Simplest level (even before factual recall) is guessing before story read (no wrong answer) • But more complex if also confirms answer at end of story • Begin observing if students make plausible predictions (e.g. from pictures in the book) higher level of complexity

Instructing Comprehension from Easy to Hard • Sequence events in the story • What happened first, next, last • Use picture cards, or objects • Later may use phrases supported with pictures • Many students will be learning the words “first”, “next”, and “last” NOTE: Use these words other times during the day….”first” in line, etc. SPLASH 10/09

Instructing Comprehension from Easy to Hard • Compare and Contrast or clarify • What was the same or different about these characters? • How do you differ from the characters? • Who can talk in the story? Who can’t talk? • Sara’s grandmother baked pies. What does your grandmother do for you? SPLASH 10/09

Instructing Comprehension from Easy to Hard • Make inferences • What was the author’s point of view? • Do you think the author likes dogs or does not like dogs? • Cause/Effect • What caused the dog to die? Or why did the dog die? • Drawing Conclusions • Did this happen in the story? SPLASH 10/09

Instructing Comprehension from Easy to Hard Also: Change the level of the text. • Train each skill at a lower level text.

How do I choose appropriate reading material? • Motivate the student to READ! • Age appropriate • High Interest for that particular student • Vocabulary and Receptive Language level of the student • Reading ability of the student • Required Grade level literature Curricular Planning Form Step 3, 4, 5 & 6:

Adapted Reading Material • Reader • Adult or peer reader • Technology • High Interest-Low Reading Level Material • Purchase • Adapt your own material • Using Graphics and or Manipulatives • Graphic Novels • Pictures • Objects

High Interest Reading Material

You're on the phone with your girlfriend. She's upset. She's going off about something that you said. She doesn’t get your humor like I do. I'm in the room. It’s a typical Tuesday night. I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn’t like. And she'll never know your story like I do. She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts. She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers dreaming bout the day when you'll wake up and find that what you're lookin’ for has been here the whole time.(1) If you could see that I'm the one who understands you. I’ve been here all along so why can't you see?You belong with me, walkin’ the streets with you in your worn out jeans. I can’t help thinking this is how it ought to be, laughing on the park bench thinkin’ to myself. Hey isn’t this easy? And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town. I haven’t seen it in awhile, since she brought you down. You say you find I know you better than that. Whatcha doing with a girl like that? (2)

How do I engage this student?

Crossing Roads and Highways ATVs are designed to be used OFF-ROAD ONLY. A leading cause of accidents and fatalities to ATV riders is riding on or crossing a road illegally or improperly. The hazards of crossing roads cannot be over-emphasized, but you may find it necessary on occasion to cross a road or highway. This is particularly true in farming areas where ATVs are used for various work purposes. ONLY ride your ATV off the road. Riding across roads is very dangerous. ATV riders are often killed crossing a road. Activity: Demonstrate Microsoft Word AutoSummarize

If you must cross a road, use the following guidelines to reduce risk: • Make sure you know your state’s laws and regulations before you cross any road. • Before crossing, bring your ATV to a complete stop on the shoulder of the road. • Yield the right of way to all oncoming traffic. Look both ways. • Ride cautiously. Your ATV will handle differently on pavement and may be difficult to maneuver, increasing the danger of collision. • Cross the road at a 90-degree angle where there are no obstructions and your visibility is good. • If you are riding in a group, have the first rider (leader) dismount on the shoulder before crossing and watch for traffic as he waves the group across the road. Have the last rider dismount on the shoulder after crossing and watch traffic, to help the group leader across. • Remember, crossing roads improperly or riding illegally on the road is a major cause of serious accidents and fatalities to ATV users, so use extra caution. Always assume the drivers DO NOT SEE YOU, since most driver look for cars, not ATVs.

Recommendations for crossing the road on an ATV Know the rules for your state. Stop your ATV on the shoulder of the road. Look both ways. If you can see well, cross the road carefully. The lead rider should get off the ATV and watch for traffic as the other riders cross the road. The last rider across the road should get off his or her ATV and watch for traffic as the lead rider crosses the road. Adapted Text Adapted by Downing 9-08

Remember, crossing roads improperly or riding illegally on the road is a major cause of serious accidents and fatalities to ATV users, so use extra caution. Always assume the drivers DO NOT SEE YOU, since most driver look for cars, not ATVs. Remember, crossing the road on an ATV is dangerous. Sometimes car drivers DO NOT SEE YOU.

Crossing Roads and Highways ONLY ride your ATV off the road. Riding across roads is very dangerous. ATV riders are often killed crossing a road. Steps to crossing the road on an ATV Know the rules for your state. Stop your ATV on the shoulder of the road. Look both ways. If you can see no vehicles coming in any direction, cross the road carefully. The lead rider should get off the ATV and watch for traffic as the other riders cross the road. The last rider across the road should get off his or her ATV and watch for traffic as the lead rider crosses the road. Remember, crossing the road on an ATV is dangerous. Sometimes car drivers DO NOT SEE YOU. Activity: Pictorially adapt text Adapted Text Adapted by Downing 9-08

Adapted Books and Resources • Baltimore city Schools http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/boardmaker/adapted _library.asp (Must have Boardmaker 6.0 to open) • General Curriculum Access Website from UNCC http://education.uncc.edu/access (Must use WWS2000 to open. Task analysis provided for saving, opening, printing books from website) www.ppst.com ppt. and other resources

Other Adapted Literature Resources • http://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/curriculum/summerreading-elem.htm • http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001316.shtml • http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/agegradebooksby/ • www.lexile.com • www.bookshare.org • www.sdlback.com • www.edconpublishing.com

12 Steps of a Story Based Lesson • Present an anticipatory set • Read the title • Read the author’s name • Model opening the book and allow student to assist • Identify vocabulary • Ask a prediction question/make a prediction • Have students text point • Read the repeated story line/have student read repeated story line • Turn the page • Provide phonemic awareness opportunity(pull student into reading i.e. auditory closure [“I would not eat it on a boat, I would not eat it with a _________”) • Find a target vocabulary word(s) in text • Ask a comprehension question/review prediction NOTE: Items in BOLD print should be done in specific order, other items can completed in the order fo teachers’ discretion SPLASH Training 10/21/09

Description of Individual Student Skills and Adaptations Checklist

Physical, Cognitive, Language, and Reading Considerations Physical Considerations Oral motor movement Fine motor movement Gross motor movement Vision Hearing Attention Sensory Motor Issues Neurological issues Medical Issues (medically fragile, seizure disorder, etc.) Stamina, Endurance, vitality

Physical, Cognitive, Language, and Reading Considerations Means of Response Oral Response- unintelligible/intelligible vocalizations Object manipulation Switch use Writing Head nod Eye Gaze Gestures Sign language Pictures Draw one Pull of velcro

Unlocking the Mystery of Literacy for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities