Thanks to everyone that responded to my request for adapting library lessons
for mainstreamed EMH students. Most of the suggestions were to have an aide
come to the library with them, however, that is not an option for most of my
students.
I did however, receive many other good suggestions and have listed them
below.
Barbara Bollinger
William Yates Elementary
Sunny Pointe Elementary
Blue Springs, Mo.
bol74@aol.com
Good question! I'm a 4th grade CWC teacher. I have Sped students mainstreamed
into my classroom. I experience the same problem in my own classroom. One
option is to occasionally assign partners for assignments I know my Sped
students will have difficulty completing. I will assign students with
different academic abilities as partners. I take students personalities and
ability to help others into consideration when placing them with my special
ed students
Kelly Turner
Butler Elementary
Bulter, MO
kaykay@iland.net
A couple of things I did in elem (last year).
Allow them to work with partner if that was normal for classroom work
(often teacher had 'helper' students.
Go by table and circle a few of the questions; 'do these first'. That
would help them get the basics of the lesson from the regular worksheet
or assignment.
Give lesson to the spec ed, ESL, or title teacher ahead of time. They
would modify or come help as needed.
HTH
Robert Eiffert,Media Specialist
Pacific Middle School
Evergreen SD, Vancouver Washington
beiffert@attbi.com
Can you just pick out a few questions that they might be able to do? You
could just quickly star those questions on their sheet. Are there any kids
you could partner them with? Is there an aide available to help them with
those?
Michele Sterrett
Language Arts
Lange Middle School
Columbia, Missouri
msterret@columbia.k12.mo.us
Are you familiar with Layered Curricula?
http://www.help4teachers.com/index.htm
Is it possible for the special ed aide to stay with you when they are doing
the worksheets? That's what usually happens in my library - and the aide is
good about helping "everyone" so the kids don't stand out. I find if I
don't request help when I don't need it (reading to students for example)
and provide a worksheet with answers for the adults (they don't like to
appear stupid, but often don't know the answers) , I usually get help when
needed.
Jeni Friedland
Middleburgh Elementary Librarian
www.global2000.net/schools/melic
I am the LMS at a school for 2 programs: Trainable Mentally Impaired (TMI)
and gifted. There is no classroom mainstreaming. I see each class in the
LMC for 45 minutes each week. Although the programs are separate, we do
buddy programs all the time, pairing a reading child with a non-reading or
minimally reading or even non-verbal child. I understand too well how your
EMH students feel about "special worksheets." My TMI students often choose
CD-ROM games beyond them because everyone else is using them and they want to
do them, too.
I just took a Summer Seminar with Profs. Karen Erickson and David
Koppenhaver, specialists in literacy for special education students,
especially users of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication): this
includes everything from PCS (Picture Communication Symbols) to computerized
devices. I am trying to learn as much as possible about making literacy
possible for these students, and I will be bringing a Literacy Center to
these students in LMC in the fall.
I know my situation is different from yours, but I'm wondering if:
1) When you do worksheets, you could use peer grouping or buddying in an
informal way, not just for the special needs kids.
2) You could use alternate forms of teaching the content or assessing, other
than worksheets. For example, story retelling could be accomplished orally,
with picture cards, or via dramatic play. Alphabetizing activities could be
done in a "kinesthetic" manner, using alphabet cards and yarn and making
necklaces. The children can alphabetize themselves (can do this with book
spines, Dewey numbers, etc., too).
3) Work with the Resource Room teacher, Speech Language Pathologist, or other
allied services staff to learn what accommodations they make for these
students. Perhaps they can be adapted for your use, too. For example, we
have software such as PixWriter, a picture symbol assisted word processing
program. Many such programs exist to support writers--Co:Writer,
Buildability, etc. If you have computers in the LMC, maybe you could have
some copies of assistive word processors to encourage students to write out
responses, stories, etc. Do the special ed. students use Picture
Communication Symbols? Books/materials can be adapted using them, and your
ESL students would benefit, as well. Ask the Speech-Language Pathologist
about these.
4) Do you have a listening center? Students can "self-serve" by choosing
stories and would have partnering opportunities as well. How about computer
accessible books?
I think inclusion works best when the expectation is that all students can
learn, every student learns in his/her own way, there's always dignity in
learning, we all need help sometimes, and that every student has a place in
the LMC. Sure, it's not always easy for the LMS to find out how to
accomplish all this! It's not always possible to provide the same experience
for every child, and every learner needs to understand that we all need some
help sometimes. It sounds like you're very sensitive to this, and will
validate every child's effort no matter what.
Shari Shaw
Library Media Specialist
Webster Elementary
Livonia, MI
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