Special Education with Care
MVA Special Education Department Update
November 2020
We are excited to announce the launch of our Special Education department newsletter! Our goal with this dynamic newsletter is to bring you the information on special education practices and various resources to better serve your students' needs.
We want to ensure that the content we create and deliver this school year is beneficial to you. Please share your ideas and requests for content via your Case Managers. We will be monitoring your feedback to make sure we are providing resources on various topics.
We look forward to receiving your feedback!
In This Issue
- Did You Know: Thanksgiving Celebration;
- Feature Teachers: Meet your Education Specialists/Case Managers;
- Academic Resources: Reading Comprehension: How to Teach Students to Infer While Reading;
- Behavior Bits: Visual Schedules;
- Caught On The Net: Helpful Websites and Apps
- Transition Services Corner: Transition Newsletter
DID YOU KNOW
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving dinner is one of America’s biggest traditions and memories spent with family can last a lifetime. The big meal is a lot to plan in itself, especially for families of children with unique needs. Planning in advance is key. Below are some tips to help your child feel comfortable and part of the family Thanksgiving tradition.
Shopping for your feast
Make a shopping checklist and help them through the grocery store to find their items.
Make a visual shopping list with photos of the item/brand/name of the item they are to find in the grocery store.
Get Cookin’
Follow a visual recipe such as this FREE Pumpkin Pie in a Cup recipe HERE.
Additional Activities!
Create a “Smelling Station” to promote a better understanding of the sense of smell.
Encourage the development of motor skills with a turkey baster!
Make a Thanksgiving themed matching game like this one HERE.
Write “I’m Thankful” Letters
Give Incentives for Trying New Foods
Some students may have a hard time with trying new foods. Create a Thanksgiving Feast Food review to mark off if they tried something and if they like it. In our house we call it a “no thank you bite.” They try it and if they don’t like it they can say, “no thank you” to more bites!
FEATURE TEACHERS
Hello! My name is Annita Malott. I currently use the Wilson Reading System to teach reading/decoding to grades 1st-5th. I enjoy creating interactive lessons where students can participate and have fun. The most valuable lesson I have learned is to be patient. Every student is unique and learns at their own pace. Watching their excitement when they are able to read/decode words they have struggled with brings me joy.
My name is Tamra Johns and I teach specialized academic instruction in the area of writing for 3rd through 5th grade students. We are enjoying using the Building Writers Curriculum. During our writing classes, we go through lessons to work on everything from building sentences to writing paragraphs. I have great students who work collaboratively and support each other during class. It is so fun to hear the imaginative and amazing things the students share in their writing and just to watch them grow. It truly is a pleasure!
My name is Heather Cotugno and I teach the Math Lab classes for the 6-10 grade band. My students and I we work on building skills that the students may have missed along the way. To start each class, I read a motivational/uplifting quote and give a quick explanation of why it's important to me and how it applies to them, too. I provide examples for the week's topic and have the students use the chat box to keep them engaged as we work through example problems together.
My name is Janelle Espling and I teach Special Education in our moderate/severe band.
My classes are fun because of my students! I believe building strong relationships is a foundation for learning, so knowing my students is important to me and it helps make lessons personalized and unique.
ACADEMIC RESOURCES
Reading Comprehension: How to Teach Students to Infer While Reading
Teaching students how to infer while reading is a fundamental reading strategy that will help them take their meaning of a text deeper. When students infer, they find clues in the text and use what they already know from personal experience or past knowledge to fully understand what the text is about. Good inferences are backed up by supporting details from both the text and personal knowledge.
BEFORE TEACHING THE INFERRING READING STRATEGY:
1. Help your student to learn to distinguish inferring from stating the obvious. For example, a student looking at the picture of the baby could state the obvious by saying the baby is crying. However, a correct inference might include that the baby is tired or hungry. Using background knowledge of why babies cry, combined with the details in the picture makes this a plausible inference.
2. It is also important to help students understand the difference between inferences and predictions. Although they are relatable, they are not the same. When students predict, they guess what will happen next based on what they already know from the text and their background knowledge. When students infer, they make a guess about what is currently happening. A sensible inference for why the baby is currently crying is that the baby is hungry or tired, while a sensible prediction might be that the mom or dad of the baby will come and pick the baby up to sooth him.
INTRODUCING THE READING STRATEGY:
There are several activities that will help students to make inferences. First, help students to understand that they are already making inferences in their everyday life. Any time that they come to a conclusion about a specific situation, they are inferring.
An easy way to first introduce inferring is to use pictures. Show students several pictures that lend themselves to making inferences is a great way to get students to use their inferring skills. Here is an example of what your picture might look like:
Possible inference: The boy does not like vegetables.
Evidence: He has a plate of veggies in front of him and a scowl on his face. The student might use his/her own feelings about veggies to understand what he might be thinking.
Another fun way to introduce inferring is to create mystery bags. Collect several items that students can use as clues to guess where you might be going or what you might be doing. For example, one bag might have a pair of sunglasses, some sunscreen, and a beach towel. Students would guess that you might be going to the beach. Another bag might include ingredients and utensils needed to make a peanut better and jelly sandwich. Extend this activity by having students create their own mystery bags.
MODELING THE INFERRING READING STRATEGY:
Once students understand the concept of making inferences based on clues, help them to translate the skill into their reading.
- Before jumping into longer stories, however, have students practice their inferring skills using short sentences. For example: Sam sat with a puzzled look on his face and then raised his hand in class. (Inference: Sam has a question or is confused about something)
- The next step is ask students to apply this reading strategy to longer stories. Picture books can be a great tool to model the strategy of inferring. You might even start with wordless picture books as they are perfect for practicing inferring.
- Teach students that good inferences use specific details from the text as well as their background knowledge. One strategy suggested by author and educator Kylene Beers that can be used to model inferring is called the “It says…I say…and so…” thought flow.
- Use several pictures books to model this “It Says, I Say, and So…” thought flow. Then, allow students to use this same thought flow with their independent reading books. You may even want to provide them with a graphic organizer like the one shown below to record their thoughts. This will make it easy for you to assess how they are connecting text evidence and background knowledge to make their inferences.
Check out how this strategy looks in action using the story Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears. Students are inferring why the baby chair broke when Goldilocks went to sit in it.
ASSESSING YOUR STUDENTS ON MAKING INFERENCES:
Assessment, whether it be formal or informal, drives instruction. For more informal assessments, take notes about a students use of the inferring reading strategy throughout th. Considering the following when observing the students’ use of the strategy:
Are students using text evidence to support their inferences?
Are students using background knowledge and/or personal experiences to support their inferences?
Are their inferences logical?
Can students clearly justify their inferences?
Finally, having a rubric written in kid-friendly language is especially helpful when providing feedback to a student on their ability to make inferences. The rubric can provide clear guidelines on how to infer while reading.
BEHAVIOR BITS
Visual Schedules
What is it?
Visual schedules are a type of visual prompt used to help students predict or understand upcoming events. Visual schedules use pictures to show which activities will occur and in what sequence.
Who would it benefit?
Visual schedules are often used for students on the autism spectrum, but can benefit any student that may struggle with the following:
Transitioning from one activity to another
Receptive/expressive language
Auditory processing deficits
Attention challenges
Anxiety related to school work
Lack of self-motivation to complete school work or other daily tasks
How can I implement this for my student?
Below are some examples of easy to use visual schedules. It is best to begin with a simple schedule that your child can use by themself or with minimal adult assistance. Use a schedule that you think will be “doable” and not overwhelming for your student. It also may be helpful to intersperse preferred and non-preferred activities throughout their day. It is also helpful to “preview” your student’s schedule with them at the beginning of each day so they can understand what is in store for them. This also helps prime them for tasks such as their online SAI classes or speech therapy.
There are hundreds of visual schedules available for free online through Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers.com but here are some useful examples:
A “First/Then” or “First/Next/Then” schedule
Visual schedule for school day tasks
Visual schedules for older children
CAUGHT ON THE NET
Helpful Websites and APPs
Moose Math
Duck Duck Moose is an education company that is now part of Khan Academy. In this math-focused app, kids help a burly moose and his friends do various tasks around town. They’ll use counting to help make juice or find hidden animals. There’s also a shape game and a couple of games that use addition and subtraction. The five games have different levels, but your child will have to progress through them instead of skipping ahead. Kindergarten and first graders.
Available on: Android, iOS and Amazon
Monster Words Learning Games
Kids play and don't even know they are learning! In Monster Words, kids put together words through interactive word puzzles. As the child drags a letter puzzle, the name of the letter and the phonics sounds will play. Once the words are completed, children will enjoy silly videos headlined by the lovable Monsters. Mini-games and activities help your child stay engaged. Additionally, whole-piece puzzle games introduce even more vocabulary.
Algebra Touch
Algebra touch is an interactive app that allows students to be a part of the problem solving process as they manipulate terms, solve equations, and even factor quadratics. The app provides instruction and support for algebraic thinking required by the Common Core State Standards. Whether a student is tapping the plus button to combine like terms, or factoring a number so they can physically slash and simplify, they are actively engaged in solving basic algebra problems.
Available on: iPhone and iPad