3/10/2023
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Melissa Carter
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I have a 5th grade student who has down's syndrome, so therefore has an intellectual disability as well as a speech impairment and visual impairment. We were recently doing a printmaking project that involved carving from an original drawing. During the lesson introduction and demonstration, I made sure she was sitting close, however I also made sure to come to her desk individually with an example and went through the steps one at a time for her, breaking it into more manageable chunks. I adapted the lesson by allowing her to draw her image, but it did not have to be related to the same artist because she struggles with fine motor skills. I did the carving portion for her, because of safety issues with the sharp tool, but then allowed to her complete the actual printmaking steps with my supervision and/or with help from her fellow classmates that share a table with her. |
3/16/2023
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Melissa Carter
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1. I believe my students could greatly benefit from me using more graphic organizers. Most classes I go over the steps verbally and demonstrate and will usually have them repeat the steps by being prompted but I still get students that forget a step. Perhaps if I had some type of laminated flow chart with a dry erase marker to write the steps in, students could have a visual to refer to while working to ensure they complete all the steps.
Another strategy I am considering is small groups and centers for more individualized instruction. I feel it definitely takes more preparation but I think it could really benefit some of the students who need more time than others with certain projects. The students who are ahead could perhaps take advantage of some art websites/activities on their laptops, and I could work with students who need more support. There are times when half of the class is finishing and the other half still needs another class period. Those would be good days to have a few centers ready - technology center, perhaps a cube with some art history books/prints for students to read write about or discuss, perhaps a drawing station with step by step instructions. We have a 'creation corner' for early finishers but it's more a free draw station. I think I could develop a plan implementing these strategies! |
3/17/2023
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Melissa Carter
|
1. Provide/Describe one or more examples of adapted or alternative assessments you have successfully used in the classroom for students with disabilities. Be sure to identify the student's disability. Share your response in the threaded discussion
At the end of the year, our district requires 5th grade students to take an End of Course Exam. Over the years, I've had many students with specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia or students whose IEPs allow for the questions to be read aloud to them and/or to be given extra time. On the test day, I have students in a small group and I would read the test aloud to them while the others are taking the test in a more traditional manner, reading themselves. I also allowed for students who were allowed more time to finish with an administrator at a later time after our class session was over and if they needed more time. With students with more severe disabilities, for example a student who had cerebral palsy and was non-verbal and unable to write, I used her portfolio of artwork from throughout the year with a rubric to assess her progress as an alternative assessment. |