Now, let’s talk about teaching the standards in a way that is fun for everyone and that reaches all the levels in your classroom. This post is the second half of my How to Teach Then Standards of Learning post.
Keeping in mind that your students are already in research-based programs and will be given time for IEP goals, these topics (standards of learning) are where your creativity can really come out. In my school, my team and I make it a point to run our middle school classes as much as possible like the general education classes. (I will be posting on how we do that if you want to try it at your school.) So, when I am creating my lessons, I look to what my general education English teacher counterparts are doing. They are doing novel studies, so that is what we will do.
I know what you are thinking. “Novel studies? Is this lady crazy? My students will NEVER sit for an entire novel. Clearly, she has never taught kids like MINE before.”
Please, just hear me out. Believe me when I say that they can do it! You just need to set them up for success.
First, choose something that has a movie made after it or tons of YouTube videos to complement the story. Our students tend to be visual learners, so let’s give them the images they need to make sense of what they are about to read.
Second, spend enough time giving your students the background knowledge that they need.
Third, don’t be afraid to repeat activities or reread chapters.
Fourth, give them something to do with their hands.
The fifth thing is the most important thing to remember: 5-7 minutes.
5-7 minutes is how long it takes for them to get into the story. I know this because I have timed it.
Novel Studies for Self-Contained Special Education Classes in 5-7 minutes
On the day I first tried this, my four students came in after lunch. I had them all to myself while my amazing instructional assistant had her lunch. I had already spent two weeks frontloading all the information that they needed. Of these four, one liked to steal my candy out of my desk when I wasn’t looking, one liked to elope out of the classroom and if possible, out of the building, one was a hitter, and one was a pacer, (you know the kind: the ones who need to pace around the room and then will surprise you when you realize that they were listening to you the entire time).
Our story was “I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii”, by Lauren Tarshis. I made a free power point about Pompeii and why it was historically important. I made copies for everyone and gave them highlighters. As I went through each slide, I modeled and then had them highlight information.
Now, keep in mind that this activity is very familiar to my students. They are used to me giving them a highlighter and their own copy of a power point, in color if possible. Highlighting a primary text (my teacher made Power Point) and following along while I read and highlight from the board is how I begin most of my units. This is an activity that EVERYONE can do, even if supported. I will be posting specifically on this strategy in a later series.
For my kids who are higher I created a follow along fill in the blank worksheet set. Then I recreated it to make it super differentiated, so that everyone could do it. It is set up to match answers, write answers, cut and paste answers and trace answers. EVERYONE can access it and the parents love seeing it come home.
Then I found three awesome YouTube videos that gave my students great visual information to back up the written information. I found a great coloring page of Mount Vesuvius, and even an image of it exploding in the 1940’s to show as an example.
The Mirical Happened
I spent two weeks using these materials to give my students the background information that they would need to make sense of the story. Then came the big day: time to begin the book. I started with an awesome You Tube video called “A Day in Pompeii – Full-length animation – YouTube”. They were already familiar with this video. We played it all the way through with the students at their desks at the front of the room. Then we went to our “leisure area”. This is an area in the room with a sofa, two armchairs, and a coffee table. It is an area that we specifically use to practice leisure activities, such as self-chosen reading materials, puzzles, games, etc. When I taught novel studies, I was also trying to show them that reading was an excellent leisure activity.
I sat on the sofa, put my eloper on one side of me and my candy thief on the other. My hitter sat nearby in one of the chairs with a fidget in his hands. I let me pacer pace. I then began reading the story. In the first chapter of the book there is a lot of fast paced language. Things are happening. Mt. Vesuvius is erupting, and we are introduced to Marcus, the main character, and his father. Both are escaped slaves.
I read the first chapter with excitement and meaning. My inflection would have made any Hollywood actor proud. As I began chapter two, everyone in the chairs seemed to settle in. Chapter two is slower paced. It was right after lunch. My eloper even leaned into me, completely relaxing. Then, to my delight, six minutes in, my pacer came over and settled himself into the other armchair. Not only did my group listen to me read both chapters one and two that afternoon; they sat quietly and listened to me REREAD BOTH CHAPTERS! It wasn’t until I said the word “break” that they got up and when about their normal behaviors.
It. Was. Amazing!
Since then, whenever it comes time to read, everyone except my pacer would settle right in. My pacer always comes 5-7 minutes later.
Now, realistically, they do not have the stamina to spend the entire class period like this. And this group is just coming from lunch with full bellies. But, in their defense, neither can kids in the general education setting. Also, best practices require more hands-on activities as opposed to sitting and listening for 90 minutes. And don’t forget, in those 90 minutes you also need to squeeze in evidence-based programs and IEP goals. If you have a shorter class period, you will need to adjust all times to fit everything in.
Typically, in the time allotted for teaching the standards, I am able to get in a grounding activity at their desks (usually a video, highlighting a power point, or a cut and paste picture-based vocabulary activity), two chapters read twice, and a main idea and details activity back at the desks. That way, I hit all the standards, and am working on comprehension.
Standards of learning: done!
I have the resources mentioned above in my Teachers-Pay- Teachers store. You can find them here:
Free Power Point (Primary Text)- Ancient Roman Life in Pompeii Power Point and Primary Text | TPT (teacherspayteachers.com)
Power Point with bolded vocabulary and matching differentiated fill in the blank worksheets— Ancient Rome Highlighted Power Point with Matching Fill in the Blank Worksheets (teacherspayteachers.com)
I am in the process of condensing all of the lessons that I use for my ‘I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii” unit to place on TPT. When I finish, I will place them on this post so you can find everything on one place.
I have several FREE power points that I use as primary texts to begin most units that I teach. They are the foundations of my lessons and they have matching worksheet-based activities that go with them.
In my next post I will share the secrets of easily collecting IEP data in your Autism and intellectual disabilities self-contained classroom. Work smarter, not harder!
What are some great strategies that you use to teach the standards? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.
If you would like to see more of my easy-to-use printable lessons and worksheets, you can find them at my TPT store. Every lesson and activity that you see there has been used in my self-contained autism and intellectual disabilities classroom.
Remember that you are an amazing teacher working in one of the hardest classrooms in the business. You, my friend, are making a difference! Have an awesome week!
Michelle
