Step 4: Lesson Adaptations for the Two Focus Students

Directions:
Consider what you have learned about the two focus students in Step 2, along with the implications for instruction
that you identified for each of them. For the two students, determine what adaptations you will make to this lesson
you have planned for the whole class. Describe those adaptations for each of the two focus students. If you
determine that no adaptations are needed for a part of the plan for instruction, indicate and explain that decision.
In each box below, include:

Your decisions about lesson adaptations

A rationale for these decisions

Student 1: An English Learner

1. Academic learning goal(s) or your expectations of what the student should know or be
able to do as a result of this lesson.
In order to best meet my English Learners needs I will adapt the learning goals by giving him a
smaller range to focus on. This lesson has five learning goals, but because of his ability to understand
little academic language, and because reading comprehension is difficult for him, I will give him three
learning goals instead of five. The learning goals this student will need to meet are:

Identify the cause and effect that Anne Hutchinson, Fredrick Douglass, and President Lincoln
had on the lies of Americans.

Synthesize what Martin Luther King, Jr. did to help African Americans gain equal rights.

Describe the qualities that make someone a hero.

2. Evidence of student learning you will collect during the lesson and/or at the end of the
lesson.
In order to meet the needs of my English Language Learning, I will still require the student to turn in
all the same work that meets his specific learning goals. However, I will accommodate his needs by
not requiring him to use full or complete sentences as he already is attempting to express what he has
learned. I will also give him the opportunity to orally answer the questions in the assessment.
3. Communicating the academic learning goal(s) and/or expectations to the student.
In order to best support this students understanding of his academic learning goals, I will provide him
with a hard copy to refer to and look over at his own pace. I will also accommodate him by providing
him with definitions of the educational language used in his learning goals. Lastly, I will accommodate

him in communicating his learning goals by providing him examples and non-examples of what is
expected of him.
4. Instructional strategies
In order to best accommodate this students needs I will adapt instructional strategies that best
support this learner. I will do this through providing realia for this students, so that he receives a clear
and hands on example of what we are discussing, specifically for the vocabulary at the beinning of the
lesson. I will also support him through the reading of the content, by giving him headphones in which
he can listen to a recording of the reading that is at a slow fluent pace he can follow along with. This
student will also be able to work with less time constraints and bring his work to the teacher the
school provided for him who speaks French and helps support his understanding. I can also give him
example of heroes that come from his home country of France who fought for peoples rights.
5. Student activities
This student may struggle with writing of the summary at the end of the reading portion of the lesson.
I will accommodate his needs by letting him discuss his hero of choice with the teacher as well as
allowing him to illustrate what he would like to write. The students will also be taking a summative
assessment at the end of the lesson, I will accommodate his needs by only giving him the questions
that directly relate to his learning goals and giving him a longer amount of time to complete the
assessment.
6. Student grouping
I will not need to make special accommodations for this student when student grouping. This student
works very well with others, and his table group and elbow partner are great at including him in the
work and discussions. By giving him opportunities to work in groups he can learn from other students
as well as communicate for understanding with his peers.
7. Materials, technology, and/or resources, including the use of instructional aides,
parents, or other adults in the room
In order to best support this students needs I will provide realia for him to refer to. I will give him
images of the heroes we are discussing and learning about. This way he has multiple materials and
resources to refer to that can help support him and his learning needs.
8. Progress monitoring of student learning
I will accommodate this students learning by monitoring him during the reading portion of the lesson.
I will give him one on one attention to help him work through any questions he may have, and do my
best to help him understand.
9. Sharing results of the student learning with the student and/or the family
I would do everything the same that I would be my other students for this EL and his family, however, I
would also provide a translation of my notes and the results of his assessments so that the family
could understand what kind of support the student needs at home, and how he is doing in the
classroom.

Student 2: A Student Who Presents a Different Instructional Challenge

1. Academic learning goal(s) or your expectations of what the student should know or be
able to do as a result of this lesson.
I would not make any adaptations for this student in his academic learning goals. This student is great
at reading and writing. He is capable of understanding the content knowledge and being able to meet
the learning goals the rest of the class has.
2. Evidence of student learning you will collect during the lesson and/or at the end of the
lesson.
I will collect all of the same evidence as I do the other students. However I will provide him extra time
to complete his tasks and to work alone so as not to cause him any stress that groups tend to create
for him.
3. Communicating the academic learning goal(s) and/or expectations to the student.
In order to best meet this students learning needs I will provide him with a hard copy of his learning
goals that he can keep in his binder to refer to. By doing this it gives him some control on what to
focus on and he can refer to it whenever he needs.
4. Instructional strategies
Instructional strategies that I would use to accommodate this learners needs, would be to provide him
with noise canceling headphones while he worked on his reading and writing so that outside noises
and distractions wont overwhelm him. I would also let him complete the summative assessment in a
different classroom that is quiet, and where he can take the time he needs to finish without the added
pressure of the clock and other peers finishing before him.
5. Student activities
I would accommodate this students needs by letting him work individually instead of in groups when
doing partner and table discussion. However, the student does enjoy participating in whole group
discussion so he will be invited to join in those times. I will also accommodate his needs by eliminating
distractions as best as possible. I will provide him with noise canceling head phones, or the option of
doing his work in another classroom.
6. Student grouping
I will accommodate this students needs by making group work optional for him. Social interaction is
difficult for this student and causes frustration that he expresses through crying and banging his head
on the table. There is a group of students who do enjoy working with him, and include him whenever
he feels up to the task.
7. Materials, technology, and/or resources, including the use of instructional aides,
parents, or other adults in the room

In order to best accommodate this students needs I would provide him with the additional materials
of noise canceling headphones to eliminate distractions that may overwhelm him. As well as provide
this student with a stress ball that he can squeeze under his desk if he is feeling frustrated since he is
known for breaking pencils or banging his head against the desk.
8. Progress monitoring of student learning
In order to best support this student I would monitor him closely to make sure he feels comfortable
and not frustrated with the tasks in this lesson. This student works well by himself, so I would give
him the space he needs but also check for understanding and make sure he had everything he needed
to be successful in the lesson. I would also watch for things that may trigger his frustration such as
too many time warnings, or by using the words, "right" and "wrong" which stress him out since he
wants his work to be perfect before submitting it.
9. Sharing results of the student learning with the student and/or the family
I would accommodate the sharing of results of the students learning with him and the family by
writing notes to his grandmother about what his strengths and struggles were, so that we can learn
more about how to best accommodate his needs. If the student did not perform well I would need to
lower the affective filter of the words I use to express his struggles and give him the opportunity try
again to improve his work.