Running head: UNIQUE STUDENT NEEDS 1

Unique Student Needs

Hannah White

National University

TED 635

Prof. William Pine

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Abstract

Students come to school with many different strengths, struggles, victories, losses, cultural

experiences and learning capabilities. This paper discusses how to adapt teaching for students of

many different learning styles. It explains how students learn best, how to differentiate for

various students. Most of all, it makes effort to ensure that students are not left behind in the

dust, but set up to win and thrive in their educational path.

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Unique Student Needs

For this lesson, I chose Kindergarten History-Social Science. I chose a California State

Standard that related to holidays. While children will learn many of the other standards

throughout the year, this is one in particular that is strongly emphasized in kindergarten. As

students grow in their educational lives, there is less time spent on holidays and the purpose of

holidays. While in kindergarten, students are able to spend a whole unit on a holiday; discussing

the purpose, creating projects, and making learning about the holiday fun.

“The classroom environment must be collaborative and inclusive of all ranges of ability,

talents, interests, and special needs without making a big point about it or without calling

attention to it” (Eby, 2011). This is one of the biggest points that has been made in the reading.

The classroom is not one-size fits all, it is assuredly a multiple size, shape and color

environment. All students are welcome, all students are encouraged, and all students are made to

feel safe no matter their situation.

Content Standard

K.6 Students understand that history relates to events, people, and places of other times.

1. Identify the purposes of, and the people and events honored in, commemorative, holidays,

including the human struggles that were the basis for the events (e.g., Thanksgiving,

Independence Day, Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthdays, Martin Luther King Jr. Day,

Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day) (California State Board of

Education, 1998).

Overview of Educational Experience

Students will exercise this standard at different times of the year. This particular lesson

will be focused on Thanksgiving. We will do a mini-unit on the holiday. The unit will include
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art projects, class discussions, simple writings, stories about the holiday, etc. The purpose of this

unit is to teach students about the holiday via various forms of communication and learning to

encourage retention for learners of all styles.

Culturally Diverse Learners

Culturally diverse learners will need back story to assist in their understanding of the

topic. The teacher should be aware that these students may require additional explanations of the

topic in order to increase understanding. As teachers are conscious of the different cultures

present during the lesson, they she be able to use different methods of providing information that

will assist the students in understanding the reason and meaning of the Thanksgiving Holiday. If

students have a religious reason of why they may not participate in any of the holiday unit, the

teacher will provide the student with a separate unit and work to go along with it.

Linguistically Diverse Learners

English Language Learners often benefit from visual methods of teaching. Using

pictures allows students to place words together and correlate their home language with the new

English language. For example, many of my students are from Mexico. By this point in the

year, most of them speak English fairly well, however some of them lack the language.

Displaying pictures and using role play will allow students to better grasp the concepts that are

being taught to them.

Exceptional Needs Learners

It is no surprise that “One size does not fit all when it comes to education” (Eby, 2011).

There are many ways in which students can be considered an exceptional needs learner. Students

may come with hearing impairments, mental disabilities, physical disabilities, below grade level

due to circumstances, etc. It does not matter the reason why a student requires exceptional
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needs. What does matter is that the teacher provides differentiated instruction without students

having special attention drawn to them regarding the exceptionalities. These students can work in

partners on projects and reading, be grouped together for smaller instruction with the teacher,

and have check-for-understanding questions posed to them in a different way.

Students with Learning Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities will be provided with the same content as the rest of

the class during whole-group instruction. During center activities and project times, the work

will be set at a level that is appropriate for learning. The teacher will review the topics, provide

extra assistance and proceed with information on the given holiday as students are able to

comprehend. Depending on the student and the level of learning-disability, students may receive

one-to-one learning instruction. Learning plans for students with learning disabilities should be

displayed in the IEP that has been specifically provided for the student.

Students with Physical Disabilities

Students with physical disabilities should not require many modifications. This is an in-

class and primarily simple activity-unit. If the student is placed in a wheelchair, they will stay in

their wheelchair off of the carpet throughout whole-group instruction. If a student has trouble

seeing or hearing, they will be placed towards the front. Whatever accommodations need to be

made by the teacher to ensure clear instruction, the teacher will provide.

Low Achieving Students

Low achieving students require lots of guidance. For whole group instruction, these

students are brought along with the group. When the class is broken up into centers, the

instruction is heavily guided by the teacher. Students are provided with answers to questions,

given sentence frames for speaking and provided with much more detailed, slow paced
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instructions. These students are not considered special needs, however they are below grade

level or far below grade level and require an exceptional amount of support in attempt to succeed

and understand the unit that is being taught to them.

Advanced Learners/Gifted Students

These students often fall through the cracks because they do not require the extra

attention that many of the other student require. To accommodate for Advance learners, the

teacher will provide an extra fun, yet relatable activity to for them. This activity can be an extra

craft or the same work with more effort required. These students do not necessarily require more

work, but they need to be challenged in the work that is provided to them. One example is a

math coloring page. Some students may be presented with a color by number. Advanced

learners can be provided with a color by addition fact. The concept is the same, but increases the

effort and cognition that students will gain from the assignment by providing them with a

challenge.

Conclusion

Over the years, it has become quite clear to educators that all students do not learn with

the same methods. Teachers have become more adamant about providing students with different

levels of instruction that all relate to the final goal. While this makes the life of a teacher more

difficult, students are learning and achieving more in their education.

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References

Eby, J., Herrell, A., & Jordan, M. (2011). Teaching in K-12 schools. Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Pearson.

(2016). Retrieved 5 November 2016, from

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf
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