Author: Amanda Hazelip

Guiding Questions

How does the Classroom look?	▪How did you decide which anchor / charts to use? / ▪Where do students access / manipulatives? / ▪Did it appear students had adequate / opportunities to show their learning / in a variety of ways? / ▪How are student misconceptions / addressed?
What are STUDENTS doing?	▪What are you learning? / ▪What is a strategy you use when you / encounter an unfamiliar word in the / text? / ▪Tell me about a problem-solving / strategy you are using or have used / before? / ▪Does this activity/lesson help you / make a connection to any other / previous learning? / ▪When you summarize, which / strategy do you use?
What are TEACHERS doing?	▪Why did you choose this graphic / organizer to use with this student? / ▪How are you previewing vocabulary? / ▪How do you decide which / instructional model to use? / ▪How did you scaffold the learning for / the student( s)? / ▪How did you determine the sequence / of instruction? / ▪What data have you used to make / individual student instructional / decisions? / ▪What are your students’ processing / strengths and weaknesses?

Strategy “Look Fors”

Visual Deficits / Greater white space on a worksheet, text, or test / Use color coding to identify important parts of the information / Cloze notes / Provide precise and clear verbal and visual instructions for assignments / Use digital books with text-to-speech features
Auditory Processing Deficits / Verbal explanations/directions simplified and supplemented by visuals / Concrete representations of concepts / Slower rate of speech with changes in tone and pitch / Gain student’s attention with visual cues / Have student verbally repeat/summarize directions back to teacher
Motor Disabilities (Fine Motor/Visual Motor) / FM-Orally assess the student or use alternative assessments / FM-Use technology integration for written assignments (AT assistance) / FM-Use of a tape recorder for notes and missed material / VM-Use of computer for written work / VM-Individualize written outlines with fewer steps to fill in
Memory Problems / Connect learning to real life / Have student verbally repeat/summarize directions, steps, or strategies / Rehearse, chunk, and create visual images to keep information active / short term memory / Increase vocabulary through a variety of sources, repeated readings, reading think alouds” / Teach and have students create mnemonics
Attention Deficits / Use of self-monitoring techniques / Use attention cues for focus / Provide checklists/steps to help organize information or complete / assignments / Provide clear and consistent transitions from one topic to the next / Introduce Menus and Learning Contracts that involve “choice” and student / accountability
Expressive Language Difficulties / Use pictures and visuals to support communication of knowledge / Provide pictures/symbols/cues to help student relate information / sequentially / Help student summarize information by providing sentence frames / Allow extra “think time” when responding to questions / Have student use specific vocabulary to relate information
Receptive Language Difficulties / Pre-teach vocabulary / Teach vocabulary in context / Use concrete and pictorial representations as much as possible / Teach concepts with real-life applications / Present information in chunks, practice the learning, connect to prior knowledge
Cognitive and Metacognitive Issues / Organize information with concept maps, graphic organizers, outlines, etc. / Scaffold information and provide visual/auditory supports / Use checklists and timers to help student self-monitor work / Model “think alouds” / Explicitly teach learning strategies

*This list of strategies is not all inclusive*

How does the Classroom look?	▪How did you decide what anchor / charts to use? / ▪Where do students access manipulatives? / ▪Did it appear students had adequate / opportunities to show their learning / in a variety of ways? / ▪How are student misconceptions / addressed?
What are STUDENTS doing?	▪What are you learning? / ▪What is a strategy you use when you / encounter an unfamiliar word in the / text? / ▪Tell me about a problem-solving / strategy you are using or have used / before? / ▪Does this activity/lesson help you / make a connection to any other / previous learning? / ▪When you summarize, what strategy / do you use?
What are TEACHERS doing?	▪Why did you choose this graphic / organizer to use with this student? / ▪How are you previewing vocabulary? / ▪How do you decide which / instructional model to use? / ▪How did you scaffold the learning for / the student(s)? / ▪How did you determine the sequence / of instruction? / ▪What data have you used to make / individual student instructional / decisions?