Accommodations for a Student Who Has Difficulty Identifying Main Ideas

List of needs and solutions

Accommodations in Instructional Methods and Materials

Instructions

• Provide overview of learning outcomes and content at beginning of lesson.
• Link what is being learned to previous lessons or background knowledge.
• Use modeling and thinking aloud when teaching.
• Use hands-on activities, pictures, or diagrams to represent abstract concepts or complex information.
• Present material in logical manner; use cues to shift from one aspect to next.
• Use book written on lower reading level to focus on main ideas.

Notetaking

• Provide copy of peer's notes.
• Provide oral and visual prompts about what to include in notes during lecture or discussion.
• Provide copies of transparencies, lecture outline, or graphic organizer to assist with notetaking.
• Teach 2-column notetaking or concept mapping techniques.
• Have student read review questions first, then find answers.
• Provide study guide for student to follow during independent reading.

Highlighting

• Highlight important points in text for student.
• Give student list of important vocabulary used in lesson.
• Let student use sticky notes, erasable highlighter, or highlighter tape to mark key points in text.

Monitoring

• Prepare summary with blanks or questions for student to complete.
• Monitor student comprehension as information is presented.
• Ask student to tell or write important points in own words before end of class.
• Arrange meeting with student after class to clarify lesson.

Accommodatons in Assignments and Assessments

Instructions

• Repeat, paraphrase, and summarize key information, especially at end of lesson.
• Use real-life, concrete materials when introducing abstract ideas.

Support

• Use color coding to help identify tasks, meanings, or expectations.
• Give student structured outline or graphic organizer to plan assignments.
• Use summary feature of word processing software to cognitively rescale text.
• Let student use brainstorming or mindmapping software.

Classroom Tests

• Provide study guide to help student prepare for test.
• Give student copy of expected behaviors or assessment rubric.
• Underline or highlight important words in directions or test items.
• Group similar kinds of questions together; put easiest items first.

FCAT

• Highlight key words or phrases in directions, questions, and passages.
• Cover portions of the test to focus student's attention.

List of needs and solutions