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Rationale:

Sentence expansion is a strategy where students take a simple sentence and build on it by adding more detail. This helps students learn how to use language, vocabulary, and grammar while expressing their ideas. . In inclusive classrooms, sentence expansion supports students with moderate to severe disabilities by giving them models and practice alongside peers, so they can hear and use new words in meaningful conversation and writing. In resource settings, teachers can work with small groups to guide students step-by-step through expanding sentences, providing extra support with word choice and grammar as needed. In self-contained classrooms, sentence expansion can be individualized to a student’s language level and interests, allowing repeated practice and mastery at a comfortable pace. Using sentence expansion builds students’ expressive language skills.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/ell-classroom-strategy-library/sentence-expansion

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Rationale: Book handling and orientation skills help students understand how to hold a book, turn pages, and track text from left to right and top to bottom. Once students are able to recognize print, they are able to understand reading and writing patterns. Students with moderate to severe disabilities must learn these skills before they participate in reading tasks. In the resource and self-contained setting, teachers can model to students how to appropriately handle and orient a book. When students understand how to properly handle and orient a book, they are ready to begin trying to read.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/print-awareness/articles/print-awareness-introduction

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Rationale:

Adapted books and visual supports help students bridge the gap between meaning and print by pairing pictures or visuals. Visual supports reduce confusion and make it easier for students to understand content and expectations. Adapting text with visuals allows students with moderate to severe disabilities to participate in literacy activities. These supports are great for all settings because teachers can provide individualized or small group instruction to help students understand their reading alongside their peers.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/autism-spectrum-disorder/articles/do-you-see-what-i-mean-visual-literacy-supports-students

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Rationale:

Environmental print are symbols and words that students see every day in the world. This strategy allows students to connect reading to real life. It allows students to understand that print has meaning and is used for communication. This strategy works great in all settings because it allows students to identify, talk about, and interact with environmental words. This strategy also helps build literacy skills through print that students see everyday.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/activities/articles/environmental-print

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Rationale:

Teaching WH questions in the inclusive, resource and self-contained settings helps students with moderate to severe disabilities build verbal reasoning by learning to answer who, what, where, when, and why questions about stories and daily activities. These settings are ideal because small-group or individualized instruction allows teachers to model responses, provide repetition, and give immediate feedback. Practicing WH questions supports comprehension and helps students make connections between ideas, which improves communication and understanding.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://blog.difflearn.com/2024/08/01/the-importance-of-teaching-wh-questions/

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Rationale:

Think-aloud modeling is helpful in inclusive and resource settings because teachers can show students how they think through reading or problem solving by talking out loud, which makes strategies easier to understand and copy. In inclusive classrooms, students with and without disabilities benefit from hearing the teacher model predictions, questions, and problem-solving steps while they participate in the same lesson. In resource rooms, small-group instruction allows the teacher to slow down the modeling and give students extra practice with thinking strategies in a supportive environment.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/think-alouds

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Rationale: Cause-and-effect mapping helps students understand how one event leads to another by organizing information visually, which makes relationships between ideas easier to see and talk about. In resource settings, teachers can work with small groups to introduce and practice cause-and-effect maps step by step, giving students with moderate to severe disabilities extra support as they identify events and their outcomes. In self-contained classrooms, these maps can be used repeatedly with familiar texts, activities, or real-life situations so students build confidence connecting causes and effects at their own pace. The visual nature of the maps helps students break down complex ideas into smaller parts, which supports comprehension, reasoning, and communication. By mapping causes and effects together, students strengthen critical thinking skills that are useful across reading, writing, and everyday problem solving.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://teachbritannica.com/instructional-strategy/cause-and-effect/

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Rationale:

Color-coded grammar systems use colors to represent different parts of a sentence. This allows students to see and organize language visually before they speak or write. This makes grammar less abstract and more concrete, which is especially helpful for students with moderate to severe disabilities who may struggle with traditional language rules. Color-coded grammar systems are especially effective in resource and self-contained settings because they provide visual supports that help students with moderate to severe disabilities understand sentence structure and language relationships. In resource rooms, small-group instruction allows teachers to explicitly teach the colors and meanings of grammar parts, giving students repeated practice and individualized feedback. In self-contained classrooms, the system can be tailored to each student’s language level so they can build sentences step by step with visual guidance and consistent repetition.

Setting: Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.structural-learning.com/post/colourful-semantics-a-teachers-guide

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Rationale: Sentence frames and sentence starters are supports that give students a starting structure for speaking or writing. In inclusive classrooms, these tools help students with moderate to severe disabilities participate in discussions with peers by reducing the language load and giving them a way to join conversations with confidence. In resource settings, teachers can work with small groups to model how to use the frames and starters, provide guided practice, and gradually fade support as students become more comfortable using fuller sentences independently. Sentence frames promote communication and comprehension.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link:

https://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/ell-classroom-strategy-library/sentence-frames

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Rationale: Modeling and imitation is a communication strategy where the teacher or adult demonstrates language or behaviors clearly and then encourages the student to copy or use them. In inclusive classrooms, teachers and peers model language during everyday interactions, giving students with disabilities natural examples to listen to and imitate, which supports participation with classmates. In resource settings, small-group or one-on-one instruction allows teachers to slow down their speech, break language into manageable parts, and give students repeated opportunities to imitate sounds, words, or phrases with guided support. In self-contained classrooms, modeling and imitation can be highly individualized: teachers choose specific target words or sentences based on each student’s communication level, provide frequent demonstration, and reinforce attempts, helping students build expressive language step by step.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://flourishinglivesmi.com/how-language-modeling-helps-children-learn-to-communicate/

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Vocabulary Instruction with Visual Supports

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Vocabulary Instruction with Visual Supports

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Rationale:

Vocabulary instruction with visual supports uses pictures, icons, gestures, graphic organizers, or real objects to help students see and connect meaning with new words. In inclusive classrooms, visual supports help all students access grade-level vocabulary during lessons, so they can participate in discussions and reading activities alongside peers. In resource settings, teachers can introduce and reinforce vocabulary in small groups, using visuals to explicitly teach word meanings, check for understanding, and provide guided practice until students can recognize and use words independently. In self-contained classrooms, visuals are especially helpful because instruction can be highly individualized: teachers choose supports that match each student’s communication level and use consistent visuals across activities to build retention. Visual supports make vocabulary instruction more accessible, engaging, and effective for students with diverse learning needs.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/ell-classroom-strategy-library/using-visuals

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Rationale:

Flashcards for sigh word recognition support students with moderate to severe disabilities by developing word recognition. Students require explicit, repetitive practice because they struggle to retain new information. Flashcards provide learning opportunities so students can practice recognizing them quickly and accurately. Repeated exposure through flashcards helps move students increase their word recognition. Flashcards can be used in all settings and tailored to the individual need of the student. They can be used in the inclusive setting with peer support, resource setting in small-group instruction, and the self-contained classroom with individualized support. Flashcards can be differentiated to focus on the specific words the students need additional practice with.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self Contained

Link:

https://sunriseliteracy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/sight-words-and-using-flashcards-in-the-teaching-of-reading.pdf

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Rationale:

Word walls are high-frequency words that are displayed on the wall for all students to reference during reading and writing. They are a visual that reinforces sight word recognition and helps students see patterns and relationships between words. Word walls also support phonics, spelling, and vocabulary development in the inclusive setting. In the resource setting, teachers can use word walls to review and reteach specific words. They provide repeated exposure to sight words when helps build their reading skills.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/word-walls

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Rationale:

Rhyming recognition means hearing when words sound alike at the end. In inclusive classrooms, teachers use songs, poems, and rhyming games so all students, including those with moderate to severe disabilities, can listen, play, and practice hearing rhyming words together. This helps kids notice patterns in language, which is an important skill for learning to read. In resource settings, small-group instruction allows teachers to give extra support and practice with rhyming activities, using repetition and visuals so students can hear and identify rhymes more easily.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link:

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/how-to-teach-phonological-awareness-skills?srsltid=AfmBOorYMtVL1UBJ5zt630sR5dY4spyRSvxrQSuRKLZxxq-mKpNGLnQV

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Rationale:

Syllable segmentation means breaking words into their beat-like parts. In resource rooms, teachers work with small groups to help students with moderate to severe disabilities listen for and clap or tap the syllables in words, giving extra support and practice so students hear the parts more clearly. In self-contained classrooms, syllable activities can be highly individualized, using visuals, movement, and repeated practice so students gain confidence and become more aware of how words are built.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/how-to-teach-phonological-awareness-skills?srsltid=AfmBOorYMtVL1UBJ5zt630sR5dY4spyRSvxrQSuRKLZxxq-mKpNGLnQV

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Rationale:

Initial sound identification means hearing and recognizing the first sound in a word. In inclusive classrooms, teachers use songs, games, and picture activities so all students, including those with moderate to severe disabilities, can practice listening for and saying the first sound in words together with their peers. This helps build an important phonological awareness skill that supports later reading and spelling. In resource settings, teachers can work in small groups to give extra support, modeling how to isolate the first sound and giving students lots of practice with feedback.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link:

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/how-to-teach-phonological-awareness-skills?srsltid=AfmBOorYMtVL1UBJ5zt630sR5dY4spyRSvxrQSuRKLZxxq-mKpNGLnQV

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Rationale:

Word maps are visual tools that help students deepen their understanding of vocabulary by showing a word’s meaning, category, synonyms/antonyms, and examples. In resource settings, teachers can introduce word maps in small groups so students with moderate to severe disabilities receive step-by-step support in breaking down word meaning and making connections to other words or concepts. This guided practice helps students slow down language processing and build comprehension through discussion, drawing, and labeling, which supports retention and understanding. In self-contained classrooms, word maps can be individualized to match each student’s language level and interests, allowing repeated practice and scaffolded learning with visuals, gestures, and example sentences.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/word-maps

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Rationale:

Multisensory vocabulary means learning new words by using more than one sense. In resource classrooms, teachers can work with small groups to show words with pictures, have students say the word out loud, write it in sand or on whiteboards, and act out the meaning together. In self-contained classrooms, students can get extra practice using touch, movement, drawing, and speaking so the new words stick in their memory and make sense to them. Multisensory learning helps students understand and remember words better because it uses sight, sound, touch, and motion together. This makes learning new vocabulary more fun and easier for students who need lots of support.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.waterford.org/blog/multisensory-learning/

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Rationale:

Letter-sound correspondence is a decoding skill that teachers students the relationships between letters and the sounds they represent. When students with moderate to severe disabilities receive systematic instruction in letter-sound identification and phonics, they will learn how to decode simple words. This strategy is great for all settings when taught in a small group or individualized setting. Teachers can provide explicit, systemic instruction that supports learners with repetition and guided practice. By learning how to successful recognize letter-sound correspondence, students learn the skills they need to decode words.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ755179

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Rationale:

CVC blending practices help students go from hearing isolated sounds to combining those sounds into words. Students with moderate to severe disabilities need structured, multisensory instruction. CVC blending practices can be used in the resource and self-contained classroom setting where teachers can model, guide practice, use manipulatives, and give feedback to help students improve their decoding skills. When students learn to blend CVC words, it increases their automaticity, improves word recognition, and increases their fluency.

Setting:

Resource, Self Contained

Link:

https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/blog/the-power-of-continuous-blending-using-connected-phonation-to-support-decoding/

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Rationale:

Decodable text allow students to read material that contains words and letter-sound patterns that they have previously learned. It reduces guessing and helps students focus on applying phonics to read. This strategy is great for students with moderate to severe disabilities because it provides students with repetition, and guided practice. This strategy can be used in all settings because teachers can select a specific passage for the students individual needs.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/curriculum-and-instruction/articles/what-are-decodable-books-and-why-are-they-important

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Rationale:

Multisensory sight word practice is especially effective in resource rooms because small-group instruction allows teachers to provide hands-on, individualized activities with repeated exposure and immediate feedback, which helps students with moderate to severe disabilities retain high-frequency words. In self-contained classrooms, these strategies support structured and differentiated instruction that aligns with students’ learning levels and allows for consistent repetition in a supportive environment. Engaging visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways strengthens memory connections and promotes automatic word recognition, which is critical for reading development. It helps improve retention and sight word skills.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://brainspring.com/orton-gillingham-weekly/multisensory-teaching-techniques-for-sight-words/

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Rationale:

Sound boxes help students hear the sounds in words by moving a token or marker into boxes for each sound they hear. In resource rooms, teachers can use sound boxes in small groups so students with moderate to severe disabilities get extra practice listening for sounds and matching them to the boxes with guidance and feedback. In self-contained classrooms, sound boxes can be individualized so students practice at their own pace with lots of repetition and hands-on support.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/how-to-teach-phonological-awareness-skills?srsltid=AfmBOorYMtVL1UBJ5zt630sR5dY4spyRSvxrQSuRKLZxxq-mKpNGLnQV

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Rationale:

Phoneme manipulation means changing, adding, or taking away sounds in words. In resource rooms, teachers can work in small groups to guide students through hands-on activities that practice moving and swapping sounds, giving extra support and feedback so students understand how sounds change words. In self-contained classrooms, phoneme manipulation can be taught at each student’s level with repeated practice, visuals, and guided modeling so they can build confidence and skill with sound patterns.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/how-to-teach-phonological-awareness-skills?srsltid=AfmBOorYMtVL1UBJ5zt630sR5dY4spyRSvxrQSuRKLZxxq-mKpNGLnQV

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Rationale:

Teaching vocabulary in context means kids learn new words by seeing and hearing them in real sentences and stories instead of just learning the word alone. In inclusive classrooms, students with and without disabilities hear new words during stories, lessons, and class discussions, which helps everyone understand how the word fits into real language. Teachers might pause during reading to talk about a word, show pictures, and ask questions so students can connect meaning to the story. In resource rooms, teachers can work in small groups to go over words from classroom texts, discuss what they mean in that sentence, and practice using them in new sentences. Learning words in context helps kids understand how words are used, not just what they mean.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link:

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/vocabulary-in-context-journey/

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Rationale:

AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) and visual supports help students who have trouble talking by giving them other ways to communicate, like pictures, symbols, communication boards, or devices. In inclusive classrooms, AAC and visuals let students take part in class conversations, answer questions, and share ideas with peers, making it easier to join learning activities alongside classmates. In resource settings, teachers can work in small groups to teach students how to use their AAC systems or visuals, model language, and practice communication in a safe, supportive space. In self-contained classrooms, AAC and visual supports are built into daily routines so students can use them all day long to express needs, participate in lessons, and interact with others.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.mydynamictherapy.com/blog/boosting-language-and-communication-how-aac-helps-students-who-talk

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Rationale:

Discussion with sentence frames gives students a structure to help them express ideas during conversations, especially when they’re still learning how to put thoughts into words. In inclusive classrooms, sentence frames help students with moderate to severe disabilities participate alongside their peers by giving them a way to start and complete sentences. In resource settings, teachers can model and practice using the frames in smaller groups, giving extra support with vocabulary and sentence structure until students feel comfortable using them independently. Over time, students learn to replace the frames with their own words.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link: https://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/ell-classroom-strategy-library/sentence-frames

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Rationale:

Print referencing during read-alouds allow students to understand that print has meaning and follows patterns. It provides concrete cues that connect the language to the text and also makes the reading more engaging. It is best used in the inclusive and resource setting because it allows teachers to model print concepts, build reading skills, and encourages students to interact with the text indepedently.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/early-literacy-development/articles/print-awareness-during-read-alouds

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Rationale:

Repeated reading is a strategy that teachers can use to help improve fluency, accuracy, and confidence in students with moderate to severe disabilities. When students read the passage multiple times, they move from word-by-word reading to more automatic reading. This will also increase their comprehension skills because they will focus less on decoding and more on the meaning of the story. Repeated reading works well in all settings when teachers provide them with small group or one-on-one instructions.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link: https://www.edutopia.org/article/improving-elementary-students-reading-ability/

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Rationale:

Choral reading allows students and teachers to read a text aloud together. This allows students to hear fluent reading while practicing at the same time. Students read in a group rather than alone which helps them work on their rhythm, pace, and phrasing. This will build automatic word recognition and supports prosody. Choral reading will be great to use in an inclusive and resource setting because students read together in a supportive learning environment where they can build fluency skills independently.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource

Link: https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/choral-reading

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Rationale:

Assisted reading gives students the chance to hear fluent reading as they follow along in the text. by listening to a model, students will learn pacing, phrasing, and pronunciation skills that they can use during reading. It provides a scaffolded experience where students are not only learning fluency skills, but also building comprehension skills. Students can use this in all settings because it allows students to participate in reading activities alongside their peers. Teachers can also pause to check for understanding and provide feedback to help students be successful.

Setting:

Inclusive, Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/audio-assisted-reading

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Rationale:

Time reading allows students to read a short, familiar passage for a set amount of time while tracking how many words they read correctly. This strategy will help students build fluency by increasing automatic word recognition and allows them to track their own progress. Time reading allows teachers to adjust supports. During timed readings, teachers can guide practice, monitor pacing, and give feedback. In the resource and self-contained classroom, students are provided with repeated, scaffolded practice where they can focus on accuracy and speed over time. Timed reading supports automatic reading which can increase their fluency and comprehension skills.

Setting:

Resource, Self-Contained

Link:

https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/timed-repeated-readings