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How I would make, "Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction" accessible to a diversity of learners.

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How I would make, "Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction" accessible to a diversity of learners.

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I believe the the UDL model would work very effectively with this article when using it in a middle or high school class with general education and special education students.  The way I would proceed is as follows:  First, I would make a mental note that this article was a very easy read.  That will be helpful and makes the task slightly easier.  Secondly, I would read the title to the students and ask them to write down their opinion of/reaction to the subject matter, solely based on the title.  Thirdly, even though the article is a pretty easy read, some students may still have trouble reading or comprehending the text in its entirety, so I would use a combination a reading support strategies to help make the article more accessible for students with learning and language struggles.  I would begin by using the radio reading method with my students.  The article itself is broken up into sections, so I would assign those different sections to different groups.  Students will mumble read their entire section.  Then they will choose which person in their group gets to read the different parts or paragraphs of each section.  Fourthly, each group would go home, read over their portion, identify any words they do not know, write down the definitions of those words, then create two questions about what they read.  Fifthly, in class the next day the students could ask myself or a fellow student for help, with any or all of the homework assignment.  We would begin the lesson with the students mumble reading through their entire section once, then they will mumble read through their portion as many times as they feel they need to.  Afterwards, they would pick a partner from their group and have a time of cooperative reading. Sixthly, the students would read their portions aloud, in order and they would share out the questions they came up with for homework.  We would try to answer the questions as a class, having all students participate and interact with one another.

The other thing I would do is I would give one person in each group a fidget spinner. Then while each student is sharing, I will make note of how the student uses the fidget spinner and if the person reading is distracted and whether or not they decide to address the person who is distracting them.

Lastly, when this activity is complete, I would ask each person to reevaluate their original opinion.  And answer the questions:  Do you still feel the same way about the article?  Why/Why not?

Then I will share my observations with the class and get their feedback.

- Valerie Silverberg

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Making an article accessible for Students that struggle with learning and Language. 

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Making an article accessible for Students that struggle with learning and Language. 

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Desiree Joseph
Universal Design for Learning is broken down into three steps:

Multiple meaning of representation - addressing the learning styles of the students

Multiple meanings of engagement - creating ways to spark an interest in students

Multiple meanings of action and expression - providing students with different ways of demonstrating understanding

In order to make the article accessible for students struggling with learning and language, my plan would reflect UDL using the three P’s of differentiation.

Presentation (UDL Representation): How it is taught?

Whole class reading with article displayed on a Smartboard or ELMO (auditory and visual learners)

Process (UDL Engagement): How it is done?

Reciprocal Teaching: Students of different level work together to gain understanding of the article. Assigning roles give students a sense of responsibility which may motivate them to actively participant.

Product (UDL Action & Expression): How to demonstrate knowledge.

Student will demonstrate understanding using illustration/video, oral report, skit (ELL) or writing.

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How to make  this  article  accessible for students with learning and language struggles in your class.

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How to make  this  article  accessible for students with learning and language struggles in your class.

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Edith Blackwood
This article is very suitable for teaching students with learning disabilities and language struggles to develop a number of comprehension skills. I would use this article for explicit instruction of various comprehension skills through Close Reading Strategy. With each child having access to a fidget device I would have them describe the artifact by naming the parts and talking about how it is played This would help connect vocabulary with object as they read and allow accountable talk about something they own and like. For my the first read I would have students underline at least three words they do not understand. I would then model how to use context clues to find the meaning of these words. For example the word concentrate has the direct definition as students read on but the word distraction requires rereading, substituting synonym or antonym in order to figure out the meaning. Have students focus on one strategy at a time.

Second read would be to identify main ideas. I would model how to do this with students using think aloud and highlight sentence then write on main idea chart, guide students to identify main idea of second paragraph, then pair them to do same of other paragraphs or sections. When main idea of each section is found have students choose one main idea and write at least one supporting detail on post it to complete chart for whole class review. This will be used later to summarize article.

For final read I would use article to teach how to identify opposing and supporting argument for fidget. Then divide class in two groups to debate for and against fidget using details from the text. As a culminating activity students write a persuasive paragraph on the benefits of fidgets based on their interest and details in text. Also,

in individual conferencing I would have student sketch and manipulate a fidget, talk about it then construct a paragraph.
This article is very relevant to students area of interest and would therefore serve as motivation to reading and writing activities using any of the three approaches to reading  and meeting students at different entry points

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How to make the article, "Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction" accessible for students with learning and language struggles. -Arenah Grace

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How to make the article, "Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction" accessible for students with learning and language struggles. -Arenah Grace

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The article may be a good text to read in a Social Studies class because the reading expresses differing opinions about a topic.  I would use Reciprocal Teaching in small groups to make the article accessible to Middle School students with learning and language struggles.  Using their prior knowledge about fidget spinners and reading the bold text, students will make a Prediction about the article and write it down.  Later, during the discussion they will confirm or reject the prediction they made about the article.  Next, they will read the article silently to themselves and note the words or phrases they do not understand.  The discussion about the article will be student-led having one student guide the discussion.  They will Clarify words or phrases in the article that they do not understand.  Using question stems, they will generate Questions about the text and answer them to determine the meaning of each passage.  Finally, they will Summarize the main idea of each passage in 10 words or less.

The fact that the article is about fidget spinners a device found throughout school culture can support students with learning and language struggles comprehend the reading because students may find fidget spinners interesting and be highly motivated to read the article which challenges them to learn.  For students who are not familiar with fidget spinners to gain background knowledge digital representations will be displayed.

The low pressure small group instructional format will also facilitate student learning of academic vocabulary and content specific vocabulary through peer discussion.  I would have students add words to their vocabulary journal using student friendly definitions that they can build upon as they come across the word in subsequent texts.

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Making the article Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction accessible for students with LD

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Making the article Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction accessible for students with LD

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Universal design for learning is a framework for teaching and learning that includes proactive planning of curriculum. There are three main principles of UDL, with this in mind I will plan my lesson around these principles.

Before making the article Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction accessible to student I would show students a fidget spinner toy. Teacher can asks students question to access their prior knowledge. What is a fidget? How do you use a fidget? What do you think about fidget spinner? The teacher can then continue  the lesson by giving students a handout of the article as well as having an audio of the article playing as students follow along. Teacher should stop at certain points so students can discuss the article as well as clarify parts of the article. Teacher can also get a video that discuss the same points so students can stay engage.
I think this article is great for an argumentative  essay or a persuasive essay. Students can choose if they want to work with a partner or complete work independently since some students prefer working by themselves. If teacher is trying to promote collaborative working then they can group students.  Students can also choose how they will present their opinion. Should fidget be allow in school or not. They can create a video of their point of view, Create an audio of their point of view, Do a written report of their point of view, Create a rap about their point of view. I think allowing students multiple means of representation  will keep them motivated.
Marsha Aris

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Ways to make this article accessible (differentiate) for students with learning and language struggles in our class- Fatimah Ojesanmi

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Ways to make this article accessible (differentiate) for students with learning and language struggles in our class- Fatimah Ojesanmi

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According to the Making Sense of Universal Learning for Learn video explains how students are different in many ways from how they learn, how they interpret information and their interests. UDL is explained by identifying learning barriers broken down into three steps:

1.       Multiple means of representation (Finding different ways in allowing students to learn that contains visuals, audio, tactile, kinesthetic, etc..)

2.       Multiple means of action and expression (Finding ways for students to show you what they have learned)

3.       Multiple means of engagement (Tapping into what students like in order for them to get them interested in learning)

All of this expressed in my response to the “Schools Ban Fidget Toys as Classroom Distraction”:

We can begin with a class discussion of how students feel about fidget spinners to see if they feel that if it is distracting in class and if they should be banned or not. The teacher can have a chart with Fidget Spinner: Good or Bad, and have students to discuss whether it is a good or bad thing to have them in school. As students say their opinions, the teacher could write down their responses. This can assist with prior knowledge of knowing how students feel about the issue before introducing them to the text. Some students are struggling readers or writers so having this model can make it easier to communicate how they feel. This reinforces multiple means of engagement.

Another way of activating prior knowledge is that teachers could show an image of a fidget spinner on the board or Smartboard and have them write about their feel. We can ask them guiding questions such as, “How do you feel about this object” “Should it be banned in school”? “How does it help you in school”? These questions can guide them in their thinking in what they want to write and this could prepare before they read the text. This reinforces multiple means of representation and engagement.

Also, the teacher could read parts of the reading and have students work in groups where they can read to each other with being provided with reading strategies in order for them to comprehend the passage. Afterwards, the teacher could provide them with a graphic organizer in writing about the information that they have read to see if they have comprehend the passage. This reinforces multiple means of representation and engagement. This reinforces multiple means of action and expression.

Lastly, teachers can work in small groups with ELLs in guided reading instruction which will assist the passage. Although, teachers can ask them their own feelings about the issue and give them background information in what they will be reading. This reinforces multiple means of representation and engagement.

-Fatimah Ojesanmi

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Making An Article Accessible for LD Students

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Making An Article Accessible for LD Students

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There are many ways that I feel I can make the article on Fidget Spinners more accessible for students with language and learning struggles in my class. One way is to add visual elements to the article to grasp the learners attention and to help them understand important concepts within the article. I can also upload the article to a forum that can read the words for the students so that they feel comfortable working with the article. I also feel that relating the article to the student prior to reading will help them gain more of an interest in the article and grasp the main idea. I would have the students create their own argument about whether fidget spinners should be allowed in the classrooms with concrete reasons why they feel this way. We could also conduct an experiment using the fidget spinners and deciding if they felt that they were distracting or if they helped students as a whole focus more. We can incorporate graphs to keep track of our data, participate in debates where students from each side work together to form strong opinions and have a debate in class, and we can interview and survey other students and teachers from various classes to get their opinions. I think there are a lot of possibilities with this type of article. It is something that is relatable to students and is current. Incorporating group work and other types of learning can help students who struggle with learning and language have a comfortable experience with the article.