Supporting All Learners

                During my discussion-based lesson plan, I will be using the book Keep Your Ear on the Ball by Genevieve Petrillo. The topic of the lesson is developing an understanding of kids with disabilities. I will be doing a read aloud and stopping at a few points in the story to analyze the characters, theme, and setting to make inferences and draw conclusions. My goal is to get students thinking about how the theme is significant and its relation to their lives and society today.

                The student I have chosen to provide support for is Jimmy Randolph. Before starting the lesson, I would like to remind Jimmy of his behavioral contract and reward system so that he is aware that his behavior is being monitored and it is necessary for him to follow his contract. Since he does tend to act out randomly in class, this will be a way to lessen the chances of that happening. As an introduction to the lesson, it would be beneficial to make expectations of behavior and the explanation of the lesson explicit for students. In terms of supporting Jimmy, this will provide him with the knowledge of what is to come and can prevent an angry outburst. By making each set of directions explicit for the students, transitions will also be clear to reduce the chances of the environment setting triggering one of Jimmy’s outbursts. It is also important to let students know how much I love to hear their ideas and the benefits of sharing with the class. Since the book does discuss disabilities and some students may be new to this concept, I will remind students that they do not need to share anything they are uncomfortable with telling the rest of the class. This will make Jimmy feel more at ease since he is embarrassed at times about his emotional disorder.

                During the reading, I think it is important to give the class an option of sitting on the floor or the two rows of desks closest to the reading area. This will be helpful for Jimmy since he gets the choice of choosing where he feels most comfortable learning. This also effects his environmental setting which could be a factor in his outbursts. It is also important to remind students that their ideas they share in the classroom are presented in a safe environment. This will help students feel more comfortable sharing their ideas. This is particularly important for Jimmy because his description stated that he likes to share his thoughts with his counselor because she is nice and feels comfortable with her.

                During the post-assessment writing assignment, I will give Jimmy the option of working in the resource room since he does feel like this is his best possible learning environment. This can enable him to feel more comfortable sharing his ideas about the reading.

                Although the supports throughout this lesson were geared towards Jimmy’s learning experience, they can benefit other students if not every student in the classroom as well.