Instructional Interventions & Accommodations

  • Preview/review major concepts.
  • Contextualize lessons (gestures, props, visuals, demonstrations).
  • Use cooperative learning structures (particularly use of partners/pairs).
  • Explicitly teach study skills/learning strategies (e.g., note taking, active reading strategies, proofreading, use of dictionary, outlining, skimming).
  • Extensive use of graphic organizers
  • Increased teacher modeling and use of visual aids during instruction
  • Provision of student models (work samples showing standards of acceptable and exemplary student)
  • Guided practice (i.e., use of partial outlines, do first few items together)
  • Provide study guides, advanced organizers, notes.
  • Use of technology and games for skill practice
  • Extensive use of concrete manipulatives and hands-on approaches
  • Use of calculators, manipulatives, tables/charts during math
  • Use of tape recorders (for directions, prewriting, books on tape)
  • Allow extra time for written responses.
  • Additional time for work completion
  • Allow choice in ways to demonstrate knowledge/mastery.
  • Provide highlighted texts that indicate key concepts and information.
  • Set up consistent routines & efficient procedures for beginning lessons, transitioning between lessons, getting and putting away materials.
  • Introduce or preview new vocabulary before beginning new lesson.
  • Use varied questioning strategies to elicit active participation of all students (i.e., use of response cards, unison responses).
  • Increase the frequency/amount of direct feedback.
  • Increase the amount of practice and review.
  • Write key concepts on board, summarize.
  • Allow extra ‘wait time’ or ‘think time’ (at least 5 seconds).
  • Give multisensory instructions/directions (not just verbal or written).
  • Ensure student has understood directions (i.e., be able to tell them back to you or partner, demonstrate understanding of directions before being asked to do seat work/independent work)
  • Limit distractions in work area (e.g., use of privacy board)
  • Increase use of direct and indirect signals, prompts, cues.