So when we get back from spring break, the first grade team is starting a geometry unit focusing on 3-D shapes. Some of my little ones remember 3-D shapes from kindergarten and some are still working on 2-D shapes. We are planning a scavenger hunt looking for shapes around the room and here is what it looks like for my different learners.
Here is the typical assignment. This is what we expect most of the class to complete independently. We will have explicitly introduced these six shapes, given examples, and most students should be able to identify some of those shapes in their classroom environment.
Now I have a handful of students for whom that is just too easy. They know the shapes already and through some independent reading of additional materials, they have been exposed to additional shapes that they are also able to find in the classroom. This is the enriched version, with a very subtle change from the typical assignment. Again, this is not meant to load on the work for us teachers nor is it meant to dramatically alter the curriculum for these students achieving above grade level. It is just intended to allow for more open ended thinking.
This version, the accommodated version, is intended to reduce the load so that a student who sometimes becomes overwhelmed can be successful. Our standards do not specifically state any 3-D shapes that students MUST know, so I selected the four easier shapes and created a simpler sheet. This version will be used with students who are learning English vocabulary, students who become overwhelmed and frustrated with the quantity of work, and students who have identified learning disabilities. It is extremely important to remember that when making accommodated work, the work must still meet grade level standards.
The last version that I have is the modified version, which is for my students with IEPs that designate that they are on a modified curriculum. Through conversations with the IEP team (parents, teachers, administrators, service providers), we collectively decided to have these students work on concepts outside of the state standards. Several of my students who meet this criteria are working on skills such as cutting and gluing so these skills have been incorporated into their assignment. The student working on the modified version will cut and glue examples of the 2-D shapes onto their papers. My students who receive modified are still actively participating in the scavenger hunt walking around the classroom and pointing out shapes excitedly to their friends. Within that, they are working on appropriate vocabulary (square, rectangle, circle, triangle) and classroom skills (cutting, gluing). For them, the activity has two purposes: first, it allows for meaningful collaboration between peers with different abilities and second, it allows for structured practice of the skills that are most meaningful to them.
This assignment is just the one I happened to be working on when I wrote this blog post - all of our assignments function in the same way as this one. I plan to show many more examples in the future. Let me know if there is a particular concept or idea you need help planning out in this way and I'll be glad to help you with it!
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Thanks for reading!!
Adie
