How Teachers Support Students’ Unique Learning Talents

I work primarily with kindergarten through 2^nd grade students. Each student I work with has unique talents, skills, and needs to remediate or nurture. When working with over 20 students in a classroom, I must focus on creating curriculum for the greater good of the student population based on the grade-level common core standards mandated by California. Then I must adapt my curriculum to meet the needs of highly challenged students as well as gifted and talented students. When working with second grade students after the COVID school shutdowns, a few students are still emerging at the first-grade level in their reading and math skills while others are performing at the 4 through 5^th grade levels.

Literacy Skill Development at Different Proficiency Levels

When working with reading groups, I have to help beginning readers learn their sight-based words and provide them with readers and activities that reinforce reading comprehension while looking at pictures and using phonics to lean the sounds of letter combinations. The focus is to learn phonics while also learning how to comprehend stories at a basic level by asking prediction, story content sequencing, and reading understanding questions. I also have students illustrate with simple words the big ideas in the stories.

Students who are reading at the second-grade level can sound out words correctly and are learning how to sustain their reading skills with more complex comprehension questions. They can summarize what they read and are able to apply their reading comprehension to everyday and new learning situations. Their vocabulary is expanding as they use the context in a story to define the meaning of new vocabulary words.

Several second-grade students can read 4^th through 6^th grade level books. They have mastered reading the Harry Potter series as well as the Babysitters-Club series. Many graphic novels are highly sophisticated and students love the illustrations as they learn to read longer length multi-chapter novels. When students can read at this level, they are able to evaluate, analyze, and apply what they have read to other situations and learn to write evaluative book reports.

Math Skill Development at Different Proficiency Levels

As I work with math skill development for challenged students, I have them learn their basic addition and subtractions skills while using math manipulatives. I encourage them to practice basic addition and subtraction math facts with flash cards and math games at home.

Students at second grade level are learning to solve addition and subtraction 2 and 3 digit numbers without and with renaming when using various strategies including number bonding, use of number lines, writing a math story, and writing the solution in standard form or expanded form. They are also learning about measurement, geometry, graphing, and basic fractions.

When working with several advanced students, I first complete the daily assignment with them. Then they will tutor students requesting help with the daily assignment. I also prepare advanced work problems for them to solve along with third grade advanced problems. They love being challenged. I started with 5 advanced students and now have half the class challenging themselves with advanced math problems.

Putting It All Together

As I challenge more students with advanced work, I had several advanced readers research and write about rattlesnake bite antidotes. Others studied snow crystals and created detailed illustrations about the composition of snow crystals while writing a factual story about how snow crystals formed. We have written and researched opinion stories about ideal pets. For black history month, our students are learning about how Ruby Bridges entered a school with no other white students initially joining her. The students will write an opinion story about how they would feel if no other students would join them in class to learn because of the color of their skin or because of another prejudice against them. As the students expand their research, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, I am impressed with their growing leadership and compassion for their classmates. They are becoming supportive cheerleaders and tutors for their classmates as they expand their knowledge and leadership skills.

What is Response to Intervention Education?

If you look inside any general education classroom, chances are good that you’d see different students struggling for different reasons. It can be hard for a teacher to tell right away which students are struggling or why. Simply put, Response to Intervention (RTI) is a framework for implementing proactive data-driven decision-making. It provides teachers with better, more timely information about students to improve student learning and performance.

An Effective Prevention Model

RTI is not just a model for special education classrooms. It is increasingly an early identification and prevention model that helps schools and districts nationwide broaden the range of interventions available in general education. RTI also ensures that the curriculum truly meets the needs of all students. With the appropriate processes in place, RTI can help schools identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes. It monitors their progress and provides evidence‐based interventions early on – when students first exhibit signs of learning problems. The nature and intensity of such interventions can be continually adjusted depending on each student’s responsiveness.

Teachers Provide the Interventions

Teachers can provide targeted teaching — called interventions — to help struggling students catch up. A big part of the RTI process involves closely monitoring student progress—that way the school can see which students need more academic support. RTI isn’t a specific program or type of teaching. It’s a proactive approach. RTI measures students’ skills and uses this data to decide which interventions to use.

Response to Intervention Components

Below are key components of RTI.

Early Identification of Learning Issues: RTI helps in the early identification of students who may be facing academic challenges. By monitoring students’ progress regularly, educators can identify difficulties and intervene promptly, preventing further academic setbacks.
Individualized Support: RTI emphasizes providing individualized support based on a student’s specific needs. This tailored approach allows educators to address the unique learning styles and requirements of each child, helping them progress at their own pace.
Prevention of Academic Failure: The primary goal of RTI is to prevent academic failure. By intervening early and providing targeted support, educators can help students catch up to their peers, reducing the likelihood of long-term academic struggles.
Data-Driven Decision Making: RTI relies on data and ongoing assessment to guide instructional decisions. This data-driven approach allows educators to make informed choices about the most effective interventions for each student, ensuring that efforts are targeted and efficient.
Collaboration between Teachers and Parents: RTI promotes collaboration between teachers and parents. Parents are integral members of the intervention team and are kept informed about their child’s progress, the interventions being used, and how they can support their child at home.
Inclusive Education: RTI fosters an inclusive education environment by recognizing and addressing diverse learning needs. It helps create a supportive atmosphere where all students, regardless of their initial skill levels, have the opportunity to succeed.
Reducing Special Education Referrals: RTI can help reduce the number of unnecessary referrals to special education by providing early and targeted interventions. This ensures that students receive appropriate support within the general education setting, reducing the need for more restrictive environments.

Student Achievement Data Produces Results!

In many states, RTI or intervention data is needed as part of the body of evidence to qualify for special education services as a student with a learning disability. Many states also have READ plans to support students reading below grade level. RTI ensures teachers are completing interventions and using the data to close reading gaps. If you don’t know if your child is receiving classroom-based interventions, ask your teacher. The teacher can also provide you with your child’s supporting achievement data.

Magnificent Magical Mud

by Mary Ann Burke

INTRODUCTION: GenParenting bloggers will periodically feature select children’s stories with educational and social-emotional growth themes. Magnificent Magical Mud was written to support second grade learners. Students will complete mud science projects and research online informational text to write a mud report.

Why do I love mud?

I have loved mud since I was three years old. I liked the way it squished through my fingers. It was fun to smush my feet in sticky, muddy puddles. Mud was my favorite ingredient for pies and sloshy rock leaf soup. My favorite activity was slinging mud balls at my irritating older brother. Maybe I liked mud because my mom hated mud. Perhaps it was because our backyard became flooded with lots of muddy puddles that I played in whenever it rained. Then my mom would make me change out of my muddy clothes before I stepped into the house.

What is mud?

I was excited when our teacher, Mrs. Hecklebee, asked our class, “What is mud and how do you make it?”

We learned that you can make different types of mud when you mix water with various types of soil. Clay soil is heavy, sticky when wet, and has very fine mineral specks. Sandy soil consists of small pieces of weathered rock and is light and crumbly. Loamy soil has clay, sand silt, and dead plants in it. I was amazed that there were different types of soil that could make mud. I must have used clay soil for great mud pies when I played in my backyard.

Sophia excitedly asked our teacher, “What is the difference between sandy mud and clay mud?”

Then Manuel exclaimed, “Does one type of mud take more water to make? Can you add leaves and branches to make the mud thick?”

My teacher responded to our questions by having us make a quart of clay mud. First, we scooped 4 cups of clay soil into a bucket. Second, we mixed it with a few cups of water to make it stick to our fingers. Finally, we added lots more water to make the mud roll off our fingers.

SIDEBAR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Experiment with different types of soil at home. Write down your answers to the following questions:

What type of soil did you use for your experiment?
Measure out 1 cup of soil. How many measuring cups of water did you need to make mud that stuck to your fingers?
How many measuring cups of water did you need to make sloshy mud that rolled off of your hands?
Did you try this experiment with other types of soil? If yes, what were the differences when using each type of soil?

How do you build a house with mud?

The next day our teacher read us a story about how the Toas Pueblo in New Mexico was constructed using adobe mud bricks.

Mrs. Hecklebee explained, “The brick makers created an adobe mud mixture of sand and clay that was mixed with water and other natural materials for binding, like straw or dung. Then they poured the mixture into large molds. Some workers added cement, asphalt, or other substances to make the bricks stronger. Adobe bricks were dried by the sun, heat, or fire. After the bricks dried, they were removed from the molds. Then the workers laid the bricks with cement mixed with sand on the foundation. Wooden inserts were set between the bricks to hold the frames for windows and doors.”

Our teacher added, “Today’s homes can still use adobe bricks. I recently visited Peru and toured an adobe home in the countryside. Other countries with adobe homes include Costa Rica, Nicaragua, San Salvador, Ireland, and the United States. Adobe homes do not melt away when it rains and are cool to live in due to their insulated composition.”

Mrs. Hecklebee stated, “Different animal and insects might also live in mud houses. For example, mud dauber wasps may build their mud nests on the side of homes. Other living creatures with mud homes include mason bees, American Flamingos, Black-billed Magpies, and mud crabs.”

SIDEBAR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Think about different living creatures that might also live in mud houses. Then complete the following activities:

Draw a picture of the creature living in their mud home.
Write a sentence describing what the mud home looks like.

Is mud play a sport?

After talking about mud houses, our teacher explained, “Some people like to participate in different types of mud sports. For example, there are obstacle races where people run, crawl, or slide through mud pits, and race onto balance beams or over inflated objects in the mud.”

Sophia eagerly described how her brother participated in a mud wrestling event and said, “He and his friends fought in a mud pit and slipped and slid in the mud as they wrestled with each other. It was so much fun to watch this sport!”

Manuel added, “My dad loves to participate in off road mudding. He drives his 4 x 4 truck with my older brother off the road on muddy mountain trails. Our truck becomes filthy with layers of dried mud.”

I excitedly exclaimed, “Our family likes to ride our mountain bikes after a rain storm. We will speed down a sloshy muddy hill. It is so much fun! My dad has taught me how to relax while pedaling evenly. I must brake early while I steer my bike through a slippery, muddy trail. I have a mud flap on my bike to keep the mud off my face so I can see the trail ahead.”

SIDEBAR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Research a mud sport to complete the following project:

Make a poster about the sport.
Write a rule to keep people safe when participating in the mud sport.

How do people use mud to take care of their bodies?

I thought that mud was an amazing substance. Not only was it fun to play in and build with, but it was actually good for my health.

During a class discussion, Sonia explained, “My dad used mud packs for aches and pains after running in marathons.”

Jasmine exclaimed, “My mom had a calming spa treatment. She actually put a mud paste on her face to get rid of wrinkles and soaked in a mud bath!”

Manuel added, “My parents went to a Calistoga hot spring in California. They relaxed in a mud bath for about 10 minutes. Then they took a shower and enjoyed a warm mineral water soak.”

Mrs. Hecklebee stated, “Mud therapy can also improve digestion when applying a layer of mud around your stomach. Mud can also cool down the body from heat. It will relax you and can get rid of stress.”

I was surprised to learn that mud used for health purposes is sanitized or cleaned before people use it so that they do not get sick.

SIDEBAR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Talk with your parents about how mud is made and its importance in your daily life.

Ask your parents if they have changed their understanding or their attitude about mud after this discussion.
Report to your teacher and friends if your parents changed their opinions about the importance of mud.

That night I had a talk with my mom about my mud assignment. The next morning, I ran into the classroom.

I excitedly reported, “After seven years of having my mom yell at me about my muddy messes, she hugged me after our discussion about mud. My mother also reassured me that she now understood how important mud was to my health, happiness, and creativity. Mud truly was a magnificent magical substance!”

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Grandparenting an Athelete

Grandparenting an Athlete

It has been an exciting school year. The younger granddaughters are learning gymnastics as they advance in their ballet classes and performances. Our middle school grandson has completed a full season of cross country. Our passionate middle school granddaughter juggles a full schedule of select soccer and volleyball. And our older grandchild loves to sail and snow ski. Our greatest challenge is to be fully present for each grandchild as we watch them compete and follow their passions. Each has their individualized preferences for how we are present for their various activities. All request various levels of encouragement. Some love us to cheer loudly while others want us to observe quietly. The older grandkids accommodate our support while the younger grandkids want our full-time participation at all events. Thankfully, we are the grandparents. Our only job is to support each grandchild with their preferred level of support and drive them to an event when requested.

Organizing the Sports/Activity Calendar

At the beginning of the school year, I contact each grandchild and ask them how much they want us involved in the sport and activity schedule. The younger they are, the more they want our attention. Once they express their wishes, I organize our activity attendance schedule. The twins love to show me their recent new dance and gymnastics steps at home. We are only required to drive them to class sometimes and are committed to attending formal performances twice a year. The middle school grandson’s schedule conflicted with the twins’ dance schedule. We volunteered to manage driving for the grandson’s Tuesday schedule while the parents and a babysitter shared driving for the twins’ schedule. I loved watching all cross country meets with our middle school grandson because he was passionate and excited about this new sport. We were encouraged to take photos at all events and share with our extended family. What a wonderful achievement! The older grandkids loved to have us attend many activities until middle school. Once in middle school we distanced ourselves as friends are very important and carpools are wonderful.

Cheering for a Grandchild Athlete

Next, we learned how to cheer for each child at their specific event. The ballet recitals were very disciplined so we quietly enjoyed the performances and awarded each twin with flowers after their performance when we all posed for family photos. The middle school cross country grandson loved having us cheer for him and his team. The coach encouraged outstanding teambuilding cheering for all athletes participating in the race. We took photos at each event and circulated them to family members. The older grandkids thanked us for coming and focused on their sport with their teammates. We were encouraged to cheer holistically for the team and remain calm and quiet.

What I Have Learned from the Coaches

The following are guidelines I have learned from coaches after years of team participation as an athlete, parent, and now a grandparent:

Be present for the entire team.
Listen to the coach and follow the rules.
Reinforce the coach’s rules with your athlete.
Cheer for the entire group of participants.
Don’t coach your athlete or the team from the observation areas.
Be positive at all times.
Don’t distract with unnecessary chatter.
Bring snacks that nourish your athlete and the team.
Offer support or help when requested from the coach.
Model positive sportsmanship for all attendees at a sporting event.

When I consider the value of team sports, I am thankful that all our grandkids value their experiences in their selected sports and team activities. This participation overcomes isolation and encourages lifetime friendships. It helps our grandchildren learn how to effectively work with teams at home, school, and eventually in their jobs and careers.

Share your experiences as a parent or grandparent supporting your athletes in the comments section below this blog.

Understanding Parent Participation in Special Education

As part of this series, I wrote about the special education law IDEA. One of the key principles of IDEA is “parent participation.” Parent participation, as outlined in IDEA, refers to the active involvement of parents of children with disabilities in the special education process. The law recognizes that parents are essential partners in their child’s education and aims to ensure that they have a meaningful role in decision-making and planning for their child’s education. Here are some key aspects of parent participation under IDEA:

Informed Consent

Your informed consent is required before the school can conduct evaluations or provide special education services to your child. This means you have the right to be fully informed about any proposed actions and their implications before you agree to them. Take the time to ask questions, seek clarification, and voice your concerns. Your active engagement ensures that decisions about your child’s education are made collaboratively and with your child’s best interests in mind. This also means that you have the right to revoke your consent at any point in time. It is best to do this in writing.

Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meetings

IDEA emphasizes that you, as a parent, are an essential member of your child’s educational team. One of the key ways you participate is through the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is a written plan that outlines your child’s learning goals, the services they will receive, and any necessary accommodations or modifications. Your input is crucial during IEP meetings as you know your child best. This means receiving a copy of your child’s evaluation report or draft IEP prior to the meeting with an appropriate amount of time to review the information begin shared. (My team sends all reports home at least three business days before the scheduled meeting.)

Access to Information

IDEA guarantees your right to access relevant information about your child’s education. This includes evaluation results, progress reports, and explanations of the available services and supports. Being informed helps you to understand your child’s progress, advocate for their needs, and make well-informed decisions together with the school team.

Dispute Resolution

The law includes provisions for resolving disputes between parents and schools regarding their child’s special education. You have the right to participate in mediation or due process hearings to resolve conflicts with the school district. Remember that open and respectful communication is key to finding solutions that benefit your child’s education.

Parent Training and Information Centers

IDEA supports the establishment of Parent Training and Information Centers in each state. These centers offer parents information, training, and resources to help them understand their rights and effectively participate in the special education process. Information can be found on your state Department of Education website, search for special education and you can find the information there. If not call them.

Conclusion

Your participation under IDEA is more than just attending meetings; it’s about actively engaging in your child’s education, collaborating with educators, and advocating for their needs. Your insights as a parent are invaluable in creating an effective and individualized education plan for your child with a disability. Remember, you are not alone on this journey, by working together, your child’s IEP team can create an inclusive and supportive educational environment that empowers your child to thrive.