Strategy 1: Provide access to the general education curriculum using individualized reading and writing materials

What to Do

• Identify grade level curriculum goals, standards and areas of study.
• Identify the relevant big idea/key concept appropriate for student.
• Connect text to real life experiences, provide concrete experiences and relate text to child’s prior knowledge.
• Adapt grade level texts or locate trade books on specific areas of study.
• Adapt text or presentation by adding pictures/symbols, reducing amount of text, reduce complexity of text as needed, provide multi-sensory materials to reinforce text and concepts.
• Provide accessible formats for literacy materials.
• Provide/create key words in accessible format and have available to student.
• Preview key vocabulary.
• Read book, article, text multiple times, in a variety of formats (for example, teacher reads aloud with props, computer access, choral reading, speech/AAC device, round robin, readers theater-act out story).

Things to Consider

• Are all materials offered in child’s preferred reading medium?
• Are all materials age appropriate?
• Are materials provided at both the instructional and independent reading levels?
• For students in inclusive settings, are you pre-reading lesson before presentation in general education classroom?

Always Ask Yourself