Disability Is Natural Books and Media

The hallmarks of successful curriculum modifications include thinking creatively, identifying how a student learns best, and trying new strategies—as many as it takes!  And, as detailed in other articles, the use of computers, books on tape, videos, calculators, handheld electronic games, and other hi-tech devices are often great solutions. But there are ordinary and low-tech tools that can lead to extraordinary results for students who need curriculum modifications.

 Consider the common deck of cards. It’s a veritable storehouse of learning opportunities! Cards can be used to help a child: (1) count (by counting the cards or by pointing to and counting the shapes on a card); (2) learn bigger and smaller (two players each have half the deck, each puts a card down at the same time, and whoever has the bigger number wins those two cards); (3) learn addition and subtraction games (find a 2-card and a 3-card, now find a card that has the total of the two cards); (4) learn about sorting (by number, shape, or color); and more! Take a deck of cards and play with it yourself, and think about the many different ways it might help a child in your life. (And consider dice and dominos, too!)

Next, consider the possibilities of your telephone book...Click here to continue.

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Section 300.552 Placements (e) states: “A child with a disability is not removed from education in age-appropriate regular classes solely because of needed modifications in the general curriculum.” So, under the law, a student should not be denied placement in a regular ed classroom just because she needs curriculum modifications. This is one in a series of articles about curriculum modifications.

Curriculum Modifications 107

Ordinary Tools Can Yield Extraordinary Results

 DISABILITY IS NATURAL!

New Ways of Thinking and Revolutionary Common Sense