Robin Barnhorn

Content Area: Earth Systems

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Selected

£ SES1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to

investigate the composition and formation of Earth systems,
including the Earth’s place in the solar system.

£ SES2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to

understand how plate tectonics creates certain geologic
features, landforms, Earth materials, and geologic hazards.

£ SES3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to

explore the actions of water, wind, ice, and gravity as they relate
to landscape change.

£ SES4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to

understand how rock relationships and fossils are used to
reconstruct the Earth’s past.

£ SES5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to

investigate the interaction of solar energy and Earth’s systems
to produce weather and climate.

£ SES6. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about

how life on Earth responds to and shapes Earth’s systems.
 Mild Intellectual Disability

Low Tech ideas:

 Velcro enhanced books – copy or cut out graphics from books; attach velcro to
picture and book for interactive lessons.
 Word rings – create your own from index cards, can laminate; or purchase pre-
made packages (Top Notch Teacher/school supply) - words, words & definitions,
words & pictures, etc.

 Page Flags – removable; use to emphasize words/text, etc.

High Tech ideas:

 Inspiration/Kidspiration (Inspiration) – graphic organizer software Slide Shows –

Kid Pix, ClarisWorks/AppleWorks, Power Point. Students can create their own
way to organize content information.

 Ghotit: For students with dyslexia and other challenges with reading and writing,
Ghotit is a great tool that includes a phonetic spell checker. It also offers word
prediction, a grammar and punctuation checker, proofreading and more.

 Word prediction that works with any word processor - e.g., Co:Writer -
anticipates what the student wants to say and provides a list of words to choose
from. This will give students opportunities to advance their literacy in lab write
ups and other assessments.

Supportive APPS:

 News-2-You- News-2-You is the weekly newspaper for beginning readers and

special needs students. Every week, students can connect with the world
through concise symbol-supported news articles, puzzles, games and recipes. The
news stories provide stimulating information on reader-friendly topics.
  Explain EDU- Explain EDU is an interactive whiteboard and screencasting app that
you can use to express your ideas creatively. Annotate, manipulate, and add
narration to documents, photos, and videos, creating visual presentations you
can easily share.

UDL Strategy (Wheel): Use prompt, reminders, guides, rubrics, and checklists that focus
on self-regulatory goals

Attention Difficulties
Low Tech ideas:

 Time Timer (Generaction) – visual depiction of elapsed time; 3”, 8” and 12”
sizes; students see a visual depiction of time remaining for a task in red as the
clock counts down.

 Words in a bottle – put laminated words in a plastic bottle for easy access.

 Inquiry Box (make it yourself) - Access Tech has developed a fun, inexpensive,
interactive, multi-purpose teaching/learning tool for the classroom using a
cardboard mailing carton. The box has plastic page protectors/pockets on all 6
sides, allowing you to address a wide variety of content areas by inserting
pictures, words, numbers, etc., inside the pockets to be used in a variety of
creative ways. The Inquiry Box handout provides directions for making the box
and strategies for its use.

High Tech ideas:

 Online Virtual Manipulatives: http://boston.k12.ma.us/teach/technology/select/

The Select Math site provides links (paired with middle school standards) to
online manipulatives. There are many more manipulatives for all levels at the
linked sites, e.g., Project Interactivate, NCTM, PBS Teacherline, & Explore
Learning.

 BoardMaker – Picture Communication Symbols software; create stories with

text/symbols; picture dictionaries, supplement text with symbols, substitute text
with symbols, create communication boards, etc.

 Slide Shows – Kid Pix, ClarisWorks/AppleWorks, Power Point. Slide show allows
students to review content on the go either at school or at home.

Supportive APPS:

 My Memos - The Voice Recorder. If students have a hard time staying focused
they can use this app to remind them of important thought, notes, content, etc.
  Apple Books
Books & audiobooks

UDL Strategy (Wheel): Use cooperative learning groups, scaffolding roles and
responsibilities

Physical Disabilities
Low Tech ideas:

 Finger grip ruler (Westcott, office supply) – for students with fine motor
difficulties; allows ruler to be grasped by raised center grip bar; also use for
focusing on words/lines while reading.

 Magnetic sheets/business cards – can be cut as needed to create numbers,

letters, words, sentence strips; put on cookie sheet, metal ruler/yardstick (use
also as visual/reading supports).

 Raised line paper (Therapro, Onion Mountain Tech) – Red/Green paper indicates
Start/Stop points. This will allow students to stay organized when writing.

 Pencil grips – various types

High Tech ideas:

 FaceMouse: This tool turns a standard webcam into a working mouse operator.
Students can use their head and facial gestures to complete tasks such as
pointing the cursor, clicking on Web sites or typing on the keyboard.

 Text-to-Speech: Shareware, e.g., Tex-Edit (Mac) & freeware, e.g., Read Please
(PC); some Some commercial word processors have text-to-speech features, e.g.,
IntelliTalk III (IntelliTools) and Write Out:LOUD (Don Johnston) - read text aloud
& highlight words as spoken.

 Sip & Puff System: Students with mobility issues such as paralysis or other
motor skill difficulties can navigate a mouthstick, like a joystick, to click on Web
pages, type and more.

Supportive APPS:

 Apple Books
 PicCollage Grid & Photo Editor- Makes a story with video and text

UDL Strategy (Wheel): Provide alternatives for physically interacting with materials (e.g.
by hand, voice, switch, joystick, keyboard, or adapted keyboard.)
 English as a Second Language

Low Tech ideas:

 Talking Photo Album (Onion Mountain Tech; sometimes available at discount

stores, e.g., Joanne’s Fabrics )– Places pictures/story pages in the plastic sleeves
and record up to 24 pages of speech ($29 for photo album, $45 for album with
idea book; can also be found sometimes at large discount stores)

 Speaking Homework Wiz (Franklin Electronic Publishers) – promote reading

support for student independence; HomeWork Wiz & Talking Homework Wiz for
primary & early elementary; Merriman Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus or the
Speaking version for upper elementary to high.

 Reading Helper (Onion Mountain Tech; Crystal Springs Books) - white plastic strip
with highlighting down the middle; multiple colors and sizes the middle to help
students track text as they read

High Tech ideas:

 Read, Think and Type: Kids can write whatever they say. With a strong phonics
approach, students learn how to build words and sentences and write their own
phrases.

 Beginning Phonics Reading (Lexia) – based on Orton Gillingham.

 Text-to-Speech: Shareware, e.g., Tex-Edit (Mac) & freeware, e.g., Read Please
(PC); some Some commercial word processors have text-to-speech features, e.g.,
IntelliTalk III (IntelliTools) and Write Out:LOUD (Don Johnston) - read text aloud
& highlight words as spoken .

 Text readers - e.g., Kurzweil 3000 (Kurzweil Educational Systems), Read & Write
Gold (TextHelp) - read all text files, e.g., from the web, scanned, etc.

Supportive APPS:

 Explain EDU
  English Idioms Illustrated – This app will also help students understand
expressions and terms whose meaning cannot be understood by just reading the
words. In a science classroom and social setting students can sometimes get lost
in plain translations and this app will help all students understand the origins and
meanings of unusual phrases.

 Voice Dream Reader -Text to Speech

UDL Strategy (Wheel): Pre-teach vocabulary and symbols, especially in ways that
promote connection to the learners’ experience and prior knowledge

Sensory Impairment

Auditory Visual
Low Tech ideas:
 Easy reading text guides: Use
plastic signature guide or Finger
Grip Ruler or regular ruler.
 Bar Magnifier w/ yellow guiding
line (ILA) - 6"
 Other Magnifiers - sheets, bars,
hemi-sphere styles; many bars
have a yellow highlighter section
down the middle to emphasize
words/phrases in text.
High Tech Ideas:
 Earobics (Cognitive Concepts) –
auditory discrimination software.
 BoardMaker – Picture
Communication Symbols software;
create stories with text/symbols;
picture dictionaries, supplement
text with symbols, substitute text
with symbols, create
communication boards, etc.
 Text readers - e.g., Kurzweil 3000
(Kurzweil Educational Systems),
Read & Write Gold (TextHelp) -
read all text files, e.g., from the
web, scanned, etc.
Supportive APPS:
Low Tech ideas:
 Talking Photo Album (Onion
Mountain Tech; sometimes available
at discount stores, e.g., Joanne’s
Fabrics )– Places pictures/story
pages in the plastic sleeves and
record up to 24 pages of speech.
 Enlarge text on photocopier - can
place in card holder on desk.
 Reading Helper (Onion Mountain
Tech; Crystal Springs Books) - white
plastic strip with highlighting down
the middle; multiple colors and sizes
the middle to help students track
text as they read.
High Tech ideas:
 Text-to-Speech: Shareware, e.g.,
Tex-Edit (Mac) & freeware, e.g.,
Read Please (PC); some Some
commercial word processors have
text-to-speech features, e.g.,
IntelliTalk III (IntelliTools) and Write
Out:LOUD (Don Johnston) - read text
aloud & highlight words as spoken.
 Speaking Homework Wiz (Franklin
Electronic Publishers) – promote
reading support for student
independence; HomeWork Wiz &
Talking Homework Wiz for primary &
early elementary; Merriman
Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus or
the Speaking version for upper
elementary to high.
 Big Keys – one of several alternative
large letter, abc order keyboards for

BigMagnify Free - Zooming Magnifier
and Mirror with Flashlight
 Keynote- Will help students
Build stunning presentations
 sASL Translator- Software
Studios LLC. This translator app
allows teacher to speak and the
student can view sign language
as the teacher is giving
instructions or lessons.
UDL Strategy (Wheel):
Clarify unfamiliar syntax (in language or
in math formulas) or underlying structure
(in diagrams, graphs, illustrations,
extended expositions or narratives)
young children or students with
motor or cognitive challenges
difficulties.
Supportive APPS:
 Voice Dream Reader- Text to
Speech
 English Idioms Illustrated
UDL Strategy (Wheel):
Vary the display of information in a flexible
format including:
o The size of text, images, graphs, tables, or
other visual content
o The contrast between background and
text or image
o The color used for information or
emphasis
o The volume or rate of speech or sound
o The speed or timing of video, animation,
sound, simulations, etc.
o The font used for print materials