Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Make a list of cognitively undemanding activities, such as doing something after seeing it modeled, and a list of
cognitive demanding activities, such as solving a word problem or listening to a lecture.
Cummins suggests that teachers should not be fooled that just because a student can speak good English,
they are in the CALP stage. Teachers should strive to create lessons that are context embedded and
cognitively demanding. Such as, listening to a lecture with a graphic organizer or manipulative. Discuss how
you can adjust your lessons or lessons that you have already adjusted, to be both content embedded and
cognitively demanding.
I teach in a self-contained, noncategorical special education classroom with students ages 3-5. My students’
disabilities range from mild/moderate to severe. Almost all of the activities that we engage in are cognitively
demanding for my students. I use visuals, props, and manipulatives to make learning more concrete. I often
use actual objects instead of photos or icons. I provide my students with as many hands-on learning
opportunities as possible (for example, when learning about pumpkins, we will have many opportunities to
explore real pumpkins, as well as looking at pictures or reading books about pumpkins). I use songs and music
to help provide context; I use manipulatives during math activities to provide concrete examples. For many of
my students, using language is cognitively challenging. Many of my students are non-verbal, learning to use
language, use scripted language, or are learning English - I require my students to use language to get their
needs and wants met by using language-eliciting strategies.