Teaching Strategies for Students with Diverse Learning Needs
Reading
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Emphasis on major points
Pre-teach vocabulary to
ensure understanding
Provide page numbers to
specific answers
Use brief conferences to
ensure
comprehension/check for
understanding
Tape text
Read orally
Use organizers, visual aids
Teach comprehension
strategies
Highlight materials: texts,
passages, key words, or
concepts
Peer reading
Ask leading questions to
help focus reading on
important points
Have students list
important people, facts,
after reading
Provide a reading guide
(leading questions to
answer)
Allow partner reading
Summarize key points and
have students summarize
and paraphrase
Use pre-reading and post
reading activities to preteach or reinforce main
ideas
Writing
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Allow student to select
method of writing (cursive,
manuscript, assistive
technology)
Oral response (taperecord)
Provide student with hard
copy of notes or fill in the
blank
Reduce amount of copying
from board
Don’t penalize for spelling
or grammatical errors
Provide graphic organizer
(i.e. Inspiration® software,
chart, map, graph, picture)
Provide outline
Provide sentence
stems/templates for writing
Allow visual representation
of ideas
Allow collaborative writing
Allow for multiple revisions
Status check/checkpoints
Provide access to
technology for word
processing and alternate
formats of presentation
Short answer rather than
long essay
Assignment Completion
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Reduce assignments
Reduced number of
problems
Provide hard copy of
teacher expected work
Extra time for response, in
class work, homework
Provide multiple
opportunities to learn
content: cooperative
learning, choral responses,
hands-on participation
Assignment contracts
Provide opportunities for
extra credit
Repeat directions or have
student repeat
Provide directions orally, in
writing, and show model
Task analyze – break
down the steps and teach
one at a time, gradually
adding additional steps
Assess learning over time
Use a variety of authentic
assessments
Give choices
Student Assessment
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Alternate form of exam
(multiple choice vs. short
answer, oral vs. written
essay)
Alternate form of
product(technology vs
paper, allow choice)
Variety of assessment
formats such as: open
book test, open note test,
oral tests,
Extended time/assess over
time
Provide a study guide
Opportunity to retake an
exam
Allow test corrections
Provide extra credit
opportunities
Provide a concrete
example of how students
are to respond
Provide an alternative test
sight
Give practice test prior to
actual test
Avoid unnecessary words
that do not help student
select the correct answer
Avoid choices such as “ A
and B”, “all of the above”,
or “none of the above” on
multiple choice test
Provide a word bank for fill
in the blank items
NOTE: Each campus should consult with their department chair or student’s case manager when question arise on what is an allowable accommodation.
Teachers should also refer to each student’s IEP/Accommodation and Modification page.