Facilitator’s Guide: Adapting Module Tasks at the Lesson Level
Session 4
Learning Target

I can adapt module lessons to meet students’ specific needs.
Sequence of Sessions
High-Level Purpose of this Session

In this session, participants will learn how to adapt and additionally scaffold module tasks to support the needs of their students all students
while still maintaining alignment of the tasks to the Common Core and the shifts.
Related Learning Experiences

This session is related to the session called “Tiering Tasks Not Texts” in previous NTIs, along with the session in this NTI about adapting or
designing additional assessments for the modules.
Key Points


Module lessons can and should be made to meet students’ specific needs.
Adaptations should maintain the lesson’s alignment with the Common Core.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of this session?
● Adapt and additionally scaffold module tasks to support the needs
of all learners while still maintaining alignment with the Common
Core.
How will we know that they are able to do this?
Participants will complete charts of ideas for adapting lessons. These
charts will be memorialized and placed on EngageNY as a resource.
Session Overview
Section
1. Opening Chalk Talk
2. One Teacher’s
Adaptations
Time
20 mins
40 mins
3. Recommendations for
Adaptations
20 mins
4. Break
15 mins
5. Analyzing Adapted
Lessons
45 mins
6. Synthesis
15 mins
Overview
Prepared Resources
Facilitator Preparation
Prepare chalk talk charts in
Participants brainstorm possible
advance.
adaptations for common issues.
Grade 3 Lesson for Analysis
Participants analyze a lesson
plan for what might need to be https://vimeo.com/82908237
Samples of students’ adapted work.
adapted.
Participants see a video and
student work representing the
adaptations one teacher made.
Recommendations for Adapting
Participants read
“Recommendations for Adapting Module Lessons
Module Lessons” and analyze an
adaptation template.
Thinking it Through
Participants will analyze
Template_Adapting Module Lessons
adapted lessons for their
alignment to the Common Core Adapted Lesson Samples 1, 2 and 3
and other considerations.
Participants will discuss their
findings.
Participants will revisit the
opening charts and add
additional ideas.
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Opening Chalk Talk
Time: 9:45 to 10:05
[20 minutes] In this section, participants will brainstorm/share ways they
have already seen module lessons adapted or ideas they have for lesson
adaptation.
Materials used include:
PPT
Journals
Chalk Talk Templates
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
5
Script/ Activity directions
GROUP
Note: Prior to this session, post the chalk talk templates.
Ask participants to introduce themselves at tables.
Introduce the learning target for this session:
 I can adapt module lessons to meet students’ specific needs.
Ask participants to brainstorm at their tables the reasons why teachers might want to adapt
module lesssons.
Draw participants’ attention to the Chalk Talk Posters posted around the room. Provide the
following directions:
 You are going to form a group of no more than 4 people.
 You are going to take a marker and stand in front of one of the posters.
 You are going to brainstorm and write on the poster – taking ONLY the top 1/4 of the
paper – some ideas for meeting the need at the top of the poster.
 After 2 minutes, you will go to another poster, read what has written before you, and add
additional ideas…again, taking up only ¼ of the total paper.
 You will visit at least 4 different posters.
2
12
Ask participants to form groups of no more than 4, to take a marker, and place themselves at one
of the posters. After 2 minutes, ask the groups to rotate to a different poster, read what was
written before, and add on new ideas, leaving room below for more writing.
Tell participants we will be spending this session digging even more deeply into ideas for
adaptations to module lessons that maintain the lessons’ alignment to the Common Core
Standards and shifts.
1
Section 2: One Teacher’s Adaptations
Time: 10:05 to 10:45
[40 minutes] In this section, participants will examine, both through paper Materials used include:
artifacts and a video, how one teacher adapted a module lesson to meet the Grade 3 Lesson for Analysis
https://vimeo.com/82908237
needs of her students.
Samples of Students’ Adapated Work
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions
GROUP
12
Say: Imagine you are a third grade teacher in an urban school using the modules. Ninety percent
of your class receives free or reduced lunch and 10 of the students in your class of 24 have an
IEP or 504 plan. 10 of your students read at or above the level expected in third grade, 7 read
just below what is expected (about a half-year behind) and 7 read a year or more below expected.
Ask participants to read the Grade 3 Lesson for Analysis, thinking about what adaptations a
teacher might make to this lesson for the students in this class (7 minutes).
Ask participants to share their initial thinking at their tables (5 minutes).
Show the video “Matching Module Lessons to Learner’s Needs.” Ask participants to discuss:
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16
Did Ms. Meehan’s adaptations maintain the lesson’s alignment to the Common Core? In what
ways? What other ideas do you have?
Draw participants’ attention to the Samples of Students’ Adapated Work. Ask them to examine
the work (5 minutes) and discuss each question (3 minutes each):



How is what the students were asked to do different from the original lesson plan?
Did the adapted work meet the same learning targets? If so, how? If not, why not?
What might you have done differently?
Section 3: Recommendations for Adapting Module Lessons
Time: 10:45 to 11:05
[20 minutes] In this section, participants read and discuss EL’s
recommendations for adapting module lessons.
Materials used include:
Time
8
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Recommendations for Adapting Module Lessons
Script/ Activity directions
GROUP
Participants should silently read the documents Recommendations for Adapting Module
Lessons, mentally sorting the adaptations into the following categories:
Simple for Teachers/Helpful for a Few
Students
Simple for Teachers/Helpful for Many
Students
8
Complex for Teachers/Helpful for a Few
Students
Complex for Teachers/Helpful for Many
Students
Ask participants to replicate the chart above on a piece of chart paper and actually sort the
adaptations suggested into the right categories.
4
Ask participants to discuss their findings as a table group – which adaptations are the simplest
yet the most helpful? Are they using or helping others use those adaptations? Which
adaptations are more complex yet helpful? What support to teachers need to use those
adaptations?
Then allow participants to take a 15 minute break.
Break: 15 minutes
Section 5: Analyzing Adapted Lessons
Time: 11:25 to 12:10
[45 minutes] In this section, participants will read and discuss a variety of
adapted lesson plans, improving plans as needed.
Materials used include:
Time
2
39
4
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Thinking it Through Template_Adapting Module Lessons
Adapted Lesson Samples 1, 2 and 3
Script/ Activity directions
Introduce participants to the Thinking it Through Template and suggest it as a tool to help
teachers reflect on their own adaptation plans.
Ask table groups to divide into groups of 4. Each group should name a facilitator and
timekeeper. Draw participants’ attention the Adapted Lesson Samples in their notebooks.
Groups should work in 3, 13-minute cycles. Each cycle consists of 5 minutes for reading and
annotating an adapted lesson sample and 8 minutes of discussing the following questions (2
minutes each):
 What needs is this teacher trying to meet?
 Do the proposed changes maintain the lesson’s learning targets?
 Do the proposed changes allow for maximum rigor for as many students as possible? If
not, what could be done to still adapt the lesson and maintain that rigor?
 Will the teacher still be able to assess students’ progress toward the learning targets? If
not, what could be done to adapt the lesson or assessment to meet students’ needs?
After the first adapted lesson is discussed, the group should move on to the next adapted lesson.
Ask participants to silently journal in their notebooks on the following:


What new ideas do you have about adapting modules as a result of this session so far?
What patterns of adaptation did you notice in the samples you just examined? What are the
GROUP
benefits and challenges of making these kinds of adaptations to the module lessons?
Section 6: Synthesis
Time: 12:10 to 12:30
[20 minutes] In this section, participants add additional thoughts to the
Chalk Talk Charts and capturing key thinking in their journals.
Materials used include:
Chalk Talk Templates
Time
3
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions
Tell participants they are going to return to the Chalk Talk posters with a slightly different task
than what they did when they started the session.
Draw participants’ attention to the Chalk Talk Posters posted around the room. Provide the
following directions:
 You are going to form a group of no more than 4 people.
 You are going to take a marker and stand in front of one of the posters.
 You are going to read what has been written so far, then brainstorm and write on the
poster – taking only a portion of the remaining room – what additional ideas do you have
for this adaptation now?
 Then you are going to put a star next to the three adaptations that you feel are most
powerful for meeting the expressed need.
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Give participants a minute to get to a poster. Then groups should follow the directions above for
3 minutes, getting to at least 4 posters. If they agree with the “stars” from the group before, they
should just put an additional star in the same place.
Participants should return to their seats after working on at least 4 posters, 3 minutes each.
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For the remaining few minutes, participants should capture key ideas in their journals, and or
read over as many posters as they like. Tell participants that the Chalk Talk posters will be typed
up and posted on EngageNY.
GROUP
Turnkey Materials Provided







Facilitator’s Guide and Powerpoint
Grade 3 Lesson for Analysis
https://vimeo.com/82908237
Samples of students’ adapted work
Recommendations for Adapting Module Lessons
Thinking it Through Template_Adapting Module Lessons
Adapted Lesson Samples 1, 2 and 3