Samantha Seeger

SPED 741 Common Core Standards Assignment

The purpose of the Common Core Standards assignment was to learn how to link

supports for a struggling student in the area of language arts while addressing the Common Core.

The assignment allowed you to think about what supports that student would need in order to

successfully accomplish the task assigned.

When attending to complete this assignment, I immediately had a student in mind. This

particular student struggled with reading comprehension and was therefore not reading on grade

level. I wanted to use a text that would interest him, so I modified it in a way that would benefit

him. We would work on the skill in a small group setting prior to tackling the text. Prior to

creating the lesson, I addressed the Common Core State Standards and the performance task

resources. The Common Core State Standard that was used was RL. 2.3: students describe how

the character of a text responds to a major event in his life. The text that was used was

Christopher Curtis story Bud, Not Buddy. This text was chosen to not only interest the student,

but also due to its ability to paint the visual of the main character. These two components would

spark the student to describe the character while recalling main events. The accommodations and

differentiation for the student were addressed as well. The student would benefit from the story

being read aloud to him by a peer, teacher, or technology. I wanted to incorporate multiple

means of learning for the student to be able to access his education independently. There would

also be a notecard provided of prompting questions so when the reader stops the students can

remember to ask himself those comprehension check questions. A visual image of the main

character would be given to the student to provide a discussion about the character. The intensive

personalized instruction plan would have a picture of the main character out so the student can

visually see him and as the text is read he can jot down some important desciptions, feelings or
Samantha Seeger

actions related. I would put this student in a small group setting where he can engage and learn

from other students. The lessons would be broken down and would build off of one another. The

website, Intervention Central had some great strategies to work on comprehension with

struggling students, which was used to assist this student.

I chose to revise this assignment slightly. When reading through the assignment and

recalling what was done, I chose to edit some wording and change some strategies that I ended

up using. The revisions came from what we have learned throughout these courses. For example,

providing multiple means of learning for students in order for them to access their education

more independently was a huge eye opener. Also, incorporating technology into the lessons

where applicable is a key resource.

I learned to develop a lesson tailored to the students needs by analyzing the Common

Core State Standards. I also learned to incorporate multiple strategies to complete the assignment

through differentiation and intensive personalized instruction. This lesson contributed to my

development as a special educator by using the Common Core in my daily lessons that are

tailored to each student. I also learned various ways to differentiate and provide multiple means

of learning so each student can be successful. This was a huge eye opening experience that will

stick with me throughout my career as a special educator because it taught me that not every

student learns the same and it is my job to make sure I tailor each assignment to the needs of the

student.