Effective

Inclusion
in Upper-
Elementar
y
Mekayla Cook
University of South
Florida
Background,
Purpose &
Wondering
 School I have
Elementary School Demographics been
researching
within, the
school reflects
the varying
demographics of
the community.
This school is a part of a
rural community, where
22.1% of the population
speaks a language other
than English at home
(United States Census
Bureau, 2010).
According to the United
States Census Bureau (2010),
17.3% of the population in
White Asian Black Hispanic Indian Multi the area lives in poverty.
 In the
Afternoon Classroom Demographics
classroo
m.
I teach two 4th grade English
Language Arts blocks to
groups of mixed ability
students. There are three
students in the general
education classroom
(afternoon) with
Individualized Education
Plans who have been
identified as a student with
exceptionalities. These
learners have been identified
as those with specific
learning disabilities.

White Hispanic Black Other

 (FCEC, 2016)

My attendance at the 2016 State Council for Exceptional

Children Conference was an exceptional professional
development experience and an inspirational weekend that
supported my passion for an equitable education for all students.
 In the United States, about four
of every five students with
disabilities spend 40% or more
of the school day in a
general education classroom
(McLeskey, Rosenberg & Westling, 2013).
In my experiences, traditional
classroom instruction and materials
may not make the general education
From my observations,
students have been
provided with minimal In order to best meet
accommodations, mainly
during testing, including:
the needs of learners
- Pull out services
- Additional time
with disabilities in the
- Reading questions general education
aloud
- Alternative/small group classroom, I am
settings
seeking effective
accommodations and
strategies to promote
student success and
Methods of
Inquiry
Literature
Connections
DIRECT INSTRUCTION is a model that uses teacher
demonstration and explanation combined with
student practice and feedback to help learners
acquire well-defined knowledge and skills needed for
later learning (Eggen & Kauchak, 2012, p. 266). The
more opportunities you provide for learners to be
actively taught, review, and practice direct instruction
skills, the more information students will retain
(McLeskey, Rosenberg & Westling, 2013).
Principles of UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
include providing a variety of ways to present material
to students, considering different ways for them to
show what they have learned, and incorporating
unique ways to motivate student engagement
(McLeskey, Rosenberg & Westling, 2013).
In inclusion classes where intelligences, learning-
style preferences, and developmental levels span a
wide spectrum, LESSONS THAT ENGAGE MULTIPLE
SENSES could offer the greatest access to knowledge
for the most students, (Willis, 2007, pp. 110).
Students should receive individualized opportunities
to verbalize, write, or otherwise create something
using the lessons material, (Willis, 2007, pp. 110).
 Literature
Connections
Inclusion is an
attitude
Practitioner articles, published in reputable journals, offer accessible information

"ADDITIONAL
for educators, like Pickett's (2014)

NEEDS - IT'S ALL IN THE

that you bring, ATTITUDE." For teaching and learning, the article recommends a
not a program teacher to pre-teach new topics, this may include a written summary of the new
topic, together with a glossary of key terms and definitions, (Pickett, 2014, pp. 29).
Ideas from this article that will inform my wondering include letting students know

that you deliver,

their effort is appreciated, not just task completion, and sharing objectives with
students.

(Pickett, 2014, pp. 29).

 Literature
Connections
By focusing on critical
instructional planning and
learning phases with RTI will
Regular assessments and progress monitoring are BENEFIT ALL STUDENTS;
prominent in RTI and establish the importance of using
proactive identification of students experiencing
APPLY ACROSS CONTENT
difficulties for different tiers of intervention and AREAS, GRADE LEVELS,
support, (Algozzine, Campbell & Wang, 2010, p. vii).
There are four components of effective instruction: AND SETTINGS; ADDRESS
PLANNING, MANAGING, DELIVERING, AND
EVALUATING (Algozzine, Campbell & Wang, 2010).
A STUDENTS LEARNING
STYLE; PROVIDE AMPLE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
CHANGE AND
MODIFICATION; AND
ENABLE ALL STUDENTS
TO LEARN AND BE
 Data Collection Inquiry Relation
Strategies
Teacher reflective blog/field notes Reflections on the effectiveness of strategies and accommodations will provide insight
into my own teaching practice.

Interviews Through structured interviews with professionals in the field, (teachers, ESE specialists,
support staff, professors) I will find practice-based strategies that work for individual
students, as well as what is recommended for accommodations/strategies in general.
Also, interviews with students will reveal their reflections, opinions and ideas of what
accommodations and strategies work best for them. Additionally, student content area
learning can be assessed through interviewing.

Students learning styles In order to apply principles of Universal Design for Learning, it is important to bear in
mind how my students learn best.

Student work examples Will demonstrate the effectiveness of lessons and instruction, when considered for
accuracy.
When considering completion, engagement could be implied.

Recorded lessons Videos and audio recordings will indicate student participation and engagement, as well
as my own comfort and professional development.

Surveys Will assess students opinions, ideas and reflections on the effectiveness of my practice.

Test scores By considering students test scores, I can track students learning progress.

Exit tickets Quick questions or reflections at the end of a lesson will allow students to demonstrate

Data Collection
their understand/if strategies were effective for content area learning.

Professional journals/practitioner
articles
Consulting research- and practice-based literature will introduce me to effective
strategies that could be applied in my classroom.
Strategies
Through attendance or participation at workshops, conferences and professional
Data Collection
I have been recording field notes of my CTs lesson presentation (in
the morning) with accommodations/strategies to include in my
instruction (during the afternoon).

This data collection strategy has informed my inquiry topic by

providing practical situations and contexts in which to apply the
strategies and tactics I have encountered in literature. I learned
that accommodations, whether simple or complex, can be
conveniently incorporated in the general education classroom
setting with a little reflection and creative thinking.

For example, in the field notes pictured (1/13/2017), I witnessed my

CT draw students' attention to the Rubric before beginning their
new writing piece. In order to provide students with color coding as
a tactic for effective instruction in inclusive settings (Algozzine,
Campbell & Wang, 2010), I decided to provide each learner with a
The students' average test
score on the comprehension
test for their reading,
"Sacagawea," was only a
4.3 (out of 10). In order to
demonstrate understanding,
the objectives state that
students should score at
least a 70%. To
accommodate the students
with disabilities, and ensure
their academic success, I
decided to include a review
of the main idea of the story.
Principles of Universal
Design for Learning as a
strategy to engage and offer
effective instruction to
students with disabilities
includes providing a
variety of ways to
present material to
students, including the
use of charts, graphs,
and graphic organizers
(McLeskey, Rosenberg &
 The average score of the
afternoon class was a 7,
which demonstrates
understanding.
This strategy is a part of direct
instruction, which is a model that uses
teacher demonstration and explanation
combined with student practice and
feedback to help learners acquire well-
defined knowledge and skills needed for
later learning (Eggen & Kauchak, 2012,
p. 266). By reviewing the story before the
test, I ensured adequate time for review
and practice through direct instruction.

Our classroom includes a "Wall of Fame" where students display work that has met the requirements of
demonstrating understanding and that they are proud of. Excitingly, one of the students with
disabilities in the afternoon class received an 80% on her comprehension test. Such a high score is
generally unfamiliar for the student, whose average score on comprehension tests ranges between a 5
and 6. The learner was visibly excited to add the test to her designated spot on the "Wall of Fame."
A Lesson on Idioms
Accommodating SWD: "PRE-TEACH NEW TOPICS, this may include
a written summary of the new topic, together with a glossary of key
terms and definitions, (Pickett, 2014, pp. 29). Together, the students
and I created an anchor chart and discovered examples of idioms
they may be familiar with. To include principles of UNIVERSAL
DESIGN FOR LEARNING, we watched a humorous video (Idioms
Taken Literally) that contributed to student understanding of the
literal and figurative meanings of idioms.
Students should receive individualized opportunities to verbalize,
write, or otherwise CREATE SOMETHING USING THE LESSONS
MATERIAL, (Willis, 2007, pp. 110). Students created their own
image to depict an idiom and write their understood meaning in
context.
Based on the Exit Ticket provided at the end of the lesson,
observations during the lesson, and student's Reading Journals,
students were able to identify and understand the meaning of idioms
and why an author uses them, including in "The World According to
Humphrey." Only 2 students earned less than a 100% on the exit
 This lesson seeks to develop students understanding
of theme and supporting details by examining various
text structures (cause and effect, problem and
solution, chronological- change over time) to
determine the popular authors intended
Theme and Dr. Seuss moral/lesson.

In the afternoon group (average

score 8.25), only 50% of learners
accurately identified the story Each group was
excerpt that did not support the given a different
theme. According to the 4th grade
FSA Item Specifications: Items
level of
may ask students to use details scaffolding
from a text to determine the through
theme. The theme may be
explicitly or implicitly stated.
completing the
Items may ask students to posters, as well
summarize the text as a whole or as differentiated
to identify
To build background, K-W-L charts were createdkey
andevents
it is as part of a levels of reading
evident that students are familiar withsummary,
Dr. Seuss (FSA,
more 2015).
popular demand from the
works, The Cat in the Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham, as
well as his tendency to use engaging rhyme schemes and books. Questions
 From my experiences, it is clear
that implementing Universal
Design for Learning principles, as
well as direct instruction, promotes
the academic success of students of
diverse learners.
Adding layers to lessons, like videos, promoting
creativity with content area learning, and involving
students in creating anchor charts, benefits SWD, as well
 References
Algozzine, B., Campbell, P., & Wang, J. (2010). 55 tactics for implementing RTI in inclusive
settings. Thousand Oaks
Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2012). Strategies and models for teachers: Teaching content and
thinking skills (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
FCEC. (2016). Council for exceptional children florida [Online image]. Retrieved October 30,
2016 from http://www.floridacec.org/
FSA. (2015). Grade 4 english language arts item specifications. Retrieved from
http://fsassessments.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Grade-4-ELA-Test-Item-Specifications.p
df

McLeskey, J., Rosenberg, M.S., & Westling, D. (2013). Inclusion effective practices for all
students (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Pickett, S. p. (2014). Additional Needs -- it's all in the attitude. Teacher Learning Network
Newsletter, 21(1), 28-29.