Paraprofessional Training

By: Keely Swartzer, Special Education Coordinator

August 23, 2011

First things first ◦ Expectations

◦ Relationships

◦ Accommodations vs. Modifications

Reading

Writing

Math

Across subjects

What if’s and Q & A

Our #1 job should be to work toward achievement of grade level standards.

All students can learn and should be challenged and encouraged to do their best.

As a paraprofessional, you are responsible for upholding these expectations.

Students need to know the expectations.

Consistency is essential!

Demonstrate age appropriate touch like high fives, hand shakes, etc.

Make sure your tone of voice matches the social situation. Use a relaxed body language, be attentive, look at the student. Ask open ended questions. Listen while the student is speaking. Talk less than the student.

:) Reflect the child’s feelings by expressing your understanding

and caring. Ignore nuisance behavior and let the little stuff slide. Be consistent and fair. Show them respect. Be patient. Establish clear boundaries. Be genuine. Find commonalities.

Accommodations do not reduce learning expectations. They provide access. However, modifications refer to practices that change, lower, or reduce learning expectations.

An example of an accommodation is: a book on tape.

An example of a modification is: reducing a student’s assignment to only include key concepts.

Create an audiotape of the assignment or lesson to review before and/or after it’s presented.

Preview and discuss pictures and captions before materials are read in class. Ask the student to tell you as much as they know about the subject to build their background knowledge. Relate new concepts to prior learning.

Present ONLY relevant information. Do a walk through of books to learn the organization: ◦ Table of contents ◦ Index ◦ Chapter Summaries ◦ Glossary ◦ Bold type (i.e.. vocabulary words) ◦ Captions

Review vocabulary, practice reading the words. Teach correct definition for multiple meaning words.

Give the student a list of discussion questions before they read the text. Skim the material, help the student locate the answers. Note page numbers and any notes that are important.

Highlight or color code student text ahead of time. (i.e. yellow=vocab, blue=definitions)

Assign read aloud passages ahead of time and practice them ahead of time to decrease anxiety.

After the student read, ask them to summarize paraphrase what they have read verbally or in writing.

R=Read the passage

A=Ask yourself to recall the main idea and several details about the material

P=Practice saying the main ideas and important details in your own words

Read text aloud to student or small group using a guided reading procedure. Stop to ask questions, summarize, paraphrase, etc.

Assign a peer to help decode unfamiliar words as a student reads silently or aloud.

Choral reading can be used in small groups. The student reads aloud with you.

Cloze reading can be used to keep students actively involved. This is a strategy where you purposefully pause and eliminate a word for the group to fill in. ◦ “Jon and Sam went to the grocery _____. They

needed to get some _________.”

Provide an outline of the textbook or prepare an outline of important material to serve as a listening guide.

Provide audio recordings of books

Have an adult or fluent reader read aloud to a small group

Provide books at instructional level

Consider magazines or comic books

Provide a partner to help keep their place

Provide oral location clues when reading aloud. (i.e. Page 34, paragraph 4)

Provide a bookmark or window card to help them transition from line to line.

Draw an arrow from L to R to help with directionality.

Allow student to listen and look at pictures while another person reads.

Check to make sure the student knows the basic letter sounds. Review by: ◦ Letter books-pictures and sentences starting with

“M”

◦ Word chains-1st person: “Monday starts with ‘M’.” 2nd person: “Monday and monkey start with ‘M’.”

◦ Drill and practice-5 sounds to practice on flashcards

◦ Riddles-”I am thinking of an object in the sky that starts with ‘M.’ What is it?”

Blending/word families (Form 31): ◦ Flip charts-”an” on a card and other consonants on

different cards to let students practice work making ◦ Magnetic letter or letter cards to work on forming 3

letter words. Color code the vowel and stress that it is often in the middle.

◦ Memory match with rhyming words. Pictures are also helpful.

◦ Nonsense stories with word family words-”Tan Jan had a fan.”

◦ Teach rhyming words.

Starfall.com and other websites for phonics practice

Dolch Word List or Fry Instant Word List (Form 34)

Sight Word Recognition Drill: ◦ Start with six cards, two of each word. ◦ Step 1: Show the student a sample card and ask the

student to find the word. ◦ Step 2: Show the student a sample for several seconds.

Remove it and ask the student to find the word. ◦ Step 3: Ask the student to select cards without a model. ◦ Step 4: Show the student one card at a time and ask

them to read it.

Sight word bingo, sight word tic-tac-toe (Form 35, 36)

Make sure students are reading at the right level. ◦ Independent level-reads material easily and provide correct

answers to questions ◦ Instructional level-read material but stumbles over some

words and provides correct answers to follow up questions ◦ Frustration level-struggles to read material, many unknown

words and unable to answer questions

Ask students to summarize what they have read frequently.

Ask the student to develop comprehension questions as they read.

Provide a chapter outline. Teach students to visualize as they read. “What do

you see? What are people doing?” Graphic organizers (Form 38)

Teach students common prefixes and suffixes (Form 39)

Practice dividing words into syllables.

Teach students to use a thesaurus.

Practice charting unknown words (Form 40)

Create a word of the day

Reinforce and discuss academic vocabulary words

Create synonym word webs

Play dough or silly putty Use large tweezers to pick up small items Tear paper into strips and crumple the paper into

balls using only one hand Peel stickers off sheet and create a design on other

paper Play board games-cards, objects, and dice require

fine motor skills Practice self help skills-lacing shoes, zipping coats,

buttoning clothes String beads Use sewing cards Practice weaving Practice cutting

Practice forming letters with: ◦ Pudding ◦ Sand or salt ◦ Finger paint ◦ Pipe cleaners ◦ Play dough or clay

Practice tracing large pictures from coloring books or your drawing

Ask student to reproduce simple shapes from a model

Use paper with raised lines

Provide a model

Question and answer journal between student and adult

Free response journal

Assigned topic journal

Provide a picture cue

Write riddles

Provide a sentence starter or story starter

Brainstorm or provide a word bank

Use graphic organizers (Form 38 and 43)

Focus on development of ideas when doing a rough draft instead of mechanics

Graphic organizers Teach beginning, middle, end and transition

words like “first,” “next,” and “finally” Use a proofreading checklist (Form 44) Allow the use of a word processor or word

prediction program Offer a fill-in-the-blank format if needed Help formulate topic sentences as a simple

outline

Develop a spelling dictionary for use when writing Lower the number of words on a list Work from word families (Form 31) Insert sight words into lists Provide supplementary practice pages of words so

students can trace words multiple times Group words with common prefixes or suffixes

together Use different colors to highlight syllables in words Practice 2 or 3 words daily if students are

overwhelmed with the number of words on the list Practice spelling words in a variety of ways: with

peers, in shaving cream, on the computer, etc. Form 46

Use real life examples: telling time, calculating discounts, cooking, etc.

Provide a dictionary of math vocabulary

Use drawings, diagrams, and visual representations of problems

Use color to show the most important part of a problem

Teach math fact families

Allow the use of manipulatives

Create memory tricks for multi-step problems

Teach the students functions of the calculator

Estimate the answer Make a guess and check the answer Look for a pattern Draw a picture of the problem Work the problem backward Make a list Create a chart or table Break the problem into smaller parts Teach key words: altogether, in all, how many

left, etc. Number the steps in the problem, highlight key

words

Place arrows on the assignment to show directionality

Draw lines in between columns Allow the use of a workbook or photocopy

instead of having the student rewrite the problem from a text

Allow the use of charts, graphs, and tables When using a fact chart, give the student an

“L” cut out to help them locate the answer Teach skip counting Teach “Touch Math”

Modify the length of the assignment.

Divide the assignment into smaller segments and/or have the student complete the work over a number of days.

Allow the student to work with a partner or group.

Allow the student to respond verbally or into an audio recorder.

Provide a photocopy of material so student can write their answers on it.

Use an assignment book, planner or assignment sheet. They should include due dates, and students should check items off when complete.

Allow student to dictate answers or illustrate answers.

Allow the use of supplementary materials at a lower reading level or parallel activities.

Allow oral assessments instead of written Allow other assessments instead of test like projects

or presentations on materials Have student dictate answers Allow extra time Administer test outside of classroom Read test to students Have students underline or highlight key words Allow word banks for fill in the blank or essays Separate matching terms and definitions into

segments Eliminate one multiple choice answer Check for understanding of academic words in

assessment: compare, contrast, describe, etc.

Oral Directions: ◦ Make sure the student is looking

at you ◦ Teach them key words in a series

(i.e. first, next, finally) ◦ Write directions down for student ◦ Keep directions concise and

simple ◦ Simplify vocabulary ◦ Divide into 1-2 step components ◦ Appoint a peer helper ◦ Draw pictures of steps or take a

picture of steps ◦ Practice routine steps ◦ Make an audio recording of

directions ◦ Appoint a peer to cue the learner

when directions are being given

Written Directions: ◦ Provide directions in sequential

order ◦ Allow extra time for students to

copy directions or provide a copy ◦ Ask student to read directions at

least twice before beginning ◦ Allow student to highlight or

underline key phrases or words in directions

◦ Check for understanding ◦ Give directions orally as well as in

writing

The Environment: ◦ Provide a daily schedule

◦ Give transition reminders

◦ Allow extra time for transition

◦ Cue student to turn in work as soon as they arrive

◦ Provide special seating if necessary

Color coded folders Three ring binders Keep a model of

organizational system Tape a large manila

envelope to desk for incomplete work to be done later

Help student clean desk 1 x per week: file, take home, toss

Teach them to organize area and use planner

Label each handout so student knows where to put it

Have student call home and leave a message of homework to be done

Make a “to-do list” or checklist (Form 27)

Teach the student to self-talk through organizational steps

First, remember that a student’s inability to complete an assignment does not reflect upon you.

Then, adapt or modify the work.

If they are still not able to do the work, the curriculum should be analyzed and additional changes made. (See classroom teacher or case manager.)

First, discuss these options with the case manager and/or classroom teacher: ◦ Allow the student to complete the work independently

and then, the paraprofessional checks it for accuracy. If acceptable, it can be turned in. If not acceptable, the student must redo it with assistance.

◦ Provide the support to a small group of students including that student. This is legal as long as the regular education students do not become an integral part of the group.

◦ Change positions with the classroom teacher. The classroom teacher can work with the student while you monitor the classroom.

“The Paraprofessional’s Essential Guide to Inclusive Education” by Peggy A. Hammeken

“The Paraprofessionals Handbook for Effective Support in Inclusive Classrooms” by Julie Causton-Theoharis