Dance Curriculum Toolkit

Title of Resource: 5 Instructional Adaptations for Students with Diverse Needs

 

Target Audience: Educators

 

Description of Resource: This resource is an excerpt from New Jersey's Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Framework. The information in this resource is a valuable resource for all arts educators working with diverse learners, gifted students, and limited English proficiency students (LEP).  The framework includes tips and strategies for educators working with diverse learners, gifted students, and LEP students in any school setting.  Some Strategies for working with diverse learners include: Instructional Adaptations for Diverse Learners, Adaptations for Students with Disabilities, Classroom Organization Instructional Presentation, Instructional Monitoring, and Student Response.  Some strategies for working with gifted and talented students include: Introduction to exceptionally able students, Process for identification of exceptionally able students, Adaptations for exceptionally able students, Acceleration, Enrichments, and Grouping.  Some strategies for working with Limited English Proficiency Students include: Introduction to students with LEP, Adaptations for LEP students (preparation for the students, preparation for instruction, teaching strategies, enhancing vocabulary, checking for students understanding, and questioning strategies), and samples of LEP adaptations.

 

Appropriateness for High School Students:  This resource is applicable to working with diverse learners, gifted and talented students, and LEP students in a high school setting.  This information guides educators as to ways of scaffolding and adjusting curriculum to meet the needs of there students should they have students that fall under any of those three categories.  It is possible that some students with diverse needs may be in mainstream classes, inclusion classrooms, and/or special needs classrooms.  Students may be moved around within a high school between these different types of classes until they are placed in the appropriate class for them.

 

Use of Resource in Classroom/Ways to Implement this Resource in my Classroom: I definitely will keep this guide as a reference in my office that I have access to easily so that I can refer to the information as I lesson plan throughout the year.  I do not intend to share this information with students however, if a parent were to address me regarding my teaching strategy while working with there child who, for example, is one of the LEP students, I would be able to refer to this guide to aid my explanation and even potentially share with the parent if I felt it would help them to understand better.

 

Strengths of Resource as a Teaching Tool (Purpose, Value, Uniqueness, Positive Aspects):  I think that this resource is unique because it is specifically designed for New Jersey.  Since I am attending Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, much of the standards information that I have been working with specifically is from the New Jersey Board of Education however, I have not come across this particular information in my studies thus far.  I think that this information is very clear, and able to be implemented into the dance classroom in an easy, non-intrusive way.

 

Possible Modifications to Resource (Weaknesses, Limitations, Supplemental Resources):  For me, I think that some of the terminology, I am unfamiliar with and would need to further research its accuracy before I would potentially share this with administrators and/or parents of my students.

 

Ways to Access Resource:

1. Click the Dance New Jersey Logo at the top of this webpage.

 

Resource Citation:

New Jersey Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Framework. Five Instructional Adaptations for Students with Diverse Needs. Retrieved from http://www.state.nj.us/education/archive/frameworks/arts/chap5.pdf