Sharing Good Practice
5 ACTIVITIES TO ENGAGE
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
By Melissa Monney
“Teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theatre.”- Gail Goldwin
T
eaching requires great effort to
ensure that all students receive
the most from every lesson.
However, teaching students
with special needs or as I like to call
them “unique” learners, is a theatrical
exert that entails a little extra. Whether
you consider “unique” learners as
those who are gifted and talented or
those who require more support and/
or scaffolding to complete a task,
they all bring out the most creative
sides of us, as educators. So what
happens when your lesson does not
go as planned or students are either
just not comprehending the material
or are quite simply not motivated
enough to engage? This can be even
more challenging when working with
students with unique learning needs.
The goal of a teacher is to ensure that
no student is left behind, but how does
one motivate, encourage and engage
unique learners? Here are 5 activities
that I have often utilized to engage my
unique learners, which can be used to
engage all learners
Word Buffet
After a grammar lesson, such as
simple sentences, divide your class
into groups (ability, flexible, etc.). Use
sentence strips (or pieces of paper) to
write out as many words as possible,
including the different parts of speech.
Spread the words out over a large
table and give each group a paper
plate, hence the name “word buffet.”
Have 1 learner from each team go to
the table and take as many words as
they want (“all they can eat”) from the
table in 30 seconds. Let them take the
words back to their team and sort the
words out by part of speech. As an
extension activity, you can have them
create simple sentences using the
words on their table. This can be taken
a step further by asking them to create
specific simple sentences, such as a
“simple sentence about a classroom
object, animal, person, etc.”
Flipbook
This flipbook is comprised of plain
sheets of paper folded to create several
leaves of paper for a book. You can
write down key terms or information at
the bottom of each page. Have your
learners draw a picture to represent
the term or concept that is written at
the bottom of each page.
Vocabulary/Term Squares
Vocabulary seems to be one of the
most challenging aspects for learners,
especially within the ESL context here in
the UAE. Vocabulary boxes are a great
way to engage the visual and kinesthetic
learner. Simply take a blank sheet of
paper, fold it in half vertically then do 3
or 4 horizontal folds (depending on the
number of terms). In each square, have
learners write a term at the top in big
letters. Have learners fill in the squares
with short phrases and pictures for each
term as it is discussed.
High Five
In the USA, there is a colloquial term ‘to
know something like the back of your
hand.” With this activity, have learners
trace their hand on a blank sheet of
paper. On each finger of the paper
hand, they can write 5 things they
learned during the lesson (the 5 things
they know like the back of their hand).
Dialogue Box
Communication is key in learning. It
can also be used as a form of informal
assessment and ticks the box as
assessment of learning. An activity
that can be used is that of the dialogue
box. In a shoebox, put pictures of
various images related to the lesson.
In small groups, have learners pull
out one picture at a time. Let them
discuss the image and how it relates
to the lesson(s). When all the pieces
have been removed from the box and
discussed, learners can discuss how
all the pieces fit together like a puzzle,
or create a collage using the pieces.
As we look to engage all of our
learners, I always say, “That which
engages you, stays with you.”
Engaging unique learners involves
providing them with the opportunities
to ‘create with the language,’ and also
making the material relevant to their
everyday lives, interests and future
goals. Let us be reminded that while
the rest of the education sector is
focused on mastery, teaching unique
learners (dare I say all learners) should
be about the growth and progress they
are making with each skill.
Class Time
Nov - Dec 2014
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