"Nothing could be as hard as middle school. " Zooey Deschanel
Organizational Tools for students who struggle with executive functioning skills for a variety of reasons (ADHD, Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Behavior Disorders, or Learning Disabilities) using an accommodation of an organization tool can be an easy support. In reality, most adult use some form of organizational tool to manage tasks or information. Teaching kids a variety of tools and their uses during the middle school years can support increased access to learning and save a huge amount of frustration. Traditionally, we taught students to use planners, and although helpful, the reality is that students have a powerful tech tool in the palm of their hand with their phone. The tools below replace a paper/pencil planner and allow students to work off many devices, keep track of all assignments, projects, and tests. It can support the communication of assignments to parents,and organize all of their need to know information in a single space accessible from ANYWHERE. Here are a few suggestions to explore with students: My Study Life (Free) My study life is a free online planner that can sync work across any device: iPhone, Android, Windows 8, Windows Phone and the web. Schooltraq (Free) Android app and mobile web (iPhone app in progress) Google Calendar (Free) Available on all devices and links to Google account. Has both iPhone App and Android App
Math Tool for Accommodations math can be an an area that provides difficulty to many students, especially algebra and beyond. I find many students that can understand the concepts, but struggle with the output due to disgraphia or organizational deficits. Here are a few tools that can support students demonstrating their skills and knowledge with tech. geogebra (free) Software program that lets students create mathematical constructions and models to explore algebra and geometry concepts. Teachers can make their own interactive worksheets as well (or borrow what other teachers have created). It is downloadable using WebStart or Applet Start. Desmos Graphing Calculator(free) HTML graphic calculator . It cannot perform every type of calculation so may not be able to replace the graphing calculator in the classroom. Students can save their work they from a problem using Desmos and come back to it later or share it with others. One of the most powerful elements of Desmos is that it creates the graph as you type numbers into the program. If you make a change to a number, the graph is quickly redrawn. Students can make these changes and see the impact of these changes in real time. This immediate feedback on how a graph changes is a very powerful way for students to learn about math.
Reading/Comprehension Accommodations There are many students that struggle with reading fluency and comprehension, but can still engage with grade level material and should still be exposed to high level texts alongside intervention strategies. These are also useful for English Language Learners. Here are tools that can support accommodations for reading: Audio Versions of Novels (free) This site has audio versions of numerous common novels that are used in today's classrooms. There are two listening speeds and they are most often broken down by chapter. Additional Free Resources for Teachers