Before you begin a lesson, we suggest that you review your goals for each student. This can be as specific as reviewing what is in the IEP (Individual Education Plan), or as general as thinking about what you are trying to target in a different lesson. Students at different levels will have different goals, and it can be helpful to think about how you will address these different goals and individuate the lesson for each student. For example, one student may be working on connecting with other people, while another may be working on sequencing events or using describing words.
This tool is meant to help you think through aspects of your instruction before the lesson takes place. It is not your lesson plan, but hopefully if you develop a practice of thinking about the Six Essential Components as you develop these instructional activities, you will feel more confident and see better results for your student(s).
Just a note: you may have peers included in a story-writing activity, but you will not necessarily be focused on instruction with these peers. Their role is to provide opportunities for social interaction and emotional support for the focus student. Sometimes, though, you may have instruction targeted for more than one student within the writing activity. It is helpful to be clear about what each of your student’s goals or benchmarks/objectives are and how different instructional strategies may be needed for each of these students.
