Groups of students may need supports, including scaffolds, and extensions to ensure access, rigor, and relevance in their learning.
Scaffolds – provide structures that enable students to learn new content without attending to all parts of a task at the same time. Students practice an isolated part of the task using the scaffold to complete the whole task. To remove the scaffold, students alternate between prompts that provide the scaffold and tasks the student completes, until the student can make the scaffold independently and then complete the task with or without the scaffold. Learn how to create scaffolds.
Supports – provide structures that enable students to learn new content without being hampered by learning challenges. The learning challenges will be addressed in another lesson. Often learning challenges are addresses when the content of the lesson is a review for the student. When the content or material of the lesson is new to the student, providing supports for learning challenges enables the student to focus on acquiring the new information, skills, and understanding. Can be an accommodation. Learn how to provide supports.
Extensions – provide stretch for students who have mastered the objectives being taught in a lesson, but activities relate to current learning goals. Can be an accommodation.