International Day at Mililani Intermediate School is about learning to appreciate the differences of other cultures. With the theme of diversity in mind, teacher Sara Vidad-Castillo and her educational assistant Jelna Shelton decided that their fully self contained (FSC) class of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) would participate. Their goal was to present on the country of Japan to two other classes, but this meant that they had to consider the students’ different learning styles and various strengths. An integral aspect of differentiation is building on student strengths and interests. For this reason, Japan was chosen because it reflected one of the student’s specific interests. The class worked diligently for weeks, studying, preparing, and practicing their presentations.
When International Day finally arrived, modifications were made to the presentation format to ensure the successful participation of the entire class. To create an environment where the students would be most likely to succeed, they were allowed to present first, they were seated close to the front of the room so that they could see and attend to the other presentations, and they were allowed to use a table foe their visual supports and for one student’s assistive technology device (Lightwriter). The students also wore Happi coats and Hachimaki on their heads.
Each student had a distinct role in the presentation to guarantee the participation of every student. One student who uses a Lightwriter was verbally asked questions about Japan’s economy. Visual cue cards were ser out and after the student listened to the question, he typed in the answers and his Lightwriter provideda voice output which allowed the audience to hear his portion of the presentation.
Another student accomplished his IEP objective of speaking in sentences when he presented his aspect of Japanese culture. He used the display board to point to various Japanese foods. He then turned to the audience to explain, “These are the foods they eat in Japan. They eat soba. They eat rice.”
The class also has a student with limited language capabilities. This student presented on hobbies and interests in Japan by matching Velcro labels to the corresponding pictures on the board. Another student who has high functioning autism read from a script he helped to prepare on Japan’s history and culture. This class project is an excellent example of utilizing the concept of differentiated curriculum to match the needs and abilities of the learner. Mrs. Vidad-Castillo and Mrs. Shelton are to be applauded for their creativity and dedication.