This guide provides specific accommodations and modifications for Unit 1 activities. All suggestions maintain access to grade-level creative writing content while adjusting the path to demonstrating understanding. Consult individual student IEPs and collaborate with special education staff for student-specific adjustments.
Students with processing speed deficits, attention regulation differences, or fine motor challenges benefit from extended time blocks and strategic activity breaks. The following recommendations maintain cognitive demand while removing time pressure.
The close reading and annotation are the priority; if time is limited, reduce from 4 analysis questions to 2 (questions a and d are the most essential, as they address the highest-DOK skills: identifying effective techniques and explaining their purpose).
Planning (steps 1–3) should be a separate session from writing (step 4). This scaffolds executive function demands and reduces cognitive load. The reflection can be shortened to 2 sentences instead of 3–4.
The planning step should be completed before the writing session begins. This separation allows students to focus entirely on composing without holding the planning structure in working memory simultaneously.
If the two-read strategy is overwhelming, allow one read with focused annotation. Students can annotate for sensory details only on the first read, eliminating the need to hold multiple criteria in mind simultaneously.
Suggested split:
Spacing these sessions across multiple days allows for processing time and reduces executive function fatigue.
If time or stamina constraints limit completion, prioritize in this order to capture the unit's core creative writing skills:
If only one assignment can be completed, the Trading Post Description best captures the unit's core skills (sensory detail, mood, cultural awareness) in a manageable scope.
For students with documented writing disabilities or processing differences, reduce assignment length while maintaining the core craft skills and learning targets. These modifications preserve rigor while adjusting output volume.
Reduce from 400–600 words to 250–400 words while maintaining the 3-senses requirement and mood establishment.
Provide a graphic organizer with the structure:
Reflection can be 1–2 sentences instead of 3–4.
Reduce from 500–700 words to 350–500 words.
The 3–2–1 rule (3 visual + 2 non-visual details) and named character requirements remain — these are the core craft skills and demonstrate the essential learning target.
Reduce the number of rubric criteria students must address from 5 to 3: Sensory Detail , Mood , and one additional of student's choice (e.g., Character Detail or Cultural Element).
Reduce the Region Guide from 800–1,000 words to 500–700 words.
Simplify to 3 sections instead of 4:
The map can be a simple labeled sketch rather than a polished illustration. Functionality (clear labels, geographic relationships) matters more than artistic quality.
Reflection can be 2–3 sentences instead of 4–5.
Reduce from 4 questions to 2 (keep the highest-DOK question and one recall question to maintain rigor while reducing cognitive load).
Sentence frames should be provided in modified form as fill-in-the-blank templates, reducing planning demand while maintaining engagement with content.
Some students demonstrate understanding more effectively through modalities other than written response. The following alternatives maintain the same learning targets and rubric criteria while adjusting the demonstration mode.
How it works: Students may record 2–4 minute audio or video descriptions instead of written work for any assignment (Hometown, Trading Post, or Region Guide).
Rubric application: Apply the same rubric criteria (sensory detail, mood, character, cultural detail) to the oral presentation. Provide the rubric in advance and let the student practice before recording.
Scaffolding: Students should have talking points or a brief outline to reference during recording, but the speech should be their own.
How it works: Provide a pre-annotated version of the mentor text with 2–3 examples of effective setting details highlighted (e.g., sensory adjectives, mood-creating phrases).
Student task: Student completes the remaining annotations and answers 2 questions instead of 4, focusing on identifying one additional technique and explaining its effect.
How it works: Student creates a visual portfolio: map + 3–4 captioned images or drawings with brief (2–3 sentence) descriptions instead of the full Region Guide.
Maintains: This preserves creative world-building and demonstrates geographic/cultural knowledge while reducing writing demands significantly.
Can include: Sketches, collages, found images with labels, or digital illustrations — the priority is communicating the world through visual + brief text.
Question reduction: Reduce to 7 questions (5 multiple choice + 2 short answer).
Short answer scaffolding: For short answer questions, provide bullet-point scaffolding:
Response length: Accept shorter responses (2–3 sentences instead of 3–4) as long as they address each scaffolding point.
Students with decoding difficulties, visual processing differences, or attention regulation challenges benefit from multi-modal access to written content.
Built-in accessibility: The instructional content uses Atkinson Hyperlegible font and 1.6 line spacing, which supports readability for most students with dyslexia and visual processing differences.
Text-to-speech: Content can be read aloud using browser-based text-to-speech tools (Read Aloud extension for Chrome is free and easy to use). Provide students with a quick tutorial on activating this feature.
Navigation: Lesson pages are structured with clear headings that allow students to navigate to specific sections, reducing cognitive load from scanning long pages.
Reading level match: Select mentor texts at an appropriate reading level or provide a scaffolded version alongside the original.
For students reading significantly below grade level: Consider a shorter excerpt (150–200 words) with pre-annotated vocabulary. Do NOT reduce the analytical rigor — just reduce the text volume.
Vocabulary pre-teaching: Identify 5–7 key vocabulary words in advance and define them before the student reads, removing decoding barriers to comprehension.
Inline definitions: The student pages define all key terms inline (no separate glossary lookup).
For additional support: Create a visual vocabulary reference (term + definition + image/example) that students keep open alongside their work. A one-page PDF with 8–10 key terms per unit section works well.
Students with ADHD, processing deficits, or working memory limitations benefit from external structure, task breakdown, and progress checkpoints. These scaffolds should be gradually faded as students build independence.
Checkpoint structure: Break into 3 explicit checkpoints with teacher sign-off at each stage:
Graphic organizer: Provide a fillable graphic organizer:
This external structure reduces the demand on working memory and provides a clear roadmap.
Planning template: Provide a structured planning template:
Having this completed and approved before writing begins reduces mid-task decisions and cognitive switching.
Use Geography Brainstorm (1.6.1) as the executive function scaffold: Ensure the student completes 1.6.1 fully before beginning 1.7. This prework is essential for reducing confusion and false starts.
Template for Region Guide: For the Region Guide, provide a section-by-section template with word count ranges for each section. Example:
Progress Tracker checklist: Provide a unit-level checklist (use the Progress Tracker from the Unit Overview) that students check off as they complete each item. This provides visible progress and motivation.
Deadline structure: Set intermediate deadlines rather than a single final due date. Example:
Create and share these fillable organizers at the beginning of the unit:
The sensory writing focus of this unit can be engaging and therapeutic, but students with sensory processing differences may need targeted adjustments.
The Sensory Detail Practice (1.4.1, Exercise 1: "describe the room you're in") could be overwhelming for students who are hypersensitive to sensory input.
Alternative: "Describe a remembered place" or "Describe a place from a book, game, or movie you love." This maintains the sensory writing skill without requiring present-moment awareness of physical sensations.
Browser reader mode: For students who work best with minimal visual distraction, the HTML pages can be viewed in browser reader mode (most browsers support this), which strips formatting to plain text and removes colored callout boxes temporarily.
All visual elements (callout boxes, tables, badges) use sufficient color contrast and include text labels, not color alone. This supports students with color blindness and low-vision users.
This unit asks students to create personal and imaginative content. Social-emotional scaffolds ensure all students feel safe and supported while engaging in creative work.
For students with social anxiety: Offer an alternative to public peer review:
Sentence frames reduce ambiguity: The TAG protocol with sentence frames ("I notice…," "This detail makes me feel…," "One change could be…") provides clarity and reduces anxiety about vague or hurtful feedback.
Issue: This assignment draws on personal experience and home/place memory. For students with trauma connected to home or displacement, the assignment can trigger distress.
Alternative: Allow "a place you've visited," "a place from a book, movie, or game," or "a place you'd like to visit." Do not require explanation of why they chose an alternative — respect their autonomy and privacy.
For students overwhelmed by open-ended reflection: Provide specific prompts:
Acceptance criteria: Accept brief responses (2–3 sentences total) that respond to each prompt.
For all discussion-based activities: Offer the option of written response via private message to the teacher instead of public posting. This maintains participation while honoring introversion and social anxiety.
Students with communication differences, speech disabilities, or AAC users benefit from simplified language, visual supports, and predictable structure.
Short, high-frequency frames for peer review and discussion:
These can be programmed into AAC devices for quick access during peer review activities.
The callout boxes (triggering event, SEL moments, AI guidance) use consistent color coding and labels throughout all unit pages, creating predictable structure. This supports students with autism and others who benefit from visual predictability.
For each major assignment, create a 3-step version for students who benefit from minimal text:
This chunked version supplements (not replaces) the full directions; students can reference either as needed.
Use this table to align unit activities with common IEP goals. Share rubric data with the IEP team as portfolio evidence of growth.
| Common IEP Goal Area | Unit Activities That Address It |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Mentor Text Analysis (1.2.1), lesson reading, quiz (1.10) |
| Written Expression | Hometown (1.3), Trading Post (1.5), Region (1.7), formative checks |
| Vocabulary / Language Development | All lesson vocabulary sections (1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6), sentence frames throughout |
| Social Skills / Collaboration | Peer Review (1.5.1), discussion activities, SEL moments |
| Self-Advocacy | Unit Reflection (1.9), SEL moments, AI World-Building Evaluation (1.8) |
| Executive Function / Organization | All planning activities (checkpoints, graphic organizers), Geography Brainstorm (1.6.1), Progress Tracker |
| Self-Monitoring / Metacognition | Formative checks (1.2a, 1.4b), Unit Reflection (1.9), self-assessment within rubrics |
Effective special education supports require collaboration between general education and special education staff. The following conversations should happen before or early in the unit.
Discuss and document:
Discuss with SpEd staff: Appropriate pairings for students receiving services. Consider:
For students with IEP goals in written expression: The three-assignment arc (Hometown → Trading Post → Region) provides excellent portfolio evidence of growth across the unit. Collect and save:
Share this data with the IEP team at the next meeting as evidence of progress toward written expression goals.
This guide is intended to support equitable access to Unit 1 content. All accommodations should be aligned with individual student IEPs and documented in the student's education record. For questions or to discuss student-specific needs, consult with your special education team.