Social Studies and Science: Modifications for Materials (Grades 2-4)

When I taught special education, my students all attend general education social studies and science. I modified their class work and tests as needed so they could be as successful with it as possible. Although I designed these materials for special education students, they are appropriate for general education students, too.

Typically I didn't modify kindergarten and first grade social studies and science work. As the work started to involve more writing and reading in 2nd grade, I started making modifications. All of the work that you see in this hub is from 2nd-4th grade curriculum.

Click on any of the photos to see larger versions of them.

This is a great accommodation for students who have difficulty writing. They will still be able to complete the work successfully without having to stress about the written portion of the work. This accommodation can also take away some of the guesswork that is necessary when no answers are provided, making the work at a more appropriate level for lower functioning students.

Visuals will greatly assist students who are non-readers or low readers. In this science unit, the students had a worksheet like this for each vocabulary word. The visuals for the directions will provide a simple reminder, eliminating the need for a teacher or aide to verbalize these directions for each vocabulary worksheet.

It can be overwhelming for some students to complete worksheets that have few or no boundary lines. Creating boundary lines makes this work accessible for them. If 4-5 tasks on one page is too many, cut the tasks apart or copy them onto separate pages. You can also use the enlarge image function on a copy machine to make each task bigger if the boundary spaces are too small.