About this activity
Eight phrases that let a secondary student direct their own support: I need more time. Can you repeat that? I don't understand this part. Please slow down. I need a break. Can I get a copy of the notes? I'd rather answer this in writing. I have a question about the assignment. Accommodations written in a document do nothing unless someone asks for them in the moment, and by high school that someone should be the student.
How to use it in a session
Teach the specific ones first. I don't understand this part is far more useful than a general I don't understand, because it tells the teacher where to start again. Rehearse in a real class with a teacher who is expecting it, then withdraw — the point is a student asking a teacher, not a student asking you. I'd rather answer this in writing is worth pre-storing prominently; it converts a live oral demand into one the student can meet.
What to listen for
Watch for use with teachers who have not been briefed. A student who advocates only with the staff who expect it has a supported skill, not a portable one. Notice the timing too: an accommodation requested at the start of a task changes the task, while one requested at the end explains a failure.
Carrying it home
Homework is the natural place for this. When something is not understood, the family can ask the student to write down the specific question for the teacher rather than explaining it themselves. The question is the skill.
Questions
- What grade level is this?
- Sixth through twelfth. It fits self-advocacy and transition goals more than expressive language ones.
- Do I have to sign up?
- No. It plays free in the browser with no account.
- Should teachers be told to expect these?
- Once, at the start. After that, the useful data comes from classrooms where nobody was warned.