Lindsay OGan

Student # 24

Organizing Needs & Strategies for Intervention Purposes

Complete the graphic organizer to match needs to strategies so your book
character can be successful in school.
1. Name the disability (1 point)
2. List strengths that YOUR character will have in the story. (2 points)
3. List a minimum of 6 different characteristics (2 in each category) for the
disability your
character exhibits. (6 points)
4. Align each disability characteristic to two research-based strategies to
overcome or
manage struggles directly related to the disability. (12 points) (+ 3 points
for details)
Disability: ADHD
Possibly / Common Strengths: Leonora the Lion. She is a sweet lion
cub, outgoing and energetic, the fastest cub in her pride! She
always wins at races and chase and tag.
Common
Evidence-based Instructional or Behavioral Strategies
Disability
the student can learn to find school success
Characteristic
Choose 6
characteristics
for YOUR
CHARACTER
Academic
1) Inability to
a) Behavior Specific Praise praise when paying attention.
focus during a
This will help her remember to try hard to focus as much as
pouncing lesson
possible during the lesson, which will help her become a
better pouncer which is important for lions for hunting!
b) Choral Responding will help engage her in the lesson
being taught to help keep her participating and paying
attention. Pouncing takes several steps for a lion to get it
right, as the teacher teaches those steps, the cubs repeat the
steps back to the teacher out loud. The teacher also
demonstrates pouncing, and if the teacher misses steps the
cubs hold up their paws when they see the missed step (in
case Leonora is shy about saying answers out loud
sometimes).
2) Performs
a) Journaling After watching a demonstration on pouncing
poorly on pounce by an adult lion, the cubs journal to reflect on what they
tests
observed, as if they were teaching an audience of lion cubs
how to pounce. This can be written words as well as drawing
diagrams of pouncing. This will help reinforce what the lion

Lindsay OGan
Student # 24

1) Cuts in line @
play w/ butterfly
time

2) Roars angrily
at friend lions

cubs saw and compare it to what they have been taught

about pouncing. These will be reviewed by the teacher so he
knows what aspects of pouncing Leonora (and the other cubs)
dont understand so he knows what to emphasize in the next
lesson.
b) Peer tutoring Each cub will be asked to demonstrate
pouncing with a partner. That partner will have the list of
pouncing steps in front of him/her to make sure each step has
been completed and to help remind their partner when they
miss steps. This will increase engagement and help reinforce
learned pouncing skills which will help Leonora in life as a
lion.
Social / School (Skills)
a) Behavior Contract goal of waiting turn during games.
Cutting in line hurts the other cubs feelings and Leonora
doesnt want to hurt anyones feelings, so she will be
motivated to accomplish this goal. The reward could be
getting to demonstrate how to sprint to the class (Leonora
shines during running activities). The discipline that Leonora
chooses is not getting to participate in butterfly chase time
for one session if she cuts or pushes in line during that
session.
b) Behavior Specific Praise when standing in line properly
the teacher can give BSP. Even if she is only standing in line
briefly, this praise will a) help boost her self-confidence and
improve her emotional state. Sometimes waiting in line can
make Leonora feel angry, especially if she feels like everyone
is laughing and having a good time but she isnt. That little
emotional boost of having recognition in that moment can
help cool the frustration and help her feel okay about
standing in line, and help her play more kindly with her
friends. b) It will also simply help her to remember the good
behavior that is expected of her so she will be less likely to try
to cut in line. This will keep her friends happier and improve
her social status with her peers.
a) Self Talk when Leonora is feeling angry and frustrated at
her friends, it is typically because she is angry or frustrated
by what is going on around her. When they are playing a
game for instance, she is impatient about having to wait her
turn. Or when everyone is talking she sometimes starts to feel
like everyone is laughing at her or excluding her, and it makes
her feel angry. These frustrations lead to her roaring angrily at

Lindsay OGan
Student # 24

1) Jumping up
and down during
quiet reading
time and not
actually reading
her book.

2) Gets
distracted during

her friends, which makes her friends not want to spend time
with her. By teaching Leonora self-talk the teacher can
improve her confidence in these social situations. Leonora can
tell herself in these moments its okay, I can wait my turn, I
am really excited for my turn but so are all of my friends, and
I dont want to hurt their feelings cutting in line. Or another
phrase she might learn is my friends are all having a good
time WITH me, they arent laughing AT me, they want me to
join in and have fun with them. By remembering these
statements she can improve her feelings which can help keep
her from impulsively getting too angry and roaring, which will
help improve her friendships.
b) Using Drama after lessons that are particularly difficult,
the teacher will use puppet time to help with feelings of
frustration and anger that can develop during the lesson.
Puppet show instructions will include having the cubs act out
a scenario where one cub isnt sharing their mouse toys and
the other cubs have to work through those issues. This can
allow Leonora to work through feelings of frustration in a safer
environment, and allow her creative side to flourish, giving
her a more positive outlet for any pent up negative emotions.
This will help her not only learn strategies for how to manage
friendships better (the puppet shows will have them
demonstrate proper ways to behave towards friends), but
help her feel better which will translate to better behavior
when she is with her friends.
Behavior / Organization
a) Behavior Contract the behavior contract will include
not interrupting peers that are trying to read during reading
time. If she is having difficulty staying still/focusing during
reading time, come up with other behaviors that Leonora can
do, such as reading one page then drawing/doodling about
what she read, or playing with a small mouse toy on the desk
while she reads. Make the behavior contract something she
can stick to that also keeps her engaged in reading.
b) Music/Movement/Rhythm to get the energy out before
reading time. If she can get her energy out at appropriate
times, it will help her be able to focus on reading during
reading time, which helps her learn and grow as reading
should!
a) Games: The teacher will play a quick game right at the
start of a new subject to help get her attention on the new

Lindsay OGan
Student # 24

class subject
changes

subject. When she struggles at the beginning of each new

subject to switch her brain, she oftentimes misses the
beginning of the lecture, missing crucial information. This sets
her up for feelings of confusion and frustration throughout the
lesson. When they play a little game at the beginning of the
lesson it helps her brain switch to the new subject matter,
keeping her from falling behind and keeping her more
motivated throughout.
b) Self-Monitoring: The teacher sits down privately with
Leonora to go over a pre-determined list of behaviors she
wants Leonora to look for during subject changes. These
goals include 1) getting out new materials and packing up old
ones quickly and quietly, and 2) paying attention to the
beginning of the new lesson as soon as the teacher starts
talking by looking at the teacher and 3) listening to what the
teacher is saying. Then the teacher asks Leonora to selfmonitor herself during subject changes to see how well she is
doing with those behaviors. At the end of each subject, she
has a checklist to mark if she was able to follow all 3 of those
goal behaviors during the subject change. The teacher then
monitors the check list each day to see how Leonora did, and
see if there is anything that can be done to help Leonora do
better if she is still struggling. As Leonora improves her
subject change behaviors, the self-monitoring checklist can
be slowly phased out.