Wonder By Raquel J. Palacio

Throughout each part of my day, I am able to walk into and observe classrooms. Each classroom has its own unique energy. The readings for topic four made me wonder what an inclusive school would look and sound like. Would I find examples in my school? What evidence would support differentiated instructional strategies? How was assistive technology being implemented? Here are my observations of one classroom visit.
The students in Mr. Spriggs classroom had just finished ‘reading’ the final chapter of Wonder by Raquel J. Palacio. Some students had listened to the book on tape because of their literacy levels, while other students were given (or created for themselves) graphic organizers to help them organize key ideas. Mr. Spriggs had just assigned a culminating task that asked the students to creatively depict how the characters in Wonder demonstrated courage and conviction. He had also distributed a co-created rubric describing how the assignments would be evaluated.
Spriggs's class had been identified and were coded with learning disabilities with three identified as gifted. In collaboration with Mr. Spriggs, the coordinator of the gifted and talented support services, Ms. Alisat, had collaborated with each of those three students about how they would not only meet but could exceed the assignment rubric. Mr. Spriggs and Ms. Alisat were available at any time to assist and guide the students as they completed their modified assignments and to help other students with their assignments. Ms. Nabata, Mr. Spriggs's, Educational Assistant, was also in the classroom and was available to help students who were on Individualized Program Plans (IPP) and anyone else who required