The Inclusion Project

Partnership for People with Disabilities

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📝 Belonging Lesson Plan

General Information

  • Lesson Plan Title: Belonging Lesson Plan

  • Source/Basis: Based on the Guide for Students: Lesson #2

  • Grade Level(s): 8-12 (including transition/up to age 22)

  • Duration: 45 minutes

  • Sponsor/Source: Virginia Department of Education and the Partnership for People with Disabilities. The Partnership's motto is "Linking people, Changing lives".

🎯 Learning Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Utilize a belonging assessment to understand their strengths and needs related to belonging.

  • Write a transition IEP goal based on their individual strengths and needs.

Materials/Resources

  • Printed or digital version of the Planning for Belonging assessment from the Belonging Guide for Students.

  • Worksheets and presentation in the resource folder:

    • Writing IEP Goals PowerPoint (includes sample completed belonging assessment).

    • Writing an IEP Goal Worksheet.

    • Writing an IEP Goal Worksheet- More scaffolded.

    • Image options to use in the anticipatory set.

    • SMART IEP Goal Formula.

Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)

  • ELA 8.1c: Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems.

  • ELA 10.1i: Access, critically evaluate, and use information accurately to solve problems.

  • ELA 12.5b: Identify and synthesize resources to make decisions, complete tasks, and solve specific problems.

  • Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Process: Identify the resources needed to address specific problems and synthesize new information to make decisions and complete tasks such as completing employment, college, and financial applications; compiling résumés; creating portfolios etc..

Virginia College and Career Readiness English Performance Expectations

  • Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems. (#50).

👩‍🏫 Lesson Procedure

1. Anticipatory Set (Warm-up)

Teacher Guide:

  1. Show students a picture and ask them to brainstorm a list of descriptions of the picture. (Sample pictures are in the Google Folder, or the teacher can use their own.)

  2. Then, draw a T-Chart on the board with "objective" on one side and "subjective" on the other side.

  3. Ask if anyone knows the difference between objective and subjective, then reiterate the definitions: "Objectivestatements are based on facts, like there are ten people in this room. Subjective statements are based on opinion, like the lights are bright".

  4. Ask students to share some of their descriptors of the image.

  5. As students share, write each descriptor in the objective or subjective column.

Adaptations for Students with Support Needs:

  • For all activities, make adaptations and modifications as needed to meet the needs of students.

  • For all students, share the class agenda on the board and use meaningful repetition including restating comments from classmates.

  • During the warm-up activity, write or project each statement on the board with supporting images so students have visual access.

  • For students with different language levels, the terms, "fact" and "opinion" could be used instead of "objective" and "subjective".

2. Instruction of Skill

Teacher Guide:

  1. Explain, "Today, you will write an IEP goal for yourself using the Planning for Belonging assessment from the Belonging Guide for Students that we used yesterday. You will use objective measures when writing your goals".

  2. Show students the PowerPoint, Writing IEP Goals. It includes a sample completed belonging assessment. Look in the notes section for an explanation of each slide.

Adaptations for Students with Support Needs:

  • For students who are deaf or hard of hearing, ensure they have visual access to the speaker/interpreter.

  • For students who are blind or visually impaired, describe the images in the PowerPoint.

  • For students who have an intellectual disability, use language at an accessible level and provide wait time for student responses.

  • The PowerPoint is not needed for the more scaffolded worksheet.

3. Activity or Practice

Teacher Guide:

  1. Ask students to get into pairs.

  2. Ask students to circle one need (where they marked "no") for which they would like to write a transition goal and one strength (where they circled "yes") they can use to work on their goal.

  3. Then, ask students to discuss it with their partner for 2-5 minutes.

  4. Hand out the Writing an IEP Goal worksheet. (See different worksheet options to differentiate instruction and support various needs in the class.)

  5. Students should begin the worksheet independently, then discuss with their partner for feedback and support.

Adaptations for Students with Support Needs:

  • For students with significant support needs, provide visual supports and alternative opportunities for participation (e.g., AAC).

4. Closure

  • Ask students to discuss the belonging assessment and goal writing process with their partner then share with the group:

    • What was easy? Challenging?

    • What did you learn in the process?

    • What are some examples of how you can utilize your strengths?

5. Homework/Evaluation

  • Assignment: Complete the Writing an IEP Goal worksheet if not completed during class.

  • Adaptation: Modify the assignment based on student needs. For a more challenging assignment, you could ask students to write their own transition goal without the worksheet.

Contact Information

  • For more information, contact the Inclusion Project or visit their website.