Int. Strategies (I)	Practice 3
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1. Kira is a fifth grader with disabilities who attends her local elementary school. Kira has limited verbal skills and sometimes has trouble expressing herself in a way that her teacher and peers can understand. Although Kira attempts to talk to her classmates when she needs something, they frequently have trouble understanding her. In the past, Kira´s only method of indicating that she needed something has been to groan loudly until someone could guess what it was that she was trying to say. Kira can say the words "help me" and has been learning how to use a new communication board in class. The teacher knows that she may not always be nearby to respond to Kira but wants to make sure that when Kira needs something that someone will respond immediately. Why do you think the teacher believes that it is so important to respond immediately to Kira´s communication attempts? How can the teacher make sure that Kira has many opportunities to use her communication board? What does she need to do to make sure that Kira´s communication system is effective?
	example:
		The teacher knows that Kira´s new communication attempts must be more efficient for her than groaning loudly. If Kira attempts to communicate but no one responds to her, Kira will continue to use groaning as a method for communicating her needs. One strategy the teacher could employ would be to include Kira´s peers in the problem-solving process. The involvement of Kira´s peers would create new opportunities for Kira to interact with others, increase the likelihood that Kira will be reinforced for using her new communication skills, and help Kira build new friendships with others. Over time, Kira´s communication board could include methods for Kira to socialize with the other students as well (i.e. questions about what happened over the weekend could be included on her communication board). Another important strategy that should be used to increase the probability that Kira will use her new communication system is to ignore Kira´s groaning while redirecting Kira to her communication board.

2. Imagine that you have just started out a new school year teaching the fifth graders in Kira´s class. The students assigned to your classroom have a wide range of skills. Out of twenty-two students, eleven have Individualized Education Programs, and nine of them are receiving some kind of assistance from the school for academic concerns. The first few days of class have been somewhat chaotic and you are trying to figure out what type of strategies might be used to create a better learning environment. While the students were working, you took on the role of an observer. You watched the students as they shouted out random questions, yelled across the room when they needed something from a fellow student, and spent much of the time trying to get ready to work. Some of the students looked like they might be having difficulty working on the assignment while others just appeared uninterested. Describe two types of intervention approaches that could be used to decrease the student´s off-task behaviors and increase the likelihood of their academic success.
	example:
		Antecedent intervention strategies could be implemented both at an individual and classroom level. If some of the student´s are struggling with the difficulty level of the task, the academic material may be too challenging, setting the stage for frustration and a sense of learned helplessness. Modifying their assignments to better meet their academic needs would be one type of antecedent strategy. It is possible that a classroom level intervention could be used to increase student interest in the curricular material. Self-monitoring strategies might be useful strategy for helping the students monitor their own progress on academic tasks and their on-task behavior. A self-management system could also help you assess how each of the students are doing and provide further information that can assist you in designing an effective learning environment.