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Edmonds School District

Diverse Learners: Additional Supports

This page is intended to help support students in accessing online learning. Students and families can select resources to explore and learn from in supporting their continued education.  The suggested activities and resources in this guide do not replace the experience of being in school and are not intended to continue the school year at home. Students can select resources to explore and learn from while they are at home, based on their grade level, current courses, and interests.

On this page, you will find helpful tips and tools for a variety of learning styles and specialized needs. To supplement resources shared elsewhere on this site, the Additional Support page highlights tools for students in special education, who require accommodations, as well as those who are English Learners. While these tools may be designed for specific needs, they may help any student.

Scroll down or use the table of contents at right to view topics.

To translate this page, set the default language in the Chrome browser on a computer, Android, iPhone or iPad. 

español          Tiếng Việt             عربى        

한국어         русский

Talking to Students with Special Needs about COVID-19

In addition to this Social Story about the Corona Virus, there are many more visual supports for explaining topics related to COVID-19. These are gathered from the public from a variety of sources, so we strongly encourage parents and guardians to select those most appropriate for each student. In speaking with your students about COVID-19, you may also wish to review these mental health resources.

Due to our current situation, our counselors and psychologists want to make sure families have the information and resources they need to support their student’s mental health.  Here are three key resources to supplement social emotional learning for any student:

Resources for Parents 

There are overwhelming amount of resources for parents. Our hope is to provide parents with a few quality resources that they may find helpful or to start the conversation with their child's case manager on their needed resources.  These resources are appropriate across the age and disability categories unless noted otherwise. 

Video: How to Help your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Similar Needs Learn at Home During Covid-19 - 5 Easy Strategies (~22min)

Chromebook Accessibility Features

Chromebooks have excellent built-in tools to make things easier to see, hear, and understand.  To learn more, refer to the Guardian's Guide for Accessibility from Google and the resources below.

Read&Write for Google Chrome

Try this add-on (extension) for the Chrome web browser, which provides a variety of reading and writing supports, like having the computer read text aloud with highlighting as reads. This works on websites, Docs, and more!

Students must log into their Edmonds Chrome account to access these tools.

How-To Guide for Students (video)

Co:Writer Universal

Click here to add Co:Writer to Chrome

Another Chrome add-on that provides writing support, Co:Writer is for word prediction, with topic dictionaries and custom features. Works throughout the web, with Google Docs, Gmail, and more.

Phonemic Awareness 

For students supported by Title 1/LAP Programs, this simple word list can be used by families to practice phonological awareness.

Access to eBooks, Audiobooks

These tools are specifically for students who require accommodations to access books. 

Learning Ally*

Library of audio and ebooks for qualifying students with print disabilities. Requires account. 

Edmonds Guide to Learning Ally

Family Guide to Learning Ally at Home

Getting Started with Learning Ally (infographic)

Bookshare*

Another library of digital books that can be read aloud by a computer, for qualifying students with print disabilities. Requires membership.

Edmonds Guide to Bookshare

ASL eBooks and Resources for Deaf Kids

Videos of eBooks delivered in American Sign Language (ASL) 

*To inquire about student accounts, please contact your student's case manager.

Many of the resources shared on the Elementary page can be used in creative ways for improved access by students with specific needs.  

Reading to Kids with Complex Needs

Tips for reading at home for parents & caregivers of kids with complex needs.

Websites with free, easy-to-read, and accessible eBooks on a wide range of topics:

  • Storyline Online  - Picture books being read aloud by celebrities or public figures.
  • Tarheel Reader - Books with simple text, which can be switch-adapted.

English Learners

Use these resources to provide your English learners access to digital content within any subject. 

Please note that many reading resources on the Elementary page are available in multiple languages.

Imagine Learning

A website to improve English reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. 

Access through Clever. 

Grade(s):  K-8

Read & Write en Español

Overview in Spanish - Resumen en Español

Feature Demonstrations in Spanish - Demostraciones de Funciones en Español

Organization Tips and Tools

Tools and strategies to keep you and your student organized while learning at home.

Google Keep

Note taking app, can be used as a tool to support executive function. Create color-coded checklists and so much more.

Video Tutorials

Web-based Tutorial

Read&Write for Google

Some features of Read&Write, such as color-coded highlighting, can help with organizing ideas while reading and writing. See "Reading and Writing Supports" above for more tips!

Communication Supports

Children who are not yet using verbal language, or who need visual support for their language, may need augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports (such as pictures, signs, gestures) to communicate their thoughts and feelings, and to understand what adults are saying to them. Here are some tools you can use to keep talking at home! 

CORE words (see right) are a small set of highly useful words that make up most of what we say.  CORE boards, with symbols for CORE words, are a great way to interact with your child using picture communication symbols. If your child uses a CORE board, here's one that's made just for parents in Edmonds! Print and use it along with the guides below.

What are CORE words and boards?

CORE vocabulary is the name for the most common words used in English. These words are what we call "CORE words" or "CORE vocabulary." Within CORE words are about 40 words are the most useful for beginning communicators. These words are included in CORE vocabulary boards, and are the first CORE words taught to students learning AAC. 

Tech Tools for All Students 

A one-page handout of common accommodations using readily available tools.

Assistive Technology Tools

The Assistive Technology Tool Kit provides information about specific tools that are commonly used and available within the district.