Repost: Let's Talk Highlighters

Repost from 2022. 

There is something you should know about me: I L.O.V.E. stationery. It is a sort of special interest of mine and I am proud to say I could make you a pen recommendation for almost any need you have. 

I have incorporated stationery into my practice as a teacher and as a support for neurodivergent students as well as disabled students. My hope with this post is to provide a few different ways you can incorporate highlighters into your practice that support students and you. ​

Sensory Note Taking Station

I got this idea from a website that specialised in disability education/special education needs and supplies. I ultimately formed my own way of doing it and my students have appreciated it. There are lots of ways to take notes and keep track of things in a classroom and some teachers require it done a certain way. I was one of the kids who, when I didn't understand a class or topic (*cough* Biology *cough*), would completely redo my notes at home using markers, stickers, highlighters, etc. 

Whatever your practices and policies are regarding notes, some students have different needs and providing a sensory note taking  station can support them! The idea is to support sensory needs (sight, sound, smell, etc.) through readily available stationery supplies. Here is what is in my cart (picture forthcoming as I don't have access to my classroom over the summer):

• Paper
  • college ruled (my favourite growing up)
  • wide rules (great for students with mobility concerns or students who write with larger print)
  • graph/grid (my favourite now)
  • blank
• Writing Utensils
  • random pens (usually whatever is left behind in my classroom)
  • pens of different colours (you can also get pens of different types that write differently: gel, ballpoint, felt tip, glitter, etc.)
  • Standard #2 pencils
  • wide grip pencils (great for students with mobility concerns)
• Highlighters
  • standard thin grip highlighters
  • thick grip highlighters
  • scented highlighters
  • block highlighters (these are shaped like blocks or Legos) 
• Extras
  • sticky notes (I have all sizes)
  • paperclips
  • stapler
  • rubber bands
  • erasers
  • pencil grips

If a student needs supplies that support a limb difference or needs help gripping smaller objects this can help make the difference for them. Students should also be allowed to use a device when appropriate for note taking. I know that I prefer, for example, a paper notebook for my academic notes but I use my iPad (I use Notability) for professional notes/teaching notes, and I use Google docs for most professional brain storms. I also keep a variety of planners for different needs too (Plum planner, Google Calendar/Keep, and my bullet journal). It may seem excessive for some people, but for those who are neurodivergent it is an amazing experience. ​

Highlighters for Assessments

The other major way that I use highlighters is for assessments for students who need accommodations. While any student may need this for a variety of reasons, I've used this in the past to support students who:

• have an intellectual disability
• have ADHD
• are learning English/do not speak English (n.b. in these cases I either use the TL with the student along with visual aids or I speak the language in question.)
• are autistic
• have testing anxiety

There are a number of ways you can do this, but I really like using this technique for comprehension questions and providing textual proof for things (like proving a statement true). Here are some easy ways you can implement this:

1. Have student highlight with different colours for different characters. For example, in a story about Romulus and Remus, have them highlight statements that describe Romulus in blue and statements that describe Remus in yellow; green statements apply to both!
2. Have students highlight sentences that answer comprehension questions. 
3. Have students highlight words that fit into categories, for example, highlight all the animal words. 
4. Have students highlight sentences that, when put together, create a 3-5 sentence summary of the story. 
5. Have students highlight various pieces of the story:
   1. the conflict
   2. the resolution
   3. the villain (if there is one)
   4. the protagonist
   5. the setting

I'd love more ideas to add to this! If you try using highlighters in this way, let me know how you use it!