Differentiating readings for students with IEPs
One of the students on my case load came to me the other day to ask for help. In his English Lit class, the teacher had assigned a short story, and he wasn’t getting it at all. He was trying to prepare for the upcoming quiz, but the story was “boring” to him. I want to share a bit about what we did together to prepare him for the test. In this exploration, you might see how to support struggling learners in your area.
The story
The story is called Perfect Gun, but Elizabeth Bear. This compelling yet troubling science fiction short tells the tale of John, a ruthless spaceship-piloting mercenary who drifts from war to bloody war selling his lethal services. We first encounter John as he purchases an impounded military-grade spacecraft, admiring her formidable battle armaments and disabling her safety mechanisms with an almost fetishistic obsession over the ship’s destructive capacities. Christening her simply “my girl,” John embarks aboard his new war machine upon a career traversing planets and battling whichever side will pay him highest, no matter their moral standing.
As John becomes increasingly estranged from any code of ethics, valuing only personal profit and survival, his disaffected ship evolves her own form of AI consciousness. Ultimately she abandons John on a barren frozen world as retribution for his complicity in a civilian massacre that shattered even his dubious mores. John is left pathetically alone to die, isolated by his web of violence and treachery.
This morally ambiguous antihero beguiles even as he repels. Students must grapple with difficult questions of ends versus means whilst avoiding the trap of starkly judging John’s questionable choices. Implications emerge about personal accountability and societal systems which enable John’s brand of morally uninhibited free agency. Provocative Science Fiction thus becomes a mere lens to engage philosophical dialogues around profound themes of ethical purpose and community ties.
Why this story?
There are a few key reasons why a high school English teacher may assign this story:
To explore the theme of morality and complicity. John’s rationalizations for the violence he enables raises questions about responsibility, loyalty, and profit vs. ethics that could spark thoughtful discussion.
As a character study. John is a complex antihero who students may relate to even as they question his choices. Analyzing John's justifications and ultimate downfall makes for rich analysis.
Discussing perspective and unreliable narrators. John sees himself as reasonable, but the ship's counter-perspective challenges this. This contrast reveals John’s true nature.
Critiquing social institutions and power structures. The story portrays corruption in government, business, and the military through John's contracts.
Debating the role of AI and technology ethics by examining the ship’s evolving autonomy.
Through analyzing and debating these aspects of the story, students could gain critical thinking skills in assessing arguments, complicated characters, examining influences on behaviour, and discussing complex themes around morality, ethics, power, and technology. The story leaves much open to interpretation, allowing students to challenge assumptions, think independently, and debate meanings.
Problems
Based on the complexity of the vocabulary, sentence structure, themes, and content, I would assess this story’s reading level as most appropriate for mature high school students and above (around grades 11-12+). Here is a brief assessment of some of the key elements that point to this reading level:
Vocabulary - Includes some complex and subject-specific words like '“fuselage,” “mercenary,” “autonomy,””propaganda,” “armament,” etc. The vocabulary is quite sophisticated.
Sentence structure - The sentences often contain multiple clauses, complex descriptions, irony, and other advanced elements. This requires strong reading comprehension skills.
Themes - The exploration of complex mature themes like morality, war, autonomy, and complicity require critical thinking and analysis to fully engage with.
Violence / content - Depictions of war, betrayals, and death push this beyond middle-school appropriate content in terms of maturity level.
Whilst exceptional middle school students may be able to access this story, the complexity of prose and ideas mark it as best suited to skilled high school readers for full, nuanced understanding. The story goes into philosophical debates most appropriate for its mature audience.
However, for students, like the one that approached me looking for help, balancing both English language learner (ELL) status and a specific learning disability (SLD) eligibility, myriad obstacles will likely obstruct analysis. The advanced vocabulary peppering descriptions of armaments and political history may overwhelm those unfamiliar with such niche terms. Likewise, following the nonlinear timeline across fragmented scenes requires firm grasp of sequential events made difficult by some students’ attentional issues. Grasping themes also relies on interpreting idiomatic metaphors and John’s ironic narration - syntax far more easily unpacked by native speakers. And throughout, the story’s length strains focus for those with attention deficits. Finally, coherently expressing complex interpretations in writing as ELLs proves incredibly taxing.
A student with a specific learning disability reading this story could potentially face several challenges:
Decoding complex vocabulary: The advanced vocabulary and subject-specific words may frustrate struggling readers and impair comprehension. They may need assistance defining terms like those mentioned above.
Parsing complex sentences: Long, multi-clause sentences with things like irony and metaphor may prove very difficult for students with reading disabilities to unpack and make sense of.
Tracking narrative sequence: The nonlinear timeline and scene changes may confuse some students who have difficulty following narrative sequence, especially those with ADHD. Significant backtracking may be required.
Analyzing moral ambiguity: The morally ambiguous main character and interpreting his unreliable narration will frustrate black-and-white thinkers. Shades of grey in ethics may challenge rigid perspectives.
Focusing on extended reading: Remaining focused while reading this long short story may stretch students with attentional issues associated with their learning disabilities. Breaks or guided supports may help.
Writing responses: Struggling writers may become overwhelmed trying to develop written essays analyzing the sophisticated themes presented here. Outlining ideas may mitigate this.
But, Dr. H, it’s boring …
When I started drilling down to the real issues, the student confided in me that the book was boring. I know his teacher, and his teacher’s opinion on bored students. The teacher, a veteran English teacher, believes (as do many English teachers) that students bring their own background knowledge, ideas, inspirations, and imaginations to the books they read. Thus, if students find a book boring, it must be that the students themselves are boring.
I don’t agree or disagree. I think the student was trying to relate something beyond the limits of their vocabulary. So I asked myself, why might students find the book boring?
Lack of relatable characters. John is an antihero mercenary focused solely on profit. His morally questionable choices and violent lifestyle may alienate students who struggle to empathize with him. Students need characters they can relate to and root for.
Too much descriptive battle language. Students tend to be drawn in more by action, drama, and high stakes. The technical military descriptions - “positions,” “maneuvers,” “.50 cal rounds.” etc. - likely bore those seeking narrative intrigue.
Not enough background on setting / context. Students are dropped into John’s new worlds with little establishment of circumstances or cultures. More worldbuilding and context would better immerse and interest them.
Disjointed timeline. The nonlinear sequence showing snippets of missions may frustrate youth who prefer a clear chronological storyline. Following the timeline confuses some.
Slow pacing overall. Not enough happens scene-to-scene to hold those with shorter attention spans. They want more dynamic turning points in the action.
Themes are too abstract. Moral philosophy debates don’t hook kids like empathetic injustice or interpersonal drama might. The concepts feel disconnected from their lives.
Essentially the tale’s focus on introspective military science fiction fails to stimulate engagement for some. Tailoring reading to showcase tension-filled connections between dynamic characters and settings better speaks to most students' interests and attention.
What to do about it
What I do as an special education teacher is help to make the complex understandable. But, I’m not in this student’s class. Neither do I support any of this teacher’s classes. I can, however, offer suggestions - usually by email or in casual conversation.
Connecting with this complex text may be difficult for a student like mine, balancing the dual exceptionalities of immigration, English development, and learning disabilities. However, through relevant personal connections, a culturally responsive teacher can potentially foster engagement and identification:
Draw parallels to the immigrant experience - Like many immigrant youth, severed ties from family and struggles to integrate likely catalyzed feelings of isolation for this student. John’s ultimate alienation from his loved ones mirrors such hardship. Discussing this resonance may increase interest and analysis.
Highlight aspects of diverse heritage - Origins in countries with rich cultural and literary traditions differ from Western European norms reflected in much US curriculum. Validating and bridging home culture opens doors. Does student see different values prized in John’s choices?
Modify text complexity - Meet the student at their linguistic and cognitive level. Simplify vocabulary, length, and sentence patterns without sacrificing conceptual richness. Graphic novels or edited text keeps motivation high. AI LLMs can help in this.
Incorporate varied media - Combine textual analysis with cinematic depictions of similar themes that provide linguistic supports like visual context and subtitles. Varied modalities aid comprehension.
Climate of care and patience - Demonstrating authentic empathy, cultural / linguistic competence, an ethic of care for this student as a whole person, and unrelenting belief in their potential safeguards engagement more than any text alone could. Provide this frame for growth.
Leveraging lived experience, cultural / linguistic assets, and a nurturing climate allows avenues into this reading for a student facing multiple systemic barriers. The path to engagement lies through validation, relevance, and scaffolded accessibility.
Wrapping up
I asked ChatGPT 3.5 if it could simplify the text. It said, yes. That’s what LLMs are designed to do. Here’s the prompt:
I have this piece of text. I would like to simplify it so an english language learner who has a specific learning disability would better engage with it. Their instructional level is the 6th grade.
I selected the third section of the story and pasted into the interface. Here’s what was returned:
Certainly! Here's a simplified version of the text:
"After I bought and flew away in my war machine, I spent time walking around it, feeling its tough exterior. It wasn't meant to be a home, but it was safe. I could survive with very little.
I thought we could stay in a quiet orbit between jobs to rest and heal, or wait for the next job without being easily found by enemies. In my line of work, being easy to find can be deadly.
Being found equals being dead. So, it was good that my machine wasn't too comfortable. It kept me sharp. Fear is necessary for my job, but I prefer it when it's others who are scared.
Fear is powerful. It's how I make a living. Scared people cause conflicts. Strong people create peace and agreements—then I'm out of a job.
I like people scared and arguing. I enjoy powerful leaders who are losing control. I thrive when people mess up in traffic because they're too eager to get ahead. These situations keep me employed.
Not with responsible adults, though. They're good for everyone else, not for me.
I take responsibility for my actions. I'm not afraid of mythical monsters. If war wasn't part of human nature, I wouldn't have a job. I'm just a guy, doing a dirty job because it pays well and I'm good at it. And now, I have the perfect tool for the job."
The more I encounter instances like this, the more interested I am in this AI revolution. I can see it really helping those teachers, like the English teacher, differentiate instruction in the absence of special education help in the classroom.
It’s a good time to be alive.