Developing and Teaching Instructional Support Materials

Why Instructional Support Materials Matter

As a paraprofessional, you are not simply present in the classroom—you are an active instructional partner. The materials you prepare and the way you deliver them directly affect student learning. Well-designed support activities give students clear, targeted practice; poorly designed ones waste instructional time and can confuse learners. This lesson walks you through creating, testing, and improving four instructional support activities that span literacy, numeracy, differentiation, and behavior support.

The Co-Planning Form: Your Professional Blueprint

Every activity you build in this capstone must be documented on the program's co-planning form. Think of this form as the professional record of your instructional thinking. It contains five required sections:

1. Learning objective – A single, measurable statement of what the student will be able to do (e.g., "The student will decode three-letter short-vowel words with 80% accuracy").

2. Materials list – Every item you need, listed specifically enough that a substitute could gather them. Note whether any item poses a safety concern (sharp scissors, small manipulatives that are choking hazards for young children).

3. Step-by-step paraprofessional role notes – Written in your own words, these describe exactly what you say and do at each stage. This is not the teacher's lesson plan; it is your support script.

4. Formative check question – One question or prompt you will use during the activity to gauge whether the student understands before moving on.

5. Accommodation notes – How the activity is adjusted for learners with different needs, including students covered by an IEP or 504 plan.

Completing this form thoroughly protects students, keeps you legally aligned with IEP requirements, and prepares you for the documentation demands of real classroom work.

Building Your Four Activities

Literacy activity: Choose a specific, standards-aligned skill such as phonemic awareness, fluency, or vocabulary. Use program-supplied materials—letter tiles, decodable readers—to keep the activity hands-on. Write your objective to match the grade-level expectation, not a vague general goal.

Numeracy activity: Base-ten blocks and fraction tiles support conceptual understanding, not just rote procedure. Your step-by-step notes should describe how you model with the manipulative first, then guide the student to use it, then check for independent understanding. This concrete–representational–abstract sequence is well supported in mathematics education research.

Differentiated activity for a student with an IEP or 504: Review the student scenario your instructor provides. Your accommodation notes must connect directly to the goals or accommodations listed in that scenario—for example, extended time, reduced visual clutter, or preferential seating. Never invent accommodations; work only from the documented plan.

Behavior check-in tool: A simple check-in chart allows a student to self-report their emotional readiness and helps you prompt a brief, private conversation before instruction begins. Your tool should include a visual scale, a space for the student's name and the date, and a brief prompt such as "How are you feeling right now?" Keep language positive and non-stigmatizing.

Piloting Through Role-Play

Piloting your activities before you use them with real K–12 students is a professional best practice. In the role-play sessions, your classmates simulate student behaviors—confusion, off-task behavior, correct responses—while a third classmate observes using the structured observation checklist. The checklist captures four key behaviors:

• Clear directions: Did you state the task in plain language the simulated student could follow?
• Appropriate wait time: Did you pause at least three to five seconds after asking a question before prompting further?
• Response to a simulated behavior incident: Did you use a calm, consistent, non-escalating response?
• Safe, organized workspace: Were materials arranged so they could not cause injury, and were small manipulatives kept away from very young simulated learners?

Safety in workspace organization is not just a checklist item—it reflects real professional responsibility. Sharp items, small pieces that could be swallowed, and cluttered surfaces are genuine hazards in elementary settings. Establish the habit of scanning your workspace before students arrive.

Reflecting With Depth

After each pilot, write a one-page reflection. Effective reflection is specific, not general. "It went okay" is not evidence-based; "Three out of four classmates answered my formative check question correctly on the first try, which suggests my directions were clear" is. Your reflection must also connect the activity to a ParaPro Assessment competency area—reading, mathematics, or writing—explaining how the skill you practiced aligns with what the exam expects paraprofessionals to know and support.

Reflections added to your portfolio over time become evidence of professional growth. Instructors review them for depth: they check that you identify a specific change you would make and explain why that change would improve student outcomes.

Revision and Resubmission

Any activity scoring below 20 out of 25 on the rubric must be revised and resubmitted within one week. Treat this not as a penalty but as authentic professional practice—teachers revise lesson plans constantly. Focus your revision on the specific rubric category that cost points rather than rewriting the entire form.

Connecting to Your Credentials

The ParaPro Assessment tests your knowledge in reading, mathematics, and writing, and your ability to apply instructional support strategies in each area. Every activity you create in this lesson strengthens both your content knowledge and your practical skill—exactly the combination the exam measures. Your state paraprofessional certificate requires demonstrated competency in supporting diverse learners; your portfolio of co-planning forms is direct evidence of that competency. Keep your CPR/First Aid credential current: role-play scenarios sometimes simulate a student medical event, and knowing how to respond is a professional expectation from day one.