The challenge: Make complex, grade level literature accessible to students on the autism spectrum.

The solution: Amanda Vartabedian.

This winter, Amanda brought the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet to life in ways that resonated for her students. Amanda, who joined The Forum School in 2008, teaches English and Language Arts in the departmentalized program. Approaching Romeo and Juliet through a series called “No Fear Shakespeare,” she introduced her students to the classic tale of love.

The books offer side-by-side facing page translation, with the original text on the left side, and a modern English “translation” on the right side. For students who needed a more visual approach, Amanda used illustrated graphic novels with dynamic drawings. In addition, the class watched movie clips and acted out each scene. At the end, they did a project in which characters sent text messages to each other. And, to deepen learning, they watched West Side Story, after which students developed a guide to compare and contrast that classic musical to Romeo and Juliet.

With material presented in so many different ways, students of all abilities were able to access and understand the curriculum.

Helping students on the autism spectrum comprehend complex literature is a challenge, but they really understood and enjoyed it.
– Amanda Vartabedian

She worked with her students to help them understand the “theory of mind” of the play’s key characters, and anticipate what they might be thinking, in order to gain a deeper understanding of motivation.

“We can dive into grade-level curriculum because our staff know how to modify and adapt it so that our students truly understand it,” said Brian Detlefsen, principal. “We leverage students’ interests to engage them in creative projects in traditional high school content, such as Shakespeare. This flexibility allows them to demonstrate their grasp of the content.”