Brian is a sixth grade student with grade-level reading and writing skills. Grades alone motivate him to succeed in school even when he is not engaged by the subject area, as is the case with science. Brian is particularly challenged when he must determine which details are important and which are not.
Alita is a sixth grade student with mild cognitive disabilities who reads significantly below grade level. She enjoys using computers and benefits from the interactivity and immediate support the technology affords, such as text-to-speech. Although science is Alita's least favorite subject, she is able to successfully understand abstract concepts when they are connected to real-life experiences.
Sasha is a sixth grade student who has significant difficulties with organization and attention. He has been diagnosed as having ADD. Though Sasha’s reading, reading comprehension, and writing skills are well-developed, he is reluctant to use these skills unless he finds the subject interesting and engaging, as is the case for science.