In Space Commander, the student develops the skill of following directions by identifying or manipulating shapes according to spoken instructions.
- Language & reading skills: following directions, word structure & knowledge, listening comprehension
- Cognitive skills: memory, attention, processing, sequencing
Does the student understand the exercise goal/task?
Observe the student as they work through the exercise demo to determine where their understanding may be breaking down.
Is the student able to repeat the directions back to you?
Building memory and attention skills is important for this exercise. Encourage students to build their memory and focused attention by practicing it offline with you in a game.
- Give your student a three letter word to spell out loud. Then ask them to spell it out loud but backwards. See if they can spell four or even five letter words backwards!
- If the student can’t spell yet, play a following directions game like Simon Says.
Both of these games can help the student practice using their memory and attention skills while having fun, which can increase motivation and improve their progress in this exercise.
Does the student use any memory strategies?
Ask the student how they remember the directions. Do they repeat the directions to themselves? Do they look to see where the board pieces are located?
Memory strategies are useful ways to build working memory which is important for reading and learning. Teach your student a memory strategy like hovering their cursor or finger over the first shape/color they hear while they wait to hear the second direction.
Does the student have difficulty correctly identifying colors?
If the student has color vision deficiencies, provide feedback based on the nature of their issue.
- If the student is completely color blind and unable to differentiate between red and green or blue and yellow, they will need to skip this exercise.
- If their color blindness is less severe, using a visual aid cheat sheet with the names of the colors written under each color may help them to more quickly identify the colors in the exercise.
Does the student understand sequence words like “before” and “after”?
Look at the Errors section in the student’s Progress Report to see if they are struggling with particular sequence words. Try these strategies as needed.
- Use a whiteboard to show the student how the words “before” and “after” work when giving directions.
- Play a following directions game like Simon Says game using only sequence words in your directions.
Does the student have trouble maintaining focus for the duration of the directions?
Have the student to take a short activity break between questions, which can help them maintain focus while listening.
- Turn off the Autoplay option.
- Complete a question.
- Look up and count four ceiling tiles.
- Continue to the next question.
