Past projects 3
Learning Visually
Funded Feb 11, 2021Students are greatly enjoying the new whiteboards that have become a tool that we use daily. The first task was setting up the large whiteboards and two students worked together to read and follow the directions. It took several 20-minute sessions for them to be able to put the boards together. They experienced frustration but were able to redo mistakes because they were supporting each other with a clear end goal in mind.
The small whiteboards have been placed in our special education setting and in the general education setting. In our classroom, students use whiteboards to record their own thinking. They like using the whiteboard rather than simply using paper and it allows them to show their answers and to easily erase any mistakes. In the general education setting, students also use our new whiteboards to record short answers to share with their classmates. I also use the small whiteboards to record student verbal responses so that they are able to type them.
One large whiteboard is in our classroom and one is in the general education classroom. They allow me to record longer responses and to model accurate paragraph writing. I use a whiteboard when teaching a small group in our ELA classroom. One unexpected use has been with a student in crisis who writes out all the events that led up to the final triggering point. They use the board to add self-regulation strategies that they could have used rather than letting everything build up.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erickson
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 3 other donors.Let's Learn Literacy
Funded Aug 26, 2017Thank you for your donation to my literacy project. Having resources at different levels is so important for good reading and writing instruction. When a student is able to pick out a "just right book" and figure out the words and meaning on their own, they are experiencing the magic of reading. No one is sitting next to them, they are reading something that interests them, and they are getting it! That is power. That is the power that reading can bring to a student.
When students first opened the boxes, they were really not that excited...books...boring. Then we started unpacking the books and I encouraged students to find a book and read it. Each student was able to find a book that interested them. They were each able to page through a book and either read the words or look at the pictures. Their excitement grew. Now, several months of having these books available for independent reading time and using them during guided reading lessons, students know the books are theirs. Theirs to enjoy. Literacy has become something that isn't just work, literacy has become something that students want to do and ask to do.
Thank you for helping us learn literacy!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erickson
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 5 other donors.Seeking a Soothing or Stimulating Sensory Room
Funded Nov 15, 2016My students were so excited when the packages started arriving. We opened the boxes together and explored all of the new materials. Two students went to the gym with our new Peanut Balls and learned how to use an electric pump. They were so proud of themselves! When we opened up the "Self-Calming Cards," we had a small group role play some of the different strategies that a student could choose to help regulate themselves. Each student in the small group was able to choose a strategy card that we then laminated and they can keep it in a designated envelope in the sensory room and use it when they are feeling dysregulated.
Our sensory room has now been reorganized to better suit our students' needs. We have students who like to sit on our new Sensory Circle Mat and watch our Galaxy Night Light Projector as it sends stars shooting across the ceiling and walls. We have a student who bounces on the Peanut Ball for 5 minutes and is then able to calmly walk back to class and complete academic tasks independently. When we first put the new LED lights up, we did a light show for 3 students. We let them all take turns using the remote control to determine which lighting colors and intensity they each liked best. Upon entering the sensory room, they are now able to verbalize their light color choice.
The next steps for our students are to gain access to different leveled texts and hands-on literacy resources. Being at a middle school means that we have access to lots of middle school level texts, but we have been struggling to find age appropriate materials that are written at lower levels. Increasing access to appropriate texts and manipulatives will help students increase their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills across academic content areas and will promote a life-long skill and love of literacy.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erickson
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 4 other donors.