Our students have been exploring the hydrosphere, landforms, and life science while integrating visual arts and technology, and working on IEP goals in reading, math, and life skills. Our students enjoy learning the most when they have hands-on projects that involve building, coloring, painting, and drawing. For example, during a life science lesson about the parts of a plant, our students built their own plants using vegetables, including broccoli crowns as flowers, celery as stems, spinach as leaves, carrots as roots, and sprouts as the seeds. Our students enjoyed this process, helping them understand the functions of the parts of a plant after listening to a rap song that explained photosynthesis and the parts of a plant. Students then had the chance to write the parts of a plant, some needed hand over hand assistance, others were able to write with verbal prompting. All students were able to build with vegetables. We have a wide array of abilities, most are visual learners with limited verbal communication.
As the year progresses, and in planning for the next school year, we are realizing that we need build upon our sensory environment to accommodate the needs of our various learners. We have an attached physical therapy room with a swing, where students enjoy going to for sensory breaks and music group, especially during the winter months. We have a student who throws objects, so we are searching for soft instruments and learning materials. The roll up soft keyboard will be a nice addition especially since several students are musically inclined. We also have been doing many visual arts projects, such as painting Monet's "Water Lilies" to help us understand ponds. We could always benefit from paint and crafts supplies, sensory sand for writing, music CD's, and a tent for sensory time.
About my class
Our students have been exploring the hydrosphere, landforms, and life science while integrating visual arts and technology, and working on IEP goals in reading, math, and life skills. Our students enjoy learning the most when they have hands-on projects that involve building, coloring, painting, and drawing. For example, during a life science lesson about the parts of a plant, our students built their own plants using vegetables, including broccoli crowns as flowers, celery as stems, spinach as leaves, carrots as roots, and sprouts as the seeds. Our students enjoyed this process, helping them understand the functions of the parts of a plant after listening to a rap song that explained photosynthesis and the parts of a plant. Students then had the chance to write the parts of a plant, some needed hand over hand assistance, others were able to write with verbal prompting. All students were able to build with vegetables. We have a wide array of abilities, most are visual learners with limited verbal communication.
As the year progresses, and in planning for the next school year, we are realizing that we need build upon our sensory environment to accommodate the needs of our various learners. We have an attached physical therapy room with a swing, where students enjoy going to for sensory breaks and music group, especially during the winter months. We have a student who throws objects, so we are searching for soft instruments and learning materials. The roll up soft keyboard will be a nice addition especially since several students are musically inclined. We also have been doing many visual arts projects, such as painting Monet's "Water Lilies" to help us understand ponds. We could always benefit from paint and crafts supplies, sensory sand for writing, music CD's, and a tent for sensory time.
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