Reading is FUNdamental!

Funded Aug 16, 2018

I am so grateful for the Donor's Choose Organization. I teacher underprivileged students enrolled in a special education program for Intellectually Disabled students. Basic Reading and Math skills are challenging for my students. I am always trying to add laughter, literature, and fun into the curriculum so that they "enjoy" learning! This grant has allowed me to make learning "larger than life." The document camera allows me to show the entire class literature selections, Science Projects, and interactive activities on a "movie screen." I can explain setting, feelings, weather, holidays, and so much more on the large screen so all can see and learn.

When our three boxes arrived, all of my students sat in Morning Circle and clapped and laughed with glee. We brainstormed activities we could use the materials for. We stacked the materials and unstacked them; I think they were amazed by the amount of amazing materials they were unpacking. They showed visitors (occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech and language therapists, administrators, and nurses their newly acquired treasure. One child sang "Happy Birthday to me." :) After three days of our "treasure" on display, we carefully found closet homes for everything.

We are participating in The David Fairchild Challenge. We are writing and drawing our adventures as we plant and maintain vegetable, fruit, herb, and flower gardens, with another class. We have been watching plants sprout and sunflowers begin to stretch their open pedals toward the warmth of the sun. The binding machine will tie all our stories together so we will have a great class memory to read and reread.

My students are multisensory learners. They are creative and love to "feel" things. We have created many Art and Holiday Projects using the cardstock, ink, and paint supplies from the grant. These projects celebrate our growth, from handprints to footprints and from feathered turkeys to festive wreaths, we have used all of our senses to reinforce basic skills including color recognition, one-to-one correspondence, cutting skills, and writing skills. These projects are culminating theme activities that are created at school and celebrated at home. My students are proud of their accomplishments and Art is a wonderful way to celebrate individuality and uniqueness.

In January, we are going to use the document camera to locate President Washington and President Lincoln's birthplaces. We will then travel to famous sites such as Mt. Rushmore, The Grand Canyon, Washington, D.C., and the Statue of Liberty. The enlarged pictures will help my students see the different travel paths from the past to the present. In February, we will explore George Washington Carver's theory of crop rotation as we chart the growth of our sweet potatoes.

We are so blessed to be in a community that supports "Education for ALL"

and "ALL for Education"!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Essinger