Past projects 3
Help Students Receive New Books!!
Funded Dec 15, 2021I wanted to take the time to say how grateful my students and I are for the generosity of you all. The items we received have made a huge difference in our classroom. The beanbag and bookcase has made our reading corner something that the kids love to take turns using. Before, students only had their desk to sit and read at, where they would sit at for almost 6 hours. Having another area to sit comfortably and relax has made them more likely to choose a book to read. The books we received are more age appropriate for my students, and they have really great Social Emotional lessons. The books are more organized and accessible for them to read on their own, and we have also read some together as a class. Students with autism struggle with social emotional learning and taking the time to talk about kindness, emotions, manners, and appropriateness has been extremely beneficial in my classroom. Thank you all so much for being a part of helping my students access these materials, and I can't wait to continue reading and learning with them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Demos
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 19 other donors.Please Help Autistic Students Have Fun While Learning!
Funded Dec 12, 2019Thank you so much for your generous donations to my classroom! My students are non verbal and autistic so they do not learn in a typical way. They cannot read or write, or even tell you what they want or how they feel. Special education teachers like myself often have to get creative with how we teach our students, and try to cater to their interests when we teach them. All kids these days, regardless of their disabilities, love all types of technology. They may not be able to do certain things, but they can navigate an iPad or Kindle better than I ever could! Now that I have a device for each of my students, I can use educational apps during a whole group lesson, or even when working with a small group or one on one. They can listen to a story and then answer multiple choice questions about it. Certain apps will have books that highlight the words and read it out loud to them so they can see and hear the word, same with the questions. They can do math, science, reading, writing, almost anything you can think of on these tablets!
Not only do these devices have wonderful educational programs on them for any intellectual level and age, the students don't even realize they are learning or doing "work" because they are having fun! Children with autism can have a hard time sitting for long periods of times, focusing, or even getting them to do any work at all can be a huge struggle. Introducing technology as a way of learning opens up all new doors for them in my classroom.
My students have already gotten so much out of these tablets and are so excited they each have their own now. The headphones have also been wonderful, because now when they are listening to a story being read to them or music, the rest of the class isn't disrupted by it and each child can have their own set of headphones. Some students need it loud, so the headphones can now allow that.
I can't thank you all enough, and I hope you can understand the difference this has made in my class!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Demos
Help Students With Autism and a New Teacher!
Funded Nov 3, 2019Thank you so much for the generous donations and helping me fund my project for new materials! When the boxes came in, it was like Christmas for the kids! They were so excited to see the new sensory items like the fidget toys (which are a huge hit in my class and life saver when they're upset), kinetic sand, Orbeez (water beads), magnatiles, Warmies stuffed animals, and the weighted blanket! The rug was also a huge help. Now when the kids play during recess or free time, they can sit on the rug instead of the hard basement floor. We only have 1 table for them to sit at and they're in the same seat most of the day, so being able to sit or lay on the rug is a nice way to switch it up. I have a student who loves to lay on the rug with the weighted blanket and cuddle up with the Warmies stuffed animals (they're filled with beads and lavender scent so they can be microwaved for a calming effect). He absolutely loves it and he looks so cozy when he lays there reading his books!
The projector is another item that has done wonders for my classroom. I do not have a whiteboard, or any board for that matter, so I usually hold my laptop on my lap so the kids can see the lesson. I try to make it as interactive and interesting as possible, because just reading out loud to them isn't usually successful. They respond better to visuals, music, and hands on materials. It's a really small screen for all the kids to try to see and hear, which makes it difficult for them to stay engaged, and they don't always pay attention. Now that I have the projector, they can see and hear the lesson much better. I can be more creative with my lessons, and it keeps them engaged. The screen fills a whole wall and it's nice and loud! It has made a huge difference in my class, and the kids have loved it! We watched Disney's "Inside Out" on a fun Friday afternoon (it was the first time using the projector) and it felt like we were at the movies.
We have also received materials to aid in learning that we did not have before, such as unifix cubes and counting bears. These help the children visually see and understand amounts when adding or subtracting numbers. They are not able to read and write well due to having autism, and require more visual ways of learning. Having these math manipulatives make it a lot easier for them to understand and show comprehension. This project also contained Hot Dots Jr, which is an interactive learning game, kind of like a Leapfrog. The kids have had so much fun playing it, and don't even realize they're learning because it's a game!
I am beyond grateful for your generosity and I know the children I teach are also very appreciative, even if they cannot say it. To see how happy they were to finally have some new toys and sensory materials to play with is a huge reason why I love being a special education teacher. Working with children with autism can be very challenging because they cannot verbalize their basic wants and needs, which can cause them to be frustrated or sad, and it is heartbreaking at times. Now that we have some materials that they enjoy and that aid in calming them down has made a huge difference in their moods. Seeing them happy and learning, and actually enjoy being in school is a tremendous victory! These items have made a huge difference in my classroom, so thank you again! As a first year teacher, I plan to use these materials for many years with all my classes. Your donation will go a long way and help many kids!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Demos