I am a high school special education teacher and am lucky to teach the most amazing students! I teach students with Autism, MIID, and MOID.
The materials I selected will help tremendously in my classroom- especially when it comes to students' social emotional needs and sensory needs.
I teach science and have found that my students show a great interest in STEAM projects. Many of my students require continuous practice working and communicating with others- so I love tasks and projects that involve creativity and collaboration. We have discussed the "engineering design process" in my class and I love that these activities teach my students about grit, perseverance, and how to work with a team.
I selected a few STEAM activities. I selected the LEGO BricQ Motion Prime Set which will help my students learn forces and motion concepts in a hands-on way. I also picked out a Magna-Tiles Metropolis set so that students are able to build/create and learn about shapes/geometry while also developing language, cognitive, and motor skills.
In addition, many of the students I work with have sensory needs. I am always in search of items to add to my "Zen Zone" or classroom safe space. I have a designated area with: a yoga mat with a visual chart of various yoga poses, pillows, Zen garden, and various sensory toys/items (e.g. liquid timers, stress balls, squish balls, pop fidget toys, noise canceling headphones, etc.). I found some sensory-friendly fidgets/items from Lakeshore Learning that I can add to my "Zen Zone". These items include: Tilt Turn Liquid Sensory Windows, Jumbo Rhythm Rain Stick, and the Watch-it-Whirl Spiral Spinner. Lastly, I have selected a 10-pack of headsets/headphones. My students use headsets for things like watching videos for inspiration/ideas for STEAM challenges and listening to relaxing/calming music.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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