I am the intervention specialist in a second grade full inclusion classroom. Not only do I co-teach in the classroom, I also manage the IEPs and goals of the 9 students with disabilities. In the school system where I teach, more than half of our students are low-income students. More often than not, some of my students come to school without even their most basic needs being met. Even with these barriers, this does not stop my amazing students from coming to school eager and anxious to learn and be the best they can be!
My students' disabilities range from mild to intensive, so I strive to make sure all of my students learn, no matter their ability level, in this setting.
There is a lot of differentiated teaching and learning going on throughout the day to make sure I am meeting the needs of all of the students. This typically means I need to make sure I have a variety of resources at my fingertips to be able to provide my students with everything they need to be able to learn. My goal is to set them up to be independent, contributing members to society in the future!
My Project
I have the pleasure of teaching a full inclusion, second grade class. With that said, the range of abilities academically is widespread which means I need to have a variety of resources that meet the needs of all of my students. During the language arts block, as the general education teacher and I are calling back small groups of students to complete guided reading groups, the rest of the students choose between five activities to work on to be learning independently. These activities include reading to themselves, reading with a partner, word work, working on writing, and last but not least, listening to reading. Listening to reading is often times the hardest for me to provide a variety of resources for as I do not have the technology or books on CD for the students to listen and read to.
This project would allow my students the opportunity to choose "Listen to Reading" as their activity by allowing them access to the amazing website "Speakaboos" on an iPad.
Speakaboos is reading software that allows the students to read with, listen to, and even interact with stories. The stories on this software are highly motivating and often times have characters or storylines that the students are familiar with making it an exciting choice for them. It also captivates their attention and provides them with the stamina it takes to keep themselves busy working while I am working in small groups.
Nearly all 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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