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Mrs. Townsend’s Classroom Edit display name

  • Elkhart Academy
  • Elkhart, IN
  • More than half of students from low‑income households

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An important part of promoting literacy at young ages comes from illustrations. Being able to put pictures with text to create a more complete concept of what was read helps build vocabulary, improve story analysis, and increase engagement. Through my work, I create braille reading materials for my students so that they will have the opportunity to gain literacy like their sighted peers, but many times this comes at the expense of not having accompanying illustrations. Since I want to give my students as complete of a story experience as possible, I have been trying to manually create tactile graphics to enhance their reading adventure. Unfortunately, creating these graphics is a very time consuming process, one that my schedule doesn't allow for as often as I'd like. This is where the versatility of the Cricut Maker comes into play. Using the Cricut, I can design and cut graphics on a wide variety of textures, from rough burlap and fuzzy felt to smooth vinyl and squishy foam. Many of those materials can be found with adhesive backing so they can easily be placed directly in the braille books for the students' immediate enjoyment. I feel that having access to this device would allow me to create more enriching reading opportunities for my students and help facilitate my goal of literacy for all.

About my class

An important part of promoting literacy at young ages comes from illustrations. Being able to put pictures with text to create a more complete concept of what was read helps build vocabulary, improve story analysis, and increase engagement. Through my work, I create braille reading materials for my students so that they will have the opportunity to gain literacy like their sighted peers, but many times this comes at the expense of not having accompanying illustrations. Since I want to give my students as complete of a story experience as possible, I have been trying to manually create tactile graphics to enhance their reading adventure. Unfortunately, creating these graphics is a very time consuming process, one that my schedule doesn't allow for as often as I'd like. This is where the versatility of the Cricut Maker comes into play. Using the Cricut, I can design and cut graphics on a wide variety of textures, from rough burlap and fuzzy felt to smooth vinyl and squishy foam. Many of those materials can be found with adhesive backing so they can easily be placed directly in the braille books for the students' immediate enjoyment. I feel that having access to this device would allow me to create more enriching reading opportunities for my students and help facilitate my goal of literacy for all.

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About my class

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