This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
I provide specialized instruction for grades K-3 in a self-contained Autism setting! We are a Title I, STEM school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All students receive free lunch and come from high poverty areas.
My students are vivacious, unique, and loving.
I admire them because of their resilience and joy. Due to the varying abilities of my students, differentiated instruction is essential in my classroom. Each child has individual academic and sensory needs. All of my students have difficulty advocating for their wants and needs and are predominantly nonverbal. Some are unable to toilet independently. They become overstimulated very easily; thus they have difficulty participating in the general education setting, school wide events, and even outdoor recess. My students are full of personality and I am so fortunate to be a part of their journey.
My Project
My students have the exceptionality of Autism. This particular disorder brings upon sensory stimulation that trigger significant reactions from the children. This can physically manifest as rocking, screaming, crying or self-injurious behaviors. We have many materials to minimize these situations for our students. An incentive in my classroom is using the dry erase boards to enhance learning.
Although it may be a treat for some of my students, others cannot handle the smell of dry erase markers or the texture of the boards and erasers due to sensory stimulation.
They also have difficulty using it appropriately due to oral sensory behaviors, which can be very dangerous with the toxins in the markers. It is also difficult to support their fine motor needs when doing this activity because we cannot adequately transfer writing tools (grippers, weights, etc.) to the dry erase markers. By implementing Boogie Boards, my students will be able to safely utilize a source of technology, while still practicing fine motor control by writing with a stylus. They can also erase an entire page with a push of a button! I would love to have my whole class participate in an activity that they adore in a way thats beneficial for all students' needs!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Samaha and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
