My students need music, movement, and arts supplies such as classroom instruments, scarves, and ribbons to integrate an everyday focus on the arts into the classroom routine.
I teach an amazing group of middle school children with special needs. They attend school in East Harlem but come from all around New York City. The majority of my students receive Speech and Occupational Therapy to address their language and physical development. Many are English Language Learners as well.
In spite of their developmental delays, my students work hard each day to meet their individual goals.
They love socializing and participating in school-wide activities like assemblies and trips. It is a joy working with them each day.
My Project
I plan to use the materials in my project to incorporate daily arts activities into my classroom routine. In past years, I have been able to facilitate activities from a Professional Development I attended called "Everyday Arts for Special Education," but most of the materials got lost, used up, or became old and damaged over the years. My special needs students, many of whom are nonverbal and have social deficits, are frequently tactile and kinesthetic learners who love to move around and explore sensory materials, and I want to bring back the joy that these arts activities gave them. In this way, my project is truly "kid inspired." The materials necessary for the project are used for a variety of activities from the PD such as dancing with ribbon wands, practicing dynamics and tempo with percussion instruments, making murals with a partner, and more! Through cooperative, arts-based activities, my students engage with one another as they practice skills like turn-taking, leadership, joint attention, motor skills, and communication. They even access academic skills through the arts. The best part is that they have so much fun, they don't even realize how hard they're working!
Another benefit of the project is that it gives students a way to channel their energy into meaningful activity.
This can help contribute to their goal of 60 active minutes per day. Dance is a great way to stay active while also practicing control and awareness of the body. Many of the music and visual art activities I will use in my classroom also involve movement, such as encouraging students to play their instruments fast, slow, loud, and soft as a way to learn about tempo and dynamics. Music, dance, and art every day will encourage my students to be more mentally active.
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