I am a Special Education teacher in a Third Grade Integrated Co-Teach Class where there are Special Education students learning alongside General Education students. Our school consists of culturally and linguistically diverse students within a low socioeconomic community.
Even though we are remote teaching while quarantining, our students continue to have an eagerness to learn!
Remote teaching and learning have been challenging, however, we are trying to make it work and keep our students engaged!
My Project
As a remote teacher, it is hard to ensure that my students continue to read independently. Another problem is that many do not have books of their own at home. Many have maybe one or two books shared by many children in the house. Giving my students the opportunity to have a stocked bookshelf at home would be amazing!! They can apply the strategies good readers use to their favorite books! I know that children get so excited to book shop during scholastics so I had a thought about how to develop a desire to read among my students, get them excited, and be able to choose their favorite books!
When children choose the book they want to read and be able to keep it they take pride of their book collection!
I have set up a PBIS reward system where a child is given the opportunity to earn an Amazon gift card to use to buy a book. Children will be awarded by the number of hours and minutes they have read. By counting hours and minutes allows for all my students to have an equal chance to earn a gift card. I have some outrageously good readers that devour books, but I want my struggling readers to feel inspired.
Now that we are distance learning this powerful reward system has become a challenge. I still want my students to earn books, the system itself is still working, however, now the book they choose will simply be sent to their homes instead of the classroom.
I can hardly wait to invite the first child to earn an Amazon gift card to the computer to shop for their book.
More than three‑quarters 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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