My students are four and five years old, diagnosed with a disability. These disabilities include developmental delays, language delays, autism spectrum disorder and many others. They will all be moving onto some type of kindergarten next year. The group has a variety of personalities just like every other class. Some are born leaders, some love to help others and some are physically active.
I don't see my students as disabled, I see them as kids first who might do things a little differently.
They like to interact with each other and the adults around them. They enjoy exploring the world around them. Some need additional support emotionally, academically or physically. My classroom is noisy and exuberant while exploring science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Learning is collaborative; kids work closely together in a hands-on way to solve real-world problems.
My Project
The sand and water exploration table will expand my students' learning beyond simple pouring and scooping. The water blocks and play set provides a novel experience of moving water. The sensory table is a popular spot during choice time and many of my students go there daily. They enjoy the hands-on materials with the freedom to manipulate them in new ways. With this new table, they can watch the materials move in different ways and collaborate with their peers on how to best use the tubes to get materials where they want it to go.
Using the different dimensions and elements from these requested materials exponentially expands what can be built in and around the table to increase the STEM learning going on.
Having these new materials will take exploration beyond simple into more complex activities. My students are drawn to pouring, rolling, or sliding materials down ramps, chutes, and tubes. They enjoy the challenge of redirecting the materials into different directions. I also include some of my recycled bottles and cups because they love filling and dumping them. These new resources will provide a new way to accomplish that goal.
These materials will develop my students' understanding of quantities, volume and movement.
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