My students come from a high poverty low-income city. They come from all neighborhoods within Bridgeport and all receive free breakfast, lunch, and a snack.
My students all have special needs, with the majority being on the autism spectrum.
This year I have a total of ten students in the 7th or 8th grade. Among themselves, they are a very close-knit group of students who support and cheer each other on! This is a new school for five of them, having "graduated" from the elementary school they had been attending and transferred into this new school. Being transferred as a student into a new larger school than they were used to, on top of being a student with autism, has made this a difficult transition. My goal in working with these students is to make this transition smooth, help them establish friendships, engaged in learning, and motivated to come to school every day ready to learn!
My Project
My students need inspirational books! I teach students with special needs in middle school. Most of these students are on the autism spectrum. Many of them have low self-esteem, lack confidence, and have been bullied in the past.
The books I have selected are primarily about children overcoming obstacles, whether it be a physical, intellectual, or other types of hurdles that they need to persevere through, just like my students!
Reading comprehension, is a major weakness for most of my students. When choosing books that we will be reading in small group settings, I like to choose books that my students can relate to. All of the books that I have chosen, such as A Long Walk to Water, The Thing about Jellyfish, and A Dog's Purpose, have main characters in a similar age range to my students, and more importantly, the characters are all facing obstacles, just like my students. I like to have discussions with them about the characters facing barriers and how they overcame them.
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