Help me give my students hands-on learning materials, such as math and reading folder games for better understanding of concepts, and to increase motor skills using fun activities like a parachute game.
My students are exceptional! I work with students that have severe cognitive and physical challenges. I am inspired by each one of them because they never give up, even when things are beyond difficult for them.
My students also are my heroes.
They are heroic to me because they work everyday to overcome challenges that most of us will never understand or have to face. In our class, we work to make sure our students are able to experience school in a positive and productive way. I want them to know that they can learn and they are valued.
My students are willing to try and learn hard things, and try again, and keep on trying until they "get it." They do this because they know that, while many things might be hard for them, in the end, the hard work is worth it and they are worth everything.
My Project
The materials I've requested will help build resources in our functional skills classroom for our exceptional, differently-abled students. The folder games help to encourage learning foundational skills in a fun, visual, and hands-on way. Many times, students with more severe challenges have not mastered the concept of completing a task on their own. Games like this can help them work to develop that skill which is an essential job skill as well as a school skill. The gears game and magnet games help to encourage, not only independent play skills, but math skills as well. Independent work skills are another reason the folder games are so great in a functional skills setting. All of these things then work to increase the generalization of these foundational concepts and be used as life skills in the future. All of this will help in a COVID-19 world because the learning will be more engaging for our students. Online school was not an effective way to teach my students with severe challenges. Now that we are back in the classroom, I want to help make up for the time and experiences they lost.
Interactive, hands-on learning is a great way to go in a functional skills classroom.
Movement is also huge in a functional skills classroom. That is why I am so excited to have the chance to use the parachute game with my students. This type of physical learning and interaction with each other, typically developing peers, and other teachers is essential for building social skills as well as working on motor planning skills.
I want my students to have every chance to learn in the way that works for each of them. These items will help them have those opportunities.
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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. Mathews and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.