My classroom is very diverse. In addition to having a range of abilities, many families are new to the United States (Laos, Burma, Sudan, Mexico) and are beginning to learn the English Language. Through sensory play, social interaction with peers, and hands-on learning opportunities I am thrilled to see how their speaking, listening and vocabulary abilities develop. I am always looking for new and fun ways to encourage speaking and listening in my classroom and am always amazed at the wonderful progress my students make.
My Project
Students will have opportunities for hands-on learning experiences that will reach all learners through various modalities. Active learning excites and engages growing minds while also encouraging crucial development such as problem solving, positive peer interactions and vocabulary development. After engaging in sensory play, students are always eager to talk about what they witnessed, felt and heard. Curiosity, questioning and critical thinking also result from sensory play. Often times, students that have special needs and or limited language abilities particularly benefit from sensory play since it is hands-on and provides opportunities for positive peer interactions. Looking for, finding and naming alphabet letters floating in the water table will assist students to internalize the letters of the alphabet, a crucial step in the literacy process for young learners. Watching water beads grow before their eyes and feeling them in sensory bins will lead to questions about how they move and change. Sensory dough and sand will challenge students to create and make observations about how the dough can be stretched, yet never breaks or disintegrates and why sand can maintain a shape when water is added to it. As the saying goes, “I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand.”
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