"A person's a person, no matter how small." ~ Dr. Seuss. My biggest challenge is preparing my Exceptional Student Education students (Autistic, language impaired, etc.) for Kindergarten. They have a hard time staying focused and showing what they know.
My classroom is a blended Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten classroom consisting of half General Education Students and half Exceptional Student Education students (Autism, language impaired, developmentally delayed, etc.) They are a very friendly group of four and five year old's and enjoy playing in centers and being active outside.
The students love doing art projects, cooking activities, and experiments. Our school is very nice and we have some technology such as a smart board in our classroom. My students don't always show what they know when asked, but when they are observed during fun activities, such as when using technology, their knowledge really shows and their faces light up with joy. They respond very well to technology.
My Project
Having iPads in the classroom will allow my students to learn their letters, letter sounds, shapes, colors, numbers, phonological awareness, etc. These early childhood readiness skills are vital to their success in Kindergarten. Not only will the students enhance their learning of these skills, but I can get a true understanding of what they know and what they need more work on. When assessing with technology my students tend to show more of what they know. They are also more eager to learn when technology is being used. We will use these iPads during centers time, small group, as well as ways to keep data on students goals and work on their learning goals.
Having iPads will enhance the learning and curriculum in the classroom.
Having a better understanding of what the students know and what they need to work on will allow me to either keep working on a strategy, or move on to the next level (such as moving from letters and letter sounds to beginning word sounds). Being that many of my students are in the Exceptional Student Education program and may be delayed, my students can be better prepared for Kindergarten.
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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 Ms. Lipensky and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.