My classroom is filled with 11, K-1 special education students. There are 8 kindergartens and 3 first graders with a variety of disabilities such as autism, developmentally delayed, medically fragile, and behavior issues. Some students are working on functional skills, while others are working on academics.
Meeting the needs of every student is my goals as a first year teacher.
As we are past the 100th day of school I have seen amazing growth in many of my students and their needs continue to change. While some of the students are still working on learning their ABC's others are moving towards being beginner readers. Where the challenge comes is in teaching a non-verbal student to read. Having hands on tools/manipulative are key to their success in helping my students build their vocabulary, recognize patterns in words(rhyming), sequence and more.
My Project
The ability to pick up a book and hold it correctly, turn the pages from cover to back of the book, to look attentively at the pictures inside are skills of a beginner reader. To see my students hold a book like they have seen me do during a read aloud and pretend to read a book to their peers is the signs of a blossoming reader.
In my self-contained K-1 special needs student need for variety in teaching is vital!
BUT what comes first is knowing their A,B,C's both upper and lower case. Several of the items selected provided a student the opportunity to manipulate using fine motor skills while working on letter identification, and learning words that begin with that letter. Next, recognizing sounds, actually knowing the sound the letter makes and being able to produce the sound is the next step. Rhyming will help a child learn many words, just think of words that rhyme with HAT - at least 7 words come to mind and we have just increased that students vocabulary by helping them match the picture to the word. The Hear Myself Read phone will allow student to hear themselves saying words right in moment. The Level Reading Books A-D will provide the variety necessary to meet the needs of the many students in my class.
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