I am a special education teacher and I work with early-elementary students with special needs. I provide services to awesome young students with Autism. The students unique learning needs add to what makes them so great! In class, we work on improving a wide range of skills. My biggest goal is to create a classroom environment where all students feel success and help each other to do their best. My students with Autism need visual and hands-on STEM learning materials so they can see, feel, touch, and interact with tangible items while learning. They will work on sharing with each other, expressing themselves socially through play, increasing verbal skills (as some of the students are non-verbal), build on academic skills through guided practice, and to explore and create in the classroom.
“STEM” – it’s not just part of a plant-- Help us purchase some classroom STEM learning stations!
My Project
This project will provide a wide variety of hands-on math and science materials that students will explore in our classroom centers. The math and science materials will also be used collaboratively with our Speech and Language Pathologist to work on social communication skills, verbal skills, and vocabulary. This project addresses our Minnesota state standards. These hands-on activities include Science, Technology, Engineering, and math. I would also add creativity, ingenuity, imagination, engagement, and high interest to that list.
These STEM resources will provide hours and hours of exciting, deliberate and meaningful hands-on learning activities for our youngest students with Autism--Let's explore!
The following are some of the activities and themes we would like to explore. House Building Engineering Center, Engineer-A-Coaster Activity Kit, Seasons & Weather Theme Box, Life Cycles Theme Box, Create-A-Path Magnetic Center, and others like Liquid-Tubes, Color Discovery Tubes, and Jumbo Magnets to spark curiosity and personal inquiry.
These objects are useful because they provide interactive, manipulative and sensory opportunities to learn skills.
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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. Lacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.