Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything." ~Tomie dePaola.
This project is about providing my students the best opportunities to learn anything and everything through reading with their diverse talents and challenges.
My hope is to even the playing field for my students who learn with the challenges that dyslexia presents.
I am a dyslexia facilitator at an amazing neighborhood school. The majority of our school's students receive free and reduced lunch. Our students have diverse gifts, educational needs, goals, and backgrounds. The majority of the students receive free and reduced lunch. Many of the students are English Language Learners with little or limited exposure to English. My students have both the challenge and advantage of having dyslexia. We learn the science of written language that addresses reading, handwriting, and spelling.
My Project
The students that I work with are in grades first through sixth. They are creative, intelligent and so hardworking. Our remediation program is the Multisensory Teaching Approach or MTA. Multisensory Teaching Approach is a research-based program for the remediation of Dyslexia and other reading disabilities. MTA is an Orton-Gillingham multisensory approach to teaching reading that combines Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic instruction. It is based on the alphabet symbol system, teaches the science of the written language and addresses reading, handwriting, and spelling.
Research shows that up to 40% of students with dyslexia also have attention issues, such as ADD/ADHD.
This is the case with some of the students I work with. I have 7 groups of students that meet each day for 45 minutes to 60 minutes. Our curriculum moves quickly from one activity to another to maintain the student's involvement and engagement. However, our group time can be a long time to sit and focus on instruction. I let the kids stand sometimes while we are learning because allowing us to move helps us to focus on what we are learning in class.
A 2015 study by researchers at the University of California Davis MIND Institute, a center that studies neurodevelopmental disorders, found that fidgeting for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may actually help them think. I hope to have flexible seating to allow my students the option to wiggle and wobble to increase their thinking and learning.
In order to utilize the time we have together, I am requesting four K'Motion stools. The stool is a colorful, sturdy plastic with a convex base that transforms stationary sitting. This movement can help my students to remain focused and learn for longer periods of time. Your support will "sit well" with us!
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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. Dunham and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.