We began our day with integration, sensory diets, play, and code cracking. Play is great for creativity, language arts and complex communication skills, abstract thinking, problem solving skills, inquiry and mathematics skills, role-play and drama, fine motor skills, teamwork, and social skills. Ring toss is a great tool to work on our fine and gross motor skills, visual spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, accuracy, turn taking, sportsmanship, and math skills. Sensory diets are so important for regulation, auditory processing skills, teamwork, social skills, sportsmanship, motor planning, body mapping, sequencing, gross motor skills, proprioception skills, vestibular and bilateral movements, and balance and coordination.
Carter and I created our own Ghost Map using made up streets, places, and names. Next, I gave him directions and math instructions involving a series of steps he needed to follow in order to find the hidden ghost lair! Carter did very well and worked great with Mr. Jacob : )
Here is Carter making copies of his ghost map.
From last week's Scavenger Hunt, Avery and Sander worked together using math and language art skills (reading, phonics, letter awareness, etc.) to crack the secret code!
Sander and I had a nice chat about our weeks and he showed me some of his piano moves!
As always we went over our Question Wheel and looked at different questioning techniques for Show & Tell. Everyone did a great job and used lots of inferencing, questioning and answering skills, oral communication, problem solving, scientific vocabulary, adjectives, and implemented the question wheel and the Five W's. This has been a work in progress as some of our friends do find it difficult to think about questions, why we chose a specific toy/object, how much time has gone by since I got the toy/object, etc. Show & Tell is very important for our students to make connections to times, places, and faces that occur in their world, and using all of our skills mentioned above. I also want to remind parents that Show & Tell is every Friday! : )
In Art class today we participated in a fun and creative team building activity. Students had to figure out groups and number of people in a group with only 9 students in the class. Some of us showed their multiplication skills to form 3 groups of 3 students! Next, students had to discuss what to build using a tissue box, two toilet paper rolls, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks and glue. Everyone displayed great oral communication skills, abstract and symbolic thinking, complex communication skills, fine motor skills, math skills, science skills, social skills, and team work.
HOMEWORK:
To go over some of our favourite items/toys/clothes/photos/etc. and take a photo of them, develop the photos (Walmart has instant printing for 10 cents a photo), put them in a scrap book, and then write the date and year you got them, why, from where, from who, what it is, etc. During our Show & Tell all of us are having difficulties putting a specific place and time on our objects. Keeping a scrap book (journal log) of our items, toys, and memories will help us make connections, links, and begin to comprehend time and make the connections between past, present, and future events in our lives. This should be an ongoing project for the remainder of the year and then can continue on throughout the following years as well! Have fun with it and get creative!
Spend 15 minutes reading a book of your child's choice, a cartoon, instructions, recipe, comic strip, etc. Make reading fun, engaging, an adventure, and not a boring chore. You can also have your child create their own picture story book using the 5-Finger Retell Model.
Work on money skills at home and out in the community. Have your child make their own shop, store, etc. at home using real items/foods. Price out items, look online for comparable prices, and then use real money (5 cents to 2 dollar coins) to make specific amounts, for example, have your child show you how to make $1.80 out of nickels, dimes, and quarters.
Mr. Jacob : )
