Thursday, September 22, 2011

Today we began the day with quiet reading and followed it up by doing a reading response in our journal .  I modelled an entry for the students based on a project that Room 52 will be a part of this year.  The journal is meant to prompt the students to think about what they have read and to generate questions about the content of the material.

My particular reading was based on the Strength Based Resiliency (SBR) project our class will be participating in.  As parents and guardians, you will be involved in the project and I will inform you of those details when I get them.  One of my goals for this year involves working on having the students recognize their strengths, as well as understanding their needs, and how that can support them in recovering from challenges that they may face.  Maria Machado, the class Educational Assistant, will also be a part of this training. 

I have been introducing the idea of the project to the class so they are familiar with the language of the project as well as the ideas associated with thinking and believing in yourself.  These two things are particularly important to the students who will be moving onto high school next year. 

The class is quite large this year.  17 is a high number for an Intensive Support Program (ISP), but I believe we have the potential to have a very cohesive class community.  We reviewed the Class Expectations created in September and we will also review the Class Consequences.    I believe this is important to remind the students of why we are in Room 52 and how it is important to talk about what it means to put words or ideas into action. 

Creating a sense of community can be challenging.  Sometimes there are students who will not understand why certain students receive more support that others or different levels of support.  As part of the SBR project, I am planning on being more explicit about what Learning Disabilities are, how they are different, and how this relates to the students in Room 52.  Dr. Mel Levine, a Pediatrician who specializes in Learning Differences and Disabilities, talks about the importance of demystification.  This type of learning involves the students becoming aware of their strengths and needs.  As part of the SBR, the students will need to be more aware of how they learn, what they are good at, and what areas of school they need help in.  If you are interested in reading more about this, consult this link:  http://drzomber.com/documents/child/Dymistifying.pdf

There will be no homework tonight on account of tonight's Curriculum Night.