Welcome to my classroom where wonderful things happen. The children enter an environment where they feel comfortable, safe, and free to be themselves. It is a place where they can learn how to open their minds, take in new information, and apply new skills in a variety of ways. Every child learns that he or she is unique in his or her own way and that everyone has different learning styles. The children learn strategies to improve speech, memory, comprehension, and expressive language skills.
I work very closely with classroom teachers so that I know the content being taught. I teach learning strategies and language skills through the use of social studies and science curriculum. I often show videos as an introduction to new concepts and vocabulary. You should see the children as their eyes are glued to the computer screen as they learn how the snow leopard uses it's spots to camouflage into the environment or how the Iriquois Native American Indians built the longhouse. This type of introduction motivates the children to learn more. The videos are often followed by listening passages, where the children are required respond to various "wh" and "main idea" questions. Other activites that are linked to content include memory games with science vocabulary words, or pictures and defintions related to social studies. The children also love to play games but the cool thing is that they don't realize that when they are playing they are actually learning.