Kindergarten Ladybug Project

    A complete success. Even with a substitute Para or Aide yesterday my little friend Sally in Kindergarten did a great job in art. All the cutting Sally had to do today was a straight line. Design the ladybug in crayon and but two fasteners into the sides to make the ladybug wings move. It also helped that it was a Monday after a week off from school!  I didn't take any pictures because things were so busy I didn't remember to but I'm hoping today to use a visual aide for George and take pictures of his progress. As far as the bell being used, I changed it to the street light as the signal for clean up so that Sally wouldn't get upset. No problem there either. The following art class time I will introduce my students to the work of Eric Carle...one of my favorite Children's Book Illustrator's. Here is a blog I just found, I plan to use for inspiration:

Visual Spacial Problems ?

As I drove into reading this past week I had three books I started to read. I guess this is the ADD part of me that can't stick with one book. I guess it's about finding the information that fits the children I'm working with. A book I borrowed from a co-worker had been very helpful. Helping a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder or Asperger's Syndrome, by Kathryn Stewart, Ph.D.Sally I believe has Visual-Spatial  Problems.
It is the ability to use information from the visual fields to understand the world around you. Visual-spacial processing deficits affect how information gained through the visual field makes it into memory. Information gained through auditory channels is more likely to make it into memory. This makes a lot of sense to me. Sally has to be told what to do and it's even written out for her. Because her behavior is the main thing her aide needs to deal with sometimes the written part of her directions are not done for her.
Also I now realize that Sally worries about when the bell is being rung at the end of class to signal the children that class is over and it's time to clean up. Many times she asks when I going to ring the bell or "where is your bell Mrs. Zacchia?". For some reason she either starts to apologize to me or has held her ears when I ring the bell. I'm going to try something else with this class to see if it makes a difference. Perhaps turn on the red light on my street light to signal class is over.  

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Reflection Done, Now for the Changes (modifications)

    As I browse through web sites dedicated to working with children on the Autism Spectrum and the books I've read; Thinking in pictures, my Life with Autism, by Temple Grandin, Cary's Voice, breaking through Autism, by Arthur Fleischmann. I've learned that when students like my anxious little girl  "Sally", ( not her real name) and in need of more sensory input boy "George" ( also not his real name ) are in the art room I can do things with them or prepare them for the art room better. The art room is a place to create with many different materials and certain ones could bother the over stimulated student. For myself, I'm very sensitive to smells and find the art room to have a bad smell whenever we have the paint cart out. Each night it gets covered, but with a MOLD problem in the room, it gets icky and smelly. Certain markers have a funny smell too! Sally and George have a very good use of language but may not be able to use their language effectively enough to say "hey that smell is really bothering me"! All cleaning products are GREEN so they shouldn't have a strong smell either. Also, I need to work with a very narrow window of opportunity to effectivley teach Sally. She either becomes bored or it's too much information and starts to whine and screetch (yes, screetch). She is not allowed to leave as this is what she wants some times. A big test of patience for her aide, myself and the other students which seem to be O.K. when Sally has her outbursts. She prefers to come in with the class because she really likes being with them and is highly social. I've learned that simple is better. A small discussion and demonstraion with a motor break and a 20 minute work time allowing for a 10 minute on task time and 10 minute motor break. That is not an hour....so they have free time, which they love.  I found a website which is on my (Pinterest board ) that has several projects that were broken down into small parts and placed in pictures with a supply list to be placed in front of the student. So many things I already do with students like back up the visual supports to back up verbal language which is placed on an easel in from of the class. However, students that are in Kindergarten are just learning to read. So I don't put up written directions most of the time. Sally reads and so I need to write it out for her eventhough most of the class doen't read. Also she may have a problem with her vision that doen't allow her to see well. I have seen her try and cut and she can't cut a large circle but can cut a straight line.
  Next time I have her class I'm going to see if a visual sheet of paper will help Sally to understand what to do and lessen her anxiety. Maybe this is what she needs on a regular basis:
   
I'll let you know how it turns out!! LESS is MORE, LESS is MORE, LESS, is MORE. Keep saying it Michelle. ( Did I say that out loud?)

Mid Year Reflection

 In September, I posted about work and my professional goals for the year. 
  It started like this: This year I have two extra classes I teach besides the regular classes that are all Kindergarten and First Grade. One of the Extra classes needs to be taught in the regular Kindergarten classroom.  I don't need to "follow" the curriculum per say, I could go in different directions, try new things, even do experiments! However, after working with this class for three class times I realized they there are some several children that may need extra time learning the basic skills like cutting, hand washing, general direction following. etc. The only hard part is doing projects that aren't as messy as those we do in the art room.  Here is a piece of artwork by my student a boy who is on the " spectrum" .     

Most children could cut out the entire chameleon and some ran out of time or had trouble with the smaller fine motor skills of cutting the triangles out for the toes.One even kept cutting even though he had cut enough, he discovered that tape would do the job of fixing some over cuts. I let him continue to tape even though he didn't need too. Using the tape dispenser isn't an easy skill for a Kindergarten, I was impressed! Next time I will definitely have this student STOP before he does too much to his project! He doesn't know when to stop!  

 Well into February, I've gotten to know two special needs students that I happen to teach twice in a six day rotation. I've observed some classes, read and continue to read up on art with children on the "spectrum" .I'm presently reading : Two books that I feel will help me discover new ways of dealing with my very anxious little girl in one class and my "in need of more sensory input" boy in the other Kindergarten classes. In addition I teach four other Kindergartens and five first grade classes an hour each.       and