Dear dad, (example)

Here is a completed "note".
Dear Dad,
Today I was feeling happy. I was feeling that way because I am at school.

Dear mom/dad....

Another extension activity that I did with MeVille to WeVille was having the students compose a "note home". As a review of the feelings words, students were asked to write a note home regarding feeling and why they felt that way. I decided to make the note into a SMARTboard file, giving the students picture choices to finish the sentences. To some degree, it was "errorless" as most of the choice all make sense in the sentences. However, some of the options would not be appropriate for all students.

This group of pictures are of the blank pages of the note presented to the students on the SMARTboard. Students were expected to make a choice by sliding picture to the blank spot. Some students needed for assistance than others. The 2 students with Vanguard devices used eye gaze or arm movements to indicate choices between two and then used the device to make a choice of feeling. All other students were left to choose through SMARTboard, then asked to verbally tell/read sentences with model as needed.

 

The students all did an excellent job with the activity. Students' answers were very appropriate to the situation and feelings chosen. One student chose happy, then I went potty...we are in the process of potty training and she is SOOO proud of herself. Another student has been struggling with changes at home and allergies....this student chose sad, then I am at school.


Students: Great work today!
Parents: I hope you enjoyed the "notes home" today.

~Melanie

Me I Am by Jack Prelutsky

As the school year draws to a close, I didn't want to start a new MeVille to WeVille Unit. We complete Unit 1 a week or so ago. Since then, realizing we only have about 15 days of school left (now about 11 days), I decided to include some of the "enrichment" activities. As I flipped through the manual, I saw several activities, but the activity that suggested an internet search for the poem Me I Am! was interesting to me. (Great suggestion, if you are doing MeVille in your class, please complete this activity!) I have to admit, I don't often think about introducing poetry. I often get so focused on "sight words" or "picture identification", that I forget that all types of literature deserve to be introduced.

Here is a picture of few of the students' Me I Am! collages. I traced hands and feet, then students help measure them from top to bottom. The adults cut them out (so they maintained they original shape) and students assembled collage. They turned out really nice!

This poem was so appropriate for the classroom and for our whole school. We do our best to embrace the uniqueness of each student and I believe that we succeed. The students have made so much progress this year. I have enjoyed learning from them as much as I hope they have learned from me. I just had to share this poem. I hope you enjoy!

Me I Am !

I am the only Me I Am
Who qualifies as me,
no Me I AM has been before,
and none will ever be
No other Me I Am can feel
the feelings I’ve within,
no other Me I Am can fit
precisely in my skin
There is no other Me I Am
who thinks the thoughts I do,
the world contains one Me I Am
this earth shall ever see,
that Me I Am I always am
is no one else but Me!

by Jack Prelutsky

MeVille to WeVille

I have tried a variety of reading/language programs over the years. Some years trying to adapt the grade level and phonics materials which often didn't meet the needs of the students. Some years I created all "teacher made" sight word based curriculum. This was time consuming and again, didn't quite meet the needs of all the students the way I had hoped. Finally, a couple of years ago, I found MeVille to WeVille as I was searching AbleNet's website for wireless switches. I purchased it and that next fall I went on maternity leave so needless to say...it was put on the shelf and not used that year. I looked through the curriculum again the following year, but wasn't sure how I could make it work in the classroom. The students were so diverse. Could this one program meet their needs and my expectations in a literacy program? After that, I made a commitment to myself that I was going to try it out this year.


And so begins this year's journey from MeVille to....well, MeVille. The literacy program is broken into 3 units: Me, My Family, and My School; each unit containing 3 parts. Due to the structure of each unit, the extension activities, 'game' activities, and the interactive lessons I created for use with the Smartboard, we only made it through Unit 1: ME.....thus MeVille to MeVille. Next school year maybe a challenge as I will have some new and returning students. My summer project will to figure out how to make it work with both groups, extending our MeVille to WeVille.

This year, I decided to set up the schedule so that I could tailor the reading/language portion to the communication needs of the students. Group #1 is comprised of my non-verbal, assistive tech users. In this group, 2 students use their personal Vanguard devices (see technology tab for more info on the Vanguard) and 2 students use a variety of low tech options, such as PCS symbols and a Big Mack switch. We also introduced some simple sign language as we went through the unit. In this group, our focus was on increasing AAC use, developing picture/word associations, participating/utilizing an interactive whiteboard, and attending to a group. My verbal students (using that term in a vary broad sense) made up Group #2. We used mostly verbal speech, sign language, and occasionally some of the low tech options. In this group, we focused on reading the words, identifying the pictures, taking turns, categorizing items, and attending/following along in a group.

As it grows near to the end of the school year, I think back to where the groups began and where they are now. It is amazing the growth in language each student had made and I know that it is because of this program. No matter how big or how small the growth, we have seen growth - from tracking the picture of the word of the week to the ability to read a sentence with a blank and input the missing word. The systematic lessons, the consistency with the PCS symbols, the repetition, and the focus of the student has helped make this year's reading groups a success. The school SLP, who is in my classroom 3 days a week during this literacy time, has also commented on the students growth in language and vocabulary skills.

A special thanks goes out to the parents for supporting the program by sending in photographs and filling out several questionnaires. Without that information, the personal touch, that I believed help make this program appealing to the students, could not have happened. Thank you!

For more information about the MeVille to WeVille program, visit the Ablenet site listed below.


http://www.ablenetinc.com/CurriculumSoftware/MEvilletoWEvilleLiteracy/tabid/132/Default.aspx