Jimmy Fallon is an inspiration in the Classroom....

I found this video on the internet and then after having it stuck in my head for days thought it might be a great opportunity for the students to be creative... The students created their own songs using pop culture hits to sing/write about jobs and going on interviews. We had a great time and it was amazing to see their creativity shine!

STEM Challenge

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Congratulations! You have been selected to participate in the 2014 Carolina STEM Challenge® Competition.   We are putting the final touches on the document that contains all the details. 

I put an entry the other day for another hands on lab for Applied Science and found out yesterday that our class was chosen! Yay! I am so excited that there seems to be so many wonderful resources to receive supplies for the classroom. I am looking forward to making the the catapult with the students as they work with concepts like: gravity and air resistance. 

Donor's Choose Grant

Recently, I applied for a Donors Choose grant (www.donorschoose.org) and received full funding within a week. This website is wonderful in providing classroom materials to teachers. For this grant, the students received 9 book sets! I am so excited to begin reading with them as a group and going through the process of creating a love of reading. The titles include some of my personal favorites:

Little Women by: Louisa May Alcott
Hatchet by: Gary Paulsen
The Cay by: Theodore Taylor
The Outsiders by: S. E. Hinton
The Giver by: Lois Lowry
Charlotte's Web by: E.B. White
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by: C.S. Lewis
Holes by: Louis Sachar
The Island of the Blue Dolphins by: Scott O' Dell

This grant provides over $350 worth of books to the OCS Program which is a wonderful thing for our students to have!

Exceptional Children's Conference

Recently, I was able to attend the North Carolina's Exceptional Children's Conference. I had a great time and attended sessions focused on:

- Greensboro's UP (University Participant) Program
- Building Better Relationships with Parents
- Accommodating and Writing Meaningful Goals for Children with Autism
- Teaching Reading to Struggling and Non-readers
- Implementing Positive Behavior Strategies in the Classroom

I came back with quite a few ideas on how to use new strategies with students. The UP Program which is located on several campuses in North Carolina Universities looks like a wonderful program for our students to learn independent living skills after high school. Please let me know if you are interested in more information. There is an application process and admission criteria that would be pertinent to know in applying. I am going to share the information with the rest of the OCS Teachers and I am sure we will speak about this information at our yearly meetings.