At Hardee Junior High School teachers across grade levels and subjects use various methods for delivering instruction that help students make connections and utilize different modalities for learning. For example, did you know that egg whites have a similar composition to the whites of a human eye? Students in Mrs. Micaela Ford's sixth-grade science classes practiced using all of the safety procedures they've learned to find out the detrimental effects of not practicing safety in the lab. Ford said, "In this lab, we were teaching the importance of wearing safety equipment and following all safety procedures in a science lab." Students were given egg whites and two clear solutions that looked like water. They watched what would happen if they accidentally splashed or poured an unknown liquid into their eye and also learned about the serious, long-lasting effects it could cause.
Theresa Rosenberg's sixth grade World History classes are using hands-on activities in the classroom to make connections to the past. Theresa Rosenberg says, "The first thing we learn about is how archeologists are like detectives and they put together clues they find to solve the mystery of ancient people and civilizations." Theresa had her students participate in an activity where students were in the role of an archeologist and had to unearth a backpack full of objects. Students then used the objects to make a list of characteristics about the individual. Each bag was filled by Theresa with the same items, shells, an empty soda bottle, candy wrappers, pictures of family and Disney World, crayons, a paintbrush, a bottle of hand lotion, Burt's Bees chapstick, a book, something about cats, magnets, and much more. Students had to draw conclusions from the items placed in the book bag such as this person like the beach and being crafty. Theresa says the activity went well and students were really engaged and eager to reveal the items in the book bag. She shared, "Students enjoyed working in groups and it was interesting listening to them reason out their thoughts." For example, one student said, "There are crayons and a paintbrush, so she must like are not just coloring." One group reasoned that Theresa likes taking pictures of friends and family. In the future, she might add some different items and make each bad different to bring out varying responses. Students in Theresa's class also participated in a second activity relating to archeology where students had to excavate the chocolate chips out of a cookie. Students were able to experience the delicate practice of excavating fragile items similar to what archeologists do in the field.
Mrs. Ashlyn Morton's class used adaptive equipment to make brownies. Students used an adaptive egg cracker and operated the mixer using a button switch. Accommodations such as these allow all students to participate in fun activities and enjoy a tasty treat. The adaptive equipment makes the activity accessible to everyone and allows students to practice real-world life skills.
