Wobble Painting

My main goal for my classroom is for students to be as independent as possible. I want this to cross all parts of the curriculum including art. One idea that I read about on a few special education sites is marble painting. I loved the idea. I want my students to do as much of the project as possible from selecting paint color to moving the marbles/balls independently. As I debated how to make this happen, my eyes happened upon the bowl I got at the hospital after surgery. Now, how do I make this bowl move with the smallest amount of effort. I looked at the various bowls and lids around the house, but they all had the same problem - a flat bottom. Then, I found a top to a water bottle that was slightly curved. It has to be small enough that the bowl won't tip completely over.

Ryan was willing to try the activity. Enjoy the video.

Daily Weather Journal

I developed a Boardmaker activity so that students can create their own weather journal. This activity can be used as data to meet one of our state alternative assessment standards. In this activity students glue the day, date, month and weather on their calendar page. The individual pages can be placed in a binder or glued into a notebook. I belong to a yahoo group for people who share Boardmaker activities and ideas. The activity has been uploaded to the site. I also uploaded it to the AdaptedLearning.com site. Let me know if you would like to receive this activity by way of email.

Adapting Responsive Classroom Part 1

I am taking the Responsive Classroom class this week. I am working on adapting the Morning Meeting section of Responsive Classroom for my students. I will incorporate communication devices and communication boards for students. I will use a device to support my students in "reading" the morning message as they enter the classroom. Boardmaker symbols can be used to help students interact with the message. Use reusable tape or glue symbols on post it notes so they can be moved easily.