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Increasing Success Through Increasing Learning Styles Opportunities

Jennifer L Vargo

Health and Wellness Education

Peoples Academy Middle Level (Grades 5-8)

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Accessibility and Universal Design Basics

Headphones

Lighting, sounds (hallway, bathrooms, chairs/desks)

Classroom layout

Desks alone at back

Open space at back

Read Aloud Extension, Schoology settings

Fonts for people with dyslexia (Google Slides)?

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Connections: Getting to know and celebrating

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Connections: Getting to know and celebrating

Using the daily greeting slide to celebrate a different student each day using information from their index card activity (previous slide). Turning it into a guessing game and then “Mistaken Identity” game.

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Universal Design meet Universal Not Making Assumptions - Language and Awareness

Parenting adult(s) instead of parent/guardian
“Family” - whomever that may be to you at this point in life
“Home” - be mindful that home isn’t always safe/happy; not everyone has a home or one home, etc.
Gender, SAB

If you are cicgender and/or hetrosexualt, try practicing what it would be like and what you would do differently if you weren’t living with those privileged qualities
Pronouns - would you share? What would you do when you were misgendered?
Restrooms - would you wait all day to get to a single stall? What would feel safe? How brave would you need to be just to go to the restroom in a public place?
Stereotypes and heuristics

Name/pronouns - who can know

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Don’t Reinvent the Wheel - Increasing options and still getting time to sleep…

Teachers Pay Teachers:

Choice for Webquests - perceived difficulty vs learning style.

Substance Abuse Notebook

Cancer Webquest

Diabetes Websearch

6th Grade: Your Brave Hard Working Brain

Authentic doodling and focus tools

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Authentic doodling and focus tools

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Breaks and Fidgets

5 Minute Breaks

Mandalas, word searches, crosswords

Yarn Pom Poms (making and having)

Drawing, reading

Puzzles

Physical challenges

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In-Class Physical Activity Challenges and Wall of Fame

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Increasing Experiential - Beyond Video

Handwritten vs typed - them and me

Reading hard copies vs online

3D imagery vs clay, drawing or movies

Clay circulatory and nervous systems

Lung capacity challenge

Sheep heart (optional)

More art

More skits

Mindfulness all class: two class periods of hands on can-do-at-home stress breakers, fidgets and mindfulness activities.