Lexi Mazur

Final Project

Ivy Tech Community College

 Classroom Space
As you enter my Kindergarten classroom, on the right you will see the students cubbies. This is where the students will keep their
folders, worksheets, etc. This will help keep them organized and learn a daily routine on what to do when they come to school in the
morning (Shalaway, 2016). They will unpack their backpacks and take out their folders and put them in their cubbies for me to go
through.
Behind the cubbies will be a reading corner/ library. It will have soft pillows and stuffed animals. This will help provide a space for the
students to come sit down with a book and practice reading it to a stuffed animal. This will help those students who are shy because
that way they can feel comfortable practicing their reading to a stuffed animal. The pillows will provide a since of comfort to relax and
enjoy the book they are reading (Shalaway, 2016).
In the middle of the classroom, there will be a nice open space. The open space will be where we will have our circle time, morning
meetings, etc. Having them in an open space will help them pay attention better because there will not be as many distractions
(Shalaway, 2016). I will also have carpet squares for them to sit on. This will help them sit still and pay attention while I am teaching.
On the white board facing the open space, I will put our classroom calendar and daily schedule. By having these things up for the kids
to look at, it will help them learn a routine and help them continue to learn more about the calendar and what it means. We will go over
the calendar everyday as a class to make sure that they understand what day, month, and year it is. The schedule will help them learn
their daily routine when they come to school. They will know what to expect each day (Shalaway, 2016).
I will also keep the lights dimmed and have a small lamp on. This is said to help calm the kids down and help them pay attention better.
It also does not put as much stress on them when they are working on an assignment. I will also make sure that I make my classroom
exciting to be in with colorful decorations (Shalaway, 2016). I will be careful putting too many colors though because I do not want to
distract them.
 Exceptionalities
Hard of Hearing: I will make sure to have the student sit near the front of the classroom so that way they could hear my
voice better and possibly read my lips when I talk. I will also get a microphone and speaker for the child and I to use during
academic times. This will help he student be able to hear me better and pay attention to what I am saying. Providing students
with these types of tools will help them feel like they are equal in the classroom and be able to hear and understand like the
other children in the classroom. I will also use a lot of visual displays and pictures to help aid communication (TECDHHS,
n.d.).
Visually Impaired: I will have them sit towards the front of the classroom. This will help them be able to see better. I will
also provide books with larger text and write larger on the white board when I am teaching. By having the larger text books, it
will help the student feel like they are able to do the same things as the other children in the classroom when they read books.
I will also make sure to describe things in great detail while giving directions. This will help the child know exactly what to
do without being able to see perfectly. Depending on the severity of the situation, I will have an aid come in and
independently help the student when they ask. This will help give the student the one-on-one time that they might need (VI,
1995).
Sensory: At times, children with sensory issues often get overly stimulated and need something to do with their hands or
bodies. I will provide them with fidget items such as stress balls, chew toys, items with different textures, etc. those
children will be allowed to get up and get a fidget item if they feel like they need it. This way the child will not have to be
called out in the middle of class and feel out of place if they are having an episode. I will also have a safe zone for the child
if they are having an attack or feel like they need to have a break. Allowing the student to have access to these items at their
own convenience will help them be able to learn with the same confidence as the other students (CMI, 2016).
 Classroom Management
On a daily basis, we will sit together as a class and go over our daily schedule. It will be a
written schedule with pictures. As we complete each task, I will remove the picture from the
board. This will help every child feel comfortable with what is going to happen next in the day
(TV, 2000).
At the beginning and ending of each day, we will all sit in a circle and discuss our joys and
worries for the day. This will allow the students to express their feelings to their peers and me
(TV, 2000).
I will use visual direction pictures such as sit, quit, wait, and stop. This will take away the need
for me to have to raise my voice and to keep a calm learning environment for each kid (TV,
2000).
I will have quiet spots and safe zones around the classroom for the students to go to if they are
having a rough day or just need a break. This will allow me to notice that they are in need of
some special attention without advertising it to the whole class.
 Teacher Support
Once I have identified the student that has an exceptional need, I will work closely with the
special education teacher, administrators, and the childs parents. From them I will learn
strategies and ideas to help meet each childs specific needs.
I could get an Indiana Special Education Certificate. This would provide me with 18 credit
hours in Exceptional Needs-Mild Intervention Program.
I could go to the Council for Exceptional Children. There, they offer memberships, professional
development, standards, and many special education topics. I will use this site for publications,
books, and journals. I will use these recourses to better my education about the exceptional
child. The CEC provides focus on issues, trends, and research in 18 specific areas. It provides
members with professional development and recourses to improve practice and leadership
opportunities.
 Summary
I wanted to take this class to learn how to better accommodate students with
exceptionalities and different strategies to help teach all of my students to the best
of my ability. I feel like every teacher should be professionally qualified to take
care of any type of exceptional learners. I think this because almost every
classroom will have some learners with these needs.
During this course, I had the opportunity to do Service Learning. This is where
you go to a school and shadow a teacher. I learned many things from doing this. I
got to have a hands-on experience with a real classroom. I got to teach some
lessons and work one-on-one with students.
In this class, I learned a lot from the text, service learning, and the discussion
boards. There were many classroom experiences where everyones input was very
valuable to me. I learned that every child should feel valued and appreciated. The
strategies that I learned through our discussions and our material will help me in
the future as a General Education teacher or a Special Education teacher.
 Citations
Visual Impairment. (1995). Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/visual-
impairment.html?WT.ac=p-ra
Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.deaftec.org/classact/challenges/communication/hoh-students
Child Mind Institute. (2016). Retrieved from
http://childmind.org/article/how-sensory-processing-issues-affect-kids-in-school/
Teacher Vision. (2000). Retrieved from https://www.teachervision.com/classroom-
management/teaching-methods-and-management/26200.html
Shalaway, L. (2016). An Easy Guide to Setting Up Your Grade K-5 Classroom . Retrieved from
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/easy-guide-setting-your-grade-k-5-classroom