This lesson is for : Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8:
Summary
The exceptional education teachers group the school’s functional program students into various roles for this lesson depending on their individual capabilities. One group of students collects and labels the school’s lost and found items and organizes the items into a rolling wardrobe. Another group of students is responsible for documenting the lost and found items in a Google Spreadsheet, which identifies color, type of item, size, date collected, and other identifying characteristics of the item. A third group of students photographs the lost and found items, uploads these photos to a shared Google Drive folder, and links these images in the lost and found spreadsheet.
A link to the lost and found spreadsheet is placed on the school’s website, so that parents and students can search through the lost and found items at home. Students and/or parents who wish to claim a lost item fill out a Google Form located on the lost and found spreadsheet. When a form is submitted, a fourth group of exceptional education students receives an email (via FormMule) containing the item number and the name and HCPS email address of the student that requested the item. The group of students that organize the lost and found wardrobe search for the item in the wardrobe based on its characteristics. Once an item has been located, the group of “email” students take turns and use their HCPS email account to send an email to the student who has lost the item. The functional program student that writes the email coordinates a time where the item can be delivered to its owner during APP (study hall period). Before these emails are sent to the student, they are sent to the exceptional education teacher, who has the student verbally reflect on the email message by comparing the contents of their email to the teacher’s rubric. The email group also participates in a short lesson on email (similar to the activities described in the step-by-step instructions on this site) before beginning the lesson in order to prepare for this task. All functional program students, regardless of their group and role within the assignment, take turns delivering the lost and found items to their owners during school hours.
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating: Not Observed – Explanation:
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Ideal – Explanation:
Communication and collaboration skills are the main focus of this lesson. The teachers divide the functional program students into teams and assigns each student a role based on his/her individual capabilities. There are four groups/roles for this particular lesson (closet organizers, photographers, spreadsheet data entry, and emailers), and each group collaborates to ensure that the lost and found items are organized, displayed for the school community, and returned to their owners.
One of the goals for this assignment is to display and communicate the school’s lost and found items to teachers, parents, and students in a way that does not require physically sorting through a large amount of items, as this act can be too time consuming during the school day. The lost and found spreadsheet allows an interested party to filter the lost and found based on item characteristics (item type, size, etc.) and use the item images to locate their personal belongings regardless of their physical location. Another goal of this assignment is to have the school’s functional program students communicate and interact with other students that they might not have a chance to meet or interact with otherwise. One group of students in this assignment uses their HCPS email accounts to learn how to communicate and coordinate with their peers. The students who are not developmentally ready for this particular task still have the opportunity to help with the overall project AND communicate with other students in person when they return the lost belongings.
The task for this assignment is authentic, as it allows students to practice skills that they will need after graduating from school, such as email etiquette, organization, and face to face communication. Additionally, the lesson serves the purpose of making the school’s lost and found less of a hassle and providing a service to the students and parents in the school community. Throughout the assignments, functional program students reflect on their roles as communicators by reviewing their emails, discussing how to interact with other individuals face to face, and discussing what would happen if lost and found were not organized in a community.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Not observed – Explanation:
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Not observed – Explanation:
Lesson Materials
