Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 35

I am so thankful for the funding of this grant as it has been greatly extending learning and engagement during small group lessons. Small group lessons primarily include students who receive ESE (Exceptional Student Education) services who have learning disabilities. My students love using the Osmo kit with our mini iPads.

Students use Osmo applications for review, independent practice after a lesson, during partner work and as a brain-break/reward. The Osmo kit has been a motivational tool for students who have used it. When they see the Osmo being brought into their classroom, they become eager and excited to see what they will be learning during small group for the day.  

Using the Osmo Words application, students can practice vocabulary, grammar, spelling and much more. The Osmo Numbers application allows students to practice and build upon math skills. The Osmo Tangrams application activates critical thinking skills and visual-spatial abilities by having to replicate a shape that is pictured on the iPad using the tangram (shape) pieces.

The funding of this grant has allowed me to share one of the Osmo kits with our Media Center. Media Centers across our school district have been incorporating a station called “Maker Space” where students use devices to discover activities like technology programming and create materials with 3-D printers. The Osmo allows students to create words and shapes during this station rotation. Sharing this learning tool with our Media Center has exposed more students in our school to it and also sparked purchase of a new Osmo kit with Media Center funds. The new kit includes a coding component (technology programming) for students to practice with!

In addition to using the Osmo kits during small group lessons and student exposure in the Media Center, we are incorporating this learning tool as a station during STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) night here at our school! This grant opportunity has impacted many students this year and has potential to impact more students in future years. Many thanks for this wonderful opportunity!

**In small group lessons, the kits have impacted approximately 35 students. The exposure of this kit in the Media Center has impacted additional students who have had the opportunity to use it and the potential for our entire school population to use it!