Registration | Log In

Search Grants | Fulfilled Grants | More About Find It, Fund It, Florida

Share

Please share this page to help in fulfilling this grant.

Goal

The goal is to assist PreK students in developing executive function skills in order to increase their social-emotional, self-regulation, expressive language skills, and cooperative play skills. Developing students’ social emotional and regulation skills will allow students to become more engaged in their learning tasks. Specifically, students will learn to identify emotions and the physiological components of what occurs in their bodies, learn ways to regulate their bodies and develop the ability to create positive relationships with peers and adults. Students will also develop vocabulary to express their emotions and communicate their wants, needs and preferences.

This mini grant proposal is based on students’ present levels (as supported in Individualized Education Plans) in the areas of social-emotional learning and expressive language skills; and are supported by both the Florida Early Learning and Development Standards (FELDS) and the Volusia County Schools District Strategic Plan:
Goal 1: 1. Engage ALL learners in high levels of learning EVERY day.
Goal 2: School leaders ensure teachers are infusing culturally responsive practices in their classroom management system, identifying potential implicit bias and ensuring they provide equitable learning opportunities for all students.
Goal 3: Safe & Supportive Environment: 3C Strategy Statement: Support school leaders to build a positive school culture at district facilities.
 

What will be done with my students

Students will be taught co-regulation and self-regulation strategies through various modalities with many experience-based activities, role plays and opportunities. Baseline data will be collected for students on naming basic feelings in pictures/peers, using strategies to regulate their own emotions and current level/stage of play in order to show trends in growth and need areas. Based on the FELDS, I will teach the following standards listed under the Social Emotional Learning Domain:
Component A - Emotional Functioning - Goal: 1. Expresses, identifies and responds to a range of emotions A. (2-3 year olds) Labels simple emotions in self and others (e.g., happy, sad), 2. Demonstrates appropriate affect (emotional response) between behavior and facial expression A. (18-24 months) Begins to put words to emotions in interactions with others.
Component B - Managing Emotions Goal: 1. Demonstrates ability to self-regulate A. (18-24 months) Looks to adults to soothe and may use a transitional object during times of distress and (2-3 yr olds) Takes cues from preferred adult and others to expand their strategies and tools to self-regulate.
Component C - Building and Maintaining Relationships with Adults and Peers
1. Develops positive relationships with adults A. (18-24 months) Enjoys games and other social exchanges with familiar adults (2-3 yrs old) Enjoys sharing new experiences with familiar adults
2. Develops positive relationships with peers (18-24) Plays alongside peers and engages in simple turn-taking (2-3 yrs. old) Seeks out other children and plays alongside and on occasion with other children
Component C emphasizes emotional regulation; how to use regulation tools and cooperative play through adult supported explicit instruction. They will practice skills with fading support from adults and move into more independent and spontaneous regulation and play. Data will be taken on a weekly basis and lessons will be adjusted accordingly.
Language and Literacy Domain we also focus on C. Vocabulary Component under 18-24 months: Goal 2. Uses increased vocabulary to describe objects, actions and events (expressive) Benchmark A. Uses a number of different words and begins using two or more words together
Benchmark B. Has a vocabulary of between 50 and 200 words although pronunciation is not always clear
E. Conversation - Goal 1. (18-24 months) Uses verbal and nonverbal communication and language to express needs and feelings, share experiences and resolve problems Benchmark A. Engages in conversations by combining words or signs to indicate needs, wants or ideas, including one- or two-word questions and statements to initiate conversations
Benchmark A. (2-3 yr olds) 1. Uses verbal and nonverbal communication and language to express needs and feelings, share experiences and resolve problems
Benchmark A. (2-3 yr olds) 2. Engages in conversations using words, signs, two- or three-word phrases, or simple sentences to initiate, continue or extend conversations with others
 

Benefits to my students

According to the Division of Early Learning, "As children grow, their ability to establish relationships with peers and with additional adults influences how they view themselves and the world. Positive and adaptive social behaviors result from interacting with others who have different characteristics and backgrounds. With the help of supportive adults, young children expand their capacities to recognize and express their own feelings, and to understand and respond to the emotions of others." Students will be learning how to be emotionally regulated citizens of society.

The Language and Literacy Domain states, "Language, communication, and early literacy and writing are critical to children’s ability to learn, work, and play with others. Language and literacy development involves the way children learn to communicate with sounds, words and gestures, and eventually, the way they learn to read and write. Children develop language and literacy through interactions with adults and other children, engagement with materials and instructional experiences." Students will be able to express their needs/wants/preferences within the social/emotional need area in order to develop a true understanding of their own emotions and develop relationships with others and showing empathy with clear communication.
 

Budget Narrative

For environmental staging to moderate sensory overload in the room, I have asked for fluorescent light covers. These covers allow for ample light to learn in a calmly lite learning environment. I have also requested items for proactive educational skill teaching resources: the express your feelings pocket chart, learning about feelings activity set, the big feelings nesting fruit friends game and The Helping Game. These tools are wonderful resources for teaching what feelings look like, recognizing/identifying feelings in themselves and coming up with calming down solutions. Items for sensory and regulation include: the sensory tubes, dinosaur sensory kit, farm sensory kit, pet sensory kit, therapy putty, handy scoopers, colored rice and water beads. The sensory kits and games lend themselves nicely to cooperative play opportunities as well as increased opportunities for language. 

Items