This project was developed during my practicum after doing an analysis of the collection of materials in The Learning Common and discovering that we didn't have materials for our student population that have physical and mental disabilities.  We wanted to create an area that is inclusive to all students, so The Common Bond project was created.  We are currently waiting to hear if we have been awarded a Jennings Grant to implement it.  Below is the grant application I wrote with the school media specialist.

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What is the Project:

The Common Bond Project will create a Learning Commons that is inclusive to all students of Perry High School.  While the current Learning Commons (library/media center) is busy and full of our general education students, The Common Bond Project will make it a space that is inviting and welcoming to all students; including students with impairments or disabilities. The Common Bond Project will also then be a model for the other two schools in the district (elementary and middle) to adopt.

 

The students with impairments and disabilities have their own area in the school and have limited opportunities to interact with the general education population.  These students are bright, inquisitive, and curious. As students with multiple handicaps, they face significant learning challenges on a daily basis, yet they persist to achieve at high levels. Many of these students have shared feelings of loneliness or disappointment with their teachers about the lack of time spent students outside of their classroom setting.  

 

That’s where the The Common Bond Project comes in.  It would create spaces throughout the Learning Commons that has books, resources, and activities that are developmentally and age appropriate for ALL students.  It will have sensory friendly bags for those students who might need less stimulation to enjoy the space and book shelves that are low to allow students of all abilities to access them. The Common Bond Project will celebrate reading, writing, learning, creating and exploring and invite the students to take an active role in the Learning Commons.  

 

Students will be able to select and check out books (or audiobooks) and take them home in bags that they decorate using the art items in the Learning Commons. This will be a social event open to all students to provide a chance for everyone to interact and socialize.  They can then participate in a book recommendation program that will ask them to use creativity and create a design for that book that will be duplicated and made into buttons that they can pin to their bags and pass out to motivate other students to read the books.  This will encourage socialization and interaction with their peers as they talk about their book by using the buttons as a conversation starter

 

Students will also be able to participate in book clubs where they will read a common book, talk about it in a fun social setting, and end with a culminating social celebration such as watching the movie version of the book or doing an activity related to that book.  Reading these books and participating in conversations with others will help build empathy as they learn about new experiences and views. 

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Describe What You Want to Accomplish with the Project:

Students will be able to develop their critical reading skills when they come into the Learning Commons and select and check out books that have been curated specifically for them. The shelves will be accessible to all students and have a variety of leveled high interest books. Their love of reading will be encouraged through activities such as book clubs with typical students in the school, the creation of reading badges that they can trade and display, and a visual representation of the reading they accomplish through an art installation on the wall of the Learning Commons.

 

Students will strengthen their social skills as they work alongside their typical peers. They will build empathy as they read about new situations and experiences in books and practice sharing their views in the book club. Students will feel a sense of belonging and build their confidence as they become students who are welcomed into the Learning Commons.

 

Students will be asked to think like artists and scientists when they work in the Makerspace area side by side with their typical peers. The Makerspace area includes Science, STEM, Art, and creative items that encourage students to discover and learn on their own. It has items such as coding devices, a Cricut machine, art supplies, tee-shirt maker, sewing machine, jewelry making, and other fun and creative outlets. Students will be able to design projects based on their interests and curiosities in order to learn new skills. This will give them social skills and opportunities to relax and learn in an environment that invites and encourages students to discover and experiment without the fear of being graded or judge. They will be able to pursue things they might be interested in but have never had access to.

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How Does This Project Address Deep Learning:

The Common Bond Project TAKES PLACE DIRECTLY with the students in the high school by creating a space that is accessible for every single student no matter what their limitation.  

 

The Common Bond Project will leave a LASTING IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING as a permanent part of the Learning Commons and a model for the elementary and middle school so they too can make spaces that are accessible to all students.

 

STUDENTS WILL BE ACTIVELY AND DEEPLY DRAWN into their own learning through the use of the resources we provide, specifically age and level appropriate texts.  

 

THEY WILL COLLABORATE, DEBATE, AND DISCUSS ideas with other students (including typical peers) in the book club and ENGAGE IN MULTI-STEP PROJECTS as they read books, discuss them, and participate in a book recommendation program where they create buttons to collect and share with drawings/quotes of the books they have read.   

 

STUDENTS WILL EXPRESS CREATIVITY AND CONNECTION ACROSS DISCIPLINES as they participate in a book club with other students, create buttons for a book recommendation program, work on art and science projects in the Makerspace, and display their creations.  

 

STUDENTS WILL EXPERIENCE SELF-SATISFACTION AND ,INTELLECTUAL CREATIVITY as they select, read, and discuss books and participate in all the activities that the Learning Commons has to offer.

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How Does This Project Align with the Ohio State Standards:

The Common Bond Project aligns with Competency C and Competency D of Ohio’s Learning Standards for Learners with Special Needs or Talents, which focus on socialization and relationships with peers. Competency D2.1.d states that students will be able to, “Establish and actively participate in a healthy network of personal, school and community relationships.”  We believe this is at the core of The Common Bond Project.  We are creating a space where all students will be able to gather and work together as they interact and develop friendships with students they might not have otherwise met.  The Common Bond projects gives learners with special needs or talents the opportunity to develop and maintain positive relationships, interact and recognize social cues from typical peers, understand that they are as important to the Perry High School community as any other student, and have fun while doing it.

 

In addition to helping students develop relationships, this project also aligns with Competency C1 which asks students to “C1: Recognize, identify and empathize with the feelings and perspective of others.”  The carefully curated library of books and book club all students can participate in will help students step into the minds and situations of others in order to see things from their point of view.  Reading about new situations and participating in the book club and listening to others share their views, will help students to empathize and understand the views and experiences that are different from their own. 

 

Specifically, it aligns with the following Ohio Standards:

Competency C: Social Awareness

C1. 3.d

C3. 2.d

C3. 3.d

 

Competency D:  Relationship Goals

D1. 1.d

D1. 3.d

D2. 1.d

D2. 2.d

D2. 3.d

 

E1: Develop, implement and model effective decision and critical thinking skills 

E4. 1.d

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