Every teacher wants their students to thrive in the classroom and during Specials times (like music, science, and library). But for students in our Mixed Abilities classrooms, staying engaged during these times hasn’t always been easy. When classroom content isn’t accessible or at their academic level, it’s hard for these students to fully participate.
For teachers, creating custom theme-based materials for dozens of different learning levels every single week is an exhausting uphill battle.
Thanks to a generous innovative teacher grant from the Goddard Education Foundation (GEF), two Special Education teachers at Amelia Earhart Elementary are changing the game. Amanda Wilson and Christa Larson share a deep passion for providing an adaptive learning environment, and their project is doing just that.
The teaching duo’s innovative teacher grant provided their building a library of adaptive board books and custom-printed books complete with Velcro interactive pieces and simple QR codes for easy teacher check-out. Now, when a class is learning about science, music, or the seasons, teachers can instantly grab an adaptive book that matches that exact theme but is tailored precisely to each child’s academic level.
Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Larson shared, “It is our goal that by providing materials to help students be more engaged during their inclusion and Specials times, they will connect more with the content with the adaptive books, learn social skills from being more engaged with their peers, and build deeper relationships with other students that will continue throughout their school journey. 
We are so excited to see these books continue to spark joy, connection, and learning at Amelia Earhart Elementary for years to come. Thank you to the GEF and the generous contributors who support innovative education.