Project Description:
Why is this Project Necessary?
All of my deaf and hard of hearing students currently have deficits in the area of vocabulary. However, I find that when we study vocabulary words in class, students memorize the words for the test and then forget them as soon as it is over. Therefore, my goal is to teach my students to understand their vocabulary words and be able to apply them so that they can transmit these words to their long-term memory. I want to present my students with authentic learning tasks so that they realize that these vocabulary words apply to their lives outside of school. Finally, I aim to increase my students' home school connection so that they are not only practicing vocabulary at school, but also at home. Creating a classroom website with a specific area for vocabulary practice will help me to do this. When students visit this website, they will be able to play games, upload video explanations of their words, and submit pictures of their words that they took in their environment. Another key component of increasing support at home will be holding a parent meeting. Here, parents will be able to discuss successful ways that their children practice vocabulary, and we will add their ideas to the website. To demonstrate mastery students will create products explaining their vocabulary words. Additionally, students will be held accountable for demonstrating correct use of vocabulary words in context.