Assistive Technology Resource Guide - Secondary Environmental Sc

Student mood circles can be used for all students in the classroom to silently communicate to the teacher and other students how they are feeling. The circles are about 3" in diameter and made from red, yellow and green construction paper that has been laminated. Each student picks up a circle as they enter the room, corresponding to how they feel: green is good and ready to learn, red is not happy and yellow is somewhere in between. The student places the circle on the corner of their desk. This helps with last minute planning of the lesson and can sometimes prevent student melt downs and disruptions. FREE

This water bottle holder is used by students to carry supplies outside for field activities. Rulers, pencils, calculators can fit inside. There is a long strap so that students can wear it over their shoulder, tied around their waist or attached to a wheelchair or walker, whenever students need to keep their hands free or carry extra materials. FREE OR INEXPENSIVE & EASY TO MAKE BY HAND

Any color of card stock, graphic organizer or map can be placed into a heavy duty sheet protector (with or without 3-holes on the side) These are a great help to use in the field to protect student work from water and soil. They can be used so that students can write on a paper and want to be able to erase, using dry erase markers on the sheet protector. I like to use them as portable whiteboards for students. Students can write their thoughts for a quick assessment or exit ticket and be able to share it with the teacher by holding it up. COST IS $20 FOR A CLASS SET (sheet protectors and cardstock)

Any color of card stock, graphic organizer or map can be placed into a heavy duty sheet protector (with or without 3-holes on the side) These are a great help to use in the field to protect student work from water and soil. They can be used so that students can write on a paper and want to be able to erase, using dry erase markers on the sheet protector. I like to use them as portable whiteboards for students. Students can write their thoughts for a quick assessment or exit ticket and be able to share it with the teacher by holding it up. COST IS $20 FOR A CLASS SET (sheet protectors and cardstock)

This slantboard is particularly useful because it can be used to trace written material, hold writing utensils and paper as well as serve as an angled writing surface. It is 15" long and 14" wide to accommodate large and ackward sheets of paper. http://www.curtisproductsgroup.com/slantboards.htm $33.95 ONLINE

This poster outlines expected student behaviors during laboratory. The teacher can move the "X" cards to let groups know whether they are "on task" or "off task", allowing them to self monitor themselves and their group members during class. COST IS FREE

This poster breaks down scales into four groups; atomic-molecular, microscopic, macroscopic and large scale. Magnetized item cards can be placed on the poster by students. They are assisted by color coded groups, labled units of measurement and the powers of ten nomenclature at the bottom. This can also be a reference for students, printed on a 8.5 x 11" size paper and put into a science notebook. COST OF PRINTING VARIES, FREE TO $60 (at Staples)

This relief model of several watersheds can be made by students using paper mache. Students use a topographic map or other relief-type model as a guide and form the shape of the land using their hands or other tools. The individual smaller watersheds can be broken down by outlining or painted different colors. Once the model is sprayed with a protective hardening agents, water can be poured over the land surface for an authentic model of the watershed. Great for classroom discussions and simulations. COST = $10-$15 FOR MATERIALS

This water cycle model can be used in a variety of ways for student experiments. It can be filled with water and closed to be used to simulate the phases of the water cycle over a few days (with a lamp to heat the water). It can also be used as an open model to show the pathways that water travels through, as it flows to the ocean. COST = $90 FROM WARDS SCIENTIFIC