All resources in School District of South Orange & Maplewood

First Note Music Program on YouTube

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The First Note music curriculum is made up of 30 complete multi-cultural lessons broken down into 4-5 separate videos for each lesson. The program incorporates proven methods of music instruction developed by Carl Orff (Orff Schulwerk), Emile Jacques Dalcroze, Zoltan Kodaly and others. Video teaching tips are also included. The program is a standards-based music program for use in Kindergarten and 1st Grade classrooms. Best of all, it's designed to be facilitated by all K-1 school teachers, and as an aid to all music instructors.

Material Type: Full Course, Lesson

Author: Childrens Music Foundation

An Assistive Artistic Device

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Students design and develop a useful assistive device for people challenged by fine motor skill development who cannot grasp and control objects. In the process of designing prototype devices, they learn about the engineering design process and how to use it to solve problems. After an introduction about the effects of disabilities and the importance of hand and finger dexterity, student pairs research, brainstorm, plan, budget, compare, select, prototype, test, evaluate and modify their design ideas to create devices that enable a student to hold and use a small paintbrush or crayon. The design challenge includes clearly identified criteria and constraints, to which teams rate their competing design solutions. Prototype testing includes independent evaluations by three classmates, after which students redesign to make improvements. To conclude, teams make one-slide presentations to the class to recap their design projects. This activity incorporates a 3D modeling and 3D printing component as students generate prototypes of their designs. However, if no 3D printer is available, the project can be modified to use traditional and/or simpler fabrication processes and basic materials.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Kristen Billiar, Terri Camesano, Thomas Oliva

Advances in Neurotechnology

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Our brains control every movement we make. Most of us take for granted our ability to pick up a cup or change the television station. However, for people who have lost a limb or become paralyzed, the inability to do these things means a loss of freedom and independence. This video segment from Greater Boston describes how neuroscientists and bioengineers have teamed up to create a system that allows people who have lost motor functions to control electronic devices through their thoughts alone. Grades 6-12

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Argosy Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Design a Carrying Device for People Using Crutches

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Students are given a biomedical engineering challenge, which they solve while following the steps of the engineering design process. In a design lab environment, student groups design, create and test prototype devices that help people using crutches carry things, such as books and school supplies. The assistive devices must meet a list of constraints, including a device weight limit and minimum load capacity. Students use various hand and power tools to fabricate the devices. They test the practicality of their designs by loading them with objects and then using the modified crutches in the school hallways and classrooms.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Kristen Billiar, Terri Camesano, Thomas Oliva

Experiential Exercise to Examine Universal Design/Ability Privilege

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This exercise allows students to explore how people with site-impairment “read” documents and digital media using screen readers. It provides students with a sample memorandum to review for communications effectiveness. Then, by using a freely downloadable screen reader (and/or an enabled text-to-talk feature) and an embedded accessibility checker, students will evaluate the accessibility of the sample memo. With an altered appreciation of audience (now aware of sight-impairment disability), students will revise the memo using universal design principles and best practices for creating accessible documents. Using those experiences, students will be guided to reflect upon other disabilities and accommodations in the workplace. Finally, students will explore ability privileges and create a plan to identify, monitor and control blind spots. | Introductory except from a presentation at the Eastern Academy of Management on 26 June 2020 | Appendix containing ideas for modifying the exercise

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive

Author: Paul Szwed

Fractals in Geometry: Fractal Cities *Final*

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This lesson was created by School Library Media Specialist, Pam Harland, and Math teachers Rebecca Hanna and Carissa Maskwa to model text-based inquiry in STEM. Over the course of the unit, students will explore a variety of texts and grow in their knowledge of fractals, city design, and ability to use informational text to support their inquiry and research.The unit was created in year two of the School Librarians Advancing STEM Learning (SLASL) project, led by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management (ISKME) in partnership with Granite State University, New Hampshire, and funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Pam Harland, Carissa Maskwa, Rebecca Hanna