Ms. Gentile’s class has started the year off on the right path! The students are having fun and learning every step of the way. Community-based instruction enables students to practice in the natural environment the functional skills they have learned in class. Ongoing CBI trips to the HealthBarn USA, DDA Dance Academy, local stores, CVS, Lodi Lanes and Garfield House enhance learning in all academic areas. The students work together and participate in a variety of hands-on, multi-sensory lessons on the go. Their confidence level increases as they move towards reaching their individual goals.

Also, this year the “Robots” are here! Our class is so excited to learn how to program using robots under the direction of Judith Fiorica. A variety of academiAva Robotc skills are displayed as the students eagerly try to use various commands to create an algorithm. In class, the students continue to learn how to sequence steps relating to academic skills, job tasks, cooking skills and personal skills. Now, they are learning how to program their robot to follow their commands. Their reactions are priceless as the robots move around and do fun tasks, too! For example, the students smiled each turn they took using the Wonder Blockly app on the iPad to move “Dash” in different directions to travel through student created mazes. This student-directed lesson provided opportunities for “debugging” as they worked together to reach the final destination. They look forward to learning more on how to code!

Our students know trying their best is always the right move!

WAY TO GO MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS!!