My Weirder-Est School: Miss Aker Is a Maker! Self- Paced Book Club
In this four week flex book study neurodivergent kids with dyslexia, dysgraphia, as well as reluctant readers will engage in purposeful reading and writing by reading a high interest low reading level book and doing fun STEM activities.
Bridget Smith M.Ed.
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(894)
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What's included
0 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentClass Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
In "My Weirder-est School: Miss. Aker is a Maker!" by Dan Gutman, learners will enjoy the adventures of AJ and his friends as they learn about the Maker Movement and build their own robot drone. Students will read two chapters per week of this accessible novel. Kahoot! review, online discussions, and suggested maker projects and STEM challenges will keep kids engaged and give them opportunities to develop their writing and literacy skills. Although this class is for all kids , it will be especially helpful for neurodivergent learners with learning differences and reluctant readers who need low reading level high interest books to develop reading fluency and comprehension. It is designed with supports in mind that help accommodate students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning differences. Students will be able to respond to the text in multiple ways by drawing diagrams, making videos, displaying projects, and contributing to discussions in our online classroom. This is a flexible schedule class which does not meet live. All interaction will be in our online classroom. The teacher will contribute to online discussions and provide feedback for student work. Week 1: Maker Movement Opening Question: What kind of things do you like to make or build? Share about some things you have made for yourself or other people. Watch a video of the teacher reading chapters 1-2 to build engagement. Contribute to our KWL about the Maker Movement Read chapters 3-4 Reflection Questions: What was awesome? What was a bummer? What was funny? Thoughts and questions Kahoot! review of Chapters 1-4 Questions for discussion: Why do you think it would be fun to have your own "Fab Lab"? What would you put in it? Challenge of the Week: Can you make a cupcake car, a food sculpture or other delicious invention? Be sure to take a picture and share it in the classroom when you are done. Then, be sure to eat your invention...no sense in having that deliciousness go to waste! Week 2: Droney Comes to Life! Opening Question: What do you think is one of the world's greatest inventions? Why? Contribute to a KWL about 3-D printers Read Chapters 5-6 Reflection Questions: What was awesome? What was a bummer? What was funny? Thoughts and questions Kahoot! Review of Chapters 5-6 Questions for discussion: Do you think the events in this book could happen in real life? Why or why not? Design your own "robot drone" Draw a diagram and label the different features of the drone. What can it do? What problems does it solve? Challenge of the Week: Get started on creating your own "Fab Lab" by gathering supplies. It can be a corner of your play area or a box you can move around your house then store when you are done. Be sure you have a plan for organizing and storing the things you collect. Engineers and scientists need to have a clean and organized workspace so they always know where to find the materials they need. Share a picture in the classroom of what you come up with. Week 3: Opening Question: If you could have your own personal robot, what would you have it do for you? Draw a graphic novel page of your favorite part of the book so far. Be sure to include both words and pictures. Read Chapters 7-8 Reflection Questions: What was awesome? What was a bummer? What was funny? Thoughts and questions Kahoot! Review of Chapters 7-8 Questions for Discussion: What should AJ and his friends have done differently as they designed Droney? Do you think they can prevent him from taking over the world (or at least Ella-mentry School? Why or why not? Challenge of the week: Build a marshmallow or cotton ball shooter or catapult. Week 4: Opening Question: What are some downsides of technology? Share any ways you think technology can cause challenges in today's world. What is a real life problem that could be solved by technology? Draw a diagram of an imaginary invention that might solve this problem. Read Chapters 9-10 Reflection Questions: What was awesome? What was a bummer? What was funny? Thoughts and questions Kahoot! Review Ch 9-10 Question for discussion: The last chapter is called "The Big Surprise Ending". Was the ending a surprise to you? Why or why not? Challenge of the Week: Do a maker project or make a gift for a friend or family member. Share a picture or description in the online classroom.
Learning Goals
Learners will develop their reading fluency and comprehension by reading and discussing a fun, easy to read book. Learners will also do creative projects that encourage them to write, draw, and label in order to get them more comfortable with using writing to communicate their ideas.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Learners use teacher created Kahoot! for review.
Supply List
Students will need their own copy of "My Weirder-est School #8: Miss Aker is a Maker" by Dan Gutman. Students are welcome to read the book in hard copy or on e-book or audio book. Text to Speech accompanied by reading can be a good strategy for dyslexic learners as enlarging the print in e-book format. Plenty of paper, colored pencils or pens, and something to write with are required for most sessions. There may also be templates to print out. Since this class includes maker projects, some simple household and craft supplies as well as scissors, glue, and tape may be helpful. The learner has the option of creating a marshmallow shooter (but could also use cotton balls). Learners are also encouraged to create something with food and then eat it.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2020
4.7
894reviews
Popular
Rising Star
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Teaching Certificates
California Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
California Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Master's Degree in Education from University of California, Santa Cruz
Bridget Smith is a teacher and parent with ADHD. Her focus on Outschool is supporting students with ADHD, other neurodiverse learners, and students with learning differences. She has taught over 5000 learners, including neurodiverse learners, with ADHD and learning disabilities here on Outschool. She is a credentialed teacher who has taught preschoolers through adult learners. Bridget is credentialed by the State of California to teach K-12 Students. Book studies are some of Bridget's favorite classes to teach on Outschool. She enjoys creating book studies on low interest high reading level books that get even the most reluctant reader excited about reading.Reviews
Self-Paced Class
$10
weekly or $40 for all content1 pre-recorded lesson
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 1 learner
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Ages: 8-12
