Teaching Strategies to Reach Highly Mobile Students
The National Center for Homeless Education used the analogy of having students who are homeless in your classroom come and and leave just as quickly as if the classrooms had revolving doors. Homeless children make frequent, sudden moves throughout the year and tend to not stay a certain place for long. Changing schools and classrooms five-seven times in one year makes learning extremely difficult to accomplish, especially when those students have great physical worries consuming their thoughts. It is important for the teacher to understand who these students are in their classrooms and make themselves available for support to assist the child and collaborate efforts to try and make the best out of their situation. Teachers can use the following strategies when dealing with at-risk, homeless children in their classrooms:
- Teachers must meet the affective needs- Students often times feel isolated, frustrated, and have a lack of motivation with a "what's the point" attitude towards school. A teacher said she met with her students each morning and sat down with them and gave the opportunity for them to vent how they are feeling and let them talk things out right before they started their day.
- Academic needs- teachers need to be in tune and plan effectively in delivering instruction, they must also assess learning more frequently to try to get the children caught up to the other students to the best of their ability.
- Technical needs- Teacher working with social services or understanding their living situation on a day to day basis. If they are unsure of when their next meal is or always come to school hungry, their physical needs are not met causing them to struggle to focus and their academic needs will suffer. Proving food in the morning may be their only constant source of food for the day and that is more important to take care of that need so the child is able to function the rest of the day on their other needs.
- Caring about the students- teachers need to show genuine care and concern for each students well being. When the child feels a connection with their teacher, they can look to that person as a support in their life and that personal connection will positively impact the child more than the teacher will ever know.
- Be flexible!-Teachers need a positive attitude at all times and try their best to understand that each child's life and experiences is unique. Each child is going through a lot in their lives before they walk into the teachers classroom each morning. Know and remember the environment of the child plays a huge factor in what they are capable of completing regarding assignments.
- Buddy system-when new students arrive mid-year in your class, assign them a buddy to help them to learn the classroom routine and act as their first friend in arriving to a brand new school. They need to feel a sense of belonging right away to avoid the tendency of high mobility children of feeling isolated (NYS-TEACHS)
Here is a letter and a flier you can send out to parents to explain the classes and school's philosophy on helping out with homelessness in the community as well as providing resources to families that are homeless themselves insuring their child still has the opportunity of receiving an education.
letter_to_parents.docx | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
homelessness_famly_flier.pdf | |
File Size: | 81 kb |
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Lesson Plans for Elementary School K-5th grade
The first lesson plan is geared towards children ages kindergarten through second grade.
The second lesson plan is intended for students between the grades third though fifth.
The second lesson plan is intended for students between the grades third though fifth.
fact_sheet_and_lessonplan-k-2.pdf | |
File Size: | 1053 kb |
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lesson_plan-homeless_children.odt | |
File Size: | 106 kb |
File Type: | odt |
As a part of Habitat Day at an elementary school, students participated in poverty simulations in order to learn about poverty and homelessness. Read this article to learn more about their experience and what they've learned: Students Learn how Hunger, Homelessness Affect Choices
High School Resources and Lesson Plan
NPR article on a personal account of a college student looking back on her journey from homelessness called
College Student Recalls High School Homelessness
Lesson Plan for 9-12th grade students that has multiple interactive activities.
College Student Recalls High School Homelessness
Lesson Plan for 9-12th grade students that has multiple interactive activities.
9-12_grade_lesson_plan_homelessness.pdf | |
File Size: | 661 kb |
File Type: |