Mary Grace Phillips completed a service learning project at Fruitland Park Elementary School where she worked with two inclusion classrooms. She was part of a team of 10 UCF students divided into two smaller groups. The groups implemented engaging activities for students, such as using manipulatives, a trampoline, and a Smartboard. Phillips found the experience rewarding and saw students and teachers enjoying and benefiting from the lessons and activities. She reflected that the experience helped diminish her initial anxieties and showed her the value of different strategies for reaching students of varying abilities.

1. Inclusion With Infusion! Mary Grace Phillips Marygp@knights.ucf.edu March 29, 2010 EEX 4070

2. Early Perceptions Okay, I can figure this out and this is going to be a great experience But…..where do I go and what do I do? I’m a little scared. Can I really do this?

3. Introduction to the Setting 304 W. Fountain Street, Fruitland Park, Fl 34731

4. Our Team:“The Fruitland Park Posse” We first met collaboratively as a group with the ESE director at Fruitland Park Elementary. She divided us into small groups to begin working with individual teachers. The group included: Kim Ethington Paul Holland Carissa Kase Karen Moffett Rikki Montgomery Danielle Moore Olivia Moulton Mary Grace Phillips Anthony Ritter Cari Urankar Tracey Hoff

5. Two are better than one! Group Two (Fridays) Group One (Tuesdays) Carissa Kase Me Karen Moffett (Above) Me and Olivia

6. Demographics Total number of students 630 White: 202 African American: 72 Multi: 15 Indian: 4 Hispanic: 27 Asian: 7

7. Personal Demographics “To teach is to touch a life forever” The most important things in my life are my 3 children and finishing my degree in Elementary Education so I can teach.

9. 13 Caucasians, 7 African American, 2 Hispanic, 1 Marshalize

11. 6 African American

12. 11 Caucasians

14. Engagement Activities (cont.) In Mrs. McKibben’s Class we initiated many hands-on activities including students making posters, giving oral presentations, and we played instructional games to develop listening skills and following directions. Again, all the students and the teacher enjoyed our lessons and activities every week, looked forward to us coming and responded very well.

15. My Reflection of This Experience My ending thought is that this was an awesome experience! I thoroughly enjoyed working with the students, learning different strategies to use to reach various students and their varying abilities and that this will definitely play a big part in my future career as an elementary school teacher. My anxieties diminished and my success, and the students success, prevailed. Also, I know our whole team made a difference at Fruitland Park Elementary and the school would like to continue with future UCF students and their service learning projects. I like knowing we made a difference.

16. In loving memory of Teresa Fordham. Mrs. Fordham was the ESE Director at Fruitland Park Elementary and the first person I spoke with about my project. She was very excited about the service learning project with UCF and very helpful as well. During the course of our project, Mrs. Fordham passed away very unexpectedly. The school was shocked and saddened, as were all UCF students who met and worked with her. Mrs. Fordham worked at FPE for the past 7 years and worked with the exceptional education teachers. She was a wife and mother of four and a very active member of the community. She was an exceptional lady and will be greatly missed. In her honor the UCF students will be donating a plaque to be placed in front of a newly planted tree at the school. It was Mrs. Fordham’s hope that the service learning project with UCF students would be ongoing for years to come.