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Craven, Elizabeth
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Phone: 734-744-2810
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Bachelor of Science in Special Education Masters of Arts in Special Education Michigan Teaching Certificate: Elementary, K-5 all subjects Cognitive Impairments, K-12 Learning Disabilities, K-12
Elizabeth Craven
About Me:
My name is Elizabeth Craven. I go by the nickname, Betsy. I started teaching in 2003 in the Supported Transition Program. In 2006, I began teaching the Leisure and Recreation (Enrichment) class. In 2020-2021 school year, I started teaching Life Skills for Home and Work. In 2023-2024, I start teaching Culinary Arts and District Services classes. I have a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, teaching students with cognitive impairments from Western Michigan University and a Masters of Arts in Special Education, teaching students with learning disabilities from Oakland University.
My Philosophy:
I understand that your students come with unique experiences, interests, and learning styles. My goal is to truly get to know the students and use this knowledge to guide, support, and motivate them. I want to expose the student to a variety of skills that they will be able to incorporate into their home life as well as future employment.
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Description of Culinary Arts:
The purpose of this class is to teach students how to prepare a meal, cook a meal, and clean up after. Students will also learn the basics of food planning, healthy eating, food storage, tools/ appliances, and more.
Structure:
Culinary Arts is one of the in-house classes at the Skills Center. Students will attend for a 55 minute period. During that time, students will participate in one of the following lessons:
Cooking Skill of the Week Lessons:
Students will focus on one particular skill to assist them develop the perfect meal, how to perform various cooking tasks, how to be safe in the kitchen, learning about healthy vs unhealthy foods, and more.
Recipes of the Week Lessons:
Students will cook in class three times a week. On two of the days, the students will prepare a food item to enjoy. On a different day, students will prepare a beverage. Students will have the assistance of a visual recipe that will be used to develop their own cookbook. When consuming their dishes, students will engage in appropriate table manner and practice social skills with conversation starters.Students will also record their thoughts on the dish with a recipe review. Students will also practice appropriate hygiene and cleaning up methods.
Food Themes:
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September-November- Snacks
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December-Seasonal
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January-February- Breakfast
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March-April- Sandwiches and Wraps
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May-June- Dinner
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(Other holiday themed items will occur closer to the holiday)
Shopping/Budgeting Lessons:
Each week, the students will work on developing a shopping list of the ingredients for the following week’s recipes. Students will use chrome books to find the items on the Kroger website and calculate how much money is required to buy them.
All activities and lessons will be leveled to the students' ability level.
Accommodations will be in place based on the students' needs.
Description of District Services:
The purpose of this class is to teach students how to perform various jobs in the community. Jobs include custodial tasks (cleaning surfaces, dusting, sweeping, cleaning windows, etc.) and clerical tasks (removing staples/paperclips, shredding, counting, etc.). Students are also working on interacting appropriately with the public.
Structure:
District Services is one of the community classes at the Skills Center. Students will attend for a 3 hour period. During that time, students will participate in one of the following lessons:
Opening Meeting Lesson
Students will determine what tasks that they will be completing at the jobsite and develop a goal for their work session.
Jobsites Lesson
Students will be performing a variety of work skills at one of the following sites:
Closing Meeting Lesson
Students will determine if they have accomplished their goals as well as receive their "wages" for the day and log information on their ledger.
Students can earn $1-$3 daily. This money goes towards the rewards they can earn on "PayDay".
Pay Day Lesson
Students will deduct the money from their account to pay for rewards such as snacks, beverages, free time, technology time and more.
Behavior Expectations:
Students work towards the school wide PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports) goals each day.
- Be Safe
- Be Responsible
- Be Respectful
Students who exhibit these goals will receive a Blue ticket. The Blue tickets can be placed into one of several raffles. Prizes may include gift cards, apparel, and time with the school's animals or staff members. Each week, one of the Blue tickets will be picked and that student will receive the prize.
Communication
Education is a partnership between home and school. In order for this partnership to be effective, we need to be able to communicate.
Please feel free to call, write a note, or e-mail me if you have concerns or questions about your student’s education.
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