March 2nd, 2021

We are excited to share our second Class Act-tivty with Pacific Symphony. The Class Act Assignment was to Create Your Own Planet. We gave it an In STEPPS Academy twist and incorporated a Teaching Point of Flexibility, Accepting other people’s ideas, and Teamwork in the classroom.

Rigidity

Rigidity is not uncommon for those on the Autism Spectrum. It can manifest itself in many different ways. For example, rigidity in play or rigidity in routines. One way we work on decreasing rigidity and increasing flexibility at In STEPPS Academy is by creating opportunities to accept a friend’s ideas within play. This skill takes time, and it’s something we have to shape or build up to.

The second Class Act-tivity allowed us to practice flexibility and accept other people’s ideas and teamwork. This was done all while using our imagination! Our students put their heads together and came up with a fascinating planet. They allowed each other to add their own details to the class creation to create Planet Infinity.

Welcome to Planet Infinity!

Planet Infinity is inhabited by “3-Eyed Walkers” and has 4 tribes of Walkers:

• The Happy Tribe
• The Inspector Gadget Tribe
• The Dino Tribe
• The Flaming Dragon Tribe

They work together to build homes for Ewoks and spaceships. The “3-Eyed Walkers” communicate with really unique symbols. They are tough to find because they only come out at night.

3-Eyed Walkers

Students took turns picking shapes and sizes for each body part of the 3-Eyed Walkers. They took the time to draw each piece at a time. Once the class decided on the 3-Eyed Walker template, each tribe name was chosen. Then each tribe representative was decorated!

Flexibility

Being flexible was hard, and breaks were needed. This project took us a couple of days, but as Yoda once said, “Patience you must have my young Padawan.”

We can’t wait for the next Class Act-tivity with Pacific Symphony @classactps

 ** Shaping is a technique used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Shaping is reinforcing gradual steps toward a desired skill or behavior. It breaks complex tasks into smaller pieces, making a change easier for your child to accept or master.

Check out the full video on our Instagram of our students explaining Planet Infinity!