Northport Third Graders Commemorate Disability Awareness Month!

Northport VPK-8 School third grade students in Susan Poveromo’s class learned all about the life of Helen Keller recently in a heartfelt lesson in commemoration of Disability Awareness Month. Students read all about Helen Keller who lived her life in virtual darkness. They learned that Helen was born in 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama and that Helen was born a bright and lively baby but at nineteen months old contracted scarlet fever which left her blind, deaf, and unable to speak. Students learned about the special touch of Helen’s teacher, Annie Sullivan, and they also learned that “kindness is the language that the blind can see and the deaf can hear.” Student discussions included talks about personal strengths, limitations, and ways of communication. Students viewed clips from the movie version of The Life of Helen Keller and related what they read to what they visualized. The third graders learned introductory sign language and wrote five W’s summaries about lessons learned from the story of Helen Keller. Students were thrilled with the first-rate lesson and were so excited to discuss their newly discovered appreciation for people with disabilities. Great job, Mrs. Poveromo!