Teaching Functional Life Skills: Dining Out!

School:: Immokalee High
Subject:: Special Needs Students
Teacher:: Kathryn Doyle
Students Impacted:: 6
Grade:: 12
Date:: September 11, 2023

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

A Champion For Learning - $180.00

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 6

Wow! What an experience for my Interns to go out into the community and have lunch together in a local restaurant. I was so proud of their behavior and the wy they were able to incorporate the skills we have been working on in class. I witnessed my students ordering directly to the waitress, using eye contact and speaing with confidence. I was impressed that they took on the challenge of asking clarifying questions about the menu choices. For example, one student asked if she could have mashed potatoes instead of french fries. My student knew to place their napkins on their laps and passed items to each other when asked, like the ketchup, salt and pepper. Students were able to make small talk conversation (with some prompting), keeping their electronic devices turned off during the meal. My Interns used their utensils appropriately and kept their table area clean, placing their napkin on their plate after they finsihed their meal.

Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to practice our social skills/manners in a real life experience.

We appreciate our donors!

Original Grant Overview

Goal

Teaching Transition students to be independent, self-sufficient and confident is a goal of the P.R.I.D.E. Transition Program at Immokalee High School. P.R.I.D.E., an acronym for our program's motto, means:
I am...
P = Productive
R = Respectful
I = Independent
D = Determined
E = Empowered
I believe learning and skill building can be done so effectively when it's incorporated into everyday life and activities. Can you think of a better way to teach Functional Life Skills than a family meal at your favorite restaurant? The skills used and practiced when dining in a restaurant are great practices for larger, more overarching life skills. Here are some ways a restaurant trip can be great skill practice for my Transition students:
1. Using socially aware behavior
2. Reading menus
3. Using decision-making skills
4. Speaking politely to waitstaff
5. Ordering food independently
6. Self regulation and waiting patiently
7. Using silverware correctly and appropriately
8. Eating appropriately and practicing good manners
9. Keeping the table and personal space tidy
10. Basic money skills and tip etiquette

What will be done with my students

I will take my students out for a lunch to a local restaurant one day and out for a dinner to a local restaurant on another day. Transportation will be the CCPS van, so there is no cost for our field trip transportation.
Before the Restaurant Trip: All skills will be discussed and practiced ahead of our restaurant trip. Some of the skills discussed will be respecting others' personal space, speaking with inside voices, sitting at the table with good body control, taking turns speaking, staying in their own seat and not leaving the table, checking the menu online ahead of time to be prepared to make decisions, modeling use of polite words, encourage conversation (no devices at the table), practicing fine motor skills using eating utensils, practicing table manners (eating with their mouths closed, not playing with their food, no burping or belching out loud (and saying "excuse me" if they do), using their napkins to wipe their hands and face, adding up how much their food and drink cost, and lastly, discussing why it's important to leave the waitstaff a "tip" and what is usually a good amount.
Taking a Restaurant Trip: Using a CCPS van (which we already have assigned to the Transition Program for daily use), I would take my students to local restaurants to practice these functional life skills that are being taught in the classroom.
After the Restaurant Trip: Students will evaluate themselves in all 10 life skills (listed above) using a scale of 1-5. We will then discuss areas that need attention and praise students for areas which skills were mastered.

Benefits to my students

Students will benefit from this real life experience a great deal. It is one thing to practice life skills in the classroom, but a field trip to a restaurant would actually give the students a hands-on, authentic opportunity to put their learning into practice. Going out into the community, dining in public, and relating to people are a few of the benefits to my students. They will begin to gain confidence in their abilities to live independently and become a respectful, contributing member of the community.

Budget Narrative

This budget allows for $10.00/student for lunch and $20.00/student for dinner (tip included). There are 6 students in the Immokalee High School P.R.I.D.E. Transition Program. Adults (teacher, assistant and interpreter) will purchase their own food. Transportation will be provided by CCPS van.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Lunch at a local restaurant	$60.00
2	Dinner at a local restaurant	$120.00
	Total:	$180.00

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