I have 10 tips for your Autism classroom set up this school year! Special education classrooms can be hard, but click to learn more.
Planning your autism classroom setup? Use my 6 tips to make your classroom the idea learning space for children on the autism spectrum!
Visual boundaries are a vital part of classroom setup. Let me show you how I utilize these visual boundaries in classroom!
It's that time of year...back to school shopping, classroom set-up, and prepping for the new school year ahead. Are you a new teacher looking for some materials to set up your brand new classroom? Or a veteran teacher looking to revamp classroom visuals or up your data game? I want to take a chance over the next couple weeks to share some tips and ideas for setting up your classroom this coming year. I recently put together a product based on all the resources I created and implemented in my classroom so that others can use the ideas that worked so well for me, without the work of having to create it on their own.... over 150 pages of class-room set up materials included in the Complete Autism Classroom Set-Up! I have used this baby in my district with tons of teachers already this past year...and it has been a big hit. Today, let's talk about one aspect of this product, Visual Schedules: SCHEDULES: The visual schedules in this product have 4 differentiated levels so you can tailor them to your students' individual needs. There are color coded picture schedules, regular picture schedules, picture schedules where the words are getting bigger and the picture is reduced in size, and word schedules. There are 30 schedule activity pictures included in this product. All the pictures fit on the included "Daily Schedule" template, so you can switch pictures, without having to change up the whole schedule system. Here is a blog post highlighting a variety of differentiated levels of schedules I used in my classroom. LABELS/CHECK-INS: There are labels for all areas of the classroom that can be posted on the wall so students can easily scan the room and know where to go. In addition, there are check-ins for all stations where students can place their visual schedule pictures when they go to that station (included are both color coded and with a white background). Here is a blog post on my classroom station labels. ASSESSMENTS: There is a matching word to picture assessment and data sheet included that can be used to determine if your students can read any schedule words. This can help you determine if your kiddos are ready for word or picture schedules. There is also a data sheet to collect data on how well your students are doing at the routine of following a schedule (this was almost always an IEP goal at some point for my students) Here is a blog post on how I took data on schedule following WORK TASKS: Want your students to learn how to follow a word schedule so they gain more functional skills and become less dependent on pictures? Use these two work tasks to help teach your students how to read the schedule words. One is a letter matching task where students can velcro or glue letters onto the task cards. The other is a set of writing worksheets to practice writing the schedule words. Here is a blog post on how to teach your student to fade from a picture schedule to a more functional word schedule. NOTES HOME: Do your parents want information on how their child's day was? Use these daily notes home for students to fill out with a quick review of their day or week. Quick tip: laminate a few for each student and have them use dry-erase markers for re-usable notes home. Here is blog post on how I used these daily notes in my classroom. SCHEDULE AND LESSON PLANNING: Included are EDITABLE templates for drafting your student/staff schedules as well as EDITABLE templates for lesson plans and curricular plans. I have also included some real life samples from my classroom as examples to help you get started. These are some of the most common things teachers email me about to get access to, and now they are finally available! Quick tip: When starting your schedule, start by plugging in all the non-negotiable times (i.e. recess/lunch, specialists, etc.) Here is a blog post all about how I plan/create my classroom schedules! Here is a blog post on how I lesson plan in my classroom. All of my products have instructions for set up and you can always feel free to email me if you have any questions on how to utilize any of the materials. I am happy to collaborate with you to help you meet the needs of your students. These resources are available as a bundle (that means every resource included in these 4 products available at a discounted rate) or as 4 separate products (Visual Schedules, Notes Home, Behavior Management and Classroom Visuals, and Data Sheets) so you can buy what you need, and not waste money on things you already have established in your classroom.
Here are some points to consider when setting up a classroom for pupils with autism: such as low arousal, space and access to communication.
In you special needs class, do you have any behavior issues? Any kids that are over-responsive or just the opposite, under-responsive? YOU.NEED.HEAVY.WORK. I cannot stress enough how much of a DRASTIC change we saw in some of our special thinkers when we began implementing this work system into their daily routine. Here's some info on
Here are some points to consider when setting up a classroom for pupils with autism: such as low arousal, space and access to communication.
These classroom management strategies are one of the most important parts of running your classroom. In fact, it’s probably the most important piece to the classroom puzzle. There are so many different strategies available now to use for classroom management. And this can make it daunting to decide which one is best for you, your
I have been so excited to bring this to you! About two weeks ago, I got a new job, and have been NONSTOP busy ever since. Creating for my new students, setting up my new classroom and familiarizing myself with my new school has certainly kept me busy- but I am so excited to finally […]
Want to start the school year off right? Check out this guide on autism classroom setup with tips, ideas, and a system to make this year the best ever!
Are you overwhelmed by the amount of Behavior supports there are available out there! Are you looking for that particular one you need to help you manage behaviors and maintain structure in your cl…
Laying out the classroom design in special education can be tough. I've rounded up posts and goals of setting up the physical space.
I’m back to talk more about independent work stations. I don’t know if you’ve realized, but I’m basically obsessed with them. I think I’ve written about independent work stations at least a half dozen times on this blog if not more! I love them because not only do they provide an opportunity to teach students ... Read More about 5 Mistakes you are Making in your Independent Work Stations
How to Set Up Classroom Routines in SpEd- Strategies for Daily Rules and Routines in a self-contained classroom with 7 essential procedures for Special Ed!
Here are some points to consider when setting up a classroom for pupils with autism: such as low arousal, space and access to communication.
I've rounded up 5 posts on setting up classrooms with floor plans and pictures and added some tips to help you set up your own.
How to Set Up Classroom Routines in SpEd- Strategies for Daily Rules and Routines in a self-contained classroom with 7 essential procedures for Special Ed!
Desk Visuals for Communication Support! Choice boards for AAC users. Great for setting up your Special Education Classroom! For student who need visuals to request breaks, a walk, classroom materials, etc... Sentence Starters I feel... I want... I need... Two versions of a YES/NO board Symbols for: Bathroom, break, walk, stop, finished, help Blank template to be customized for each student's desk! Setting up your self-contained classroom? Check out my Morning Meeting Bundle and my Morning Meeting Binder
In you special needs class, do you have any behavior issues? Any kids that are over-responsive or just the opposite, under-responsive? YOU.NEED.HEAVY.WORK. I cannot stress enough how much of a DRASTIC change we saw in some of our special thinkers when we began implementing this work system into their daily routine. Here's some info on
What you see vs what you don't see. People with high functioning autism often have significant needs that are overlooked. This high resolution A4 autism iceberg print is a perfect way to represent the hidden challenges of autism. Ideal for use in a classroom setting, therapy room, or personal use at home.
Take a peek inside 9 unique special education classroom setups! Learn how each teacher sets up her classroom!
By the end of this year, after changing our math rotations around about a bazillion times, I FINALLY feel like I figured out the perfect combo of stations to help my students learn, practice, and master skills. My favorite part of this system is that it worked seamlessly without me killing myself over prep
Do you have students with autism who need to learn appropriate coping strategies to avoid overreacting if they make a mistake? This can help.
I have been CRAZY excited to share my classroom with ya'll this year. This is my third year in this classroom, and I'm in love with how it turned out it this school year. I kept a lot of the same centers from last year, and added a few new fun ones (Magnet Center,
In this post, I'm describing the areas and tools that go into a life skills classroom at the secondary level. Check out the examples.
Setting up structured work systems (TEACCH) are a staple in many autism classrooms. Here are 10 tips to get your started on setting up and using them.
Creating an effective ABA or autism classroom requires careful planning, collaboration, and implementation of evidence-based practices. As a special education
Say what?! You read the title correctly! It is important to set your classroom up so that it can run well even when you are not in the room. Recently, I had the opportunity to observe a program that is similar to mine. We both have self-contained elementary classrooms, we have similar training and we ... Read More about Set Up Your Room As If You Won’t Be There!
When I posted a couple of my products on Teachers Pay Teachers this summer, I had not yet used them myself. I had brainstormed the ideas over the summer for my new kiddos! I knew that I would be receiving more kids than any other year (and no additional adults) and I needed more ways to incorporate independent work for my students to keep them busy and learning all day (which prevents boredom and temper tantrums!). For my students with higher academic and social skills, I was not too worried...I have plenty of stuff to keep them busy and they are great at adapting to new activities (check out this post for what my higher academic students do at Reading/Math Centers). However, for some of my lower functioning students independent work is harder to come up with and new activities do not go over very well (this group of students in my class struggles a lot with any sort of change). As you probably know if you have read my blog, I love using work in binders for my students. It keeps the work predictable and lets students know exactly how much work they have to complete. It also allows for switching different work in and out without the student feeling like too much has changed. I store these binders in a little plastic bin. I put a piece of velcro on the side of the binders....that way when a student is bringing their schedule picture to the station, they attach it right to the binder they are responsible for completing. This is what is in my reading binders for students who can match letters. This is from my Functional Spelling Product on TPT. The product also comes with pages that have blank boxes, for kids who are beginning to spell words on their own. I store the pieces in a labeled baggie on the back of the previous page. I use these in my reading binders as well. This is from my product Sorting Pictures by Letter from A-Z on TPT. Each kid only has 3 or 4 letters worth of pages in their binder and we switch them around every couple weeks. Again, pieces are stored in a baggie (I ask for these as school supplies in the beginning of the year since we use so many). For the example below, students sort pictures of alligators to the left side page and apples to the right side page. I also have some students who are not yet able to match something as complicated as a letter and cannot yet sort. For these students, in their reading binders, I use matching pages from my Easy Matching product on TPT. When I made this, I tried to make each item on the pages (there are only 4-6 pictures per page) a different color to help aid in visual discrimination for some of those beginning matchers. Not all of my students make it to my "Math Centers" station which takes place in the afternoon because we get so busy with inclusion and functional skills stations (life skills classroom, science lessons, social time, drama time, etc.) Don't worry, we still work on math...just not independently as often as reading. So, these binders are a bit less developed. Right now, I am just using pages from my product Patterns and Beginning Math Skills on TPT. Students match patterns in blank boxes below a given pattern. I tried to use picture of common items/things my students like to make this activity more engaging. That was kind of a long post...happy Tuesday!
The correct classroom set-up can help your year go smoother. Make your furniture work for you by arranging it in a way to improve student focus. Here are some ideas on how to arrange your classroom in a way that promotes student focus while reducing behaviors. The first thing I do when thinking of my […]
In this post, I'm describing the areas and tools that go into a life skills classroom at the secondary level. Check out the examples.
