Finding resources to support middle school special education students is difficult, here are the best reading resources that I have found.

Thinking about life skills for special ed students is one of the most important parts of my job as a middle school special education teacher.

Differentiation and scaffolding can help students better understand and learn. Here are teaching ideas and tips to use in class.

Accommodations to support students in your classroom who have Dyscalculia or other math disabilities be successful in school.

Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.

Learn some ideas for supporting IEP and ESL students in the middle school classroom.

Flipbook Tasks are the perfect hands-on tool to keep your students engaged and excited about practicing common associations! Included in this download are 6 flipbook tasks for practicing "What Goes Together?" Students flip through the pages and match items that are commonly known together, such as "baseball and bat" or "peanut butter and jelly." Knowing and understanding common associations is such an important skill for our students! Be sure to check out the preview for a clear look at what is included in the download. I love using flip book tasks in my classroom for informal assessments, transition activities, and independent workboxes/table time activities. Be sure to check out my Instagram account for updates: @teachingspecialthinkers Thank you for supporting my TPT store! Follow me on TPT Email me at: [email protected] Teaching Special Thinkers Website Facebook

This is a list of 15 online stories to explore social skills and character development. There are also several songs to sing (Howard Wigglebottom)

We are finishing up our Quadratics unit in Algebra 1 and I wanted to share some of my favorite foldables and activities. Below is a cut and paste activity that we did as soon as we finished going over the basic key terms of quadratics. For the ROXS column, I tell my students that the acronym stands for Roots, Zeros, X-Intercepts, and Solutions to help them with the vocabulary. Students did extremely well on this activity and in hindsight, I did not know how much I would appreciate adding the factors columns. Here are some Transformations of Quadratics interactive notebook pages that I used. I really liked these pages because students were able to visually see the transformation and explain what was "happening." After the foldable, students worked on their first partner activity of the new year. I forgot how much collaboration and communication occurs when students work together on partner activities. Students really enjoy checking their answers with a partner! We spent two days covering transformations of quadratics and on the second day, students completed the following Desmos Challenge that was created by MathyCathy and Michael Fenton: I absolutely LOVED this Desmos Challenge and so did students. If there are any more Desmos challenges similar to this one, please send them my way! This is all we were able to cover before Spring Break so I knew I had to create a review game when students came back. I ended up making a PPT review game where class periods ended up competing for the most point. The class period that received the most points received a jolly rancher and free homework pass. I don't know about your students, but my students LOVE companions! The following day, we went over the vertex form in their notebook and completed a Google Slides activity in Schoology. Below is a Google Slides activity that I assigned to students where they had to copy and paste the triangle to the correct location. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. If you end up trying some of these activities and foldables, I would love to know! If you would like to use the activities and foldables, click on the links below: Quadratic Key Terms Quadratic Key Words Graphic Organizer Transformations of Quadratics Foldable Transformations Partner Activity Google Slides Vertex Form Activity (FILE - MAKE A COPY)

Nothing can replace the experience of going out into the community, but there are tons of digital resources & ideas out there to help replace these experiences.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you click the links and make a purchase I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. I do not recommend any companies that I do not persoanlly use and love. Please read our disclaimer for more info. Often, teaching inclusion math in middle school, it is difficult to keep all students moving at the same pace. We faced this challenge recently when teaching our unit on exponent laws. We begin teaching exponent laws by teaching the different laws, product of powers, quotient of powers, power of a power, negative exponent rules, and the power of zero. On the first day, I provide my students who struggle in math with these cheat sheets of the rules, Power of Exponents. Throughout the unit, if anyone else gets our attention, we’ll give them one also. We then spend a few days giving students plenty of practice and reviewing all of the different problems with them. During this time we provide them with individual attention as needed. The Problem Once we feel as though it is time to move on and begin introducing coefficients, we do. But this year there was a snag. We were noticing that while many of the students were ready to move on, some weren’t. To decipher what was happening we gave them a quick, ungraded assessment. I gave the students a six-question quiz to see how they’d do. In one of our classes, the lowest score was a 3, and most students had a 5 out of 6. But, in our other class, the smaller class which usually does better, there were a significant number of ones and twos! Cue to a moment of panic and the realization that we need more time. The Plan We decided that the best way to combat this issue was to have centers. For our class that was doing well, we had six centers that the students rotated through. For our class that had some struggling, we pulled the group that had three or less right on the assessment into a small group for remediation. I took this group to my classroom where we went back to basics. The Centers I had not made enough exponent products that would be useful to us, so we went to Pinterest. In my adventures, I found this bundle, Properties of Exponents Activities and Games. One center was a foldable from this product where the students had to cut out the shape and figure out which rule and example went with which graphic. We also used the mazes from this product as another center where the students could work together to solve each of the mazes. We left them the answer key so that they could check when they were finished. A third center was the puzzle from this product, which I cut out and laminated. Any excuse to laminate is a good thing in my book! We also had a fourth center where the students would watch a YouTube video about the laws, which also introduced the coefficient and how it affected the operations. The fifth center was additional practice with task cards that I made that did not include coefficients. Properties of Powers Exponents. I also laminated these because I LOVE laminating! And the final center was a teacher run station where we could work with them on specific topics based on the needs of the group. The Results The students were engaged in this lesson. My co-teacher and I had been trying to find a way to incorporate centers into our class for a while, and this was our first attempt. We did learn different things about the specific classes and ways that we will do differently in the future. For example, the class where we chose the groups went better than the class where they chose their groups. Even though we gave explicit instructions, there was still a lot of confusion, and we should have put table tents with the instructions at the centers themselves as back up. All in all, it was a great lesson, and the group of students who were pulled for remediation all left asking if we could do that again soon. Which is unexpected for eighth-graders to want to be pulled out of the classroom! See also: Why You Should Be Using Centers in Your Secondary Classroom Using Reference Sheets to Support Your Inclusion Students Get your free IEP summary page! Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. First Name Email Address We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. Get your download! We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Hands-on learning isn't just for younger students! These hands-on activities for middle and high schoolers will help older students enjoy learning and stay actively engaged in the process.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you click the links and make a purchase I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. I do not recommend any companies that I do not persoanlly use and love. Please read our disclaimer for more info. Often, teaching inclusion math in middle school, it is difficult to keep all students moving at the same pace. We faced this challenge recently when teaching our unit on exponent laws. We begin teaching exponent laws by teaching the different laws, product of powers, quotient of powers, power of a power, negative exponent rules, and the power of zero. On the first day, I provide my students who struggle in math with these cheat sheets of the rules, Power of Exponents. Throughout the unit, if anyone else gets our attention, we’ll give them one also. We then spend a few days giving students plenty of practice and reviewing all of the different problems with them. During this time we provide them with individual attention as needed. The Problem Once we feel as though it is time to move on and begin introducing coefficients, we do. But this year there was a snag. We were noticing that while many of the students were ready to move on, some weren’t. To decipher what was happening we gave them a quick, ungraded assessment. I gave the students a six-question quiz to see how they’d do. In one of our classes, the lowest score was a 3, and most students had a 5 out of 6. But, in our other class, the smaller class which usually does better, there were a significant number of ones and twos! Cue to a moment of panic and the realization that we need more time. The Plan We decided that the best way to combat this issue was to have centers. For our class that was doing well, we had six centers that the students rotated through. For our class that had some struggling, we pulled the group that had three or less right on the assessment into a small group for remediation. I took this group to my classroom where we went back to basics. The Centers I had not made enough exponent products that would be useful to us, so we went to Pinterest. In my adventures, I found this bundle, Properties of Exponents Activities and Games. One center was a foldable from this product where the students had to cut out the shape and figure out which rule and example went with which graphic. We also used the mazes from this product as another center where the students could work together to solve each of the mazes. We left them the answer key so that they could check when they were finished. A third center was the puzzle from this product, which I cut out and laminated. Any excuse to laminate is a good thing in my book! We also had a fourth center where the students would watch a YouTube video about the laws, which also introduced the coefficient and how it affected the operations. The fifth center was additional practice with task cards that I made that did not include coefficients. Properties of Powers Exponents. I also laminated these because I LOVE laminating! And the final center was a teacher run station where we could work with them on specific topics based on the needs of the group. The Results The students were engaged in this lesson. My co-teacher and I had been trying to find a way to incorporate centers into our class for a while, and this was our first attempt. We did learn different things about the specific classes and ways that we will do differently in the future. For example, the class where we chose the groups went better than the class where they chose their groups. Even though we gave explicit instructions, there was still a lot of confusion, and we should have put table tents with the instructions at the centers themselves as back up. All in all, it was a great lesson, and the group of students who were pulled for remediation all left asking if we could do that again soon. Which is unexpected for eighth-graders to want to be pulled out of the classroom! See also: Why You Should Be Using Centers in Your Secondary Classroom Using Reference Sheets to Support Your Inclusion Students Get your free IEP summary page! Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. First Name Email Address We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. Get your download! We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Description What's Included Related Resources Reviews Description This novel study for Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, contains 136 pages of resources, including comprehension and vocabulary by chapter, reading response activities, assessments, and more. Focus standards include figurative language, opinion writing, character analysis, plot, and point of view. No-prep, predictable, and extremely user-friendly, this literature guide is perfect for whole class, small group, or independent study.  Click here to PREVIEW this resource! ♥You're free to use the printable OR digital version; BOTH are included with your purchase! ♥Eye-catching digital version contains full-color, interactive adaptations of all resources. ♥Excellent for school or homeschool. No-prep and so easy for teachers, parents, and students to follow! ♥Perfect for distance learning. Students can access the digital version from home or school. Teachers and students can easily send this back and forth using Google Drive or Google Classroom! (The minimum that's needed is a free Google account. However, you may also contact me for help using this product on many other digital learning platforms!) ** NEW ** An additional version of the assessments is now included as Google Forms, which are self-grading. Students can complete these easily on their computers and laptops, and you get instant data! Easy instructions included. (Note: You will need to manually grade the written response questions only.) What's Included 1) Student Chapter Work •Every section covers 2 chapters and contains the following six parts. →Quickwrite: Freewriting that helps the student relate to the text. →2 sets of True/False, Sequencing, and/or Multiple Choice questions. →Standards Focus: an activity focused on Reading Literature standards. →Comprehension and Analysis: 4 written response questions. →Vocabulary: Practice with 3 new words for each section of reading. →Beyond: Creative activity that might include art, brainstorming, or writing. 2) 21 Common Core-aligned Reading Response Activities  •Questions and Answers •Theme Thoughts •Lessons Learned •Main Events •Mistakes (focus on plot) •How to Make a Fire •Cause and Effect (2 versions) •The New Brian •Hatchet: Brian's Changes •You vs. Character •Brian's Wilderness (focus on setting) •Similes •Dear Diary •My Book Cover •Reading Strategy: Predictions •Would You Rather...? (focus on opinion writing) •My Survival Kit •EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! •My Survival Brochure •What if...? (focus on narrative writing) 3) Setting Anchor Poster •Comes in color and b/w •Complements included Setting activities 4) Free-writing Journal •3 decorative posters containing thought-provoking quotes from Hatchet •Free-writing journal template for students to write about the quotes 5) Vocabulary Focus •Two Vocabulary Reviews to use throughout the study •Practice with definitions, synonyms, antonyms, context clues •Vocabulary Lists that come with and without definitions •Three challenge words chosen for you from every 2 chapters •Vocabulary Word Wall cards in full color include definitions, parts of speech, and illustrations •Vocabulary Flashcards in b/w  6) Culminating Project Options •9 creative project choices for students to complete after they finish the book 7) Two Assessments •Test comprehension and vocabulary with a variety of question types •Test #1-Chapters 1 to 10 •Test #2-Chapters 11 to 19 & Epilogue •Assessments provided in 3 versions: printables, Google Slides, AND Google Forms! 8) Student Bookmarks •Serve as reference tools •Highlight plot, setting, and characters •Attractive art  9) Easy planning and Low Prep •Unit Map lays it all out for you •Table of Contents for easy navigation •Common Core Codes included for all activities •Student Packet Covers •All Answer Keys 10) Instructions for digital Google Slides Version 11) Instructions for digital Google Forms Tests Related Resources Don’t need the whole thing? For smaller components out of this novel study, click below. Hatchet | Comprehension & Vocabulary Hatchet | Activities Hatchet | Tests   Do you need the book that this resource accompanies? Click here to purchase.   Reviews

Start your year of right with these activity ideas for the first week of school for secondary special education classrooms.

Review of functional life skills curriculum for high school, transition, or middle school students in special education.

Manage your middle schoolers during speech therapy with my 10 best strategies for behavior management to encourage and motivate!

Using sentence frames to get ell students writing. Click here for more:

Last year the cup stack was one of my FAVORITE team building activities (see post here). So, naturally, I wanted to give it another shot! The Cup Stack is a fun, yet challenging activity that promotes team work. The supplies are basic: cups, string, rubber bands. I go ahead and tie the string to the rubber bands so it is ready to go. I make a few for groups of 4 and a few for groups of 5, this way no matter what the numbers are in the classroom I can make it work. I start by asking students what teamwork is. What does it look like? sound like? feel like? We brainstorm a list of ideas that I hang in the classroom for students to refer to. Each class comes up with a variety of ideas, but they all center around the same theme. Then I introduce their challenge. I start off my admitting that this will be a frustrating activity. We discuss ways to handle our stress and feelings that arise when others make a mistake or don't do what we want them to do. I model that they will each be given 6 cups and a rubberband with strings attached to it. Their job is to stack the cups into a design by only holding onto their individual string. I demonstrate that when everyone pulls on their string the rubberband opens wider, and vice versa. I also show them the challenges of picking up a cup that has tipped on its side or fallen on the floor. No matter what happens, they must follow the one rule: YOU CAN ONLY TOUCH YOUR STRING. No touching the rubber band, no touching the cup, and no touching other group member's strings. I reinforce how communication is so important in order to reach the goal. Then I set them off. Here are some videos and pics. After about 10-15 minutes, we pause and reflect on our experiences. I ask them to rate their group on how well they worked together using the ideas we wrote at the beginning of the lesson. I ask them what went well for their group. I also ask them what didn't go well for their group. We talk about different strategies and ways we an handle ourselves when things don't go the way we want them to. Throughout the activity I walk around and facilitate positive communication, so I usually have a few examples to help springboard the discussion.

If you are anything like me, the first 10 days are a struggle. You have so many new ideas for the new year, so many things you want to implement, and you feel pressure to start on the very first day. Here’s my number one tip: DON’T. Just don’t. In special education, and more specifically […]

Give students a visual to assist them in advocating for themselves while self-assessing, and keeping students engaged in their learning.

Let's dive into some new options to teach vocabulary, for those who have the time and energy to pursue them. In this post and podcast, I'm sharing ten ideas for making the study of vocabulary something students might even look forward to.

Post ID#6277 is not a valid giveaway.

Looking for a fun vocabulary activity? This extension is perfect for middle and high school to help encourage critical thinking and associations.

What are executive functioning skills? Executive functioning (EF) skills are the abilities in our brain that help us complete everyday tasks. These skills include planning, organization, time management, metacognition, working memory, self-control, attention, flexibility, and perseverance. S

Are you ready to get your Spanish students speaking? Try these 10 fun games and activities for Spanish class that bring community and fun into your.....

Free teaching ideas resources activities games worksheets Kindergarten 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th grade ESL special education autism teacher blog

Laying out the classroom design in special education can be tough. I've rounded up posts and goals of setting up the physical space.

Science units are wonderful for teaching science concepts in a special education classroom… especially those with multiple grades. The science units help me differentiate and teach and reteach the science concepts year after year. Focus On Vocabulary Many students struggle with all of the vocabulary and language that come with science concepts. From scientific tools ... Read More about Teaching Science In Special Education Classrooms

Mummies in the Morning is the third in the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne is this novel unit for students with autism and special learning needs.

Teaching science in the special education classroom can be one of the most interesting but challenging topics for our students. Hop over to find some ways to present it and document progress for alternative assessment.

Find powerful point of view teaching activities and ideas including strong books and anchor charts to strengthen students' understanding.

Do you know how my 5th grade teacher taught us the planets? She sang it to us. When her former students would come back and visit, she would always ask if they remembered the order of the planets. And they’d all end up singing it back to her. Imagine these big high school juniors and seniors singing

How I implement and run guided reading and small group in my middle school and upper elementary ELA classrooms

Strategies and supports for executive functioning challenges can make all the difference, especially for students who struggle with task initiation. This is such an important skill, since it's like the motor in allowing us to get started on all tasks and assignments. When someone is struggling to in

The four domains of the Danielson Framework rubric are Planning & prep, Classroom environment, Instruction, and Professional responsibilities.

Are you seeking morphology activities to help you introduce your early readers to prefixes, suffixes and Latin Roots in an easy, no-prep way? Morpheme Sentences are designed to do just that. They’re a must have to add to your collection of morphology activities. This resource will weave seamlessly into any morphology scope and sequence for Orton-Gillingham.   BUY ON TPT

A collection of 40 community service ideas for middle school students. These are great opportunities for students to get out, serve, and contribute.

6 Effective co-teaching models, the pros and cons to each one, and advice on when to use them.

Keeping morning meeting age-appropriate for older students can be challenging. Here are 6 ways to incorporate a variety of age-appropriate activities.