Are you a SPED teacher struggling to make sub plans? Here are some helpful tips when planning for a substitute in a self-contained classroom!
Are you lucky enough to be teaching teens? Then you are lucky enough to write a transition plan! In Illinois, all students must have a transition plan in their IEP by the time they are 14 and a half. So, unless you want to hold another meeting at the student's 14 and a 1/2 birthday, you will want to include the transition plan anytime in that year before it is required.
I am excited to share our “Work Olympics” with you! This week was state testing week. But not for me! My special needs, functional level students do not participate in the regular standardized testing. So, our department has adapted a special vocational assessment day called the Work Olympics. It’s pretty awesome. So first we grouped our students so that they would be doing activities appropriate to their ability level. Yellow = low, Orange = middle, and Green = high. And, as always in special education, different modifications are given to students so that they understand and are able to complete their tasks. Students all received a card with the activities listed and had to complete all of the activities on their card and then could check out some of the other ones. Wipe Table Rolling Silverware Sort Laundry Fold Laundry Haul Trash Sticker Items Sort Silverware Dry Trays Wrap Burgers Size Clothing Place Setting Sort Mail Mock Interview Stuff Folders Application Letter Chrono. Order Alpha Order After completing each station students received a sticker to mark off that they had completed that activity. Students were timed at each station and the amount they completed in that time frame was recorded on the data sheets at each station. Below are the different stations and a few pictures that I took yesterday. Yellow Group Sorting silverware Rolling Silverware Sticker/Sort Items Dry Trays Wiping Tables Sorting Laundry Orange Group Haul trash Fold Laundry Wrap Burgers Sorting mail Size Clothing Place Setting Green Group Chronological order Stuff Folders Alphabetical Order of Files Application Mock Interview See more details and the instructions we used for our vocational assessment on google drive!
Planning community trips was always so stressful for me, at least my first two years teaching. Each month, I'd think I should probably plan a community trip...but only ended up planning a few because other things always came up and I focused on those instead of trying to plan a trip. At the beginning of this year I decided, as a high school life-skills teacher, I need to make sure community trips were part of my curriculum.
Job ideas for students in special education to do in the classroom and around school
It can be hard to teaching cooking skills in special education classroom, especially if you don't have a kitchen! I mentioned before how I love "tricking" my students into learning by working on concepts using file folders. They still seem to think they are games! Or at least they enjoy them. Some of my students will even choose to do file folder activities during their breaks. A lot of file folders that you can find online are for basic facts, such as colors, counting, and what-not, but my students need to work a lot more on life skills that will help them become successful as young adults! So I created this set of file folders based on all things cooking and around the kitchen. I also include a variety of difficulty levels in my file folders so that I can appropriately challenge each of my students. First, we have a simple file folder that works on sorting measuring cups vs. measuring spoons. Then, this file folder works on students reading the label and finding the correct measuring cup or spoon. Now onto liquid measuring cups. This one is more simple, matching liquid colors and amounts. And then it gets challenging, matching the amount to the 1/2 cup as shown on the cup. I only have one pictures for you here, but I have four different options for setting the temperature for both the stove top and the oven. There are two different levels for each one, one with exact temperatures (ex. med, low, 350 degrees, etc) and one with in-between temperatures as well (ex. medium-low, 475, etc). You "turn" the knob to match the temperature. Could also be an easier task for student to make sure all of the burners are "turned off" too! Here's a food sort for what goes in the fridge/freezer and what goes in the cabinet. Sorting cups and plates vs. pots and pans. And finally sorting drinks vs. snacks. Aren't those fun? And they work on a variety of life skills as well! You can purchase these in my TpT store here. Want even more life skill file folders? Check all these out! So what do you think, will these file folders help you practice cooking skills in your classroom?!
This life skill vocabulary pack about items in the laundry room includes flashcards, worksheets, a file folder activity, an adapted book, task cards, coloring book, a data sheet, and SO MUCH MORE. Perfect for special education classrooms and speech therapy.Laundry room pictures/words include: washe...
Teaching the different between public and private is important for so many reasons for our students with special needs. When teaching these concepts, I first talk about the difference between public and private places. We come up with a list and sort those places accordingly using visuals of one person versus multiple people. I created this sort from a boardmaker template and uploaded here on Board Maker Online. After talking about places, we move on to talking about both public and private places AND behaviors. We talk about what behaviors are appropriate in each area. This book and additional resources are found for free from SET-BC here and are available in PDF or Boardmaker files. (update: direct link here - other link now takes you to search) I love cut and paste activities because not only do they reinforce the skills taught, but also incorporate fine motor skills...and it takes a little while to complete :) Here's the other Board Maker Online activity that includes both public and private places and behaviors. Plus, check out all of these other great activities for this topic on Board Maker Online. I think it's so important for students to realize that private behaviors aren't bad, but they just need to be done in private! Here's to hoping there is no more nose picking or inappropriate self stimulation in my PUBLIC classroom! :) If you are looking for something more detailed to use with your students, I found this resource here. It is very informative and I didn't feel the need to go that in depth, but completely understand how some students might need those specifics.
My students use morning binders during our morning meeting and throughout our academic portion of the morning. I love using binders because I can personalize and individualize each binder according to my students needs.
Planning community trips was always so stressful for me, at least my first two years teaching. Each month, I'd think I should probably plan a community trip...but only ended up planning a few because other things always came up and I focused on those instead of trying to plan a trip. At the beginning of this year I decided, as a high school life-skills teacher, I need to make sure community trips were part of my curriculum.
One thing that I have noticed with my special needs students, especially those with autism and/or those who are limited or non-verbal, is that they are often looking for the right answer. It didn't matter if I was asking them what they wanted to do for break, they wanted to pick the 'right' answer. No matter what I said, they would look at me and nod their head as they pointing to their choice, hoping that they were right. How sad! I knew this meant we needed to stop having so many right/wrong activities in my class. I needed to teach my students how to give their opinions. Errorless Question of the Day: First I incorporated a question of the day, "What do you like?". Each question has visual answering options and there is no wrong answer. We do our question of the day first thing in the morning, which allows my students to complete their first academic activity errorlessly while giving them the support that they need. Once incorporating the daily questions, I noticed my students began to speak in sentences more often as they become so familiar with the "I like ____" structure of each sentence. The wait time to answer the question also significantly decreased as students become confident in their choices. Students were smiling and excited for their opportunity to share their opinions. Plus, I got to learn some really cool things about my students! Errorless Journal Writing: Journal writing is a wonderful open ended activity that many students participate in, and it's great because there are so many right answers...but what about when students can't write? Or don't have the vocabulary to express themselves? I realized I was limiting my students by not allowing them to express their thoughts in writing and only having them work on "wh" question activities. They have important things to say! So, errorless journals were born. These journals provided my students with sentence starters (which I had been doing for years) but also gave them options to use when completing those sentence starters so that they didn't have to guess on a right way to complete the sentences. Also, my students who had never been able to write because they couldn't read or trace? Well, I made a symbol supported level for them too! I can't even explain how wonderful the changes were that happened in my classroom after implementing these journals. Suddenly, journal writing was FUN! My students were excited for journal time and so proud of their work. My students who struggled with completing sentences were now doing it on their own. One of my students who had never done journals because she wasn't able to write, just giggled and giggled and wanted to show everyone her cut and paste symbol supported journal. Anyone worried that your students would become dependent on the options to complete their sentence starters? I'm not going to lie, I did too, but I saw multiple students get to the point where they were so confident with themselves that I was able to cover up those options and they did it all of their own! Other Errorless Activities: These errorless activities quickly became my favorite. Which is why you can find multiple daily question packs, journals for the entire year, and greeting cards, all designed to help students express themselves and give them the confidence they need and deserve. There are so many times that we have to correct our students and tell them that they are wrong (and that's not necessarily bad, we have to teach them and they have to learn) BUT, if we can create even just a few opportunities a day where all students can express themselves however they want and be successful without wondering, we will give our students more confidence. And with confidence, our students can do SO MUCH MORE! Here's one of my favorite quotes! I love it so much I made it into a sticker that you can grab here.
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
Total Pages: 300+ File Size: 153.3 MB PREVIEW
A day in the life of an adult transition program catering to students with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Our main focus is life skills, social skills, job skills, and community awareness.
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
Grab this huge bundle of visual supports for your special education classroom! Using visuals, particularly with students with autism, is a best practice and can increase independence, decrease transition difficulties, increase positive behaviors, provide clear expectations and increase motivation among other benefits. We cannot eliminate the visual stimuli our students experience, but we can limit the auditory clutter by using visuals supports! You will: increase independence decrease transition difficulties increase positive behaviors provide clear expectations increase motivation Sounds awesome right? Need more specifics? Here’s what’s included: Generic visuals you can use in all aspects of your day Daily schedules and match points Art visuals and schedules Music visuals and schedules PE visuals and schedules Watercolor task box labels for independent work stations I feel I need behavior management tool Visual flip book Click on the links if you'd rather purchase pieces separately. ⭐ Teachers like you love this resource ⭐ One teacher told me, “Thank you! I am an experienced teacher, new to special ed, and this is a real lifesaver!” Another shared, “This product has it all. So many ways for the students to have visuals to prompt them to stay on task, communicate needs and wants and time anticipations. I love this. Thanks!!” And finally and perhaps most importantly, “Certainly saved a lot of time finding it all in one bundle.” This download is a zip file for ease of organization. Please note: This is a digital download. You will download, print, and prep as needed. No physical items will be sent to you.
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
Writing IEP goals for high school can be difficult. Here are 5 IEP goals that can be used for special education at the high school level.
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
Job ideas for students in special education to do in the classroom and around school
I am excited to share our “Work Olympics” with you! This week was state testing week. But not for me! My special needs, functional level students do not participate in the regular standardized testing. So, our department has adapted a special vocational assessment day called the Work Olympics. It’s pretty awesome. So first we grouped our students so that they would be doing activities appropriate to their ability level. Yellow = low, Orange = middle, and Green = high. And, as always in special education, different modifications are given to students so that they understand and are able to complete their tasks. Students all received a card with the activities listed and had to complete all of the activities on their card and then could check out some of the other ones. Wipe Table Rolling Silverware Sort Laundry Fold Laundry Haul Trash Sticker Items Sort Silverware Dry Trays Wrap Burgers Size Clothing Place Setting Sort Mail Mock Interview Stuff Folders Application Letter Chrono. Order Alpha Order After completing each station students received a sticker to mark off that they had completed that activity. Students were timed at each station and the amount they completed in that time frame was recorded on the data sheets at each station. Below are the different stations and a few pictures that I took yesterday. Yellow Group Sorting silverware Rolling Silverware Sticker/Sort Items Dry Trays Wiping Tables Sorting Laundry Orange Group Haul trash Fold Laundry Wrap Burgers Sorting mail Size Clothing Place Setting Green Group Chronological order Stuff Folders Alphabetical Order of Files Application Mock Interview See more details and the instructions we used for our vocational assessment on google drive!
If you’re wondering how to set up your high school, self-contained or transition classroom, read on for tips, pictures and ideas!
Create a stocking task for your special education students with this free printable
Create a visual schedule for your special education classroom that can be easily used by you and your students. In a special education classroom, our students rely on visual schedules to navigate the school day. This pack provides 140 different daily schedule cards for your board and schedule pieces for individual student schedules. These visual schedule cards will keep your students informed on their schedule across the school day, plus schedule changes and what’s coming next. We’ve included editable versions of the board and individual cards so you can individualize to your students and your classroom. Ideas for use: You can use this resource in a multitude of ways: Portable visual schedules for each student Display on your classroom board Display on different student boards Display a few cards at a time for individual students (each of our students process input differently!) Across ages and support needs: Can be used with elementary to high school students across ages, support needs, and abilities. The images are age-respectful in that they show students who across a variety of ages and generally older students. Promoting Neurodiversity + Future-Focused Work Visual schedule cards like these help reduce anxiety around the schedule and upcoming transitions for our students. For a lot of our students, they process more information better through visuals and visual supports (it’s an evidence-based practice to support autistic learners!). Visual schedules with manipulative pieces, can promote self-advocacy and self-determination with students feeling a little more control over their day and processing transitions. Using a visual schedule also helps build and promote independence as well, when students navigate the day with their own schedule boards and portable schedules. You can email us at [email protected] if you have any feedback, questions, and/or requests for resources. What's Inside Resource Guide About the Resource Using the Resource Resource Walkthrough Printable PDFs 2” x 2” Square Visual Schedule Cards (140 cards) 2” x 2” Square Visual Schedule Cards – Individual on Each Page (140 pages) Large Cards (140 large cards) Time Cards (4 types of time displays) Editable in Google Slides (link in the resource guide) and PPT 2” x 2” Square Visual Schedule Cards (140 cards) 2” x 2” Square Visual Schedule Cards – Individual on Each Page (140 pages) Large Cards (140 large cards) Visual Schedule Cards Included: Lunch Snack Breakfast Pick Lunch Math Reading Language Arts Science Social Studies History Writing Gym / P.E. Art Arts and Crafts Music Library STEM Social Skills Life Skills Daily Living Social Group AAC Sign Language Communication System Handwriting Morning Work Calendar Time Pledge of Allegiance Morning Meeting News Dismissal Leave Early Early Release Transportation Get on Bus Afterschool Care Carpool PT Speech OT Motor Lab Inclusion Music Therapy Counselor Resource Room Medication Clean Up Transition Technology Computer iPad Bathroom Lunchroom Cafeteria Gym Office Nurse Classroom Track Homeroom Safety Drill Lockdown Drill Tornado Drill Earthquake Drill Fire Drill Substitute Testing Pep Rally School Event Assembly Centers Large Group Small Group 1:1 Work Independent Work Seat Work Desk Time Circle Time Game Time Tablet Time Quiet Time Teacher Time Story Time Choice Time Carpet Time Binder Work IEP Work Journal Class Jobs Flexible Work Dance Break Work Boxes Silent Reading Play Games Movie Choice Free Play Read a Book Cooking Student Store Coffee Cart Classroom Guest Show and Tell Class Project Class Book Class Pet Field Trip Community Outing Celebration Special Activity CBI Community Based Instruction Job Coach IEP Meeting Career Exploration Job Skills Brush Teeth Wash Hands Change Clothes Nap Time Rest Time Inside Recess Recess Check In SEL Break Cool Down Corner Calm Down Corner Self-Regulation Spot Sensory Toy Sensory Break Gross Motor Fine Motor Backpack Lockers Desk Walk Stretch Water Break Preview Click here to preview the resource.
Seven myths about IEP Students, including who qualifies for IEPs, how IEPs are implemented, and what a student with an IEP can expect to receive
If you are working with middle school or high school aged students, you know the importance of direct instruction with vocational skills. Vocational skills can help a student gain competitive employment, which can be an essential part of their education in middle school and beyond. As a speech language pathologist, I am always trying to […]
Someone recently asked about the binder station I had used in my classroom...so I decided it was time to post this video I took a couple of years ago. Feel free to check out this video below for how I set up and organized my binder station. Binder Section Materials shown in this Video: Signs: PCI Environmental Print Series - this blog post explains how I use this curriculum Say & Glue: Say & Glue for Language and Listening - I *think* this is the same book, if not it's very similar. You can download free samples to try before you buy! Vocab: Household Vocab Unit - Kitchen Vocab (see all vocab units available) Edmark: I love their functional word series. I've been using it a lot more this past year as I've gotten students who are able to recognize words easier. Social Skills Readers: Getting Along with People - it's a little outdated...but still has some good concepts that we work on while reading these! Form: Personal Info Practice - Includes various levels for different students, to include matching, tracing, or copying. Writing: Download an ABC tracing font and create handwriting sheets on Microsoft word! Or use journals (linked below) Binder Section Materials I have added since: Journals: I print off a pack of journals for each student depending on their level. Then they also grab the folder with the classroom sample journals in order to complete their journal. Money Worksheets: I use these simple bill identification worksheets for my students who are still learning the difference between a $5 and a $10 bill. There are also coin ID worksheets available! Life Skill Math Worksheets: Students complete these differentiated math worksheets one each day after completing a hands-on activity on topics of money, sizes, directions, more/less, and time. Also, see this post for the aide descriptions of each station in my classroom including this binder station! Update: I now organize our binders differently and don't have a "binder work" station anymore. As the needs of my students changed and I was able to introduce more group-type of work (such as my journals), I changed our binders to a morning routine/work thing which I will explain soon!
how to set up a coffee business in your school run by students with special needs
Take a tour of our high school Special Education classroom. We have an academic area and a life skills area. Check it out!
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
When it comes to teaching students with special needs, learn how to set up vocational training in special ed to prepare for a successful transition.
Writing IEP transition goals can be difficult for special educators but using resources and hacks can make this process a lot easier.
Transition assessments are a way for students to plan for their lives after high school. This is how to use a transition survey in special education!
how to set up a coffee business in your school run by students with special needs
Job ideas for students in special education to do in the classroom and around school
Want to learn some about some of the BEST CHROME EXTENSIONS for teachers? Teachers are using their computers, now more than ever. Educators are always...
how to set up a coffee business in your school run by students with special needs
So many students with special needs are concerned with answering questions correctly. Do you have any of those in your classroom too? These daily questions are designed for students to practice answering questions errorlessly. I finally finished creating my daily questions for the year pack over Christmas break and absolutely LOVE how it turned out. It has already made my morning run smoother, and I love the added communication piece this brings to our morning meeting. Each day we have a new question on the board. I store these in a file folder and switch out the question each morning. Students answer the question based on the two choices during morning independent work. Many of my students use devices, so they are expected to prepare their answer on their device. Students can use the sample sentence under the question each day to help them write (and say) their answer. For my students who do not use devices (or who are super fast), I also give them a weekly worksheet for our daily questions that they keep in their morning binder. There are several worksheets based on student levels. One involves drawing a picture answering the question, another writing the answer, writing the answer using a complete sentence, and answering the question plus adding details. This semester I got a new students in my class because his behaviors were causing issues in the higher level class, and since my class is more individualized, we wanted to see how he would do with that. I have given this student the higher level journal and so far this part is going well! During our morning meeting, each student shares their answer and we move their picture under their answer choice, creating a graph of sorts. It is a great way to learn about everyone and also helps teach students that there isn't always a “right” answer, and that it is okay for your answer to be different than someone else’s. Types of Questions: 82 What do you like? Given 2 picture choices. These are all opinion questions and students should learn that it is okay if their answer is different than their classmate’s answers. We graph our answers so we can compare and see our similarities and differences. (There are also a few options toward the end with 3 choices!) 20 personal info Yes/No questions. I included these at the beginning of the Yes/No questions because I wanted their to be opportunities for students to learn that is okay to answer no sometimes! This questions will always have a clear answer and staff can work with students to make sure they are answering correctly. 78 Do you like ____? Yes/No questions. For many students, answering Yes/No questions can be difficult. Many students are conditioned to always say “yes” (or “no”). It is important for these opinion question, that staff responds positively to all choices as not to make a student think they answered incorrectly. What makes me even happier than using it in my classroom, is hearing how much others are loving this product as well! I love making things that not only help me, but help other teachers as well! Here's a couple of the comments from people who have purchased this packet on TpT. Pam H: "This pack is perfect for my classroom. My students are all nonverbal or very limited in verbal skills. This pack will help us work on communicating with one another. I'm also going to use some of the questions with my students receiving discrete trial instruction. Thanks for a fabulous product! Totally worth the money!!" Kandi G: "Love it! I've been looking for something exactly like this" Erika W: "Love using this with my special needs students. It works for my students with communication devices, but also for my verbal students. It helps with their sentence structure and speaking in front of a group. " Brittany M: "I absolutely love this for my FMD/MSD class. I have a wide age range and there is so much that I can do with this for all different levels. Thank you!" Watch a video preview of this product below. You can get the Daily Question pack in my TpT store which includes 180 questions with visuals plus four differentiated journal pages!! Want more? Grab the second pack of MORE Daily Questions too!
Our first community trip of the year was a great success and that came with a lot of planning! And it doesn't hurt that fast food is extremely motivating...and I allowed my students to eat ice cream for breakfast. I won't lie, I had a hot fudge sundae before we left, because, it's not everyday you get to go to McDonald's during school! :) Anyway, let's start at the beginning. I sent home this parent letter in order to inform parents of our upcoming trip as well as give them the words to practice at home. We did these worksheets pictured above and these ones here scattered throughout the month to work on our regular skills while including some fun fast food trip prep! There are a few different ways I like to play this "game" with my students. I usually introduce the activity as a class and give each student a red card (a couple students may have to share). I then read the yellow card and asks who has the right response. After going through all the cards like that, each student goes through these on their own and matches them appropriately. You can also do this activity without the red cards and the student actually has to respond like they would in that situation with the clues. The social story / coloring book is definitely my favorite part of my community trip materials. It goes through each step very simply and tells you what to do. We read this together as a class. I give directions like "color the tray green" in order to practice some following directions / listening skills. And we also practice and role play each step. Here's our vocab cards on our pocket chart on our whiteboard. We did a few activities with these, such as taping them to the walls and going on scavenger hunts to find all the symbols. And of course... We also played BINGO. I love Bingo, my kids love Bingo. It's a win-win all around! I store all of my Bingo boards in sheet protectors in a large binder. It's the best system ever. We also working on recognizing logos of other fast food restaurants using this adapted book and these flashcards. We did a lot of role playing and practicing ordering our food, as well as getting our money out of our wallets and handing it over to the cashier. I tell my students if they can't order, they don't get to eat! We aren't going to do it for them, so they have to do it! We also had a countdown going on our calendar. Oh my, my class would be so excited and giggly whenever we were talking about that! So, even though we spent all month working on saying and recognizing typical food at fast food restaurants like McDonalds....we had to order off the breakfast menu since our trip had to be scheduled in the morning! Since many of my students are non-verbal (and our iPads aren't loud enough to be used as communication devices in the community, I've tried), we used these sentence strips to order our food. It was a great way to allow my students to be independent! And look how well she's doing ordering her food with her sentence strip! In case we have extra time after eating, I quickly created this scavenger hunt to go with the steps at McDonalds. You can download it for free here. I was so proud! I love a good, successful community trip! Get many of the resources mentioned above in this fast food community unit!
