I’ve gone over the different kind of schedules I use in my classroom over the past few weeks. Check out those posts below: {Visual Schedules} {Portable Schedules} {Check-off Schedules} The biggest problem with visual schedules (especially those velcro ones) are all the pieces! I need things organized in my life so I can be efficient ... Read More about Visual Schedules: Schedule Hacks
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.
None of us are strangers to undesirable behaviors, amiright? We would not have the jobs that we do if they didn’t happen. We do our best to help our students with autism learn the replacement behaviors that will get them...
Who likes waiting? Not this girl! And I can guarantee our students don’t like waiting either. If you teach students with special needs you know that asking a student to wait can cause a full on melt down in the middle of a seemingly normal Tuesday. And guess what, our classrooms get interrupted for questions, ... Read More about Teaching Wait: The Wait Basket
These games are excellent fillers and even better for those early finishers who need a challenge! How about some good old fashioned Boggle? I found this one on Pinterest! Boggle on the Left = Making Words http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148055906474971474/ Rules: Must make real words by connecting touching letters. The longer the word the better, you can give points by word length (ex. 2-3 letters 1 point, 4 letters 3 points, 5 + letters 5 points). I award for most words that follow the rules. Noggle (number boggle) on the Right = Making 20's My Noggle Worksheet Rules: By using any mathematical operation (add, subtract, multiply, divide) the solution must make 20. My second graders only add and subtract to get to 20, but some add over the 20 so they can then subtract bask to it. You could add a point value to this game too, I just award most accurate expressions. Letters and numbers came from here: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148055906472954773/ Washi tape makes for a great border to outline the game letters or numbers Since I'm lucky to have an extra (who'd a thought that was possible) whiteboard, these games are always up on half with my objectives on the other half. This board is also magnetic so the pieces all have a small magnet on the back making it easy to swap them out for a new round! -------------------------------------------------- 20 Questions This was one of my favorites for long car rides and long waits at restaurants. To play in a classroom you need a bucket full of nouns. These NOUNS are what I use for second graders, but any set at your grade level will work. Having the words helps keep players on track and avoids cheating. Rules: On the board draw a t-chart for the questions and guesses. 20 questions are allowed and depending on the group I allow up to 5 guesses until they learn the difference between a question and a guess. Teacher (or a student) takes one noun out the the jar, reads it in their head, and holds it in their fist to hide it. Students can ask 'yes or no' questions or make a guess until the questions and guesses are all used up. If someone figures out the word they win, OR if they run out of question and guesses the word holder wins! If you enjoyed reading my post please follow my blog! Click here to follow my posts! Like my page on Facebook www.facebook.com/IAmWhatITeach
The first two weeks in a special ed classroom are more than academics. Ideas on what to teach, what to practice, and what you should be doing.
I was observing a little guy in preschool who had just entered school the other day. He was still working on basic skills like following directions and had limited things that he could do to engage himself independently. The teacher was working on having him do a simple put-in task of putting cards in a coffee can, but because his skills were so limited, he was completing this task repeatedly throughout his day. This wasn't the only thing he was doing and there was time in the day when he was working on discrete trials for learning readiness skills, learning to wait his turn, and working on communication through a number of activities in his day. However, one way that he was working on communicating was to use the coffee can task, that he seemed to enjoy, to have him request the cards to put in from other students. That got me thinking about one of my pet subjects over the years--creating put-in tasks that are age-appropriate and have some variety for learners who are just starting to gain other skills. These are typically the types of tasks that we start work systems with because they are easy for students to do independently. You can see from the picture a variety of types of tasks and materials you can use. I particularly like the seasonal tasks like the jack-o-lanterns that the students is putting in for 1-1 correspondence (a little more advance than just putting in).
A sound wall is just what it sounds like- a place on a wall where you can organize sounds-spellings that different letter combinations can make. It’s similar to a word wall, but better! Sound cards display phonics patterns that help students learn to read in an organized, or systemic, manner. For example, a student would need […]
If you're looking for free printables for teaching at home, at school, or online, you've hit the TREASURE TROVE of freebies from This Reading Mama!
This foldable is amazing!!! The foldable is on the plant cell. You can have your students construct the foldable in many different ways! There is a blank template and an answer key. You can decide if you want to use the blank template so that students fill in the answers, or you can provide students with the foldable already filled out (answer key). In addition, you can mix and match the wheels so that you can include one layer that is blank and one layer that has the answer key printed on it. You can also decide if you want to include a cover. The cover has a visual of the plant cell. You will need a paper fastener if you want students to construct the foldable with the cover. There are 2 layers: Organelle name and function. The organelles included are nucleus, golgi apparatus, smooth ER, rough ER, ribosomes, cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, vacuole, chloroplast, mitochondrion, and cytoskeleton. Don't use all of these organelles? That's ok! There is a blank template so that you can have students draw in the organelles.
Get all of your students engaged during your morning routine, and plan the first hour of your day only once. Differentiated ideas for any teacher.
Tips for using file folder activities in your special education classroom. File folder games are perfect for independent work stations!
Work Boxes in Autism Classrooms are great to help students work towards independence! This article explains more on how, why, and what you should do next!
Howdy! I am Mr. Greg from The Kindergarten Smorgasboard. My real name is Greg Smedley-Warren. I have been teaching for 11 years. I spent a year teaching fifth grade, two years in second grade and am now in my 9th year in Kindergarten. Kindergarten is my passion and my calling but honestly, that wasn’t how it started. When I was moved to Kindergarten (not voluntarily!) I called my mommy and cried. But on the first day, I fell in love and knew that Kindergarten is where I belonged. I have remained in Kindergarten ever since. I plan to never leave the classroom as the kids are what drive me to continue my growth as a teacher and person.
Digestion experiment for kids! An easy science experiment from at-home materials about how the stomach breaks down food. Anatomy science for kids.
A recent study conducted by psychology researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that children in highly decorated classrooms were more distracted, spent more time off-task and demonstrated smaller learning gains than when the decorations were removed. For more information about this study can be found in the Psychological Science journal. In addition to the findings of this research, we have also found the impact of heavily decorated classrooms to be especially distracting for our students who struggle with processing visual input which accounts for a majority of our referral students. To limit these distractions, it is important for teachers to reevaluate the purpose of what is displayed throughout the classroom. If the information displayed is not purposeful or regularly referenced, then it should be removed in an attempt to reduce visual clutter. Today's Around Town Round Up has gathered a variety of Purposeful Classroom Displays to help teachers with prioritizing what to display and what to eliminate. Calendar One of the most common, and most purposeful displays we find in many classrooms are the Calendar displays. Many classrooms have interactive Calendar areas where students manipulate pieces daily and participate in daily living activities. These displays are purposeful because students interact with them daily and they provide opportunities for daily learning. Each calendar display can be modified to meet the needs of that particular classroom and can incorporate class-wide goals and themes. Mandy Whitfield MCESC Learning Center- East Bobbi Jo Chapman Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield Brittany Sword Valley Elementary, Beavercreek This classroom also incorporates a daily Math Corner where students interact with manipulatives each day to practice math skills. Taylor Ruef Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Another option to further eliminate the visual clutter is using an interactive calendar that can be displayed on an overhead projector or interactive whiteboard. There are many options that can be found on sharing sites. Our editable version can be found on our Boardmaker Online Group. Boardmaker Online Interactive Calendar Daily Routines We see many interactive displays for daily routines include lunch count, attendance, and line leader. These displays are purposeful because students need to reference and interact with them daily. Students can see a direct correlation between their interaction and an event that happens. For instance, making a lunch choice leads to what they receive during lunch time and the line leader display shows who will be first that day. Toni Mallot Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg Jackie Vollmer Driscoll Elementary, Centerville Anne Rosenbaum Orchard Park Elementary, Kettering Kathy Timmerman Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek Jamie Minnish Prass Elementary, Kettering In these examples, the students move their lunch card to take attendance. The students who are buying that day then take their card when they leave to go to the cafeteria. Rylie Jarrett Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Jamie Minnish Prass Elementary, Kettering Jennifer McGowan Smith Middle School, Vandalia Jamie Minnish Prass Elementary, Kettering Learning Objectives A goal of all educators is to communicate learning objectives in a meaningful way to students so that they understand expectations. This can be done through displaying and reviewing these objectives in I Can Statement displays and Focus Walls. Like the calendar displays, learning objective displays are most purposeful when they are interactive. They should be referenced throughout the day and changed regularly to reflect the purpose of the current instruction. Deanna Mullins Kiser PK-8, Dayton Christine Scarborough Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia We love how this example also incorporates the classroom's daily schedule. Annette Stine Kyle Elementary, Troy This is our most recommended version because it also provides a mini-schedule so students know what activities will be completed to meet the objective (which is written at the bottom). The picture cards can be removed as the activities are completed to visually display how they are getting closer to meeting the objective. Focus walls can be referenced prior to each lesson as well to allow students time to review material relevant to the upcoming lesson. Jackie Vollmer Driscoll Elementary, Centerville We love how this example has sleeves which make materials easily accessible for students. Anchor Charts Anchor Charts are a staple in many classrooms. The are a great resource for illustrating concepts and provide a great reference point for students during activities. However, anchor charts and posters are often the biggest culprits to adding visual clutter to a classroom. Most of the time, an anchor chart is only relevant during one activity or subject throughout the day. Therefore it only needs to be displayed during those times. If it is displayed all the time, students may have a hard time filtering them out when they are not needed or they may forget to reference them during the important times. Storing anchor charts and only bringing them out when needed helps emphasize to students when they are to be referenced and eliminates distractions. Deanna Mullins Kiser PK-8, Dayton Can Teach Up Washington Primary, Piqua Sarah Moore Warder Park-Wayne Elementary, Springfield Portable Dividers Even with mindful planning of purposeful displays throughout the classroom, it is inevitable that students may get distracted at times. Use portable dividers to provide visual boundaries which block out the extraneous stimuli. Christine Scarborough Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia Sarah Moore Warder Park-Wayne Elementary, Springfield Sandy Beck Broadway Elementary, Tipp City Are you interested in more ways to reduce visual clutter and help students focus? Check out these great posts: Regulation Rendezvous-- Increasing Student Focus Around Town Round Up-- Reducing Visual Clutter Organization Station-- Classroom Displays
If a student is unable to play with toys during structured leisure time independently, play supports are a great strategy.
There is something about the structure and routine of Michaela's Especially Education task boxes students are drawn to. They take immense pride in showing off their finished work, keeping all the materials together, and putting the tasks away into their rightful places.
IEPs and RTI. Progress monitoring and data collection. This simple system has worked for me for years. Sharing a FREE, simple, easy, and effective way to save you time... and your sanity. Learn more now!
If your classroom is anything like mine, we live and breathe by a schedule. That is not to say that we always stay exactly on schedule, but we always have one. Correction: We always have more tha…
Autism teacher strategies for asd classrooms. Autism strategies for teachers looking for autism classroom set up ideas.
This year I have been part of our Math PD team and it has really made in impact in my classroom. While my students are still working on many basic skills, I’ve been able to get some great insight into where we should be going and let me tell you, they’re flying! Check out these ... Read More about 4 Tips for Building Math Fluency
IEP goals, IEP goal banks, special education, sped goals, writing sped goals
There is a reason behind every component of a independent work system. Do you know the 4 questions each work system should answer? Click through to find out.
Throughout the first week of school, our focus during math is introducing 2D shapes. I made some fun posters to help my students remember the names and properties of each shape {and they referred to them all year long!} {clip art from Love Two Teach borders from Teaching in a Small Town} My class absolutely loved these! We learned each poem and talked about the characteristic of each shape. We even learned that Sandy Square has a booooyfriend ;) {Download the shape poems here and ignore the fact that I clearly need more ink ;) I copied 2 to a page so that they printed out smaller than a regular sheet of paper.} After we learned about each shape, I hung the posters up in our classroom for future reference. We also played this super fun shape game! After we met our new friends and talked all about the shapes, we sat in a big circle {applying what we learned about circles!}. Then I walked around with a bunch of shapes in a bag and had each student pull out one shape. They told their neighbor what shape they pulled out {to practice identifying and to help their neighbor if they weren't sure} and then we played the Shape Game! After everyone had a chance to stand up, we switched our shapes and played again. It was a lot of fun :) To see what else we did during the first week of school, visit my blog, Miss Kindergarten!
How to clean your classroom at the end of the school year: you might not want to clean before you leave for summer break, but you should.
Here’s a huge secret: there are some choices of my early teaching career that I just cringe. I always had the drive, the compassion, and the caring demeanor. That’s always been there. However, I think it took me...
I love using interactive lapbooks in the classroom. They are fun to create, engaging and can be used throughout the year to review skills taught. I finally completely my Lapbook Bundle and I am happy to share the lapbooks included with you. Whether you think your learners will enjoy creating all of the lapbooks, if you
Learn about the veterinary topic of The Gonads and Genital Tract of Dogs. Find specific details on this topic and related topics from the MSD Vet Manual.
4 Steps to a Successful Schedule Best place to start with your classroom setup is getting your schedule set and posted in the classroom. That sounds all well and good, but there are several sub-steps to setting up a good schedule. To make a stellar schedule, follow these 4 steps... Click to read more!
Prepare for the school year by organizing your curriculum for your self-contained special education classroom.
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.
Using a Stylus Pen on a Computer Trackpad: Works on laptops AND Chromebooks!
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 […]
