I cannot believe a new school year is right around the corner! I love the excitement that I new school year brings. I also love the planning and preparation that I new school year brings. I have slowly been easing myself back into "work mode," analyzing my class schedule, staff assignments, and rotation activities. Today, I will be sharing some of my ideas for rotations in early childhood special education (ECSE). With that said, while I teach ECSE and focused on ECSE when creating these rotations, these ideas can work for other special education classrooms as well. How do you get the students to your table? If you are interested in learning about how I get my students to my rotation activities, check out my color coded classroom blog post here. It talks all about my schedule system. Today, we will be talking more about the WHAT we do at the rotation tables. How many rounds of rotations do you do each day? I recommend doing two rounds of rotations. I recommend the first round of rotations to be the more academic "goal" work and the second round of rotations to be the more social and "fun" work. I recommend doing this because students tend to be a bit more motivated and focused earlier in the day. Also, anything can happen towards the end of the day. Get the goal work done and the data collected at the beginning of the day so that you do not have to worry about it. How many rotation activities do you have during each round? I have three rotation tables during the first round of rotations and four rotation activities during the second round. This will vary depending on the number of students you have and the number of staff you have. What are your rotation activities? First round of rotations: 1) IEP Goals Math 2) IEP Goals Reading I set up my two IEP goal tables the same way. I use a 10 Drawer Seville Cart, add numbers to each drawer, and assign my students various activities based on their IEP goals. I use this assignment sheet to assign my students different activities based on their specific goals. If two students have similar IEP goals, I assign them both the same drawer number. In addition to the goal work, I place one thematic activity based on the unit that we are working on in one drawer of the cart. This is an activity the my students can work on once or twice during the week instead of working on their goal work. Both of these tables have a correlating binder which includes the assignment sheet, student IEP goals, and data collection pages. *sample activity sheet with fake student names and fake student goals. You can download this sheet for FREE here. 3) Art/Fine Motor This is probably my favorite rotation table! I love planning fun crafts and art projects. I use Pinterest to find many of my activities. I try to find activities that challenge my students to touch a variety of medias and practice a variety of fine motor skills (cutting, tracing, gluing, etc.) We only do ONE art project each week. I break the art project up into small steps for the students to accomplish each day. Once the students have completed their art project, I have cutting pages, tracing pages, and other fine motor pages in a binder that students can work on. These FREE brain boxes are also a perfect addition to your art/fine motor center. And lastly, don't forget the painting smocks to help keep your students clean! Second round of rotations: 1) Teacher Table (Learning without Tears) I LOVE Learning without Tears (formerly Handwriting without Tears). I have realized through the years, that it is best implemented in a small group setting. This year, I will be leading a Learning without Tears center each day. I simply follow the teachers guide as I lead this center. 2) Social Skills We use Second Step for our social skills curriculum, but this center is focused on peer interaction in our kitchen area. Students are prompted to share, take turns, and pretend play. All such skills can be very challenging. This center is simple and requires little to no prep. I simply switch out the toys and manipulatives depending on the theme of the month. For example, when we are studying healthy bodies, we have a doctors set out for the students to interact with. 3) Building Blocks This is another fine motor center; however, we use no pencils or papers in this center. Students are challenged to participate in hands-on activities that challenge students to use their fine motor skills. 4) Sensory Table This is another really fun center. We have a wonderful sensory table that I fill with various sensory materials each month. We use rice, beans, sand, magnetic letters, thematic materials, and all sorts of other things to make this center fun and interactive! My students LOVE this center. I hope that this blog post got you thinking about your small group rotation activities. Happy planning!
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
If a student is unable to play with toys during structured leisure time independently, play supports are a great strategy.
We will explore various assessment tools and techniques specifically designed for young special education students, enabling us to unlock
Establishing a goodbye ritual in an early childhood special education classroom
Want to know my favorite special education teacher hacks? I've got you covered! If you are a special education teacher, you know how hard it is to meet every student's needs AND keep a well organized classroom. Below, I've compiled 5 special education teacher hacks you need to know! 1. Jewelry Organizers For Visual Storage
Building Functional Pretend Play Centers in an Pre-K Classroom
Cause and effect toys are fun, engaging and challenging. Some examples of cause and effect toys are toys with buttons, musical toys and pop
4 Must Do's on the First Day of Pre-K. Worried you missed something while lesson planning for the first day of school?
Promoting independence is a key goal, and one important milestone is independent sitting. Independent sitting not only enhances student’s physical
Tips to Successful Morning Calendar Large Groups in an Early Childhood Special Education Classroom
A blog for early childhood development teacher or parents that contains tips & lessons for students with autism and other developmental delays.
Establishing a goodbye ritual in an early childhood special education classroom
Assemblies are great inclusion opportunities. But they can be stressful for students. Here, I share 5 tips to attend assemblies with success.
I cannot believe a new school year is right around the corner! I love the excitement that I new school year brings. I also love the planning and preparation that I new school year brings. I have slowly been easing myself back into "work mode," analyzing my class schedule, staff assignments, and rotation activities. Today, I will be sharing some of my ideas for rotations in early childhood special education (ECSE). With that said, while I teach ECSE and focused on ECSE when creating these rotations, these ideas can work for other special education classrooms as well. How do you get the students to your table? If you are interested in learning about how I get my students to my rotation activities, check out my color coded classroom blog post here. It talks all about my schedule system. Today, we will be talking more about the WHAT we do at the rotation tables. How many rounds of rotations do you do each day? I recommend doing two rounds of rotations. I recommend the first round of rotations to be the more academic "goal" work and the second round of rotations to be the more social and "fun" work. I recommend doing this because students tend to be a bit more motivated and focused earlier in the day. Also, anything can happen towards the end of the day. Get the goal work done and the data collected at the beginning of the day so that you do not have to worry about it. How many rotation activities do you have during each round? I have three rotation tables during the first round of rotations and four rotation activities during the second round. This will vary depending on the number of students you have and the number of staff you have. What are your rotation activities? First round of rotations: 1) IEP Goals Math 2) IEP Goals Reading I set up my two IEP goal tables the same way. I use a 10 Drawer Seville Cart, add numbers to each drawer, and assign my students various activities based on their IEP goals. I use this assignment sheet to assign my students different activities based on their specific goals. If two students have similar IEP goals, I assign them both the same drawer number. In addition to the goal work, I place one thematic activity based on the unit that we are working on in one drawer of the cart. This is an activity the my students can work on once or twice during the week instead of working on their goal work. Both of these tables have a correlating binder which includes the assignment sheet, student IEP goals, and data collection pages. *sample activity sheet with fake student names and fake student goals. You can download this sheet for FREE here. 3) Art/Fine Motor This is probably my favorite rotation table! I love planning fun crafts and art projects. I use Pinterest to find many of my activities. I try to find activities that challenge my students to touch a variety of medias and practice a variety of fine motor skills (cutting, tracing, gluing, etc.) We only do ONE art project each week. I break the art project up into small steps for the students to accomplish each day. Once the students have completed their art project, I have cutting pages, tracing pages, and other fine motor pages in a binder that students can work on. These FREE brain boxes are also a perfect addition to your art/fine motor center. And lastly, don't forget the painting smocks to help keep your students clean! Second round of rotations: 1) Teacher Table (Learning without Tears) I LOVE Learning without Tears (formerly Handwriting without Tears). I have realized through the years, that it is best implemented in a small group setting. This year, I will be leading a Learning without Tears center each day. I simply follow the teachers guide as I lead this center. 2) Social Skills We use Second Step for our social skills curriculum, but this center is focused on peer interaction in our kitchen area. Students are prompted to share, take turns, and pretend play. All such skills can be very challenging. This center is simple and requires little to no prep. I simply switch out the toys and manipulatives depending on the theme of the month. For example, when we are studying healthy bodies, we have a doctors set out for the students to interact with. 3) Building Blocks This is another fine motor center; however, we use no pencils or papers in this center. Students are challenged to participate in hands-on activities that challenge students to use their fine motor skills. 4) Sensory Table This is another really fun center. We have a wonderful sensory table that I fill with various sensory materials each month. We use rice, beans, sand, magnetic letters, thematic materials, and all sorts of other things to make this center fun and interactive! My students LOVE this center. I hope that this blog post got you thinking about your small group rotation activities. Happy planning!
Teaching our students to play independently is such an important functional skill! First, if a student can play independently at school, the...
What are some things every early childhood teacher should do for and with their students? We’re answering that question in today’s blog post, through some of our favorite quotes from the experts on early education. Keep these quotes on hand for inspiration—because these days, we need all the inspiration we can get. (This post would […]
Hello Families In an effort to support you during this time we have created a Smore with online resources to help you continue to support...
See Sections below for different types of resources including general resources, 5 ways to... resources, benefits of... resources, self assessment prompts and critical reflection prompts. Aligning NQS with the EYLF v2.0Download PDF Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload WORD Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload Aligning NQS with MTOP v2.0Download Infographics environment agencyDownload compliance in formsDownload study
What is prompting and how should we use them. Let's talk about the best ways to use the prompt hierarchy in special education.
When you enter into the world of Early Childhood Education it’s no doubt just about play and teaching! Educator’s alike would agree that observing and documenting children’s learn…
Continue Reading
This resource will provide you with the following: twenty Mini-Posters about expected Center behavior and etiquette in the preschool classroom. learning goals that can he be individualized to use to create IEP goals and objectives for your Early Childhood Special Education students questions and verbal prompts to help guide and encourage class discussions about the information provided by the Mini-Posters. these discussions regarding expected behavior and etiquette at Centers can be used prior to opening Centers plus selected topics can be referenced as needed. also provided are helpful Teacher Tips. Mini-Posters include: · being a problem solver (2) · being kind · working together · no wandering around the classroom (2) · no play fighting · sharing with your friends (2) · staying in your area · staying on task · talking quietly · using your inside voice (2) · using materials in the correct way (2) · using materials in the incorrect way (2) · using your time wisely (2) Thank You for visiting our store. If you would like to receive notifications when new products are created and added to the store, please follow us by clicking on the green star in the upper corner of the screen. Please provide feedback to earn credits for your future purchases. If you have any questions, complaints, or concerns, please use the Q and A function and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks again and thank you for all you do to teach our little ones!
Using Language Supports for Non-Verbal Children
Being a new special education teacher can be overwhelming and stressful. Check out The FIRST thing to do as a new special ed teacher.
Improving Communication Skills for Non-Verbal Children Through the Use of Aided Language Boards
I am always curious to see how other preschool classrooms are set up. So I wanted to show you all how I set up my classroom. I am going into my 4th school year as a preschool special ed. teacher and I’ve done things differently every year. I really liked my setup last school year […]
Centers or "Play centers" are centers that are intentionally planned; with a purpose in mind. A lot of my play based centers are planned aroun
Promoting learning through play is an effective and enjoyable way to enhance educational experiences. Here are ten strategies to encourage
Working with students in early childhood special education can be really challenging. Here are 5 tips to help make things easier for you!
Centers or "Play centers" are centers that are intentionally planned; with a purpose in mind. A lot of my play based centers are planned aroun
Tips to manage meltdowns in the self-contained classroom. In this blog I share 5 deescalation techniques and physical classroom changes.
The importance of early childhood development should not be underestimated. The effects of learning in the early years are life-long.
Are you using visual schedules in your special education classroom? Choosing the right type of visual can make or break a student.
See Sections below for different types of resources including general resources, 5 ways to... resources, benefits of... resources, self assessment prompts and critical reflection prompts. Aligning NQS with the EYLF v2.0Download PDF Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload WORD Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload Aligning NQS with MTOP v2.0Download Infographics environment agencyDownload compliance in formsDownload study
Improving Communication Skills for Non-Verbal Children Through the Use of Aided Language Boards
A blog for early childhood development teacher or parents that contains tips & lessons for students with autism and other developmental delays.
Language opportunities are hidden EVERYWHERE! Here are 10 ideas of language opportunities in everyday routines!
We will explore various assessment tools and techniques specifically designed for young special education students, enabling us to unlock
We will explore various assessment tools and techniques specifically designed for young special education students, enabling us to unlock
From developing fine motor skills, letter and number recognition, sight words, sorting, sequencing, reading, and math, these task boxes for autism tasks will help develop important life skills and beyond!
Are you using visual schedules in your special education classroom? Choosing the right type of visual can make or break a student.
Take a peek inside 9 unique special education classroom setups! Learn how each teacher sets up her classroom!
We live on visuals in the special ed world. You want to use them all the time, but how?Here are 5 steps to becoming a master at using visuals daily!
