Being a new special education teacher can be overwhelming and stressful. Check out The FIRST thing to do as a new special ed teacher.
Challenges with focus and attention can become a huge roadblock to learning for kids and young adults. Simply put, attention is critical to learning. If students can't focus on the lesson, they are going to struggle with understanding the new content. If students can't focus on the directions, they
Make lesson planning easier by repeating activities. Keep reading to find out how each life skills activity is different each day.
Classroom hacks that actually work in a special education classroom setting. Tried and true methods from actual teachers. Read to learn more.
Special educators need a pretty large toolbox of strategies and resources to support our learners. So often, our students can have significantly diverse needs and levels. On any given day, special education teachers might need to take student reading data, modify a math assessment, teach science wit
I was in a heated IEP meeting one time, and a teacher angrily blurted out, 'What do you want from me? Do you want me
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.
Make sure you cover all subjects in the special ed classroom with the help of the Science and Social Studies Adapted Work Binders!
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
It is important for parents to understand the difference between IEP vs 504. IEPs have more safeguards in place to ensure schools provide the right support.
Differentiation and scaffolding can help students better understand and learn. Here are teaching ideas and tips to use in class.
Encourage language development, while fostering fine motor skills, following directions and other functional life skills. Cooking in the classroom with visual recipes, step by step recipes to foster those super important life skills, and work on those IEP goals and objectives... all at the same time!
Do you teach an autism classroom? Here are my 5 must-haves to help develop your own successful autism classroom!
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
This visual choice board is a simple social emotional learning resource for your special education or inclusion classroom. Providing a student with this file folder visual support may allow him to express his needs without having to find the words. While this visual was designed for students with autism, it can be beneficial for any struggling students. Even verbal students can have trouble retrieving the words or articulating what they need. Offering this simple visual can aid a student in saying "I feel confused. I need help" or "I feel frustrated. I need a break." Contents: 6 pages of feelings cards 15 feelings in a variety of image options 1 page of needs Sentence starters File folder labels Prep instructions Suggestions for use This is not meant to be a choice board for 'wants' which is why toys, computer, iPad etc is not provided. Rather this is a support to use when a student is struggling, overstimulated, frustrated, overwhelmed, sick, upset, tired, confused etc. Teachers, paras, aides and therapists who have built a relationship with a student can often guess what the student feels and needs in these moments. However, responding to an outburst, problem behavior or refusal with what they are likely looking for reinforces an improper way to request those things. This visual support can help students learn to ask appropriately! ⭐ Teachers like you love this resource ⭐ This resource was a great addition to the communication support I use for my students. I was able to choose a few options at a time for them to choose from and the product comes with many pictures for wants/needs. I love this resource! This has been super helpful with SEL learning and helping kiddos identify what they need and avoiding meltdown. It was easy to put together and it has been a great addition to my classroom! This has been great for my non-verbal and limited verbal to express their needs! The choices are great and it makes a perfect connection between feelings and needs. As we move toward more and more SEL practices, this resource is great at helping students identify how they are feeling and what they can do to help themselves. Other Visual Supports to transform your classroom Behavior Management Flip Book Behavior Management: Self-Calming Book and Choice Board Visual Schedules Bundle Art Visuals and Schedules Music Visuals and Schedules PE Visuals and Schedules Stay up to date! Click here to follow my store and be the first to know about new product releases. Thanks for stopping by!
Made For Me Literacy provides special education teachers with engaging, comprehensive reading units meticulously crafted with special learners in mind covering various subject areas, including basic reading, writing, math, science, and fine motor skills.
These 3rd Grade Math Concepts (3.OA.3, 3.OA.5, 3.OA.7, 3.OA.8, 3.OA.9) ) of understanding multiplication and using multiplication facts and strategies. This unit is modified/adjusted to address the…
It’s a myth that blindly memorizing every letter in a sight word is the only way to learn it.
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)
A list of job options you have as a special education teacher (outside of the traditional classroom setting), given the skills you possess as an educator.
Streamline the process of training classroom staff with this comprehensive manual tailored for special education teachers and parents of autistic students. Designed for both novice and seasoned classroom paraprofessionals, this resource offers an in-depth training package covering topics ranging from the diagnostic criteria of autism to fostering communication development and managing student aggression. The manual is presented in an accessible format with photo examples for clarity. Each section includes a follow-up review to reinforce crucial points, ensuring mastery of the topics. The package also features a final assessment with both factual and applied questions, promoting a thorough understanding of the training manual. An added bonus is the availability of an editable version for further customization within the download! See more:Video Product Preview! If you like this product, be sure to check out my Classroom Setup Checklist for more tips on effective autism strategies! Do your paraprofessionals speak Spanish? Check out our completely translated Spanish version of this product: Paraprofessional Training Manual EN ESPANOL for more resources, tips, and materials to help you help children with autism please visit The Autism Helper
Teaching the scientific method to kids can be tough. Here are some modifcations to the classic steps of the scientific method for special eduacaiton students.
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
Have a student who elopes? Need a way to debrief with them after? I developed this think sheet because every special education teacher knows eloping is a BIG thing when dealing with behavior. If you don't have an eloper, are you really a special education teacher? Just print and you are ready to go!
Prompting Hierarchy- How I got duped! What you need to know about the prompting hierarchy. Snag the infographic and info perfect for working with your staff!
Poorly implemented co-teaching practices may be taking the “special” out of special education, say many who train teachers and districts in collaboration.
New Graphic! 😊 “My Inclusion ABC’s” Inspired by our Education Assistant students and our EA colleagues. I am grateful everyday for your dedication, knowledge and passion for supporting students. #Inclusion #SD62learns #SD62EA Download: https://t.co/tuPsugWZJn
Money, money, money, money, monnnnnney... So most of my students probably won't have to pay bills, but who knows maybe some of them will. Even if they never pay a bill in their life I figure it's good to know what's going on - because someone in their life is paying for all the things they have. So with this activity, I expect that my students will know what a bill is, the things we have to pay for (electricity, phones, internet, etc), and that money is need to pay for things - all good concepts for better understanding life. And if they can actually learn how to pay a bill on their own, even better! So technically, I use this activity and worksheet in our math class, but we use a lot of reading skills as well, so it can totally be for language arts too. I give my students a bill - I don't simplify them at all but will highlight some of the key info for some students (you can find a variety of bills to use with a simple google search) - and the fun begins!! We go over this many times as a class and we look for basic information such as due date, amount due, account number, company name, and address. This worksheet has all these items listed so students can record them as they find them, as well as address an envelope (I know you don't actually have to address the envelope when paying a bill, but it's a good skill to have!) and write out a check. I also project this worksheet right onto my whiteboard so I can fill in the worksheet along with them. When writing a check I obviously have students sign their name...and one time I wrote "your name" on the signature line up on my whiteboard as an example. Can you see where this is going? :) Definitely had two students write "your name" on their paper...lol I love my students! And now for part 2 of this post: I saw this linky party at A Turn to Learn and HAD to join! The theme is funny things your students said this week. Well, since I didn't see any students these week (Christmas break, yay!!!), I'll share one of my favorites that happened last year: Student: Mrs. Holtrop, are you pregnant? Me: (shocked) Um, no. Why do you ask? Student: Well, uh, don't those things take about nine months and you've been married for... (student starts counting on his fingers) Me: Uhhh, that's not quite how it works. Student: Wait, but I thought that once you... Me: (Quickly interrupting) Nope and, um, what are you working on, oh yes let's work on math. :) Wish you could have been there. Head over to A Turn to Learn and link up - I love this idea for a linky party and will love to read what your students have said!
Learn about types of accommodations for special education students in math, reading, writing, homework & tests, and organization. Download a free printable!
What types of accommodations can help students with dyscalculia? Here are dyscalculia accommodations teachers can use at school. These math supports can also help at home.
Check out all 13 fun & engaging activities for teaching volume of prisms. Includes print and go resources, online tools, and hands-on activity ideas.
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
special education, behavior, behavior plans, BIPs, writing a behavior plan
Spelling Rule Visuals: Clear and simple reminders of our most common spelling rules. These visuals pair wonderfully with Word Family Spelling Lists with Sentence Dictation. Includes: ★ Vowels: A, E, I, O, U, and Y ★ Kiss the Cat Rule (C before a, o, u; K before e, i, y) ★ Floss Rule (double consonant endings) ★ How Do I Spell the /ch/ Sound? (ch vs. tch) ★ Does it End with CK or KE? (ck, ke, k) ★ How do I spell the /j/ sound? (j, dge, ge) ★ Silent E ★ Do I spell the /k/ sound with C or K? ★ How Do I Spell the /ou/ sound? (ou vs. ow) ★ How Do I Spell the /oi/ sound? (oi vs. oy) ★ Soft C and Soft G **Follow My Store to Save 50% Off New Products During the First 48 Hours** You might also like: Long and Short Vowel Sorts BUNDLE First Grade Grammar Bundle Word Family Spelling Lists with Sentence Dictation Opinion Writing Templates with Sentence Starters for Special Ed
Social emotional learning is the foundation of a successful classroom by creating an environment of inclusion and respect.
special education, behavior, behavior plans, BIPs, writing a behavior plan
Free Life Skills Worksheets For Highschool Students And Free Life Skills Worksheets For Special Needs Students Pdf
I know I am not alone when I say that I struggle to sit through staff meetings without doodling on my paper, shifting in my seat, getting up to use the bathroom and occasionally whispering with my teacher friend next to me. Now, these are every other week, and only for an hour. Every time I leave, I […]
As our readers know, we at the Inclusion Lab are all about connecting educators with practical tips they can use right away to welcome, reach, and include all learners. Our posts here tend to be meatier and more in-depth, but we also create lots of smaller tip sheets with bite-sized bits of wisdom to share […]
Challenges with focus and attention can become a huge roadblock to learning for kids and young adults. Simply put, attention is critical to learning. If students can't focus on the lesson, they are going to struggle with understanding the new content. If students can't focus on the directions, they
special education, behavior, behavior plans, BIPs, writing a behavior plan
