Besides writing curriculum for students with significant challenges, I also work with families, here in Pennsylvania. I am part of an amazing group of other parents who are passionate about helping others create a vision for the future, find supports and services, and connect parents to accurate and important information. Recently, I have been really focused on safety in the community. Every individual has a right to be a valued and integrated part of their local community. We also know that does not always come easily.

There are a lot of challenges we as teachers and parents face when we go on community outings. I wrote 2 other blog posts on this topic a while ago full of thoughts, suggestions, and a free download. Visit them by clicking below:

• Community Trips and Challenging Behaviors: Getting to know the person (click here)
• Community Trips and Challenging Behaviors: Getting to know the behavior (click here)

Today, I wanted to come at this from a different angle. An angle that I think is missing in a lot of talks about safety in the community (including the one I currently deliver to the families I work with). This comes from a very personal experience that was scary, upsetting, frustrating, and embarrassing. I share it because, as always, I think there is a lot to learn from our failures, and I KNOW there are so many parents and teachers out there who deal with this issue and no one wants to talk about it.

Keeping the general public safe while we are in the community.

The sad reality is that many of us deal with students and children or adults who have such extreme behaviors that they can actually be a danger to people they may come in contact with while in the community. I deal with this personally with my son, Jimmy, who is 22 and is a very big strong guy. I have also had a similar situation with one other student in the past, who, although not as big, was more explosive and impulsive than Jimmy is. So here is what happened with Jimmy in a nutshell. What I learned, and what tools I can share with you if you are in a similar situation.

For the past 8 months, I have worked with some very skilled and trained individuals who have been helping me get Jimmy more acclimated to being in the community. Honestly, it has gone pretty well. The only aggressive behaviors have been directed at either me or one of the workers, and that has been really infrequent. In fact, Jimmy’s behaviors, in general, decreased the more times we went on trips into the community. It seemed like a big win, and we all had high hopes as we looked for possible employment opportunities in our local community. But then I got over confident.

Jimmy was doing so well, I decided to take him to the local thrift store on my own. We had gone so many times in the past months, that I felt like this was something I could handle. What I forgot was Jimmy has a past behavior trigger of becoming very aggressive toward children who are crying. In fact, we had been out in stores numerous times the past 8 months with upset children, and although he may have glanced their way, he never made any move towards them. But, that day I took him he seemed different. I will never know why. Maybe he had a stomach ache, maybe his head hurt, maybe he just didn’t sleep well and felt grumpy. For whatever reason, this was the day he decided to revisit that terrible behavior and try to attack a 3 year old sitting quietly in a shopping cart while his mother looked through a clothing rack. I can say no one was injured, as I was able to get in between Jimmy and the child, but it was really close. He did grab the boy’s sweatshirt which scared the little guy who started crying immediately. Thankfully, Mom got her son and the cart out of the area very quickly. It was a real struggle getting Jimmy out of that store for reasons I won’t go into, but needless to say I was pretty sore the next day from wrestling him out and back into the car. We got home safely, and Jimmy acted as though it had been just another normal outing into the community.

So what does this mean for his future? How will he ever successfully integrate into our community? First, I had to really think about what it was that he enjoyed so much about going to these places. Was it the actual store? No. Was it the interaction with the people there? No. It came down to three things:

1. Going for a car ride
2. Attaining a new toy or book
3. Stopping for fast food on the way home

So, I started thinking about how I could provide these things without endangering another child EVER. I have now come up with a list of places where I am almost 100% certain children will not or cannot be present. I am creating my own thrift store in a neighbor’s garage where he can go and shop for a new toy or book. So far, this new plan has been going really well.

I found an arcade, empty during the school day.

I found the movie theater is empty in the afternoon in between movie times. And, he LOVES popcorn.

I found a church willing to open up an empty building during the day so he could play on their piano.

I am still working really hard at finding more places we can go where I know he will be safe, I will be safe, and the public will be safe. I feel it is my responsibility as a parent (and as a teacher) to ensure the safety of all involved. That may mean I have to think outside the box, but special education teachers and parents are awesome at doing that.

I wanted to share a list of questions I came up with when looking for potential places to visit in the community. You should definitely take the time to explore some places on your own first. In addition, use this checklist in combination with the other 2 lists of questions from the blog posts listed above to help you have the most successful community outing possible.

Download the checklist HERE (no email required)

This was not an easy story for me to share, but I know there will be at least one other person out there who is in the exact same (or worse) situation that I am in. We have to talk about the tough times as well as all the accomplishments. I hope this conversation helped at least one teacher or parent.

PS If you are a teacher and want some more helpful tips on having a successful field trip with your class, then visit my blog post on it by clicking HERE.

If you are not in the special education you may wonder what the deal is with errorless activities. What is the point? What are students learning? If you are a special education teacher, then you know they learn a lot from these simple activities. Here are some benefits from having your students do activities that are errorless plus a free download at the end.

1. Learning the mechanics

Before learning new content, we need to give our students a chance to learn how to do certain activities. For example, if you want students to use a circle map to illustrate the main points from a lesson, you want them to already be familiar with what a circle map is and how it works. Having students use a tool with only correct answer choices gives them the foundation they need when faced with unfamiliar or new content. Just think about it. You likely first learned to ride a bike on your driveway or in your neighborhood. It was probably a while before you ventured onto an unknown road or terrain. Riding your bike on a trail successfully only happens when all you have to do is focus on the trail, not how to ride a bike. So, give your students lots of practice using certain tools in a safe and errorless manner before combining them with new or unfamiliar content.

2. Increasing participation

When students feel more confident, they are more likely to participate. In addition, it adds to the discussion and interaction because all the answers they provide will be correct. That gives you so many more opportunities to validate their interaction and reinforce their attempts to participate. Imagine being observed when doing an errorless lesson. It is very likely, no one will pick up on the errorless part and instead, will see equal and active engagement by all the students in the group. A win all around!!

3. Addressing multiple learning levels with the same material

If you have used any of my units on TPT, you know I started about a year ago including errorless and non-errorless options for certain activities. This all came about from a suggestion from a teacher who was using my units. She told me she loved them for her lower level kids, but needed something more challenging for those who were a little more advanced. So, I started adding those options. Now the exact same worksheet can be used for more than one learning level. You can use errorless for those just starting out. You can use the non-errorless version with some color-coding added for more advanced. Finally, you can use the non-errorless version just how it is for those who can truly discriminate right from wrong answers. To see more on color-coding check out these two blog posts:

• Color coding for differentiation (click here)
• Differentiating 1 activity 3 ways (click here)

4. Building confidence

As I stated above, students who are consistently reinforced tend to repeat that target behavior more often. If you provide lots of options for participation and response with the knowledge that the answer will always be correct (at least in the beginning) you are likely to see a faster spike in engagement and learning. Students won’t know the activity is errorless. Most won’t recognize the subtle differences in the worksheets being used by other students in their group. It will feel totally natural to praise and reward students for their participation and you get the added bonus of reinforcing that the answer given was a correct one!

5. Creating review tools

Most of these activities can serve double duty as review tools for an upcoming assessment. Because they were errorless, you know the material they are reviewing is correct. In addition, you know that parents and perhaps other paraprofessionals who may be reviewing the material with the student has the correct information as well. I had one teacher tell me it is great note taking skill. The power of errorless teaching. It is truly worth the effort.

So wondering how to make activities you already have errorless? Click on the link below to download a quick cheat sheet on how to turn various activities into errorless ones quickly and efficiently!

Errorless teaching quick tips (download NO email needed) CLICK HERE

The weather is getting warmer and your students are likely getting antsy. Why not embrace this season and integrate some of these fun activities into your daily lesson plans? Plus download a free activity for your parents to use at home at the end of this post.

1. Taking it outside

With the warmer weather, you can just take your materials and your students outside to teach a lesson. Yes, there will be some distractions. It may be challenging to keep your kiddos contained, but there is a lot to learn from just being outside. Try to set up the area with clear boundaries so students understand where they are supposed to stay. Use either physical items like chairs, carpet squares, or a blanket. You can also use visual cues like drawing chalk lines if you are on a solid surface. Make sure to remember to bring:

• any visual schedules or behavioral picture cues you normally use
• communication devices
• all your materials

Make sure you look in the Free Resource Library (see tab at top of page) for some FREE vocabulary cards you can download and use for a Spring lesson that would be perfect outside.

2. Go on a scavenger hunt

Spring is the perfect time to go on a scavenger hunt. There are so many changes happening in the world and clues that spring is here. I just wrote a blog post about going on a scavenger hunt, including a FREE hunt for spring you can download for spring. Be sure to read all about it HERE.

3. Plant a class garden

This is the perfect time to plant your class garden. If you plant it now, by the time Earth Day comes around, you will have some things already coming up out of the ground. This is a great way to get those sensory needs met. Play in the dirt. Let the seeds run through your fingers. Have a large bucket of water students can plunge small cups into to water the newly planted seeds.

4. Incubate some chicken eggs

This was always one of my favorite spring activities, although it didn’t always go that well. There were years when none of my eggs hatched. That was a bummer. But, for the years it did work, it was great!! I have a companion unit in my store that goes great with this classroom activity. You can check it out HERE.

5. Go on a field trip

It seems like everyone is going on a field trip this time of year. Why should our kids be left out? I wrote a great blog post about making the most of a field trip (with some free downloads of course). Read about it HERE.

6. Make a collage

I love doing arts and crafts even though they may get a little messy at times. Spring is a great time to make a collage. There are several ways to do this so ALL your students can be involved and work at their own level.

• Take items you find outside (maybe from your scavenger hunt) and glue them on a sturdy piece of cardboard.
• Take some magazines and find pictures of spring things to make a colorful picture.
• Using those same magazines, for students who are readers, have them make a collage of all the spring words they can find. They can even spell some words out by cutting out letters.

7. Write a story

There are so many things happening this time of year that students can write about. Writing prompts are one of my favorite tools to give students a chance to express what they like and don’t like on their own. I have a great new product in my store that contains 15 Writing Prompts for Spring. Check it out HERE. If you are not sure how to use writing prompts with your students or don’t think they can do them, read more HERE (and download a free prompt to try.)

8. Take a nature hike/walk

So this is a little different (in my mind) than a scavenger hunt. In one of my schools, we had these great trails behind the building that went through the woods and down to a creek. Taking a hike during each season was a great way for students to see how things in nature changed. We had one particular spot where a student would stand and we would take their picture. We could compare how the colors changed, how the height of the plants changed, how the ground covering changed, etc. with each season. It was such a fun activity! If you want to make it more structured for your students, read how to do that in my blog post on structured walks HERE.

9. From caterpillar to butterfly

Similar to incubating the chicken eggs, creating a habitat for caterpillars and watch them grow, make cocoons and hatch into butterflies is something many students are doing this time of year. I have a unit that has some great supporting activities for this if you plan on doing it in your classroom this year. Check it out HERE.

10. Get your parents involved

I don’t know about you, but I always need a little extra help getting out of my winter rut at home. Your students’ parents are probably feeling the same way. You can download this great family involvement activity below that gives your parents lots of great ways to get outside and enjoy this warmer weather. You can set this up as a contest, a homework assignment, or just a helpful handout to send home. I always did one of these at Christmas time and they worked really well. Click the button below the image to download this free activity.

Spring Family Activity

Taking a field trip is never easy. But, if you teach in a special education classroom, then it can be especially challenging. Here are some ways to make sure you not only have a great field trip, but a safe one as well. Plus, I have some free downloads included to help you out.

Before the trip

There are some things you can do before the trip to make the day less stressful for you, the students, and chaperones.

1. Get as much background information as you can about your destination.

So this is the step that many regular education teachers do not have to worry about so much. If you teach students with significant needs, this is the step the will make all the difference. The more you can familiarize yourself and your students with the location, the better your chances for a smooth and pleasant experience. Here are some things to consider:

• Do you need to know if it is handicap accessible ?
• What is the general layout?
• Are there places to take a break or de-stress if needed?
• Do the people who work there know you are coming, and what the general make-up of your class is like? (This can be very helpful if you have students with behaviors that may seem disruptive or even rude if people are not aware they have a disability).
• Is there are shelter from the sun or rain?
• Are snacks and drinks allowed?

The most successful trip I ever took was also the one I took with my most challenging student. I actually went to the park ahead of time and took lots of pictures. We used those photos to familiarize all the students with the location. In addition, they helped the other adults see where the potential issues and triggers could be. It allowed the entire team to come up with a really good plan. Finally, it lessened this one student’s anxiety about visiting an unfamiliar location.

2. Review the rules and expectations with your students.

As always, being very clear in your expectations when it comes to behavior is critical. I would be reviewing these daily for about a week ahead of time. Remember repetition, with some variety, is key for students to begin making those rules part of their own internal dialog. I have a few social stories you may find helpful with this review. Just click on the titles below to check them out.

• Field Trip Social Story
• Riding on the Bus Social Story

3. Create and review a detailed schedule of events.

Using whatever learning level is most appropriate for your students, create a schedule of how the day will run. It may be a picture schedule, a simple checklist, or even an object schedule. It is great if you can make multiple copies so that each student has their own. In addition, each chaperone should have a copy as well. I would laminate these or put them in a page protector to minimize wear and tear.

Day of the Trip

1. Make sure your chaperones are prepared physically and mentally.

This cannot be over-emphasized: you need to make sure everyone is on the same page. Keeping in mind confidentiality issues, you want to make sure any adults that are coming are also prepared for any issues that may arise. This includes:

• Things that could trigger problem behaviors, like loud sounds, crowds, animals, bright lights, crying children, etc.
• Behavior plans that are currently in place. Specifically the de-escalation procedures for students who may be in their group.
• Method of preferred communication for each student in their group including how to use any devices.
• Any allergies or food restrictions.

2. Gather all your materials.

I have come up with a free checklist you can download to help get organized. Of course there will be some student specific needs you will have to consider, but this is a place to start. Just click the HERE to download it. (no email needed)

3. Have an emergency back-up plan.

We all know the best-laid plans can be undone in a heartbeat. I always had a backup plan in case things just went totally off the rails. If fact, I often had 2 plans. Plan 1 was in case just a few (or one) students were not able to hang with the rest of the group. I wanted a way for the rest of the class to continue on with the trip and get the full experience. Plan 2 was in case something happened which derailed the entire trip in general. Many of our students have so much trouble with change. Having to cancel a trip for something out of my control is always a possibility, so I tried to have some back-up “safe” location. This was never the preferred option, as many of the students were expecting to go to location A, but at least going to location B was better than not going anywhere at all. I usually had a local park or local school playground set up as a back-up. That way I didn’t have to do a lot of prep. It was a safe, known location to me that I felt we could handle with little upfront work.

4. Review the schedule and expectations.

Before heading out, review the big points one more time. It may be reading the social story as part of your morning meeting. Or, it may mean handing out power cards your students made to take with them as portable reminders. Despite the likely chaos of the morning, make sure to review the expectations one more time.

After the Trip

Whew! You made it and hopefully everyone had the best time. Go home and celebrate and re-energize. But, the next day you want to start thinking of what types of activities you can do to extend and build on that experience. Maybe you want your students to write a story about their trip. I have a FREE writing prompt you can download below. Although I do include pictures for students to use, it may be more beneficial to use some material you have that is more specific. If you took a lot of pictures, put together a slide show. You can even create a simple scavenger hunt students can do AFTER the trip. Have them mark all the things they found the day before. Finally, review those expectations one more time. But, this time make sure you point out who did what well. So if the rule was “I will stay with my group,” be sure to praise all the students who did this really well. Reinforcement is such a powerful tool, make sure to use it.

Field Trip Writing Prompt

I hope this post had at least one ah-ha moment for you. Hopefully there was something here that will make your next field trip a little less stressful. Let’s face it, most teachers dread field trips. They are A LOT of work and take A LOT of preparation. But for some of our kids, this may be the only way they are able to get out in their community.

Those fine motor skills can be really tricky to work on. Especially when you are also trying to teach content at the same time. We all know that teaching skills in the natural environment is preferred, but it sure isn’t always easy. Here are 5 simple ways to you can take ONE task that requires cutting and quickly differentiate it for all the students in your class.

1. Thicken the lines

Some students have a pretty good grasp of how to use a pair of scissors. They have the dexterity and the strength to cut a piece of paper in half. For these students, they may just need an extra visual cue as to where to cut. For these students, I take a black marker and just thicken the lines a bit. This is a great way to subtly modify the task if the student is in a general education inclusion setting. Hardly anyone will even notice.

2. Highlight the line

This is another visual cue for those students, who can cut on their own but just need more visual support. I use a colored highlighter to trace the lines I want them to cut. It is also a great idea to practice this in isolation, when you are not teaching a lesson. I always try and use the same color, so students get used to seeing that as a cue, “cut here.”

3. Add a physical barrier

I learned this one by watching my OT. She would place Wikki Stix (thin strings covered with a sticky wax substance) on either side of the line she wanted the student to cut on. Well, I didn’t happen to have these fancy little stix in my classroom, but I did have hot glue, and lots of it. So, I just put a bead of hot glue down either side of the cutting line ahead of time. If the student started straying off the cutting line, the hot glue was really hard to cut through. It gave them some sensory feedback that they had fallen off the line.

4. Pre-cut some of the pieces

Prepping materials in a special education classroom is more than half the battle. If needed, I would ALSO sometimes do some of the cutting myself ahead of time. This way, students were not waiting for me to get things ready. Everyone was able to cut out the same activity at the same time. (Having a bin or folder for each student in the group was super helpful in keeping all of this organized.)

5. Free cutting

Ok there are some students who are just not going to be able to attend to the paper long enough to cut on a line. It won’t matter how much hot glue I piled on there. For these students, I often just let them cut wherever they wanted to on the paper. They still had the same activity as all of the other students. But when it came time to actually DO the activity, voila!! I would have some pre-cut pieces for them ready to go. I had prepped these ahead of time. That way, all the students felt they were involved in the same activity.

I think most special education teachers are accustomed to spending their free time prepping materials for the next day. We spend HOURS laminating, cutting things out, and adding Velcro. Taking a little time to add some visual cues to cutting activities can really pay off when it comes to whole group participation. There is nothing worse than students sitting around while the teacher or assistant cuts out the pieces for them. Using one of the above techniques, will help overall participation and increase student engagement.

Have you ever spent what feels like days teaching a particular social skill? You find the perfect social story, review it daily, send a copy home for parents to read, and even do various activities reinforcing the main concept. It seems, like your student understands and recognizes what behavior is expected. Then it happens. One or two weeks later you find yourself in that precise situation you practiced and talked about. Maybe it is in an assembly or maybe it is waiting in line for pizza in the cafeteria. You feel confident, your student will behave perfectly; just like you practiced. But then it falls apart. It is as if all that work was for nothing. Your student seems to have forgotten all the cues, all the appropriate responses. It is just a mess.

Boy, have I been there. It can be really discouraging. We all know that social stories are an effective tool. We should not just abandon them when it feels like they may not be working. Maybe they just need a little more support. Maybe we need to add some power cards.

What are power cards?

Power cards are small, often 3 x 5 , that summarize in just a few words or pictures what the appropriate behavior is in a given situation. You can easily create a power card for just about any social story. They can be highly effective reminders, especially when it has been a while since you focused on that particular skill. Because they are so small and portable, students can easily carry them and refer to them as needed. In addition, they do not draw a lot of attention from their peers.

How do you make power cards?

There are a lot of tips out there on how to make the perfect power card. The bottom line, is that it depends on your particular student. Here are some things to keep it mind:

• Keep them small enough to be portable. How will your kids carry them? In their pocket, on a key chain, in a phone holder? This will determine the best size to make them.
• Use materials that will withstand wear and tear. I like printing them on card stock and laminating them. You can also use packing tape as a quick and cheap way to make them really durable.
• Make sure they look age appropriate. The front image can be just about anything that is of high interest to your student. Often, they can look like trading cards. I also let my kiddos personalize them with stickers, color, and even glitter. You can always substitute the front image with something else.

How do you use power cards?

Review the power card as part of the daily lesson when you are focused on teaching that skill. Then, make sure there is a designated space either you or your student keeps their card. In some instances, I kept all the cards myself. For example, the cards we made for a field trip, I would keep in my desk. I would pass them out before leaving and collect them again once we returned. On the other hand, cards we made for what to do when the teacher is talking, students kept in a location they could easily access. For some kids that was in their desk, for some it was in a pencil box, and for some it was on a key chain. As long as they could get it out when needed quickly was fine with me.

I found power cards to be a really nice tool to help students quickly review expectations. It allowed me to use less intrusive prompts. I could simply point to the card as a remember to appropriate behavior.

An additional benefit of power cards

One last great thing about power cards is that they are a great cue to other adults what is expected. If you are not present, another adult can look at the power card and implement the same expectations. Having everyone on the same page so quickly and easily is invaluable.

So, consider adding power cards to your social skills strategy. They are a great tool to have in your arsenal. Click the button below to download this one on telling the truth to try today.  There is a copy with pictures and one with just words.

Free Power Cards

I had so many teachers last year begging me to do a novel unit on Wonder by R,J. Palacio. I was deep into a series of science units for high school, so I put it on my to-do list. I knew I wanted to do this novel, but was not sure when. Well, this December while in the car for over 12 hours, I finally found the time. Boy am I glad I did!!

A great read

This is an amazing story of one boy’s struggle to be just another kid despite his very visual differences. The book chronicles his first time in a public school setting at the age of 11, going into 5th grade. As you can imaging, there are some pretty awful experiences, as well as some heartwarming ones. In the end, he comes away the hero, causing us to shed more than a few tears at his triumphs.

A bonus chapter

So, I happened to pick up the book with a bonus chapter that was not included in every version of the novel. It was a chapter, solely from the protagonist’s view point, Julian. Julian is that boy in the book that we all want to dislike. He is a privileged, upper class boy with parents who use their money and power to get what they want. Julian is not kind. He is the stereotypical bully who we wish could just feel a little bit of the hatred he puts out. But, then we learn more.

This chapter looks more deeply into why Julian is the way he is. You get a glimpse at his own hidden disability. It is a good lesson, that you never know what struggles an individual may be dealing with. In the end, you still feel anger and dislike for Julian. His actions were pretty horrible, regardless of his home situation. But, you do understand him more. You may even look differently at those students who do not seem to have enough compassion and kindness for others.

Free activities

I have created some FREE activities to go along with this bonus chapter. As with all my novel units, I created them for students with autism and significant learning challenges. Even if your students struggle with comprehension, they will still be able to do and benefit from these activities. Click the button below this short video to download them.

Free Activities

The complete unit

I do have the complete unit for Wonder in my store. You can check it out by clicking HERE. I am really glad I finally took the time to read this story. Always choose kind, and you cannot go wrong.

More and more special education teachers are being asked to address the same curriculum and issues being presented to typical peers. This is not too terribly challenging when you are in an elementary setting, but it can get REALLY tricky once you reach middle or high school. There is an almost complete absence of materials, and the subject matter seems really complex, abstract, and often riddled with controversy. So, what are teachers who teach the most significantly impacted students supposed to do? Well, I decided to jump in head first and try to figure it out. It took a few attempts before it felt “good” to me, but now I am confident that I have ironed out (most) of the wrinkles.

So, first let’s look at the question of WHY we should teach this, and then I will share with you the HOW to teach it. There are some great free resources to help you, I promise!!

My principal told me I have to.

This may seem like a ridiculous reason, but it is the reality many teachers face. Either administrators do not truly understand the challenges our students face, or there is someone above them demanding “results.” Either way, if your boss says do it, then you do it to the best of your ability.

It is in the standard curriculum

But I don’t teach the regular curriculum! I know, I didn’t either. My degree is in adapted curriculum. But guess what? That makes me more than qualified to take the standard curriculum and modify and adapt it so my students can benefit from it. Now, finding the time to do so is an entirely different matter.

It impacts the families of the kids we teach.

Many of our families today are impacted greatly by the happenings in the world around us. And, at least right now, a lot of what is happening brings uncertainty and often fear. The materials we use to teach our students about the most up to date current events may also ease some tension by increasing the understanding of these issues at home. That is an added benefit that is totally worth my time.

It is age appropriate.

Too often I have walked into middle and high school classrooms and seen materials that were either made for much younger students, or were never meant to be used in a classroom setting at all. My son, who is almost 22, loves Sesame Street and Barney more than most 2 year olds. I have NO issues with that at all. What does bother me, is when he is able to access that (almost unrestricted) in a school setting. I know some may disagree with me on this one, but I really believe it is our job to expose our students to as much age appropriate materials as possible while we have them. Leave the Wiggles and Thomas the Train for home.

You may open Pandora’s Box.

Individuals with special learning needs, especially autism, often have the quirkiest interests. We have all had that student who knew everything there was to know about a topic that most of us forgot about long ago. Some of students just have not had the right exposure yet to ignite this fire. I know I am not going to do any damage teaching about current events, and I may, indeed, open the door to a whole new, and exciting world, for one of my students.

So, now let’s talk about HOW to teach this content.

I spent much of 2018 asking the same question to any teacher I could, “How can I help?” There were two overwhelming answers:

1. Provide me with easy to use, age appropriate materials my students will learn from.
2. Provide me with some detailed lesson plans so I know HOW to teach this new content.

Done, and done!!

First, let’s talk about the lesson plans. And, here is the first of the great free resources you can grab. I realize that this new content that can be fairly challenging for even us to understand. I knew I needed to add some lesson plans. But, be patient with me. I am going back and creating these after the fact, so it may take me a while. They are really detailed and specific to the unit, so I think you will find them truly helpful. Click on the button below to get a FREE lesson plan to go with my Immigration Unit.

Immigration and the US Lesson Plan

As you can imagine, I have worked really hard creating some units that cover some of the “hot topics” in the news today that promote global awareness and global citizenship. You can find them all in my store on TPT:

• Immigration and the US
• US and China Relations
• US and Cuba Relations
• US and Afghanistan: A Partnership against Terrorism
• Responding to Terrorism in the US

And, here is the second great FREE resource (in case you missed it a few weeks ago). In my free resource library, I have the complete book that goes with my Immigration Unit you can download for FREE. You can click here to get access (there are a ton of free resources in there you will LOVE) or click here to download the book right now!

So, I hope this will ease the anxiety many of us feel as the bar is rising on what our students are expected to learn. They will rise to the challenge if we just give them the tools to do so.

As always, “How can I help?” Feel free to let me know in the comments or email me at: specialneedsforspecialkids@gmail.com

***Free resources at the end of the post***

Oh boy, is this a tough one.  If you teach in middle or high school and you have a student who walks into your classroom throwing the f-bomb or other words that would not be considered so nice then what are you to do?  Perhaps the student is looking for that shock value.  Perhaps he/she is just super frustrated and has no better way to express himself/herself.  Although it is critical to figure out the WHY, for now you just need it to STOP.

Now imagine that this has been happening for years.  No one has ever really addressed it before.  Or, they tried but were not all that successful.  Now you not only have a student who curses, but one who may have been doing it for the last 10 years.  How in the world can you ever get that to stop?

Well, first of all buckle up.  It is going to be a LONG and BUMPY ride.  There is just no getting around it.  There is no magic bullet to get students to stop ANY learned behavior that is quick and easy.  You need to commit right up front that you are in it for the long haul.  You need to be realistic, and accept that the first, second, and third plans may fail.  But, you know it will somehow stop with you.  If you are willing to put in the work, take the time, and investigate the root cause, you will be successful.  And, although later teachers won’t thank you, because you cannot really appreciate a bad behavior that is no longer present, you will have the awesome satisfaction of improving the social acceptance and ultimate quality of life on this one student.  It will be so worth it.

So, let’s get a plan.

1. First, you need to determine with as much certainty as possible what is causing the student to use profanity.  I always found it helpful for someone else to come in and do an observation or functional behavioral analysis.  Sometimes, I even video taped the student so I could get a second opinion (with permission of course).  Absolutely no plan will be successful if you cannot truly define the reason behind the behavior.  Let’s look at some potential functions:
   • Escape.  Many students use negative behaviors to get out of a situation.  They learn that if they throw out certain words, adults will do almost anything to get them to stop.  They will take away a demand.  They will give a reinforcer freely.  They will shower the student with attention to hopefully stop those awful words from spewing forth.
   • Attention.  Yep, this is the most common reason.  Certain words have amazing shock value when used in a classroom setting.  The gasp from adults is almost involuntary.  The attention adults give is immediate, not to mention the attention of everyone in hearing distance.  It can be really, really hard to NOT give this behavior the attention it often demands.
   • Gain access.  This is similar to the function of escape.  As often happens, when students cannot get access to what they want, they pull out the negative behaviors to not only show their displeasure, but because in the past, it has been a way for them to regain access to that desired item.  Using profanity is no different, and is often used to as a tool to get adults to just give in.
   • Internal/self-reinforcing.  So some behaviors, although not many, occur simply because it feels good to the individual, or it is beyond their control.  Tourette’s syndrome is a good example of this.  Too often, we choose this function because we just don’t know why the student is choosing this negative behavior.  I have even pulled this card myself a few times.  I swear the kid “just does it” for no reason.  Inevitably, I am proven wrong.  So use caution if this is the function you land on.
2. Get a baseline.  So before jumping in with some grand intervention plan, get a baseline first.
   • How often does student use profanity
   • Where is it most often used
   • What particular words are most often used and how often
3. Get a super clear picture of the entire scope of the behavior.  This will be so helpful when trying to choose a replacement for the profanity.
   • What is happening right before the swearing begins?  Does the student take a deep breath?  Does the student clench his or her fists?
   • This is different than the antecedent.  We are not looking for what may trigger the behavior, just what is the first physical sign it is about to occur.
   • How long does the actual cursing typically last?  You could measure this in either words or seconds.  What is his/her face look like?  Are the eyes open?  Does the face get red?  Is their involuntary spitting involved?
   • What happens right after the student is done swearing?  Does he/she take a deep breath?  Is there a slight smile?  Where do they look?  At you for a reaction?  Out into space as though he/she is emotionally spent?
4. Come up with a replacement behavior.  Here is the hard truth.  Punishing a learned behavior, even a negative one, rarely makes it go away.  We cannot just somehow force the student to stop swearing.  We need to give them something to do instead, and it needs to look and feel as close to the real thing as possible.  This is why clearly identifying when the behavior is about to start is so critical.  We want to come in with a replacement BEFORE the cursing actually begins.  We want to interrupt the cycle just as it is starting.  Above all, we do not want to inadvertently reinforce the swearing by coming in too late with some “cool” alternative.  It may take you a while and some brainstorming to come up with something good.  So what are some possibilities?
   • Choosing a more socially acceptable word.
   • Handing the student a stress ball or other sensory object (or maybe it is in their pocket).
   • Pounding their fist into the palm of their hand.
   • Coming up with a “cool” hand signal, that you and the student agrees means “that word.”
   • As soon as you see that first sign, jump in with whatever replacement you have chosen.  Use whatever prompt you feel is most appropriate, be it a flashcard, a picture, a gesture, or a verbal prompt.  IF the student uses the replacement behavior then he/she gets the result of whatever the identified function was.  Maybe he/she wants to get out of doing work, maybe he/she gets some super cool reinforcer, or maybe he/she just gets a bucket-load of attention (in a really big way).  Whatever the result, it has to be worth it.  The replacement has to seem better than the original profanity choice.
5. Communicate the plan to everyone and make sure parents are on board.  Make sure as many people as possible truly understand this plan.  There is nothing worse (or stronger) than intermittent reinforcement.  So if everyone follows the plan, and then at dismissal when it is getting crazy, and your assistant decides to go back to just trying to punish the behavior it will be a disaster.  If you fail to interrupt the pattern and don’t get a chance to use the replacement behavior, it is better to simply ignore the entire cycle.  Give it no attention, and just proceed as if the profanity never occurred.
6. Teach, teach, teach.  The plan you come up with should NOT be a secret from the student.  This is a team approach, not some stealthy mission to eradicate bad words.  So, talk it out.  Allow the student to make some choices if possible.  Then, deliberately practice and teach the plan.  You can introduce social stories or power cards into the mix if that is helpful. (You can download some FREE power cards at the end of this post to help with choosing the best word.)  But, really the key is a commitment on your part to take focused time every day to work on this skill.
7. What if it totally fails?  Well, to be quite honest, it probably will a few times.  I don’t think I have ever come up with a behavior plan that worked out of the gate.  Don’t give up!!  Persevere, it will be worth it.  If you have older kids, this behavior may be years old.  The learned patterns run DEEP.  This is where that baseline data can be helpful.  Not sure if your plan is working at all?  Re-take some of that data you took in the beginning WITH the plan in place.  We should always be making decisions based on data if at all possible.
8. Watch out for that extinction burst.  So, with any good behavior plan, the targeted negative behavior is likely to get worse before it gets better.  Be prepared for it, and make sure the other people are ready for it as well.  Nothing will derail a plan faster than watching a kid who was swearing a couple times a day, all of a sudden start swearing multiple times a day.  The introduction of the replacement behavior will help keep this at bay, or could even squelch it all together.  I have had that happen too.  A really good replacement behavior with consistent intervention can really decrease or even eliminate that burst.

Well, that was A LOT more than I thought I was going to say on this topic.  But, I see too many parents and professionals trying to stop or punish a behavior.  It just doesn’t work very well.  I know profanity is a hard thing to deal with.  I know you may get a lot of push back from other parents and administrators for not having an immediate and stern consequence.  But I applaud you for your effort.  I applaud you for choosing to go with research rather than gut instinct.  It may feel like you will never get there (it once took me 3 years to replace a behavior successfully with one of my students), but just keep trying.  Later teachers may not thank you, but it will make a huge impact in the social life and community acceptance of that student.

Need some help getting started?  I have a unit I put together with 2 social stories, activities, and power cards.  You can check it out by clicking on the image below.

Just need some power cards for now?  You can download them for FREE by clicking on the button below.

  Free Power Cards

Teaching students what it means to be thankful can be a challenge.  Today, kids seem to have so much, and it seems like the minute they (we) want something, POOF it appears.  (Thanks Amazon.)  So, if you work in a special education setting, teaching what it means to be thankful can seem like an impossible task.  But, again, all the other teachers and classrooms are doing it, so of course I was not going to be left our or left behind.  Here are some ways I chose to teach about gratitude.  HINT:  I saved the best for last!!

1.  The Giving Tree

First, I LOVE my books.  So, I focusing on The Giving Tree as my story selection for this unit was an easy choice.  It had the added benefit of talking about how the leaves fall off of a tree during the fall season, so how could I resist?  The theme of selflessness that is present in this story was definitely over the head of most all of my students.  So, I chose to focus on all the things the boy was thankful for and the things the tree was thankful for.   I know there is a lot deeper meaning to this story, but it worked for my class, and they got to experience a book many of their classmates had gotten a chance to read.

(By the way, there is a great animated version on YouTube, that you can see here.)

We then did an activity with leaves and a tree template to show what we were thankful for.  You can get this template by clicking the button below.

Get your Thankful Tree template
 

2.  Thankful collage

This was an easy one.  I would give students a bunch of magazines and advertisements and have them cut/tear out pictures of things they were thankful for.  It was challenging getting them to understand that this was NOT a wish list, but rather things that they already had and loved.  We would glue them all down onto a class-sized collage.

3.  Social Scripts

So if you have run any social groups, then you have likely used social scripts.  They are simple phrases that students can repeat to practice appropriate responses in social situations.  Most of my students had very limited verbal ability, and many used communication devices.  So, depending on their personal mode of communication, we would practice (OVER and OVER), I am thankful for….).  This meant I often had to pre-program devices, or get some visual cues ready ahead of time.  This also worked really well with a pocket chart and sentence strips.  I would put one sentence strip per student (I am thankful for…) in the chart ahead of time.  Then we would go around and each student would “verbalize” what they were thankful for.  We would put either the word or picture they referenced at the end of the strip to finish the sentence.  We could then go around and practice reading the entire chart.  Again, sometimes I had to record myself reading it ahead of time so those who used devices could still participate by pushing a button when it was their turn. The repetition of this activity was VERY powerful.  If nothing else, by the end of the week, most of my kiddos were parroting, “I am thankful.”  Not such a bad thing to go around saying!!

4.  Delivering thank you notes

My students needed lots of practice navigating the school as well as socially interacting with all types of people.  So, one thing we did every November, was to write thank you notes to the various teachers and staff in the school.  Often, I would write the card, and the kids would decorate them.  You always have to think, “what is the goal of this activity?”  In this case, the goal was NOT saying what they were thankful for, or even saying thank you.  The goal was to:

1. Deliver a piece of mail to the right person
2. Behave appropriately in the hallway while taking our notes
3. Using eye contact or a smile when handing over the card.  (Bonus points if they used the staff member’s name!!)

I LOVED this activity and it worked out so well.

5.  The Gratitude Dance (MY FAVORITE)

So, here it is.  My number 1 favorite activity for teaching MY students about gratitude.  My kids loved to move.  Most of them also loved music.  One day, I came across this amazing video on YouTube called the Gratitude Dance.  I can’t explain why, but it affected me deeply.  I knew I had to share it with others.  As I have mentioned before, I worked with an amazing team of special ed teachers in North Carolina.  We often planned activities together, which benefited us AND our students.  This Gratitude Dance was one of those collaborative efforts.  We all gathered in one place.  We watched the (short) video.  Then, we danced.  It sounds so simple.  But, it often bought many of us teachers to tears.  Such a simple and authentic way to show gratitude.  Move your body.  Move your body to music.  Display gratitude.  Perfect.

So that is it.  I am thankful for every single student who passed through my doors.  You made me a better teacher, a better, wife, a better mother, and a better human.  Gratitude.

I love fall. I love pumpkins.  I feel like they are everywhere this time of year.  In my early teaching years, I was so lucky to work with the most amazing team of special ed teachers.  We worked together, and the teachers, as well as the students, truly benefited from this cooperative learning environment.  One of our favorite things to do was to put together virtual field trips.  Due to budget constraints, we could only actually go on two field trips a year.  But, that did not stop us.  We even “went” to South Africa one year!!  But, I want to share with you the best part of our virtual field trip to a pumpkin patch.  The kids loved it, it was truly magical, and I have never forgotten it.

There were 4 teachers involved in the field trip, and each classroom became a stop on our trip.  Here is where we “went” and learned:

• Life Cycle of a pumpkin
• Pumpkin painting
• Carving a pumpkin
• The Magic pumpkin patch

After we were done, we all met in the cafeteria to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown with popcorn and Halloween candy.

Let me share with you the Magic pumpkin patch activity in time for you to try it this fall.

Here are the supplies you will need:

• 1 paint stick per student
• bag of pumpkin seeds
• trowel
• rubber mallet (for teacher to hammer in paint sticks)
• 1 small pumpkin per student

Explain to the kids that you have some very special and magic pumpkin seeds that you want to plant outside.  Before heading outside, have students write their name on a paint stick.

Then head outside to plant the magic seeds.   Let students pick out what they think will be the perfect spot to plant their seed.  Each student digs a little hole and plants their seeds.

Then, we continued on with our field trip, ending in the cafeteria.  After watching the movie, we told the kids we should go check on our magic seeds, and see if anything had happened.  (Of course while they were all watching the movie, one of us snuck out and placed the magic pumpkins in our pumpkin patch.)

Here is what they saw:

It was really surprising how excited all the kids were to see if their pumpkin had grown.  I, truly, have never forgotten it, and am so thankful that I got to experience this field trip with my students with some of the best teachers I have ever know.

So, in an effort to continue to save you time and money as super busy special education teachers, I wanted to give you a chance to download my FREE Pumpkin Counting Book.  It was a very popular choice this time of year, and, yes, I can still recite if from memory.

Click here for Counting Pumpkins

I also have an awesome unit on pumpkins that is filled with activities for the fall.  CLICK HERE to check it out

Finally, I have a literacy unit on The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll.  It was definitively a favorite in my class, and I am sure your kiddos will love it too!!  CLICK HERE to check it out.

I hope everyone has an awesome start to the holiday season.  I also hope you consider taking a field trip to The Magic Pumpkin Patch!!

Do you find October a little scary?  Are your kids expecting you to come up with spooky, creepy and crawly activities?  If so, not to worry.  I have you covered.  I know many of us are looking for alternatives to teaching about witches and monsters this time of year, and spiders are a great subject to have students focus on and still feel like they are getting some of that holiday eeriness.

I reached out to a bunch of my favorite teacher authors so I could come up with list of great activities all in one location that you could click and download.  I hope this makes your October lesson planning just a little less scary.

Super Spider Math Activities

• Little Mrs M has a great web template and spiders you can cut out to be used in lots of ways in a math center.  CLICK HERE to check it out.
• Do you like spiders?  My Happy Place has a great free graphing activity that will tally your students love or not for arachnids.  CLICK HERE to get your copy.
• Marcia Murphy has some doubles flash cards with some really great spider graphics you kids will love.  CLICK HERE to get them practicing those math facts.
• It’s Almost Friday has a I Have, Who Has game is perfect for whole-class engagement! This product contains 24 game cards to practice addition and subtraction within 20.  CLICK HERE to grab it now.
• Kamp Kindergarten has some super spidery counting clip cards do download using quantities up to 12.  Also works those fine motor skills!  CLICK HERE to start counting.

Creepy Spider Science Activities

• TCHR Two Point 0 has an amazing stem activity where students follow directions to make and then color a spider web.  If you want to get excited about STEM CLICK HERE!

Crawly Spider ELA Activities

• Emily at Education to the Core has a super cute mini-book and writing reflection on spiders.  So if you have those early or emerging readers, CLICK HERE to check it out!
• Jennifer at Engaging Activities for Little Learners has some really great things you can do with some magnetic spiders.  You could even do these with just plain plastic spiders as well as long as you have a flat surface.  Practice letters, names, and even filling in 10 frames with this cool activity.  As a bonus, there is an emergent reader you can download for free as well.  CLICK HERE to see all you can do!
• Kathryn Garcia at Made for Learning has designed a fun center activity for children who need practice matching uppercase letters with lowercase letters.  CLICK HERE to set up this literacy center.
• Caitlin at Learning Ahoy has some neat ideas for a letter matching center using a silver sharpie.  Draw some silver webs on the tops of some lids, grab some plastic letters and you are all set with a free download.  Learn how to set it up, CLICK HERE.
• Lindsey’s Classroom Creations has 3 mini books with a Halloween focus and one is on (you guessed it) spiders!  CLICK HERE to get your mini-books.
• Caitlin O’Bannon uses a spider spinner to review  digraphs ch, th, and sh.  Your students will LOVE this game.  Get it when you CLICK HERE.
• Michelle at Teacher 123, has some morning reading passages on spiders using those oh-so-cool QR codes.  CLICK HERE to get reading.
• Linda Nelson at Primary Inspiration has a spiderweb  word wall partner game for your literacy centers, but you’ll find that this is incredibly versatile and be adapted to many other uses.  CLICK HERE to check it out.
• A is for Apples has a download where students can write everything they know about spiders with these tree map graphic organizers and writing pages! CLICK HERE to get your kids writing.

Freaky Fine Motor and other cool Spiders Activities

• Jessica at Tot School is rockin’ it with this amazing blog post FILLED with really creative things to do with spiders that works those fine motor skills in truly unique ways.  Be sure to check it out and CLICK HERE.
• Danielle at Fun Learning for Kids has a very clever way to work on those fine motor skills using some yarn, a basket, and some plastic spiders.  Your kids will love it!  CLICK HERE to see how to set it up.
• From the HappyEdugator, get an amazing mind set poster with spiders in mind.  When the storms of life get you down or wash you down the water spout, you need to let the sun dry you out and climb up again! This growth mindset freebie was inspired by Hurricane Michael as I see family and friends recovering from disaster. We should all remember the lesson of the little nursery rhyme, “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” This poster is an inspirational quote from the Itsy Bitsy Spider himself! CLICK HERE to grab this one!

So what about me?  What do I have to offer?

Click the button below to grab the 2 free science related downloads I have for you, pulled from my unit on Spiders.

• Label the parts of a spider

• Sorting things by number of legs

Spider Activities

If you area looking for even more, you can check out my unit on Spiders in my store.  It has almost 70 pages of activities for your students with autism and special learning needs.

October is here, and for many of us that means it is time to teach about Fire Safety.  I always found this a fun topic to teach, and there are so many great resources out there you can use to add to your lessons.  If you would like a FREE LESSON PLAN to use with this unit, scroll to the bottom of this post.

****I HAVE A FEW FREE DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE IN THIS POST.  YOU ONLY HAVE TO CLICK ON ONE TO GET AN EMAIL WITH LINKS TO ALL OF THEM.****

When teaching students who have significant learning and often physical challenges it can often be hard to relay the seriousness of this information with adding to a student’s anxiety and confusion.  Here are some activities I found to be really helpful.

Vocabulary Boards

Consider using a vocabulary board when teaching about fire safety.

I found utilizing a vocabulary board as a constant in my lesson was really helpful in keeping everyone on the same page and engaged.  I used this board when doing activities or even when watching YouTube videos.  It encouraged interaction and sharing even for students who were more verbal.

Books

Of course, I really like to use books, and of course books on my student’s level could be really difficult to find.  However, I did find for this particular topic there were quite a few good books in the library that were fairly engaging and my students seemed to enjoy.  Of course, I did end up writing some of my own as well.

Small group stories

For this particular unit, I knew it would be difficult to practice a fire drill in different locations around the school.  But, the reality is you never know where you and your students will be when the fire alarm goes off.  So, as a group activity each day, we would sequence the steps, matching pictures to words on what you would do if there was a fire alarm while working in class, during time in the library (or other enhancement class), and while eating lunch in the cafeteria.  Although it is not a substitute for actually practicing the real thing in different locations, it was a good substitute.

Sorting Activities

I LOVE doing sorting activities with my students.  They are fairly easy to set up and easy to differentiate with color coding.  (Read my post on Color Coding for Differentiation to learn more about that.)  For this particular unit, I did a safe and non-safe sorting activity.  It served as double duty because I did a color version in class and sent the black and white version home to do with their parents.  Gotta love that purposeful repetition.

Sequencing Strips

I find it is always a great review tool to have student sequence a process.  It is easy to differentiate by quickly writing numbers on the pictures, and it is also a great way for students to practice first,  next, and last.  We did two different sequencing activities for fire safety month.  One was a simple stop, drop and roll sequence.

Students would hold the cards and get in the correct order.  Of course we had to model the sequence as well.  Super fun.  In the free lesson plan below, I have several good Stop, Drop, and Roll videos on YouTube for reference (including one for older students).

The other sequencing activity I did related to the steps we would have to follow when there was a fire drill.  You can download this one for free by clicking the button below.

Free Sequencing Activity

Social Stories

You know I LOVE a good social story.  Reviewing proper behavior during a fire drill was a great one to read.  We also practiced a mock fire drill every day.  That may seem really disruptive to your daily routine, but it is really worth it if there ever was an emergency.  There are so many sensory issues wrapped up with the fire alarm.  It is loud, it can be crowded in the hallway, and it is a totally unexpected part of the daily routine.   For this unit, I used 2 social stories.  I had one I created using photos that we would read at the beginning of the lesson.  I also made one that just had black and white symbols from Boardmaker they could color and take home.  If you would like a free copy of the black and white booklet, Fire Drills, click the button below.

  Free Fire Drill Booklet

Power Cards

Have you ever used a power card?  They are a really great tool when you are working on social skills in various locations.  They are small, usually the size of an index card that summarizes the key points in the social story.  I like to let students personalize their cards with stickers or other art media to make them look “cool.”  They can be differentiated to meet the need of the student.  Some use pictures, and some use words.  The ones for the fire drill should be kept in a specific location once you are done teaching this unit so students can take the cards with them whenever there is a fire drill.

I hope you found some helpful tips and suggestions in this post.  Sometimes I think I am just documenting what people already know, but maybe there was one part here you want to add to your own lessons this year.  Thanks for all you do for our special kids.  The difference you make is immeasurable.

If you want to grab my complete unit of Fire Safety, click the image below:

PS  Don’t forget to get your free lesson plan by clicking the button below.

Free Fire Safety Lesson Plan

Full disclosure, I LOVE to cook.  There is not  much I enjoy more than working in the kitchen.  So, I guess it is not surprising that I also LOVE cooking with my students in the classroom.  And, although it can get messy, and it takes a watchful eye and careful planning to keep it clean and safe for all involved, the kids loved it just as much as I did.

Every Friday, we would have “kitchen time.”  I would have a recipe ready to go that usually went along with something we were learning about.  Early in the year, it almost always revolved around the letter of the week.  And, in the fall like it is now, we did LOTS with apples.  One of our favorites was to make applesauce.  I liked it because we did not have to get access to the stove or oven in the teacher’s lounge.  We just used a crock pot, and that made it so easy.

One of my goals when cooking with my students, was to make it as independent for them as possible.  I had kids from ages 5 to 12, so there were a  lot of ability levels to address if we were all cooking the same recipe.  So, that meant a lot of up front prep work for me.  But, I came up with a system that we tweaked over the years, and worked really great.  Here is what we did.  (Be sure to read to the end to get your FREE copy of my Applesauce picture recipe.)

First, I would print recipe labels to put on the actual ingredients.  These would match the picture symbols I used in the recipe.

Then, each student got a recipe depending on their learning level.

• Some used a recipe with just words and a check box.
• Some used a recipe with pictures symbols,
• Some used a recipe with actual photos.

Then, we would divide up the jobs.

• Some were on the hunt to gather all the right ingredients.
• Some were in charge or reading out the directions and checking off the steps once completed.
• Some did the actual measuring. (Although, some years or with some recipes, I pre-measured things to make it easier.)
• Some were in charge of using the equipment, like a peeler, a knife and cutting board, or blender.

There were plenty of jobs to go around.

Once the cooking was finished, we were sure to clean up the area and wash any dishes.  When the food was ready, it was time to feast and enjoy.  Of course, I had A LOT of students with food sensory issues, and not everyone wanted to eat what we had made, but that was okay.  Everyone still seemed to enjoy the process.

As a last step, we often completed a writing prompt. (I talked about these two weeks ago, and you can read more about using writing prompts by clicking on the picture below.) They loved to talk about how something tasted or felt in their mouth and on their tongue.  So many great adjectives we could pull in to describe our scrumptious meal.

Cooking in the classroom is such a great way to work on so many various skills, some academic and some more life-skilled based.  If you have not tried it, I encourage you to give it a try.  It did not always go perfectly, but I still felt it was totally worth the effort.

Want to try it?  Click on the button below to get a FREE copy of my Applesauce Recipe.

FREE Applesauce recipe

Want to try even more?  Check out my Cooking Through the Alphabet Unit which has 26 different recipes (one for every letter of the alphabet.)  Just click on the image below.  Finally, if you have bought any of my units, you know I love to sneak these recipes into my novel units, my other literacy units, science units, and even some of my social studies units.  There is not better way to connect with a region than through its food.  Wouldn’t you agree?!?

I have noticed an increased emphasis on writing these days in the curriculum.  We are asking kids to not only write more, but we are expecting them to write at a higher level than before.  Although I imagine this is a challenge for even the regular education teacher,  what do you do if you teach students who do not have that same ability?

What if you teach students who don’t even know how to read?

This is what I was faced with, and I had to find a way for my students to meet the curriculum guidelines and produce some form of written content that I could “grade” and demonstrate growth and comprehension with.  So, this is what I came up with.

And it worked GREAT!!

I would come up with a template relating to the topic we were studying.  Sometimes, I just wrote it out quickly on construction paper.  Sometimes, I had something all neatly formatted and printed off.

If I was really on my game, I had all my predetermined choices ready to go and printed out.  That was my goal.  It would look something like this:

But, let’s face it, sometimes we are just not that ahead of the game.  We  use what we have.  Sometimes that was looking through magazines, and other pre-printed material I could find.  Sometimes, we used the student’s communication device.  He or she would point to a picture and I would write the answer in the empty box.

Do you get the feeling that this sometimes turned out like a Mad Lib?

Well, that was okay!!  It was their story.  There were no wrong answers.  It was their own personal expression.

That brings me to the other very important part to this writing process with students who likely can not even read or talk.  They need a chance to share their story.  I wish I had permission to share some of the videos I have take of students sharing their stories.  It was truly inspiring.  I had them “read” their story in whatever mode of communication they were most comfortable with.  That may mean I recorded their story on their device, and they got to hit “play” while we listened.  For my most affected students, I recorded their story, one line at a time, on a BigMack.  They would read their story, hitting the button to advance to the next line.

So, I encourage you to try this out with your students.  I think you will be so pleasantly surprised, and it will lead to increased participation and communication. Be sure to click on the button below to get your free apple writing prompt!!

Free apple writing prompt

Remember:

• It does not have to be long
• There are no wrong answers
• Use what you have, it doesn’t need to look perfect
• Give them a chance to share their creations

Due to the positive response from this post, I created a unit that contains 26 different writing prompts from A-Z.  You can check it out here!!

As always, my heartfelt thanks to all those special education teachers out there who show up day after day to fight the good fight.  I know you often don’t have the tools you need or the time in your day to make them.  Just know, that what you are doing makes a difference.  We (parents and other teachers) know it and appreciate it.

Sincerely, Christa Joy

Full disclosure, this is not an original idea, but I know good teaching when I see it, and this is a must do activity if you teach in special education and (bless you) take the time to teach social studies.

Many times when I find myself teaching historical content, I shudder at all the dates that come up in the content.  Of course, I want my students to have some general understanding of what happens first, second and last, but the actual dates are not that critical to me.  Having said that, I don’t always know what is important to my students.  Students with autism often have quirky interests and splintered skills.  So, I don’t want to leave the dates out all together.  Set your expectations high, and more often than not, your kiddos will surpass them and AMAZE you!!

So, how do you make dates and events in history have meaning to ALL your students?  Try making a life-sized timeline.  Here is what you need:

• Identify a few major events in the subject material
• Cardstock
• Color printer (or colored pencils to color in yourself)
• laminator (for durability and repeated use)
• Make a timeline card on a piece of paper

• OR, just print out the ones I have provided below FOR FREE

Once you have your cards printed, pass them out to the students.  Challenge them to see if they can put themselves in order.  There are lots of ways you can differentiate this.

• Put single numbers (1,2,3) on the back of the card
• Put a matching picture or image (or number) on the floor so student stands on the image they are holding
• Use fewer cards for classes who have  more challenges

I would definitely recommend doing this exercise every day as part of your lesson plan.  In addition, if at all possible, I like to have the kids (in their communication mode of their choice) read their card as you go through the time line.  I also liked taping the cards up in the front of the room after the exercise is complete so the students can see the finished product from the front.  One last way that is super exciting to the kids is to video tape them reciting the finalized timeline.  It is another great review tool!

Finally, I like having students complete the same timeline in a smaller cut and paste format.  This helps with generalization and is something they can take home to review.  Of course, I have these included in all the units I have listed below (the link is in the free timeline you can download.)

Ready to try it?  Click below to download a life-sized timeline for FREE.   I hope you find this activity as engaging and impactful as I did.  You will receive an email with access to the following timelines.  Try one (or more) with your next history lesson!!

1. War of 1812
2. Colonial America
3. Revolutionary War
4. Civil War
5. Slavery
6. Harriet Tubman
7. Great Depression

 
YES! I want some timelines.

I have always been so hesitant to include my lesson plans in the units I create for teacherspayteachers.  How you teach is such an individual expression of who you are.  Teaching in special education, especially in mixed grade level classrooms, is even more personalized.  So when people asked me for my lesson plans, I always paused and thought, “I am not sure it will really help you.”  But then this happened.  A teacher from China purchased many of my units, and she reached out for help.  She explained that where she is in China, there is very little understanding of how to teach students with autism and other special learning needs.  She wanted to know if there was anyway I could help her help others to teach better.  So, as I usually do, I said absolutely.

After working all day on a Saturday, I realized this may actually be helpful to other teachers who have purchased my units (especially science and social studies).  By no means, do I think this is a perfect fit for any classroom, but it shares my experience of how I was able to keep a small group of kids from ages 5-10 all engaged and learning using the same material.  I give the typical time frames it took for each activity, as well as teaching tips and why it took me that much time to read through a book or complete a circle map.

Keep in mind, this is a GENERAL lesson plan.  So, if you happen to purchase a unit that does not have the labeling activity that is described in the lesson plan, for example, just substitute the flow chart, time line, or other activity that may have been included.

My science and social studies block were typically 45 minutes, so that is how I laid out the activities.  I am a big proponent of asking lots of questions as well as giving students time to share their completed activities using whichever mode of communication they found most valuable.

Finally, I am a HUGE YouTube and Discovery user.  I found short video segments were a great way for my students to hear the information in one more way, that did not require a lot of prep time on my part.  This can be challenging if your school does not allow YouTube, but I really encourage you to search for accessible videos to add to your teaching time that is relevant and age appropriate.

You can grab this FREE lesson plan filled with tips, links, and details by clicking below.

Go to your free lesson plan

As always, comments and feedback is always encouraged and welcomed.  Also, never hesitate to ask for what you need.  You never know when someone will give up a Saturday to help you out.  Teachers are one of the most supportive and caring communities of people; one I am proud to be part of.

As February begins, and I finish my monthly book club selection: Glory Over Everything, I realize that Black History Month is upon us.  It has been in the back of my mind for a while that I need to put a unit together on slavery.  But, it makes me uncomfortable.  I don’t want to research the facts, I don’t want to tease out what is really critical for my students with special learning needs to know, I just want to pretend this horrible even in our history did not exist.  But, I know that is the wrong sentiment.  Intellectually I know that through studying history, the good and bad, we are less likely to repeat our mistakes, but deep down I know through learning and TEACHING about these tough topics we show respect to those who lived through these horrible times.  And I know some may disagree, but I feel this is also true for our students with autism and other challenges.

There is no denying it, slavery is part of our American history.  We still struggle today with true equality across all races.  Thousands of slaves were shipped over from Africa in terrible conditions, to only be separated from their family members and sold at auction.

The colonists saw the slaves as property.  They often treated their pets better than the individuals who toiled long hot days in the fields.  It was horrible, it was wrong, and and it happened.  We want to ignore it and forget it, but we cannot.

As I wrote this unit, my son who turns 20 on Saturday, was laying on the couch in my office.  He has pretty significant autism and an intellectual disability.  His school journey is ending soon, and I know he has never been taught this topic.  So, as I read through pages and pages of historical material, I thought of him, and what I wanted him to know, and why.  Jimmy has had many important and influential people in his life with an African American background.  I imagine many of these individuals have a history of slavery in their family trees.  So, it is with profound respect and dignity I put this unit together.  To honor all those who have survived this terrible time in our history and have produced amazing individuals who have profoundly and positively affected the life of my family through their love and support of our son.

For those of you struggling to teach this and other difficult topics, I put together a social story to help you and your students understand why we need to learn about topics that are tough and may make us uncomfortable.  You can use it for a broad range of topics, and it is a free download in my store.

Just click on the button below to download a copy.

Why do I need to learn that

For those of you looking for materials for Black History Month that are appropriate and respectful for students with Autism and special learning needs, click on the images below.

I love to quilt, and I love a challenge.  So, this year I decided to join a Quilting Challenge group.  Every two weeks, they give you a topic, and you have to come up with an original idea and turn it into a quilt in less than a week.  This week’s challenge was Through the Eyes’s of a Child.  (click on the link to see lots of amazing quilts made by others all around the world) As most of you know who read this blog, or know me, you know one of my children has autism.  This affects everything we do every day, and it definitely affects how we see things.  But, it got me wondering, how HE sees things.  Do kids with autism see things the same way we do?

This really got me pondering what Jimmy, my son, really sees when he looks at something.  He is not able to communicate this to me, so I just have to use clues to take a guess.  My best guess is that there is NO WAY he can see the world as most of us do.  For example, think of your favorite movie of all time.  How many times have you seen it?  I would have to say my favorite movie is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  I have seen it more times than I can count over the years, but over the holiday season I probably only watch it about 3 times.  The first time is the best, and the other times are usually just space fillers and comfort seeking times.  Jimmy has a favorite movie, too.  It is Tennessee Ten.  It is a short 1 minute clip from Sesame Street that talks about how the number 10 gets some weird rash after kissing 10 fruit animals.  I know, only on Sesame Street.  In case you haven’t seen it, here it is 🙂

Now Jimmy LOVES this movie.  So much that he watches it probably 100 times a day, every day.  He never gets tired of it.  He loves it as much on time 78 as he did the first time.  He laughs, he rocks, he is blissfully happy.  I’ve seen it more times than I can count too, but I just don’t get it.  He MUST see something I don’t.  There is some input he is experiencing that the rest of us mere mortals do not.  It keeps him coming back day after day.  It makes me wish I could see what he was seeing…

So, back to the quilting challenge.  I decided that since Jimmy does not really draw or make much art of any kind, I wanted to try and “see” a quilt the way he “sees” Tennessee Ten.  It had to be crazy and interesting, but needed some predictability and structure.  After all, it is not like Tennessee Ten is different every time.  Ten always gets better at the end after the doctor pays him a visit.  So, I started with making some very different, but very classic quilt blocks.  9 blocks in all with a bold sashing in between to add that visual structure kids with autism crave.  Here is where I started:

I loved the construction of the blocks, the straight edges, the crisp (almost) points.  I loved this quilt.  But, it is not what I knew Jimmy would likely see.  So, I did the sacred sin of quilters, and cut all the block apart.  I used some gentle curves and rearranged all the pieces and tried to put it back together.  I left the sashing in place and uncut, because I do believe kids with autism usually find some general point of focus.  It helps anchor all the chaos perhaps.  Here is the finished product:

Can you see it?  Can you see the original blocks?  Here they are side by side:

I will never really know what Jimmy “sees” when he looks out into the world.  I know it can sometimes cause him anxiety and confusion, but for the most part it seems to excite him and bring him joy.  So, this is my little piece of awareness I am sharing in hopes others realize that there is more than one way to see the world.

Subitizing is the ability to quickly identify the number of items or dots in a small set without counting. Researchers have demonstrated the ability to subitize is a necessary early math skill.  In addition, toddlers as young as 12 months have shown the ability to subitize.  Sadly, this is a skill many of our students are not being exposed to.  Why?  Think about how we likely learned this skill 20, 30, or 40 years ago.  We played lots of games that often involved a board and a pair of dice.  Remember when you were a kid when you would roll the dice and could tell within a microsecond, without even thinking about it, how many places to move your game piece around the game board.  Today, our kids play totally different games.  Most games are in a digital format on some kind of screen.  They almost never involve a pair of dice and rarely force the player to utilize any math skills at all.  This is why, it is even more important we address this skill with direct and focused instruction in our math lessons.  Here are some important things to keep in mind when teaching this important skill.

1.  Use dots

As teachers, we just love to dress things up and make them “cuter” and “prettier” in an attempt to make our boring material more engaging to our students.  But, when it comes to subitizing it is critical to keep it simple and use only dots.  Look at the two cards below:

I know I would have used the card with the butterflies when teaching my students to learn early counting skills.  But, after taking some classes in math foundations, I learned it is better (and necessary) to use the the card with the dots.  When learning this early skill of determining the number of images WITHOUT counting, you need to use the dots so the brain is minimally distracted.  Once the skill is mastered, it is fine to introduce other images, but initially, the use of dots is critical.

2.  Use standard placement

The dots on each side of a die is placed in a pattern that is consistent and strategic.  The placement of the dots in this standard manner is another critical step to learning how to subitize.  Take a look at the cards below:

Your brain can very quickly identify that there are 6 dots on the first card.  However, it takes an extra second to determine the number of butterflies on the second card.  Keeping the dot pattern consistent is critical when learning this early skill.

3.  No counting allowed

What?  Isn’t subitizing counting small sets of dots?  Actually it is NOT.  Subitizing is recognizing the number of dots without actually counting them.  I found this to be the most difficult task of all to teach my students with special learning needs.  When you ask “How many?” to a student with autism, he or she is automatically cued to begin counting.  It is a strong learned response that has likely been drilled into them over and over again since kindergarten.  That is why, if you are given the luxury, start teaching students students how to subitize BEFORE you teach them how to count.  The way I found I could do this with the best results, was to play a subitizing game each morning.  I would use either large flashcards or used my Smartboard to project images of dot patterns.  The key was to only show the image for a couple of seconds.  Do not leave the image visible long enough for the students to count.  You simply want them to see the pattern.  Of course, this required a lot of prompting to begin with; lots of prompting and lots and lots of trials.

4.  Vary the presentation

So, we know you have to use standard dot patterns when teaching students to subitize, but we also know that students with special learning needs, especially autism, have a lot of difficulty with generalization.  So, find different ways to practice this skill.  This is part of the reason I used flash cards and projected images.  Another great way is to play simple games that use dice.  This has the added benefit of working on those important social skills as well that all of our students have on their IEPs.  Again, when using dice do not give your students time to count the dots.  I know it seems really mean to take the dice away before they have the chance to count the dots, but it is critical, even when playing a game, that you continue to train their brain to see the dots as an image that represents a quantity not individual objects that need to be counted.

5.  So, now what….

Once your students are able to subitize, the next step is to connect that image to a quantity.  Being able to match the dot patterns to sets of objects or numerals are also a critical skill.  In addition, being able to order a set of dot cards from least to greatest, is another critical skill in building number sense.  In older students, being able to add together sets of dots images will greatly help with skills such as doubles in addition.  There are so many ways to utilize this mastered skill in your more advanced math lessons.

I learned about the importance of subitizing in my 8th year of teaching.  It saddens me to think of all those students I had who missed out on learning this crucial early skill.  In addition, there is NO doubt in my mind that those students (including my own son) who never learned how to subitize struggled in math for the rest of their school career. Consider adding this skill to your IEP goal bank.  I promise you it is worth the effort!!

If you are looking for a resource that will truly help you become an amazing math teacher and successful at building really strong number sense in your students, I recommend the book below.  It became my bible while teaching math during my last 2 years in the classroom, and then helping other teachers become better math teachers. (click on image below to go to the link on amazon.com)

Click  below for a FREE download of subitizing flashcards to use today!

Subitizing Flashcards

To get my complete Subitizing Unit from my store on TPT click the image below to get a book, worksheets, and flashcards to practice this critical skill.

Circle maps are a type of graphic organizer or thinking map.  It is a wonderful tool for helping students visualize what they know about a particular topic.  Below is a short video of how these can be used in a typical classroom setting.

So, how and why should you use circle maps in your special education setting?  I found circle maps to be an invaluable tool with my students, even for those who were more severely affected.  Circle maps provide a visual representation of the subject matter which the student can easily refer back to.  Here are some tips if you decide to use circle maps as part of your lesson plan:

1.  Match the student’s learning level.

We all know that in a special education class, there are many different learning levels.  For my students on the symbol level, I would often use symbols from Boardmaker.  Some of my students were readers,  and I would use either words alone or words paired with symbols.  If my students where on the picture level, I would look for realistic pictures from either magazines or google searches for realistic images related to the content.  Finally, I always had at least one student on an object learning level.  So, I would try to find some actual objects that the student could manipulate and place inside a real circle map most often using a hula hoop.

2.  Keep it consistent.

Once you identify the learning level of your student, use the same symbols, pictures, words or objects in the circle map that you will also use for the assessment.  This will help reinforce the content during this early learning phase and make evaluating the results of the assessment more valid.

3.  Don’t forget to generalize.

We know students with disabilities, especially autism often have a hard time generalizing content.  Once they see a penguin, it will forever be that black and white bird they saw in the movie, March of the Penguins.  But, penguins can look very different and are still considered penguins.  That is why, it is important to introduce variations on the pictures or symbols you are using in various additional activities.  This can also be done with a separate circle map that contains all different kinds of penguins.

This concept also works very well when building number sense in your math lessons.  Creating a circle map for each number and displaying all the different ways you can represent that number can be quite powerful.

• Tally marks
• Sets of objects
• Number word
• Number of fingers
• Various fonts and colors
• Dots

Click on the button below to download this FREE circle map of the number two.

Number 2 circle map

4.  Use as a study guide

Circle maps make great study guides. Students can take them home to review the content with parents and even use them while taking the assessment.  Many of our students with autism are visual learners, and being able to organize the content in this format makes it easier for them to organize the information in their minds and recall at a later date.  The circle map below is part of my Penguin Science unit that you can download from my store on teacherspayteachers by clicking on the image below.

5.  Consider adding distractors.

If your students are at the appropriate learning level, you can also add incorrect answers or distractors into your picture selection as well.  Most of my products do not include these distractors, as my students were often not at that level.  I was mainly focused on errorless teaching for the majority of my lesson, so it was easier for me not to include them.  However, they would be a nice addition to your higher level learners.

I hope this has encouraged you to consider adding circle maps to your teaching tool box especially if you teach students with special learning needs.  They are an engaging activity that can bring a lot of value to the content you are presenting.

There seems to be barely enough time in the day to fit in all the required material that the school district throws our way.  On top of that, imagine being in a class with students who have the most significant disabilities in the school, and it can be a recipe for pure survival mode.  But, even during my most challenging years, I still made time to teach social studies.  Although the subject matter was not on any state wide assessment, I still found it a valuable use of instructional time.  Here is why I did it.

1.  Content

Many of my students with autism, even those most severely affected, often had pervasive or narrow interests.  Sometimes, these interests fell in the area of history, politics, or other social study fields.  For these students, it was easy to come up with lessons and activities to keep them engaged.  In addition, on more than one occasion, I discovered a hidden interest in this content area that a student had which I had not realized before.  This gave me more opportunities to grow and use prior knowledge and interests in other subject matters.  Finally, the content I was teaching is what their peers in the regular education setting were being exposed to.  I strongly feel that ALL students deserve to be taught and exposed to grade level material.  It may not look the same, or even take as long, but the core of the content should be very similar.

2.  IEP Goals

As with all subject areas, there were plenty of opportunities for me to target and work on individual IEP goals while teaching social studies.  While working on my presidents unit, I made a few file folder activities where students simply matched identical pictures of presidents.  They may not have known who the picture depicted, but we would review them daily as they worked on the IEP goal of matching identical pictures.  I also created many sorting tasks so students could manipulate the content in that manner as well.  It could be as simple as sorting pictures that were different types of homes to a more complex task of sorting the duties of each branch of government.  Lots of differentiation took place to target the multiple learning levels in my class.

3.  General Classroom Skills

As with any content, there are opportunities to practice basic classroom skills such as sitting and listening to the teacher, using a communication device, asking and answering questions, participating in classroom discussions and activities, collaborating in small groups, and more.  For students with significant disabilities, especially autism, these skills need to be practiced often across many different people, settings, and content.  In elementary school, I felt an obligation to strengthen these skills prior to the kids going to middle and high school where there would be an expectation of more independence and collaboration.

Of course, I tried to fi