Songs – Great for Transitions in SpEd Classrooms
Songs are a great way to transition students in SpEd. They just seem to tune in (oops no pun intended) which is exactly what we are looking for! Grab their attention and get them moving in an orderly and timely fashion. Read on for a couple of ideas I have to share about using songs to transition. Why use Songs?…
Teaching Literacy in SpEd- When is it ok to use picture symbols?
Teaching literacy in Special Education can be such a challenge. Some students have a real struggle with many aspects of reading. It’s hard! They have to learn the alphabet, phonemic awareness, concepts of print; onset and rime; syllables, phonics, sight words, sentence structure, grammar and hardest of all comprehension. Many of our learners also have complex communication needs. In SpEd…
Literacy Overview for Very Emergent Learners
A literacy overview is an important planning step to allow for the best teaching and learning opportunities in a self-contained class. Here is a quick overview of what I plan and a downloadable planner to get you started. Literacy Overview-What to Include Making decisions about what to include can be daunting. Where do we begin to consider what to include…
Hey Diddle Diddle and Incy Wincy Spider BOOM CARDS
Hey Diddle Diddle and Incy Wincy Spider are two well loved Nursery Rhymes and they can now be enjoyed digitally. This fun product is great for students in Special Education settings or Early years learners either for distance learning or in the classroom. The Boom cards are housed on the wow.boomlearning.com site and available for learning on iPad, desktop or…
Preference Assessment in Special Ed – 5 Things To Know
Preference Assessment (or Reinforcement Inventories) are very important. What are they? Why are they important? Who contributes? When and how do I assess and record? For the answers to these questions and more read on. (1) What is a Preference Assessment? It is an assessment of preferred tasks, games, foods, drinks, songs, toys, sensory objects, You Tube clips, people and…
Boom Cards: Alphabet Match It – Letter Ee
Boom cards are digital games that are interactive and fun. I have found them to be a valuable teaching tool. What are they? Why do I love them? How do you get them? Read on to find out more and download a FREE Match It Letter Ee while you are here. Boom Cards: What are they? Boom cards are digital…
The Great Easter Egg Hunt
How do we have an Easter Egg hunt in a lockdown? Well it’s tricky but not impossible. It will certainly be a different kind of Easter this year given the COVID-19 lockdown. Questions such as “will the Easter Bunny still be able to come?”, and “can we afford Easter eggs this year?”are surfacing. How are you handling these tricky questions?…
Tar Heel Reader – Adaptable Online Learning
Tar Heel Reader Website is a great resource to help families (and teachers) educate their children. The COVID-19 worldwide health crisis has made all educators rethink how to deliver teaching and learning. Many of us are looking to the internet. Are you looking for an online, free, easy to differentiate reading resource? Do you have a range of abilities including…
I See Spring Pack
Spring. That wonderful time of year when the birds are singing and the weather is warming up. The insects are about and there is a spring in your step (no pun intended but kinda funny). What a great time to focus on the core vocabulary word ‘see’ with your students who use A.A.C. to communicate. I have a package of…
Schedules in a Special Education Classroom
Let’s talk schedules. You have your timetable sorted or on the way to being sorted. Now what? Where do you start? Schedules are a great place to head to next. The types of schedules required in a special education setting are whole class, individual, work and first/then schedules. All are necessary for different purposes. Whole Class Schedules First let me…
