Learning Ahoy!!

December Fine Motor Fun!

2018-12-04T20:36:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it is December already?! After Thanksgiving, we dove right into holiday prep and lots of holiday activities. This year my class seems to be weak in fine motor so I am trying to incorporate various activities each week to work on building up those little muscles.

Decorate a gingerbread man

My students love playdough! An easy adaption to just using playdough is to have a cut out of a gingerbread man and challenge the students to make eyes, nose, mouth, buttons etc. I love seeing what they come up with!

My original mats came from Unique learning systems last year, but I could not locate those this year. So a quick fix was, I searched for gingerbread man and printed out a couple that I found on the internet. I then laminated them for durability and to make cleanup easier. You can also find some great free gingerbread house mats at PreKinders!

Making Ornaments

So this one is two-fold. Work on fine motor and knock out a parent gift in one! I found these cute felt ornaments at Hobby Lobby that also have a little picture frame. We used glitter to decorate them a bit. Instead of just shaking on the glitter, I gave each student a small pile of glitter. They then needed to "pinch" and "sprinkle" to put the glitter on the glue. This went amazingly well with the 2 and 3 year old kiddos.

Cutting Practice

My 4/5 year old class needs major cutting help. To help this we made presents with wrapping paper. They each got a rectangle of white paper (we are also working on rectangles). Next they needed to glue on wrapping paper, but first they had to cut the wrapping paper into rectangles. Each student was given 3 strips to cut into 4 or 5 pieces. They then used a glue sponge to glue down the pieces.

I hope this gives you a few fun ideas to help you through this busy time of year!!

Collaboration with Gen Ed Teachers

2018-10-20T15:32:00.000-04:00

Collaboration with general education teachers can be one of the hardest jobs of a special education teacher. You need to find time to talk that fits in with both teacher's schedule. Then if you have students in more than one general education class, you need to work out times with multiple teachers.

I have been teaching in the co-teaching and inclusion setting for the past 13 years. Here are a few tips I have learned.

Document, Document, Document

One of the most important things I stress to all special education teachers (and General ed!) is documentation. Document the accomodations you are using with students and ask general ed teachers to do the same. Document goals, document behavior and document communication. I have a communication sheet that I use to document conversations between myself and general education teachers. Some of my teammates use a notebook that goes between them and the general education teacher.

Set up a time to meet

I have always had a set meeting with my general education teachers at least once per month. I talked with them and we figured out what day of the week and time worked best, then added it to the calendar. For example, last year, I met with a teacher the third Friday of every month at 8:15 AM. This gave us a set time to discuss how students were doing or if we were co-teaching anything together, time to plan the next month. Ideally, if you are co-teaching you have common planning, but lets be real, that does not always happen.

Be open to change

When you are working with another teacher you need to be open to change and open to trying things a different way. Learning new strategies and ideas can strengthen your teaching and help your student succeed.

Check these out!

Here are some other place to find more ideas about collaborating with general education teachers.

Teacher Self Care

2018-06-30T14:15:00.001-04:00

We all have heard the saying that "You can not pour from an empty cup". We know how important self-care is, but sometimes as teachers (and moms), we sweep it to the side so we can continue to do our mountains of paperwork. As special education teachers, we often work with kiddos who are behaviorally and/or emotionally challenging. With these challenging situations, we could experience "compassion fatigue" This can lead to increased depression, emotional exhaustion, decreased happiness at work, difficulties with our personal relationships, and loneliness. The stress we experience can also impact our concentration and attention (Shapiro, 2007). When we take care of ourselves it shows not only in our appearance and emotions but also in our teaching and classrooms. This needs to be something we focus on DAILY, not just once in a while.

I asked my coworkers how they practice self-care and they came up with a great list.

sleep, going to bed early no matter what
pedicures
drinking lots of water
meal planning for clean eating
water aerobics
alone time
watch mindless tv
read
dipping into the candy drawer during planning
new pens
teaching Jazzercise
walking 4 miles daily
morning/nightly walks with lots of talking and laughter
a husband who cooks
girls night out
daily stretching
Chocolate

I know what you are thinking, "Caitlin, this list is great, but how do I fit it in?" My number one answer, make it a priority. Just like getting your IEPs written, reports filed, and lesson plans completed are a priority, self care must be added to that list. I schedule a pedicure once every 1 -2 months. I put it on my google calendar and then share it with my husband. That way he knows that I am taking that 1 hour for me. I do the same thing with a girls night out. I also take 10 - 15 minutes every morning to stretch or do some minor weight lifting. This helps me get ready for the day and focus on what I need to do. Every night, I read before I go to sleep. How do you practice self care? Please share in the comments!

I started a teacher self-care board on Pinterest. Check it out here for more ideas on how to take care of you!

Tracking behavior in preschool

2018-04-18T19:19:00.006-04:00

In my opinion, one of the hardest things to help students with in preschool is modifying their behavior. In order to know if they demonstrate behaviors (okay, usually this is obvious) that need modification and to know if our interventions are working we need to have some kind of tracking system. I have talked about data collection before and I know that one system doesn't work for everyone. I switch my behavior tracking systems sometimes multiple times throughout the year. Today, I wanted to share some ideas that work for me.

First things first, you need to identify the behavior you are targeting. Once you have your target behavior you can move onto one of these methods.

Matrix:

I have said before and I will say it again. This is a great system of you can keep up with it. In my current position, I find it difficult to keep up with. You can find out more about that by checking out this post.

Tally:

Sometimes I find the easiest way for me to track is a simple tally sheet. Currently, I am doing this to keep track of the number of times I need to redirect a student during circle. One of my coworkers shared a how many times sheet she found at this website (Really, there a few great tools here).

Rubber band or paper clips:

Something else I have talked about before. Put paperclips in your pocket or rubber bands around your wrist. Move them to the opposite pocket when the behavior is exhibited. If you need to track multiple students or behaviors you can use a different color for each.

Task analysis:

Sometimes we think a task analysis is just for teaching a student to do a task. However, right now I have the perfect example to use for behavior. One of my kiddos refuses to use the bathroom at school. This student is completely potty trained. We decided to break down the task of using the toilet to figure out what may be the reason behind her behavior. We now are tracking how they do with each step and finding that the act of standing in the bathroom is not the issue. To track this, I have a sheet that lists each step and then a space next to the stop for the date, level of prompting, success rate, and reinforcements needed.

The biggest thing you have to remember is to do what works for you. If you don't like it, you won't do it.

Organizing for Small groups

2018-03-28T14:30:00.000-04:00

I don't about you, but being a special education teacher, I tend to run a lot of small groups during the day. While running groups, I have little to no transition time so everything has to be ready and at my finger tips.

The first way to do this is good planning. I have a weekly planning sheet for each group. Nothing grand, but it works for me. Next is your set up.

I have a set of 10 drawers and each drawer is labeled. In the drawers are activities by group, various alphabet activities, the books for my Orton-Gillingham/Wilson assessments, paper, and other resources. This makes it easy for me to grab what I need quickly.

On the white shelf, I have a plethora of materials. The small drawers hold letter and word card for quick drills for each group. On the very top is a utensil organizer I found in the clearance section of target that I use to keep pens, pencils, glue, scissors and those kinds of things that I need to use. I also have a small 9 drawer organizer where I keep brads, paperclips, binder clips, etc. The little containers hold reinforcers (because in special education editable reinforcers are often a necessity). On the middle shelf, I have white bards, games, dice, and "teacher" books. On the bottom shelf, I have a basket with my gel boards, a basket of whiteboard markers, colored pencils, crayons, and a box with my word cards.

So that is it, everything is all over the place, but I can get to it and use it quickly which is what I need. I find that by the end of the week, my space is a disaster area so cleaning up after myself is always needed.

Social Stories 101

2018-02-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

Social Stories. We say it a lot, but do you know what they actually are and how they can help your students?

What are Social Stories:

The concept of Social Stories is attributed to Carol Gray. She began developing the concept in the 1990's and if you look on her website she has a few articles explaining the history. In short, a social story is a learning tool that is used to provide social supports for individuals. Social Stories are evidence-based and help the individual using the social story understand some of the little things in life that we often know innately. If you are doing a true Social Story, then you follow Carol Gray's protocol. Honestly, I think the ones I write do not follow the protocol, but they work!

Why should I use Social Stories with my students:

Social Stories are great ways to help students understand expectations, routines, behaviors in a specific situation. Social stories can provide visual/pictorial examples of expectations and are usually in story form which makes them more interesting to our students.

Which students should I use Social Stories with?

All of them! Ok, so I know typically we that that social stories should be used for students with Autism, but I have found that they work with all of my students. Sometimes, just have those expectations written out is a reminder of what the student should be doing.

How do I write social stories?

I promise it is not as hard as it seems. A great way to start is a good old google search for social stories on ou specific topic. I usually don't find exactly what I need, but I then can sometimes get some ideas and make the story fit my situation. I like to use real pictures and will go around taking pictures of set up situations for pictures to demonstrate what behavior I want. For instance, I have a student who is having a lot of difficulties getting on the bus. My first step was to take a picture of the bus drive, bus aide, the seat the student sit in, and the bus. I then was able to write the student a story about getting on the bus, riding to school, getting off to see all their friends and having fun at school. Guess what? Getting on the bus has been much easier.

If you want to know more about the prescribed way of writing a Social Story, this article from PBISWORLD is useful.

I wrote it, now what?

Introduce the story to your student in a non-stressful time. For example, a story about how we handle name calling should not be presented for the first time as a reaction to the student being called a name. It should be introduced beforehand so the student is familiar with the story. It can then be pulled out in that specific situation. The story should also be reviewed at various times to remind the student of the expected behavior. I often keep a copy of the story in the student's desk or book box, a copy in my classroom and I send a copy home. This provides lots of opportunities to practice the skills and allows parents to be an active participant.

Where can I find more information?

Here are some websites where you can find out more about Social Stories or find some examples:

Data Collection in ECSE

2018-01-04T19:57:00.000-05:00

Data Collection can be tough. Between teaching, behavior management, bathroom routines, nursing services, speech, OT, PT, assistive technology and who knows what else how are we also supposed to collect data?!? Well, guess what.... we don't have a choice. (Ha, I know you all know that, but sometimes we need a reminder).

Embedded Instruction:

The number one thing I do to make sure I can collect data while wearing all of my other hats is to embed my instruction. When you embed instruction into your daily routines, you can collect data on the things you need. Embedding instruction means that you purposely plan and teach through your daily activities. I wrote a whole blog post on this. You can find it by clicking here.

Matrix:

I like using a matrix to collect data in my ECSE classroom and when I am teaching K-2 self contained. A matrix allows me to see what I need to work on all at a glance and take data right on the sheet. I keep a copy of my matrix on a clipboard that I or another adult can easily access and add data points. I then transfer the data to a graph for the individual student. You can find a little more out about a matrix ( and how it links in with embedded instruciton) at this blog post.

Be Ready to Collect Data:

Have copies of your data sheets ready to go. I keep a binder. clipboard, or a hanging file folder (depends on the year) filled with the data sheets I need. I also keep the items I need to assess with the sheets. For example, if I need Alphabet flashcards those are kept in a drawer with the needed sheets. I recently did an alphabet check on my preschoolers using the PALS quick check. To make sure I could do this quickly, I have all of the sheets that I need preprinted and in a binder. I put the sheets that the kids read off of on a page protector. Then I assess as one of the center rotations. There are usually 2-3 kids in a center so I work with one and the other one does an activity like puzzles or a fine motor box. I wanted to share a picture of my binder, but we have had a larger than expected snow fall and I didn't take pictures ahead of time (#bloggerfail).

Don't make it to hard:

Do not get yourself in a frenzy tryign to collect data. If you make it to hard, you will not do it. If you need to, go back to the simple ways . Put a pile of paperclips in one pocket and everytime a student exhibits a behavior, move a paperclip to the other pocket. You can do the same with rubber bands. I even know teachers who have kept data on their arm with a pen or put a sticky note on their body to collect data. I have also been known to wear a teachers apron (a nail apron from the hardware store works awesome also) and I keep whatever it is I may need such as sticky notes and pens in that.

Preschool Holiday activities

2017-12-16T22:01:00.001-05:00

We have been having a lot of fun in my preschool ECSE class. The kiddos are super excited about Christmas and I have been using that to my advantage.

We have been using playdough to work on our fine motor skills and imagination. We used popsicle sticks and playdown and tried to make trees. Later in the week after reading and the Gingerbread Man, we used gingerbread man cuts out (laminated!) and made faces, buttons, etc. The kids were then having their gingerbread people talk to each other.

This tree has been a huge hit!! I found the felt tree at the local thrift store for $4. I then used cut outs that I received from Carson Dellosa (Part of the Holiday Fun Collection) as ornaments. The kids have loved these cutouts! They are not only using them for ornaments but as cookies in the play kitchen.

What have your been doing in your classroom to keep the December peace?

Flexible seating in the Special education classroom

2017-11-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

Ever been to a professional development and after sitting and listening for an hour you just need to move? So you cross and uncross your legs, tap your pen, then get up and go use the bathroom because "Hey we are adults and we don't need to ask to use the bathroom". Well, guess what? Our students need that movement also. Studies have shown that students focus more on instruction when they have opportunities to move and sit in a position that is comfortable for them. As their teachers, we need to help these little people find the best learning position for them. The best way to do this is to offer a variety of options.

Set Boundaries/Guidelines:

Before I let me students try different seating options, I set the guidelines or boundaries for the option. If you don't follow this, you don't get to use. Period. For example, if sitting on a wobble stool students are not to stand on the stool or spin around. If using a wiggle seat, they are not to poke it with a pencil. You have to set up what works for you. All teachers have different expectations and personal limitations.

Types of Seating:

Wobble Stools:

These have been a hit with my 4-year-old students through adults. (Yes, I sit on them). Students love to sit on them while working on puzzles, doing word work, in small groups etc.

Stools:

Really any type of stool is awesome. One of the teachers I worked with last year wrote a grant to get 5 stools that were used at one of the small group tables. The kids loved the option.

Standing:

Yes, standing needs to be an option. Some kids just need to be able to stand. Sometimes I will give boundaries on the floor in the form of a tape box that they need to stay in when they stand. You can also use a standing desk or take a regular desk and adjust the legs as high as they will go.

Sitting on the floor:

Sitting on the floor is for more than story time. You can lower a table and students can sit on the floor and still work. They could also use lap desks or clipboards.

Wiggle Seats (AKA Stability/Exercise disk):

These awesome seats were originally designed for exercise, but the kids love them. I let my students use them in chairs and on the floor. You can find a variety of types with different types of textures. Change how much air in each one to meet each child's needs. If you do look to buy these lookup stability disk or exercise disk as those prices are often cheaper.

There are so many more options and this is just scratching the surface. I hope this gets you thinking about how you can offer other seating options to your students. I would love to hear, in the comments, how you use flexible seating in your classroom.

Sensory Bin Fun!

2017-11-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

Do you use sensory bins in your classroom? This year I have decided to implement sensory bins with my preschool class and the bins have been a huge hit! I wanted to share some of what we have used so far that has been successful.

Base Materials:

I have used a variety of base materials to get our bins started.

Add ins:

Some of our bins include the base material and then just stuff to scoop and play with such a cups and funnels. In some of the other bins, I put various items that the kids can hunt for. Here are a few examples:

plastic/foam letters
small pumpkins
bugs
plastic shapes
numbers
mini erasers
items that match our current unit

Tips:

Limit the number of students per bin. I only have two students per bin.
Set rules. I tell the children that they can not throw the items around and need to keep the "stuff" in the designated areas.
Use lunch trays to help contain.

I am loving how these are all working in my classroom and plan in making a variety throughout the school year to fit with our units and the time of year. I am still working on organization, but once I find something that works I will share!

I would love to hear how you use sensory bins in your classroom. Please share in the comments below.

October Alphabet fun!

2017-10-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Fall!!! I am so excited for cooler weather, leggings, hooded sweatshirts, and carving pumpkins. Oh, and The Little Old Lady who wasn't afraid of Anything! October can lead to so many fun activities that really grab our kiddos attention. I wanted to share some of the alphabet games I play with both my preschoolers and K-2 kids to keep them engaged and learning in October.

1. Alphabet Bats

My student love these bats!! They are paper bats on a clothes pin. Each bat has a letter on it. The kids pick a bat out of the bag, read then letter and hang it on the string. Letter practice and fine motor all in one!

2. Alphabet Scarecrows

These scarecrows are so much fun and can be used in a variety of ways. Students can practice saying the letters, handing you the correct letter, matching the upper and lowercase letters and the list goes on. I got these scarecrows for free from Make Learning Fun.

3. Pumpkin, Pumpkin

This is very similar to books I use later in the year (Valentine, Valentine and Farmer, Farmer) however, instead of using a book I use a plastic pumpkin or a pumpkin cut out. I put letters/numbers (cards, magnetic, etc) inside the pumpkin. The students then take turns pulling out a letter and saying what it is. Sometimes I will throw in a few distractor items like a spider or finger (Pretend of course!).

4. Spider Webs

This is one of my favorite activities and I pull it out multiple times a year. I have used black paper plates (from the dollar store) and a silver permanent marker to make spider webs. Each web is programmed with a letter, number, shape, etc. (I think I may make a few with sight words this year). I then spread the plates on the floor and the students place spiders( I use these that I bought on Amazon) on the letter I call out. You can see more about this activity by checking out this post.

*This post contains an affiliate link for Amazon.

5 Freebies to start your year

2017-09-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Happy September! Happy Back to school! Yes, I know I am late on the train, but just like everyone else, back to school time is crazy around here!

Here is a list of freebies for you to use to help you plan, make activities for independent work binders, for a quick center, subplans, or just on a day that you realized you didn't plan enough!

1. Name activities for parents:

I just found this Freebie by Tara West and it is perfect for me to send home with my preschoolers and maybe even some of my kinders for name practice at home (Ok, I will probably use it with my own child also). I have not decided if I will save it for parent conferences or give it out next week at Back to School Night, but either way. It is a win!

2. Printable Packs by 3 Dinosaurs:

If you have not discovered 3 Dinosaurs yet, I highly recommend bouncing over there right now. I use Cassie's Printable packs not only for my preschoolers but also for my K-2 kiddos.

3. Planning Playtime Freebies

Planning Playtime has a Freebies page where she has various freebies that will work for each month. While I am not a fan of using worksheets in preschool, I feel like a lot of these activities I could make into reusable activities for independent work binders for my K-2 kiddos.

4. Make Learning Fun Themes

Another one of my favorite places to check is Make Learning Fun. If you go to the themes section you can find tons of activities for math, language arts, etc. all on a specific theme.

5. Alphabet Letter Hunt

Tot School has these free Alphabet letter hunt sheets. I am using these in conjunction with the Unique Curriculum. As I introduce letters, students can use these sheets to practice recognizing the letter.

Meet the Parent: Special Education Style

2017-08-05T19:30:00.000-04:00

As a new teacher (Okay, and as a veteran teacher) meeting your students' parents can be scary. It is almost akin to meeting the parents of your new love. However, this does not have to be so stressful as long as you prepare yourself and start off with a positive relationship. Parents are the best advocates for their children and they love to be your advocate also (I say this as a teacher and as a parent of a child with an IEP).

Get to know your students

I know, how can you get to know them when they have not been in your room yet. Guess what, as a SPED teacher we have a slight advantage to general ed teachers in this department. Paperwork. Who ever thought paper work could be a good thing?! In this case, it is great. So grab a cup of coffee, sit down and take some time to read over IEPs, parent surveys, evaluation reports, reports cards, etc that are in the student's cummulative folder. This information will help you have an early peek into the windows of your student.

Get to know your parents

Again, how? Look at the paperwork! If parents have filled out school paperwork look to see if the parents have the same last name, is the student living with one parent, both parents, grandparents or someone else?

Make the first communication POSITIVE

Try not to wait until open house to contact your parent's for the first time. Call home and introduce yourself, send a postcard to your student saying "Can't wait to meet you at open house!", send a quick email. Anything to let your student and their family know that you are happy to be working with them.

Ignore the Negative Nancy

My first year at my new school I was warned about one parent and how she was so hard to work with. I was a nervous wreck!!! However, I was positive and gave a friendly approach. Guess what?! She became one of my biggest supporters. We were able to have open lines of communication and talk about the best way to approach her child's education without so much as a frown.

Communication

Let the parents know how to contact you. I have a business card that I give to parents when I first meet them and every year I have their child, that simply has my name, phone, and email. I had them printed on VistaPrint, but you could just print it one peice of paper or even a sticky note. This way parents know exactly what they need to do if they need to contact me. I have also started using Remind so that parents can text me, which for some is easier. Remind keeps a log of conversations so I can just print it out if I need to. I have also had parents who would only communicate via Facebook messenger. I try to do what works best. However, remember that you have to have the type of communication that works for you. If you are not comfortable communicating via Facebook or Instagram then give the parent your accepted forms of communication and move on.

I hope this helps you feel a bit more comfortable when it is time to meet the parents! Do you have any other tips or ideas to help new (or seasoned) special education teachers?

Working with Para-Professionals

2017-07-30T20:49:00.002-04:00

**This post originally appeared on A Special Sparkle on July 21, 2013. It has been modified/updated a bit.**

One of the scariest things for me my first year was not the kids, but working with my paraprofessional. I mean, she was old enough to be my mom (Sorry Ramona!) and she had been working in that classroom and school for at least 5 years.

When I went into my classroom for the first time she had her (very large) desk in the back corner with some stuff hanging on the wall near it. The first thing I did was move her desk. I had to make sure the room was mine and the way I wanted to be setup so that we could have a successful year. We never met until the first day that teachers had to be in the building and all of the paras came to eat breakfast with us. Of course I was late to that breakfast because I got a flat tire (Go me!!)

Our first year was crazy, but we became good friends and in the past 11 years, I have learned a lot. I am no longer working in that school, I now work in a different district with a different group of paraprofessionals (all who I love dearly), but what I learned my first year (and every year after that) has been invaluable. The paraprofessionals I currently work with are great! We are friends and even though they sometimes get very motherly on me, I still wouldn't trade them for anything. With that being said, here are a few things you should keep in mind when working with paraprofessionals.

Respect

Treat your paraprofessional with respect. Don’t ask him or her to do anything you wouldn't do. If they are expected to change a diaper, then make sure you jump in a change a few yourself.

Expectations

Let the paraprofessionals know what your expectations of are them. I find it best to write it out. That way you can always refer to it. I made a plan a few years ago that I was told was very helpful. You can check it out here. Feel free to adapt it and use as needed. Also, while blog ~~stalking~~ browsing, I read a great post on Make Take Teach where Julie explains how she structures student time in inclusion using a curriculum matrix. This also provides that paraprofessional with a plan.

Open Communication

Keep the lines of communication open. I can not stress this enough. The ladies I work with are my lifeline at school. If I am out, they are the reason the classroom runs smoothly. There are often evenings where we are on the phone discussing something that happened during the day or texting reminders to each other. This year I am planning on having a communication center where I can post notes for the day and a “ Ask Caitlin” notebook so they can write things down that I need to address at one of our meetings. I also want to include a calendar in this area.

Ask for help

Ask the paraprofessionals for ideas and suggestions. They are a wealth of information and sometimes will have an idea that you never thought of. This can be for anything from a lesson idea, behavior modification or a suggestion on how to word an email.

Have FUN!!

Most importantly, have fun!

Here are some links to some other sites that you may find helpful information on working with paraprofessionals.

Simple experiments for the Pre-K - 2nd grade classroom

2017-07-24T21:25:00.001-04:00

Experiments in the classroom can be awesome for some and scary for others. I love doing various experiments with my students. Just like cooking, there is so much you can tie in to make is cross-curricular. To give you some ideas of what you can do in your room, my boys and I did some experiments together. Their ages are 8 and 5 and they loved all of the activities we did!!

Density

We explored density by adding 3 liquids to a mason jar. We used maple syrup, water (we used food coloring to make it blue) and vegetable oil. The kids took turns adding the liquids (we started with the syrup, then the water, and lastly the oil). When adding each liquid we predicted what would happen. We then experimented with density by dropping various items and seeing where they would settle. This was a huge hit!! They dropped all kinds of stuff into the jar: paper clips, chocolate chips, crackers, toothpicks, a penny, animals crackers, and cheese. It was so neat to see where each item settled. In the classroom, you could make a prediction sheet for this and have the kids record what they think will happen and what really does happen.

Marshmallow Structures (STEM)

The last activity we did involved using marshmallows and spaghetti noodles. We used these to build structures. My husband walked in just as we were starting so he jumped in on the action. It was neat to see how each kid put the structure together. The ultimate goal was to have the structure support something, but we never got that far.

Scented Playdough (Recipe included!)

The first thing we made was peppermint scented playdough. This was super easy and came out great! The kids helped measure, mix, and add ingredients. Afterwards, they played with it and it kept well in a plastic bag. I typed up the recipe for you and you can get it by click here!

With this activity you can talk about what happens as you add each ingredient, why might the water need to be hot, etc. For ideas on what you can do with the playdough, check out this previous post!

Slime/Putty

Slime is the new hit thing right now. We actually made two different kinds. The first was a kit that B insisted I get from Michael's. ( I am sure by looking at the picture of the box, you can see why B wanted it. Oh, boys!) At first, it seemed too gooey, but after sitting overnight it was perfect. The 2nd was a recipe from a book that we borrowed from the library. This one did not turn out well. I am not sure if we messed up or the recipe was bad. It was way too watery!! Last time we used this recipe from PBS kids and it came out much better.

I have used the slime recipes when talking about solids and liquids. The kids think it is cool how using the school glue goes to a solid glob.

Cooking in ECSE and K-2 classroom

2017-07-05T13:10:00.001-04:00

I love working on cooking skills in the classroom. I am sure you are wondering.... What can you do with these little ones? So much!!

Besides teaching basic life skills that our students will need for the rest of their lives, this is also a perfect opportunity to teach new vocabulary (ingredients, slice, mash, stir, etc.). In addition, you can work on kitchen safety and health skills such as washing hands and proper use of a knife. My students also use this opportunity to work on social skills as we often share our creations with school staff in the building.

Here are just a few of the various activities you can do with your students.

Dirt/Sand
This is a great activity to start with because it does not involve anything hot. Just lots of stirring and mashing! We use instant pudding, chocolate cookies (usually Oreos or a knock off of Oreos), milk, and gummy worms. If you have never made dirt before, check out this post for directions and how we did this in a K-2 room. I have also made dirt with my preschoolers, you can see some of that by clicking here!

During ESY, we like to make sand instead of dirt. This is an easy spin on the dirt activity using vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers cookies, and a beach umbrella. You could also add gummy fish aka Sweedish fish.

Making Lemonade
Another simple starter activity is making lemonade. With this activity, we work on measurement, pouring, and stirring. If you would like to see more pictures of this activity in action check out this post.

Kabobs
Making kabobs is a great way to also work on patterns and counting. I like to use fruit for this activity because it is generally easier to put on sticks and kids usually like it. I often use bananas and strawberries. The kids need to peel the banana and cut it up. I also have them take the stem/leaves off of the strawberries. Depending on the group we will also cut up the strawberries. Next, the kids count out how many of each fruit they need and make a pattern on their stick. To see more of this activity, click here.

I have other posts about cooking that you can find by clicking on the cooking tag on the left Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook also as I often post pictures, but may not do a blog post!

Summer fun!

2017-06-04T13:48:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can not believe it is the end of the school year already! We have 7 days left with students after today and then 1 work day before officially beginning summer break.

One of my main goals for my students during the summer is to try to prevent regression of skills. A study done by Harris Cooper, a psychology professor at Duke University, showed that children lose about a month of their academic achievement over the summer. For students in special education (and really all students) this is HUGE!

Packet of Fun!

Every school year I send home a packet of activities and games that the kids can use over the summer. I essentially work on this all year, as whenever I have an extra copy of an activity sheet I throw it in this pink basket and then at the end of the year I sort the papers and divide them among my different students depending on needs. I also include copies of games we have played during the year.

Fun Stuff At Home

A few years ago I created a calendar to give to my students that will provide a prompt for a skill to work on each day of summer vacation. This could be something as simple as a question to discuss, reciting the alphabet, going on a number hunt etc. My hope is that this will help my students retain some of the skills that they have worked so hard on all year. There is a great post on this on a blog called Kindergarten Nana where she shares what she does with her students at the end of the year and what she sends home.

Summer is also a great time for students to get their creative juices flowing. As we know, kids love to get dirty! A favorite summer experiment in my house is making flubber, seeing reactions when combining baking soda & vinegar, and. Last year, my husband has introduced my boys to Steve Spangler. I see lots of experiments in our summer and lots of video watching so I can find some great new ideas to implement next year.

Keep them writing!

One last thing I like to give my students are a few postcards or envelopes stamped and addressed to me so that they can write to me about their summer happenings. When students write to me, I always write them back. If you are not comfortable with students having your home address you can give your email or address the envelopes to reach you at school.

How do you encourage your students to keep their skills fresh in the summer? Please share your ideas in the comments below and have a great end of the year.

Sort Tasks

2017-03-07T19:48:00.000-05:00

Happy March!!

We do a lot of sorting in my classroom. We sort colors, shapes, letters, words, pictures, and the list goes on. I just wanted to share a few of our favorite tasks.

I found these containers at Rite Aide in the dollar section and the eggs at the Dollar store in the spring. They are an easy task and i can vary it between two or three colors or even just make it into a put in task. After the kiddos sort I usually also have them put the lid on the container.

This is a re-do of a shape sorter. Our shape sorter was too difficult for my students one year so we just took a box, covered it and cut out the shapes. The kids now just sort the shapes into the box and do not have to worry about rotating to all of the sides of a shape sorter.

This is a simple color sorting task with pompoms and a muffin tin. I put stickers for each color in the muffin tins so the kids know what color goes where.

This task is simply small and big paper clips that are sorted onto the appropriate index card. To make it a little more fine motor heavy students could attach the paper clip to the index card.

Intervention Binders

2017-02-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

Last year I bought a Math intervention binder off of TpT. While it is totally awesome, it did not suit all of my needs or my students' needs. So, I came up with my own. These were super easy to put together once I came up with what I was going to do. I simply decide on the topic of the binder, then add various practice sheets and games about that topic.

I have several binders set up: alphabet, shapes, math, numbers, comprehension, number tracing, and letter tracing. You have seen pictures of the number and letter binders before when I talked about my inclusion box. Some pages I have made myself (such as the letter and number tracing pages), but I use a lot of pages by the Moffat Girls and then other various sheets I have. I like the Moffat girls because it is more than just tracing or writing. Annie Moffat includes a lot of games and activities in her No Prep packs. I put each sheet in a page protector so the sheets can be re-used. Each binder is organized a bit differently. The alphabet binder is more of a mix, where the shapes binder is organized by shape. I also add a zipper pouch or resealable bag (just put duct tape on the edge to make it durable before you hole punch it) to the front that I can store dry erase markers, an eraser, dice for games, game markers, etc in.

Now, we just grab a binder and use it to practice these skill at any time. I find this great for when we have an extra 5 minutes or I end up with an extra person that can work with someone individually. The kids think it is neat because they can write on the page protector and it just wipes off.

Just an extra note that the Learning Ahoy caddy next to all the binders holds clipboards, extra markers, erasers, etc.

Alphabet Fun!: Part 2

2017-01-19T13:09:00.000-05:00

I am knee deep in the alphabet right now and I wanted to share some of the activities that we are working on. My students have moved on from learning the uppercase letters to now focusing on the lowercase letters and matching upper to lowercase letters.

Letter Match:

I introduced this activity last week and my student caught on really well. I start by only giving him 3 choices. As students become more confident I give more choices. I put the cards that need to do cards in one basket and as the student matches the letter they then move to the card to the other basket. To make this activity I made the board out of cardboard, styrofoam containers, and Velcro. I then printed out and laminated the cards and then added velcro. You can find a few more details and the cards (a freebie) for this activity by going to this blog post.

Alphabet Sensory Bag:

I made this bag using my Food Saver, hair gel, food coloring, and letter beads (You can find out more about how I make these in my http://www.learningahoy.com/2016/11/multi-sensory-learning.html. I put one of each letter in the bag. The student then needs to find a letter and color in the matching letter (upper or lowercase) in the same color as the letter is (if they are ready for this, otherwise, they just color the letter). I use various sheets for the matching part that I get from Make Learning Fun.

Erasers and the Alphabet:

This activity I learned about from one of my fabulous co-teachers. To play, use seasonal or fun erasers (in this picture we are using snowflakes) and then a fun alphabet board. Again, I get these from Make Learning Fun. I vary the board by time of year, do upper or lowercase, and change the order the letters are in. The teacher can call out a letter, letter sound, or show a letter and students have to find the matching letter. Students can also play this in pairs. My students love to be the "teacher" during this activity.

Trace Letters:

I shared in my inclusion box post about my binder and dry erase markers that students use to practice tracing letters. This is great to work on proper pencil grasp, letter formation, and fine motor skills. I printed out the letters one to page and then put them in page protectors. I then just use a zipper pouch in the front to add a few markers to choose from and an eraser.

You can find other alphabet ideas by checking out all of my blog posts about the ABCs or checking out my Alphabet Activities Pinterest board.

Inclusion Box

2017-01-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have talked before about what I carry around in my inclusion bag, but I also keep an inclusion box in some of the classrooms I work in. This box is usually for students who are working below grade level, have 1:1 adult support, and in larger districts may be in a self-contained classroom.

The contents of the box are various activities that the student can work on while in the inclusion classroom, when the work being done by the class may be too much or when the class has some free choice or independent centers. The items are often review and activities that I have already provided direct instruction with. The box I currently have set up is for a Kindergarten student so that activities I am going to share are based around that particular students needs.

The Essentials:

The first thing I always include is a pencil box (or a zipper pouch) with dry erase markers, an eraser, a die, and sometimes pencils/crayons. I also may include fun erasers or counters. I try to make sure that everything needed to complete the tasks is in the box. This makes it easier for the adult working with the student and the student to stay on task.

Math activities:

The first thing I have is a number puzzle. This is just a basic puzzle that I bought at the dollar store. Sometimes my student does this for fun, sometimes to practice their number identification.

The next activity is self-correcting puzzles that I found on the giveaway table a few year ago. The student has to count the dots and match with the correct number. At this time, we do hand over hand to help the student count the dots.

Another number activity is simply the numbers 1 - 10 that can be traced with dry erase markers. The numbers are printed 1 to a page and put into sleeve protectors. I then put all of the pages into a binder.

Other times during the year I may include shapes, count a clip cards, and simple addition activities.

Language Arts Activities:

This particular student is still working on letter recognition so they have a letter puzzle, again from the dollar store.

There is also 2 sets of uppercase letter cards that allow the student to match letter to letter.

Another activity is the prewriting pages. I have various levels of difficulty of these and I have ones for different themes and times of the year.

The last thing includes is another binder. This one has all of the letters of the alphabet for the student to practice tracing.

Extras:

I also include a folder that has simple worksheets in it that can be used as needed. These include tracing practice, cutting practice, number identification, letter identification or anything else that I may add in there.

Do you keep anything particular in classes where your students are in the inclusion setting?

8 Freebies to Jump Start 2017

2016-12-29T17:20:00.001-05:00

Start 2017 off right with some great freebies from myself and other special educators that can help make your transition back to school after winter break a bit smoother.

1. Color Snow Flake Matching

I love using this activity with my students who are learning color words! Students match the color word with the correct snowflake. Check it out here!

2. January Work Tasks

Mrs. P's Specialties has 3 work tasks that are perfect for January! Matching, labeling and how many. Check them out here!

3. Editable Activity Matrix

Erin from You AUT-a Know has a great activity matrix that will be perfect to use with embedding instruction. It enables you to make activity matrices to plan out how to work on student IEP goals throughout the day. Check it out here!

4. Counting Snowball 0 - 20

Traci from The Bender Bunch has an awesome count & clip task card freebie that practices numbers 1-20. The clothes pins allow for extra fine motor practice, but you could also use dry erase markers. Check it out here!

5. Social Story

All Things Special Ed has a Being Good Friends Social story that will be great to remind some of our friends what it looks like to be a good friend. After about 2 weeks of possible unstructured activities at home, our kids may need those gentle reminders. Check it out here!

6. Winter Hat Glyph

Delightfully Dedicated Special Education has this adorable hat glyph that uses Smarty Symbols. The students design their hats based on the answer to the questions. This is a great way to work on IEP goals that focus on answering questions wth 2 choices. You can find it here!

7. New Year Goal Writing

Teaching students to develop goals is an important skill. Autism Educators has developed this goal setting for visual learners. You can find it here!

8. Short A practice

Need some easy phonic practice for your students? One Room School House has a no-prep freebie for short A practice. Directions to use the file on the ipad are also included. Find it here!

If you have another freebie that you would like to share please leave it in the comments!!

Embedded Learning

2016-12-04T20:05:00.001-05:00

Working with students with special needs we need to make sure we give every opportunity to learn that we can. This means we need to embed learning and instruction into daily routines and activities. We need to make conscious decisions that we are going to address a certain skill during a certain time period. In order to do this we need to go through a few simple steps.

1. Determine what IEP goals or skills you are addressing for an individual student.
For example ,right now one of my student's (A) goals is to identify numbers 1 -3. Another student, (B) is working greeting adults and peers appropriately.

2. Determine what routines/activities these goals can be embedded into.
This is where the planning part comes in. Depending on the type of classroom you have, this can be done in various ways. If you have a self-contained room where all your kids are on the same schedule, you can develop a matrix of your schedule. There would be a column for each student and their goal. You then go through the schedule and see where you can work on the goals. You can do something similar if you have students in various classes or go between buildings. Your matrix, just might look a bit different. Using the matrix also enables you an easy way to collect data on the goal.

To work on B greeting adults, I prompt him in the hallway on the way to class when an adult greets him. I have planned with one of the paraprofessionals that she will greet him daily. I am working on fading my prompts so that he can become independent in this task.

If I was in preschool and focusing on building vocabulary with my students, I may make sure that my snack includes various farm animals such as having animal crackers. This way we can talk about the animals as we eat them!

In this post you can see how I used our science lesson to work on sight words.

3. Use your matrix!
Now that you have determined where your teaching and instruction is happening, get to it! This part should be easy. If you can, take data on your matrix show that you can demonstrate progress and note what you need to change.

4. Change your matrix as needed.
You will need to update your matrix when a student masters a skill, a unit changes, your schedule changes, or for a variety of other reasons. I keep a template on my computer so that I can easily change it.

If you are interested in learning more about embedded instruction, I originally learned about it from Sharon Raver. I took a few classes that she taught while working towards my Master's degree. She has written many professional articles and books that include using a matrix and embedded learning.

Alphabet Fun!!

2016-11-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

It seems every year I have at least one student focusing on the alphabet. Sometimes, I am teaching preschool so it is natural to fit into the curriculum and same with kindergarten. Other years I have 2nd graders, who I have to sneak the learning in on. This year.... I have both. I am working with kindergartners and 2nd graders.

I wanted to share just a few ideas that have worked great for me. Some I have shared before, some are new. I hope you can use a few and I would love the read about some of things you do, so please leave a few comments below!

So let's jump right in!!

Oh Pumpkin is a game I made a few years ago that is still going strong. It is simple to play and the kids love it! You print out the cards, laminate for durability and then put them into a basket (I try to use something seasonal to add to the fun factor). The kids take turns drawing out one card at a time. I differentiate by having some kids say just the letter, some kids say the sounds, some even give me a word that starts with that letter. Then the student passes the basket. If the student gets "Oh Pumpkin!" They have to put all of their cards back. This game has been a hit with my kindergarten students this year and I have tied it into our social skills learning by having the kids say to the person before them "May I have the basket, please?". If you like this game, there is another version here that was requested by some of my paraprofessionals a few years ago.

An activity that I am doing this year that is also with one of my kindergarteners centers around whatever the theme is for the week. When I took these pictures, our theme was bats. I printed out a clipart picture of a bat on card stock and cut it out. On day one, I had my student punch holes around it. Day 2, he had to lace it. Day 3, I wrote letters on the bat and he had to match the round stickers with the same letter to the letter on the bat. This worked out great and I have continued to do this with other shapes. You could also write numbers, shapes, or really anything on the object to have the student match. It all depends on your needs.

With my 2nd graders I had to sneak in the learning a bit. I took these spider webs that I made last year and put them on the ground. I then gave each student a fake spider. I called out a letter sound and they had to be the first to find the letter and put their spider on the web. I had strict rules on no pushing or shoving. You would have thought that I was giving the winner a free trip to Disney World. The kids loved it and have asked to play again.

This next activity is just a simple ball that was on the giveaway table a few years ago. You could do the same thing with any ball, you would just need to write your own letters on it. I have used this ball with one student up to 5. We toss the ball back and forth and where ever your right thumb lands you need to use that letter. I differentiate by having a student name the letter, sound, or word that starts with that sound. This is another activity that spans the grade levels.

I hope this gave you some ideas that you can use in your classroom!!

Multi-sensory learning

2016-11-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Multisensory education is proven to be effective with, no only students with disabilities, but all students. Multisensory learning is learning that involves two or more sense. This means children will take in information more than just auditory (ears) or visually (eyes). They use a combination of the senses to learn new skills and practice previously taught skills.

I know what your thinking, "Caitlin, I don't have time to add in one more thing to my day". The great part is, you are probably already doing some of this. Other things are just minor tweeks and you are on our way to involving multiple senses.

One of the easiest things to incorporate are smelly markers and smelly pens. I use these for the kids to draw and color with, but also when writing their letters or practicing their word sort words. The kids love to use them and I like to giggle when I see the little dots under their noses.

Sandpaper is another great multisensory tool. You can have students place the sandpaper under their paper and then use various writing instruments (Take those smelly markers back out!) to have them write or draw with. The rough texture of the sandpaper provides some additional tactile input. I found a stack of over 30 pieces of sandpaper at the Dollar Tree. I have also cut letters, shapes and numbers out of sandpaper so that students can rub or trace over it and form that shape.

Another great attention grabber is gel boards. I have various versions of these. The first comes from Wilson. We bought these to use with students when we had the Fundations program and now I use them with my kiddos who have Orton-Gillingham or Wilson instruction. The kids use the stylus to write and then erase with their hand.

I have also made my own gel boards. My students use gel bags to practice writing letters, words, numbers, shapes, or just to play around with. Last year I shared these boards that I made with freezer bags, hair gel and food coloring. They are great, but leak easily. At the beginning of the school year I stumbled across this blog post from Capitals First! about making durable gel bags. Well, I wrote a grant to get the food sealer and I am in love. These bags are not only easy to make and hold up to more love from students, they provide additional sensory input. The seal-a-meal bags have a texture to them on both sides, but I found a roll of bags on Amazon and those are textured on one side and smooth on the other. My students just can't get enough of them!

The last tool I am going to share today is Boogie Boards. I was first introduced to these little devices a few years ago by an awesome PT we had. They have gained popularity in our school and no the company has come out with all different types. The new ones have a place to store the stylus, you can change the battery, and they have magnets on the back so they can stick to your white board or chalkboard. To use you simply write on the board with your stylus and then press the button to erase. I took these out today use my students to introduce and get the play part out of the way. I didn't even have to ask them to write their alphabet, they just jumped right in. These boards can be used writing letters, words, numbers, math problems, answering questions and the list goes on. Yes, they are a more expensive white board, but they add to the engagement factor for some kids.

There are a lot of other ways that you can add multisensory learning into your day (shaving cream, move & sit cushions, wobble stools, etc) and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I would love to read about the various tools you use in your classroom. Please share in the comments section below.