Let’s take a walk through our day in a K-5 self-contained classroom! Our day has a lot of moving parts, and it is very structured. We also utilize a large whole-group visual schedule in the class as well as smaller individual visual schedules, so the students know when they are doing what activity. I also have many brain breaks embedded throughout the day, so that is why you do not see any on the schedule.
7:30-8:20
Students start arriving at 7:30! Once they arrive, they can eat breakfast if they need to, then grab a morning bin and sit down. They can switch out their bins as many times as they want to within the time frame. Our morning bins consist of some level of fine motor activity, such as drawing, playdough, or sorting colors with tongs. Below is a picture of our morning bins area.
8:20-9:00
Morning meeting fun! This is also the same thing as circle time. During this time, I review the calendar, the weather, ask a daily question, pick an exercise, do greetings, discuss feelings, and we have a song to go with each topic discussed. Want inspiration for your morning meeting slides? Check out Simply Special Ed’s Real Picture Morning Meeting pictures and slides.
9:00-9:45
Outclass is when my students go to either the library, music, gym, or art class. All of my students go with a gen ed class together.
9:45-11:00
This is our ELA centers time. We do 5 centers, and my rotations are based on the Simply Centers System. I added the iPad and the library center, because that is what best fits my students’ needs. Our 5 centers for ELA include the library, iPad, sensory/play, teacher table, and para table.
At our library center, there are many free-choice books to choose from and a few letter activities to engage with. At the para table, a para sits with a small group and works on a worksheet that I have preplanned. The worksheets are usually a review of material that has already been taught, and they are differentiated according to the student’s level. At the teacher table, I work on IEP goals and new direct instruction with each student. The iPad center is where the students have a pre-assigned reading or ELA-based app that they engage with each day. Lastly, the sensory/play center, half of the center has sensory engaging activities, such as a trampoline, bean bag, and fidgets, while the other half of the center has some free-choice toys set out. Below is a picture of my teacher table setup.
11:00-11:30
Lunch time! This is not a break for me or the paras; it is just another opportunity to engage in naturalistic learning opportunities. We can model communication using different forms of AAC, and we can model functional communication as well to help replace negative behaviors, but also build independence. Before we can model AAC, we must first learn the AAC ourselves as staff! Check out this blog about learning how to use a student’s AAC device before they do. We can also work on sitting in our chair and waiting when they are finished eating (there are always learning opportunities if we are always watching!
11:30-11:45
After lunch is quiet time, I put on a 15-minute visual timer, calming music, and turn off the lights. The children have a chance to reset their bodies from the morning. They can also relax in our break area if they need a more structured break time. During this time, one of my paras is resetting our centers’ schedules for the afternoon math centers as well. Below is a picture of the slide I have up during this time with the calming music and visual timer.
11:45-12:05
Arts and crafts time! This and quiet time are para-led activities, because this is when I take my lunch break. It can be hard to find time to schedule your lunch break in a self-contained class. I always say to find a part in your day that your paras can take over, and then train them on exactly what to do during that time. Arts and crafts typically include either a coloring page or a craft that goes with our current book of the week, season of the year, or our theme from our curriculum. This is a great time to encourage more naturalistic teaching, such as modeling fine motor and social skills.
12:05-1:05
This is when we do our 2nd block of centers, our math centers. My afternoon rotations are also based on the Simple Centers System. I have five rotations during this period: iPad center, independent work center, sensory/play center, teacher center, and para center. At the iPad center, I have a designated math app for each day. The sensory/ play center has activities available for both fulfilling sensory needs and playing with toys. The teacher center is to work on IEP goals and direct new instruction. At the para table, a para sits with a small group and works on a worksheet that I have preplanned.
The independent center is where the student has a mini schedule with “1, 2, 3, all done, then reward.” Each student has a 3-drawer system where an already mastered task is inside each drawer. After each task, they place the task in the “finished” bucket. Once they have placed all 3 tasks in the “finished” bucket, they earn a preferred reinforcer, or a “reward.” An independent station can be very daunting to start and teach, but the students thrive off of the structure and the independence! Below is a picture of my independent work station. For some additional ideas on running an independent station in a self-contained classroom, read this!
1:10-1:45
We do science and social studies near the end of the day, and this is a whole-group activity. Our curriculum has a theme for each month, so I typically try to find science or social studies activities that fall in line with that theme, if possible. I usually only do science or social studies during this time, not both. All of our math and reading curriculum is cross-curricular anyway, so the students are being exposed to science and social studies throughout the day, regardless. I always start this time with a song to go with our topic. I do a mini whole-group lesson (about 5-10 minutes), then we do a corresponding worksheet with the lesson. These worksheets are differentiated by their level.
1:45-2:00
Story time or read aloud. I usually start this time with a song to go with the story. I always read one book a week, so we can really talk about different aspects of the book, work on some read-aloud IEP goals, and provide the students some familiarity with the book throughout the week.
2:00-2:30
We have reached everyone’s favorite part of the day, recess! Just like lunch, this is not break time, but it is a great time to pair with your students and work on naturalistic teaching moments. When playing and engaging with students, there is always time for modeling appropriate communication and social skills!
2:30-2:45
Snack time may be rivaled with recess for my students’ favorite time of the day, haha!
2:45-3:00
This is when my students engage in their daily class job. Right now, my jobs are schedule helper, trash helper, chair stacker, floor sweeper, and table cleaner. Of course, the types of class jobs in a classroom are endless! Don’t be afraid to get creative with what your students are doing for their jobs; the point is that they are learning a real-life skill that they can generalize to the real world independently.
3:00-3:15
Our day is now coming to a close. Our students are free to watch a show on the carpet while I work on their daily communication sheets, and the paras help to straighten up the room for the next day.
I hope you enjoyed walking through my daily schedule in a K-5 self-contained classroom! Don’t forget that any time is a time for learning, modeling, teaching, and engaging with the students!
