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Simply Special Ed

Resource Downloads & Teaching Advice

Search Results for: morning meeting

Academics At Home Learning Back to School Blog Digital Life Skills Simple Classroom

How to Get Started with Digital Morning Work

digital morning work hello binder

Teachers LOVE morning work. Why? Because there are so many tasks special education teachers have to do in the morning to get everything and everyone settled before starting the day. Morning work keeps students working on vital skills while freeing up teachers to necessary tasks for the day. I created my morning work binder (the Hello Binder!) many years ago with this in mind. I wanted to free up my time to do attendance, get kids from the van, schedule the day with any specialists, do ... continue reading...


Back to School Blog Classroom Setup Elementary Schedules

Check Out My Daily Schedule as a Special Education Resource Teacher

I am moving to a resource teaching setting after many years in a self-contained classroom. Change can definitely be intimidating, but I am excited about my new teaching schedule! Come take a look at a day in my life in the resource room! What Does a Resource Teacher Do? My official title in my district is POR teacher - meaning pull-out replacement. That means I am replacing the general education curriculum with adapted material to meet my students' learning needs. I also support my ... continue reading...


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Blog Classroom Setup High School Life Skills Organization

6th – 12th Grade Functional Life Skills Classroom Tour

Welcome to my room! I teach Functional Life Skills in a centralized classroom, so I will have students from 6th grade to 12th grade. My self-contained classroom provides individualized instruction for students with multiple disabilities, who may be medically fragile, and have varying levels of independence. Our students require significant support with essential life skills like personal hygiene, self-care, social interaction, communication, and participation in daily routines. Take a look ... continue reading...


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Academics Behavior Blog Classroom Setup Preschool Social Emotional Learning Visuals

5 visuals for every preschool classroom

Visuals are helpful for all young students, whether they are in a general education or special education class. Since students most likely cannot read at this age and are still working on pre-academic skills such as identifying letters, visuals are an easy way for them to understand things that are going on in the classroom. Day one of school is the best time to start utilizing visuals! Ideally, some visuals will be already set up before students arrive for the year, and others will be added as ... continue reading...


Back to School Behavior Classroom Setup Elementary New Teachers Preschool Primary Schedules Visuals

How to Build a Visual Schedule that Actually Works

You may already be back at school, or you may be starting to think about setting up your classroom for the upcoming school year. Either way, August is a great time to freshen up your learning space and try new things. A visual schedule is a great tool for Special Education students, as well as all young children who are nonreaders. Sometimes, schedules can be put up and then just sit there all year. Here are some ideas to build a visual schedule that actually works for your students to build ... continue reading...


Back to School Blog Classroom Setup New Teachers Simple Classroom

Your First Week in a Self Contained Elementary

Whether you've been in a self contained elementary classroom for 20 years, or if this is your 1st year, welcome in! Starting the school year for anyone can be nerve wracking. I say this for teachers, students, and parents! But, starting the year in a self contained elementary class is a whole other ball game! I am going to give you a few tips and tricks about how I start my year in a self contained elementary classroom. I hope I am able to ease some nerves and you gain some tips on how to start ... continue reading...


Back to School Behavior Blog Elementary

Reducing back to school behavior challenges with predictable routines

Back to school is an exciting but chaotic time for teachers, students, and families. All the changes can trigger behavior challenges in all students, especially those in a self-contained setting. Read on to learn some strategies to reduce those behaviors by having a predictable routine for different times throughout the day. Arrival and morning routines Students should know what is expected of them from the moment they walk in your classroom door. While this takes time, it is important ... continue reading...


Back to School Behavior Blog Communication Life Skills Schedules Social Emotional Learning Social Skills Visuals

Reducing Back-to-School Behavior Challenges With Predictable Routines

Predictable routines and consistent schedules are more important than you might think! Routines are intended to assist students with expectations, reduce behaviors, and keep disruptions to a minimum. Maybe your students have had a long break, or maybe they just finished up ESY and are returning for the new school year. No matter how long they've been out of the classroom, the beginning of a new school year can bring a bit of anxiety for our students, who can benefit from a refresh of ... continue reading...


Back to School Blog Centers Elementary Fall Freebies

5 Fun and Easy Centers to Launch in the First Week of School

The first week of school is all about creating routines and expectations for students. This helps set you up for a successful school year! At the same time, we want to get to know our students, both as individuals and as learners. What is the best way to accomplish all this? By setting up centers in the first week of school! Keep reading to learn about some quick and easy activities you can implement right away! Setting Routines in the Classroom At the beginning of the school year is is ... continue reading...


Academics Blog Elementary ESY Summer

How to Make ESY Planning Simple

Teaching ESY can be such a fun experience for teachers! However, schedules, rosters, and expectations can be a lot different in the summer than during the school year. That makes planning for the extended school year seem like a bit of a challenge. But planning for ESY can be simple! Read on to learn some ways that you can plan ahead to have your best summer session ever! What is ESY? ESY is the abbreviation for Extended School Year. Extending the school year means that we are providing ... continue reading...


Academics Blog Classroom Setup Elementary ESY Summer

New to Teaching ESY? Read This First!

Teaching ESY is one of my favorite parts of the school year! As teachers, we get the special privilege of making our students' summers both educational AND fun. If you are new to teaching during this fun part of the year, don't worry! I have years of tips and tricks to share with you. Keep reading to get ready for the Extended School Year! What is ESY? ESY is the abbreviation for Extended School Year. Extending the school year means that we are providing services to students beyond the ... continue reading...


Blog Classroom Setup Elementary Inspiration Simple Classroom Uncategorized

K-5 Autism Classroom Tour

Come on in, and take a look around Mrs. B's K-5 ASD classroom tour! I teach a self-contained elementary (K-5) class for students on the Autism Spectrum who exhibit deficits in communication, behavior, and academics. Classroom setup can be stressful, time-consuming, and overwhelming! Make a plan, get some example ideas, and read all about how I set up my K-5 ASD self-contained classroom! A few things you will notice throughout my classroom are the physical separation of areas, the color coding of ... continue reading...


Academics Behavior Blog ELA Elementary Life Skills Math Schedules

My 2nd Grade Self-Contained Classroom Schedule

Creating a schedule for a self-contained classroom for both your students and your paraprofessionals can seem extremely overwhelming. However, once you get in the groove and have all the subjects covered, it becomes easier and easier each year! Below is an overview of my 2nd grade self-contained classroom schedule. The gray parts of my schedule are plan time, collaboration time, and my lunch. I will continue to break down the specific parts for you! Arrival Routine/Personal Info ... continue reading...


Blog Classroom Setup Schedules

K-5 Self Contained Classroom Schedule

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 ... continue reading...


Back to School Blog Elementary Inspiration Schedules Visuals

Classroom Schedule for Elementary Self-Contained

Welcome to my elementary self-contained classroom! Take a look at a typical day in our life with this schedule tour. Good Morning! As my students arrive for the day, they follow a simple morning routine that includes unpacking their backpacks and putting belongings away. All of my students arrive at slightly different times in the morning. So, while we are waiting I facilitate activities like board games and STEM-bins. It's a nice, slow start to our day, and I love being able to spend ... continue reading...


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Hi amazing teachers!
I'm Alyssa Shanahan -- a former Elementary Special Ed & Life Skills teacher. My classroom focus was always to keep things simple, increase communication, and build independence. Simply Special Ed's goal is to help teachers and students reach their full potential in and out of the classroom!

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Morning Meeting Ideas

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