Welcome to my Middle School Life Skills classroom tour! My classroom is made up of both middle school and high school level students with different needs. We just moved into this larger classroom and I am so happy with the layout and how many new possibilities we have in this space! Here’s how I set up our classroom for student success! I teach life skills, and we have students with Autism, low-incidence disabilities, and other intellectual disabilities. I wanted to make sure my students ... continue reading...
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What We Do in Middle School Life Skills
Middle school is such an interesting time! Students are going through significant changes as they get older. They aren't little elementary kiddos anymore, and it seems like they grow taller and change right before our eyes. The question for Middle School Life Skills teachers is often, "How do we start preparing them NOW for High School and beyond?" Class Jobs Every day, my students have “Jobs” on their schedules to practice life skills or different activities of daily living. During this ... continue reading...
TK-1 Moderate/Intensive Self-Contained Classroom Tour
Welcome to my TK-1 Moderate/Intensive Self-contained classroom tour! In this classroom tour, we will explore various areas of my classroom. The Campfire The campfire, a designated area for whole-group instruction, is located front and center in my classroom. This area is intentionally kept clutter-free to avoid visual overload for my young students. Before Morning Meeting, the campfire looks as pictured above. Throughout the day, we display anchor charts related to the content we cover ... continue reading...
Winter Fine Motor Centers in Self Contained
Fine motor skills are essential for student success! Students need to use fine motor skills to perform everyday tasks such as writing, drawing, fastening clothing, opening containers, using technology, and other actions that require precise hand movements. As teachers, we can help our students develop dexterity and coordination in order to set them up for success! One fun way to incorporate fine motor practice in your classroom is with fine motor centers! Keep reading to learn all about ... continue reading...
Using ABCya! to Improve Keyboarding
Practice makes perfect when it comes to keyboarding, and ABCya! can help make keyboarding practice fun for students! I love to use a variety of different typing websites during my occupational therapy (OT) sessions, but most often I give students, teachers and parents these resources for additional practice. See how Sabrina uses ABCya! in her self-contained classroom in her new blog! I tend to target some other skills during my limited OT session time, but it is so important that students have ... continue reading...
5 High School Life Skills IEP Goals (And How To Target Them)
One of my favorite parts of teaching High School students is just how many life skills we get to cover on a daily basis! Think about a typical week for you as an adult- it’s likely you’ll make a grocery run. You will probably place an order or make a purchase. You may have to recite your phone number or address to someone, or follow step by step directions to prepare a meal or build a piece of furniture. At the very least you’ll have to wash your hands (hopefully!) As a High School Self ... continue reading...
Junior High Classroom Tour
I’ve had a lot of changes this year. My class size almost doubled! I have a pretty small room. Having just six students, we fit just fine! Now, I had to prepare for eleven. I had a lot to think about and had to totally rethink my layout. Here's how I set up my Junior High classroom for this year! I work at a school in a small town in East Texas. My Junior High and High School class is made up of students with moderate to severe disabilities. I teach life skills, and we have students with ... continue reading...
Our High School Self-Contained Schedule
My classroom is self-contained for all academic subjects and what we call “Activities of Daily Living.” Although I teach Life Skills, I still incorporate all academic subjects alongside our self-care, occupational tasks, and vocational skills. Every subject, any time of the day, can be an opportunity to increase independence and communication skills; it doesn’t have to be specifically written into your schedule. Look for those teachable moments! Building Our Schedule With seven students ... continue reading...
How to do Informal Assessments
All teachers give formal assessments to our students throughout the year. For example, I administer the DLM assessment to my upper elementary students each Spring. But there are many informal ways to assess student growth each and every day! These assessments help me to see how my students are progressing on short-term goals, help me plan instruction, and inform ways to adjust to my curriculum. Keep reading for some examples of informal assessments I use in my classroom! Observations The ... continue reading...
ESY Daily Schedule
What is Extended School Year? Special Education students that qualify are eligible to receive Extended School Year services, also known as ESY or summer school. Students that are eligible will typically have ESY on their Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. We just love acronyms in special education! The students that show regression after breaks in the school year, or have a hard time recouping the skills previously learned, are students that will be eligible and receive ESY. Depending on ... continue reading...
Intro to the Edmark Reading Program
As an upper elementary self contained teacher, Edmark is the reading program I use for most of my students. This whole-word reading program helps students master a variety of common and functional words. Curious about how Edmark works? Keep reading to find out all about it! What is Edmark? The Edmark Reading Program is a word recognition program for teaching students who have struggled to learn to read. Over the course of levels 1 and 2 of the program, students will learn to recognize ... continue reading...
Ideas for Summer Fine Motor Practice
Fine motor skills are crucial for daily living tasks, academic success, and overall independence. For special education teachers, finding engaging and effective ways to develop these skills during the summer months can be both challenging and rewarding. As the sun shines brighter and the days grow longer, it's the perfect time to incorporate fun and stimulating activities into your lesson plans. Let's explore some creative summer fine motor ideas tailored specifically for special education ... continue reading...
Ideas for Spring Fine Motor Practice
You may be familiar with the Simply Special Ed Fine Motor Centers. OT Blogger, Taylor, called them her number one must-have SSE resource! But did you know that there is a Spring Version of these fine motor centers!? Fine motor skills and goals are a staples in most special education classrooms. A few years ago I developed the popular Simple Fine Motor Centers which has been loved by self-contained special education teachers AND occupational therapists. Now the seasonal themed Spring set has ... continue reading...
Three Ways To Manage Different Levels Of Learners
If you teach in a self-contained special education classroom, chances are you teach multiple grades at one time. It can feel overwhelming to think about meeting the needs of each student. Luckily, managing a wide range of levels of learners in the classroom doesn’t have to be difficult. I teach students in grades 2nd-5th in all academic subjects and I’ve come up with three ways to manage different levels of learners. Differentiate, Differentiate, Differentiate You can still teach ... continue reading...
Must-Have Containers for Special Education Teachers
Have you always wanted to be the type A organized special education teacher? Same here! After years of trial and error, I have found some organizational tools to make classroom routines more efficient and manageable. I'm here to share ten must-have containers for organizing your special education classroom. 1. Photo Boxes These photo boxes are a cult favorite. They are versatile and just the perfect size for the various organizational needs of special education teachers, which is why it ... continue reading...
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