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Simply Special Ed

Resource Downloads & Teaching Advice

Blog Book Recommendations Simple Classroom

The Best Books to Teach Differences

Teaching differences to your students is SO important, but finding the right books to do it can be difficult. Luckily, I have done this hard work for you!

Teaching differences to your students is SO important, but finding the right books to do it can be difficult. We should focus on differences all year long even in the special education classroom. Luckily, I have done this hard work for you!

Book companions are a fun and engaging way to get students interacting with a text! When I was teaching I had a lot of difficulty finding leveled book companions that would meet the needs of students in my self-contained classroom, so I made my own. Here’s a look inside the best book companions for special education classrooms (St. Patrick’s Day themed!)

((This blog post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You don’t pay any more by clicking my link (and I actually find the best prices for you!) but I make a small commission off of sales. This helps me to test out more materials and bring you more quality content. Thanks for supporting my little blog!))

Teaching differences to your students is SO important, but finding the right books to do it can be difficult. Luckily, I have done this hard work for you!
A peek at the Differences Book Companion Set.

WHAT ARE BOOK COMPANIONS?

Book companions are a set of effective extension activities that go along with a published book. Book companions are a SUPPLEMENT to the book and do not contain any text from the book. You must have access to the book to use the book companion (you can get access by purchasing the book on amazon, finding the book at your library, or listening to a read aloud on youtube.)

Teaching differences to your students is SO important, but finding the right books to do it can be difficult. Luckily, I have done this hard work for you!
Whole Group Sequencing and Storymap!

HOW DO YOU USE BOOK COMPANIONS?

First, the teacher would read the book aloud in a whole group setting. Then the students would break apart into independent work and small group to use the companion materials at their own level.

MY BOOK COMPANIONS INCLUDE:

Leveled Comprehension Quizzes

– Level 1: Picture Comprehension

– Level 2: Written Response

– Level 3: Blank Response

Visuals

– Craft (with real picture visuals)

– Whole Group

Vocabulary

– Clips Cards

– Matching Cards

Worksheets

– Craft Sequencing

– Sequencing

– Story Map

Teacher Planning Guide

– Suggested Schedule

– Suggested Materials

Teaching differences to your students is SO important, but finding the right books to do it can be difficult. Luckily, I have done this hard work for you!

WHY ARE SIMPLY SPECIAL ED’S BOOK COMPANIONS DIFFERENT?

My book companions are specifically created with special education and self-contained classrooms in mind. What does that mean? My book companions include leveled materials that will meet the needs of every student in your classroom. This makes the planning easier on the teacher. I also select the books with special education classrooms in mind.

Teaching differences to your students is SO important, but finding the right books to do it can be difficult. Luckily, I have done this hard work for you!
The books included in the Differences Book Companion Set target all types of differences.

WHAT BOOKS ARE INCLUDED FOR THE DIFFERENCES SET?

The Differences Set of Book Companions includes the following picture books (affiliate links below):

((This blog post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You don’t pay any more by clicking my link (and I actually find the best prices for you!) but I make a small commission off of sales. This helps me to test out more materials and bring you more quality content. Thanks for supporting my little blog!))

Purchase Differences Book Companions:

On the Shop here.

On TPT here.

What sets do you want to see made next? Leave your dream book companion books in the comments so I can add them to my list!


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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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