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    Monday, September 30, 2024

    What to Teach in October in the Elementary Special Education Classroom

    I love October!! It is my favorite month. Fall is here 🍂, decorations are up🎃, and it's my birthday month 🎂! 


    Halloween Theme

    October is also a fun time in the classroom. We focus on lots of fun Halloween activities each year including learning new vocabulary, playing Halloween games, and sorting and graphing Halloween candy. 





    These along with 9 additional Halloween-themed activities are included in my Halloween Thematic Unit in my TPT store! 


    Trick or Treat Practice



    Throughout the month of October, my class practices trick or treating in our weekly social skills group:
    • Week 1: We start with introducing AAC for saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" within the classroom
    • Week 2: Then, each staff member (myself, my paras, and our SLP) each set up a station for students to rotate through and practice while we pass out candy.
    • Week 3: Next, we practice trick or treating within the office with all the office staff
    • Week 4: We are ready to trick or treat with our families! 
    And we connect it to this fill-in the blank writing activity.


    Pumpkin Carving

    One of my favorite annual traditions is hands down carving pumpkins with my class! We have made some super cute jack-o-lanterns over the years!









    We also use pumpkin carving as a great opportunity to do some sensory exploration and discuss the texture and feel of the insides (affectionately referred to as the "pumpkin guts"!).


    And it is also a great opportunity to work on sequencing!



    Check out my previous post for my Top 5 Tips for Carving a Pumpkin in the Special Education Classroom for more details on what this looks like in my classroom. 


    Halloween Picture Books

    My favorite books for Halloween are Big Pumpkin and The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything









    One year on our hayride at the farm they did a "spooky storytime" and did the Little Old Lady with props. It was SO MUCH FUN! And was a great way to get the kids engaged. After that year, we always acted out the story with spare clothes in the classroom. It was so fun!



    Find the activities above in my Picture Book Communication and Comprehension Supports in my TPT store. Click the images below to get them! 



    Halloween Crafts

    Some fun Halloween crafts we have done was a group pumpkin pinata project for our Halloween Party and some footprint ghosts! Having classmates paint each others feet led to LOTS of giggles!








    What a busy month! I love how my little class can mix in so much fun with our learning. 


    Halloween Bundles in my TPT store 

    The units above are available individually or in a variety of bundles! Click the images to find them in my TPT store!



    Sunday, September 1, 2024

    What to Teach in September in the Elementary Special Education Classroom

    As we transition into September, it's important for elementary special education teachers to carefully plan and prepare for the months ahead. September provides a prime opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the academic year. We started laying the foundation in August (see that post here) but there are still some essential steps to continue establishing routines and introducing skills. 


    In today's post, we will explore some key topics and ideas for what to teach in the elementary special education classroom during the month of September. And don't worry because I have already done a lot of the work for you! Click on an image or caption to find the resource in my TPT store! Additionally, this post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I only recommend products that I use and love! 

    Classroom Routines

    During September, you can continue to introduce classroom routines that will be used all year long. Practice group routines daily such as lining up, transitioning within the classroom and building, and daily unpacking and packing backpacks. 

    Also, continue to work on group time expectations. In August, we started read-alouds, art, cooking or snack, shared writing, and calendar/morning meeting. By September, I like to introduce additional academic group times such as our Letter of the Day and Number of the Day groups. 

    Letter of the Day

    When researching the Science of Reading in the special education classroom, I read Comprehensive Literacy for All, which taught me the importance of daily alphabet instruction. I wanted to create materials for this instruction that had a similar format for each day so that students could focus on learning the content (and not concurrently trying to learn the activity expectations!). 

    Based on the research from the book, I developed a daily lesson framework and lesson plans to accompany my materials:


    Alphabet Song Guide



    Letter Picture Book Worksheet

    For a more in-depth look on how I incorporate the Science of Reading into my elementary special education classroom check out my previous post:


    And then head over to my TPT store to grab the pre-made resource that has absolutely everything you need to start a Letter of the Day time in your classroom too! 




    Number of the Day

    Several years ago I wanted to expand my math instruction beyond my direct instruction times. I was looking for a way to practice a variety of skills every day. Alas, my Number of the Day Math Corner was born! Every day we practiced the same skills and it WORKED! It worked better than I even dreamed. Suddenly I had students who had been stuck working on basic number identification who were suddenly skip counting by 5s. I had students beginning to generalize Touchmath skills and coin identification. It was AWESOME! I only wish I would have started it sooner. 








    For a more in-depth look on how I incorporate daily math practice into my elementary special education classroom check out my previous post:


    And then head over to my TPT store to grab my Number of the Day visual supports to get started in your classroom!



    Structured Work Systems

    September is also a great time to begin introducing work time structure including independent work times using a Structured Work System. This gives students a predictable structure to know exactly what work needs to be done and how to complete it in a consistent way. I used a 3-drawer matching system where students matched a color/number to a corresponding bin, took out the work, completed it, and placed it in the "finished" laundry basket. 


    To see my Independent Work structured work system set up in action check out my previous post:


    And to see some of the activities I created you can check out my posts labeled



    If you are still not sure where to start, you can grab my Multisensory Task Box Differentiation Guides for Elementary Special Education in my TPT store which provides budget-friendly ideas for easy taskboxes you can use to introduce your structured work system (including differentiation ideas for each one to get more for your money!).





    IEP Progress Monitoring

    Once rules and routines are established, students are ready to show what they know! Now is the time to organize your IEP progress monitoring system. 

    I like to start with color-coded 1-in binders to contain each students progress monitoring sheets and work samples. 
    Amazon Link

    Then, I add in pocket dividers for each subject I will be progress monitoring for that student. These will divide the subjects and also serve as a place to keep work samples until I send them home with progress reports each quarter. 

    Amazon Link


    Finally, I add in the progress monitoring sheets to align with each student's IEP goals and objectives. I created specific sheets for a variety of skills that are easy to follow so that my paraprofessionals and related service staff can easily take data as well. 



    I have gathered over 100 ready-to-use data collection sheets for a variety of skills and levels in my NO PREP IEP Progress Monitoring Sheet BUNDLE for Preschool, Elementary, and Special Education which can help you get one step closer to completing your IEP progress monitoring system!



    Thematic Units

    Since fall begins in September, this is the perfect thematic unit for this month! Teach students about the changing weather and changing leaves! Grab my Fall and Leaves Thematic Unit for 12 ready-to-teach activities! 

    Fall and Leaves Thematic Unit

    Fall and Leaves Thematic Unit

    Fall and Leaves Thematic Unit