Having a plan when heading into a new school year in the elementary special education classroom is essential to setting your year up for success. It reduces anxiety, establishes routines, and provides guidance for paraprofessionals.
Let's face it... in August the days are LONG! Especially without related services pulling students yet. And your students have a lot to learn about being at school… especially your Kindergarten students and students transitioning to a new building or classroom.
Don't worry! I have gathered some great ideas and resources to save you time and get you started off on the right foot this August! Click on an image or caption to find the resource in my TPT store!
Classroom Expectations:
Establish classroom rules and illustrate expectations using social stories, role-playing, and picture books. No, David! and David Goes to School by David Shannon are two of my favorite books for introducing the idea of rules and why they are important. Plus they are a ton of fun to read with students!
Schedules:
Too often in the special education transitions can be overwhelming for staff and students with so many bodies moving at once so if you can increase independence using a location-based schedule this is win-win for everyone! Plus it has the added bonus of reducing overstimulating auditory clutter for auditorily sensitive students.
Group Routines
Establish routines that you will use during group times all year long such as read-alouds, art, cooking or snack, shared writing, and calendar/morning meeting.
Vocabulary
Introduce key vocabulary words related to school routines and subjects. These will be words that your students need to know all year long. I have also introduced staff and student names during group games and activities.
Centers
Introduce centers time with fun, hands-on activities to keep students engaged such as crafts, sensory activities, games, preferred activities such as playdoh or potato head, or snack time.
Class Mission Statement
Set the tone for the year with a positive and inclusive mission statement. Each year my students created a joint mission statement that we all signed and hung in the classroom for easy reference throughout the school year. We also did personal mission statements as an introduction to goal setting at the start of my 1:1 IEP time with students.
If you are interested in several of these activities, I do offer a number of BUNDLES which will save you 20% in my store!
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