What to Teach in August in the Elementary Special Education Classroom

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! 

David Goes to School Picture Book Communication and Comprehension Supports

No, David Picture Book Communication and Comprehension Supports

David Goes to School Choice Sorting Cut & Paste Activity
Back to School Thematic Unit

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. 

Interactive Location-Based Schedules 

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.

Differentiated Morning Meeting Worksheet

Interactive Morning Message

Visual Recipes
Back to School Thematic Unit

Stained Glass Apple Art Activity

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. 

Back to School Vocabulary
Back to School Thematic Unit

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. 

Back to School Vocabulary Games

Back to School Thematic Unit

Apple Painting Art Activity

Group Yoga Sequence
Classroom Yoga

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. 

Classroom Mission Statement
Back to School Thematic Unit

If you are interested in several of these activities, I do offer a number of BUNDLES which will save you 20% in my store! 

Back to School Bundle

Morning Meeting Bundle

Organizing Progress Monitoring in the Special Education Classroom

Data collection on IEP goals is one of the most important tasks a special education teacher takes on because it helps us plan for interventions and monitor student progress. But it is also one of the most tedious tasks we do! 

Over the years, I have created a system for organizing my IEP goal progress monitoring that has made it easier to set up, implement, and even delegate! 

The first step is designating a binder for each student on your caseload. I prefer using colored binders because I color-code each of my students' materials each year. 

In the very front of the binder, I include an IEP at a Glance. We use IEP Anywhere so they luckily create this for us! I also include any essential medical or behavior plans for that student. 

Then, I get pocket dividers for each subject I will be monitoring. This is a great way to organize the different subjects but my favorite part is the pocket. This is where I store all of my work samples. Then, at the end of each quarter when I send home my progress report, I attach the work samples to back up the data. 

Then, behind each divider, I include progress monitoring sheets specific to that student's goals. My sheets are detailed and user-friendly so that all members of our team (paraprofessionals, related service, and general education staff, etc) can take data in a consistent way. It even helps me if I get confused by all the different goals on my diverse caseload! 

Over 100 of my progress monitoring sheets can be found in my TPT store. You can get individual subjects (Math, Reading, Communication & Vocabulary, and Fine Motor, Daily Routines, & Writing) or a bundle to cover all of your needs (and save 20%)!

During progress report time, I collect all of the completed progress monitoring sheets and organize them by stapling them to these Progress Report Form graphic organizers from my Special Education Teacher IEP Organization Kit which becomes a nice tool for me to reference when making additional copies, updating my paraprofessionals on skills to target, as well as just organizing the overall progress report process!

Find it here:

Finally, on the back cover, I include a "cheatsheet" all about that student. With IEP goals, behavior and medical plans, and this cheatsheet all contained in one place, my progress monitoring binders truly become an amazing, organized resource for all members of that student's educational team! 

Once I developed this system, it made progress monitoring organization so easy every fall. I would look at a student's IEP at a glance, print off the corresponding progress monitoring sheets, and get their binder organized. Then I was all set for the rest of the year! 

10 Back to School Resources for Special Education Classrooms

Back to School season is upon us! I know I can't believe it either. To make heading back to the classroom easier I have compiled my top 10 special education resources for your classroom. Click on any of the cover images below to find the resource in my TPT store!

Resources for Teacher Organization

Before the students even start, it is essential to get organized! So much of the SpEd world revolves around paperwork so these resources are great time (and sanity) savers!

1. NO PREP IEP Organization Kit: This kit provides helpful resources for IEP planning and progress reports. Check out this blog post for a page-by-page snapshot of what's included: Must-Have IEP Organization Kit

 

2. NO PREP IEP Progress Monitoring BUNDLE: This bundle includes over 100 progress monitoring sheets covering TONS of skills in Math, Reading, Writing, Communication, Vocabulary, Daily Routines, and Fine Motor that are ready to print and go!

Resources for Routines

The first week (or two!) of school should mainly focus on establishing classroom routines. Once students learn these expectations it will be easier to begin introducing academic content.

3. Location-Based Interactive Visual Schedule: These visual supports are essential for students who need assistance with transitioning more willingly and independently. Students match icons to corresponding location signs to get them from place to place all day long! Learn more in this blog post: Student Schedules

4. Number of the Day Math Corner: Practicing basic math skills every day in my math corner was a total game changer in my classroom! The daily repetition allowed students to demonstrate skills beyond what I even imagined when we first started out. For more information on implementing this resource in your classroom check out this post: Number of the Day Math Corner Bulletin Board

5. Differentiated Morning Meeting Book and Worksheets: Morning Meeting was always my favorite way to ease into task demands each day. It was an easy activity to keep predictable and differentiate especially through this resource.

6. Interactive Morning Message: My favorite part of our Morning Meeting was our interactive morning message. I loved watching my students build confidence in completing the message and reading it each day. It was always a popular classroom job! Learn more in this post: Morning Message

7. Differentiated Home-School Communication Reports: These communication reports made daily home-school communication more meaningful and created authentic communication opportunities for students. A win for everyone! Learn more in my recent post: Why I Ditched Communication Notebooks in my Special Education Classroom... and Never Looked Back!

Resources for Instruction

8. Back to School BUNDLE: This is actually 3 resources in one! My Back to School Thematic Unit (to learn more about why I love thematic units don't miss this post: ) and Picture Book Communication and Comprehension Supports for No, David! and David Goes to School by David Shannon. 

Resources for Paraprofessional Management

9. EDITABLE Paraprofessional Role Sheets: This is one of my most popular resources! It helps communicate expectations not only to paraprofessionals but to subs and volunteers too. Plus they are super cute!

10. Paraprofessional Survival Kit Gift Tag: To start the year I always liked to give my paras a little something. These gift tags made an extra cute addition and you can grab them for free in my TPT store! And you can learn more on this post: Paraprofessional Survival Kit- FREEBIE

Download my FREE Paraprofessional Survival Kit Gift Tags!

I look forward to connecting with you and sharing SpEd Spot tips and FREEBIES!

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