Can you believe it is already November?! What an exciting month to begin diving in to the holiday season in the special education classroom.  Thanksgiving At the end of the month, I love to throw a Thanksgiving Feast with my students. We always invite our related service providers and district administrators to join in the festivities. This is one of my favorite hands-on projects we do each year! ...

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. ...

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 ! ...

The holiday season is my absolute favorite time of year outside and inside of the classroom! My students and I always have so much fun celebrating the holidays. And the first holiday to kick things off will be here before we know it! Keep reading to learn more about how I celebrate Thanksgiving in my special education classroom....

Pumpkin carving can be a fun and educational experience for students in the special education classroom, especially when you plan ahead for success. Whether you're a teacher, parent, or caregiver, incorporating sensory-friendly and accessible activities, such as pumpkin carving, into your fall curriculum can boost engagement and learning. In this post, you'll discover five practical tips to make pumpkin carving a safe, inclusive, and memorable activity for all learners—perfect for your Halloween or autumn-themed lesson plans. Tip #1: Consider Sensory Needs Sometimes a student may not be comfortable touching the pumpkin guts, so you can allow them to use gloves or even put some in a ziploc baggy to let them explore in a less overwhelming way. Sometimes, I had students who would absolutely gag at the sight of the pumpkin guts. I allowed them to do something else during that time like painting pumpkins or using stickers . This activity is not worth that much distress!  Tip #2: U......

In my classroom, I used Unique Learning System for a majority of my curriculum. However, I found that I often wanted to supplement the stories with rich, authentic picture books. So my Picture Book Communication and Comprehension Supports units were born! ...

As an elementary special education teacher, it's important to create a learning environment that is engaging and meaningful for all students. This includes incorporating hands-on activities that not only help students develop academic skills but also foster their curiosity and love for learning. One way to achieve this is by exploring the natural world around us. Spring is a perfect time to focus on plants , flowers , and insects , as the warmer weather brings about new growth and activity. This post highlights some activities that can be incorporated into the classroom to help students learn about these topics....

Each week in my special education classroom we do cooking and craft extension activities related to our thematic unit. We have had a lot of fun over the years with all of our different projects!  I have found that  incorporating cooking activities into my special education classroom offers a hands-on approach to teaching essential skills including:...

Every fall we do a unit on apples. There are so many awesome apple activities and it is such an easy topic to integrate across subject areas.  Apple Art This year we tried two new art activities that incorporated art projects to accompany our apples unit. The first project we did was stained glass apple art using contact paper and tissue paper squares .  **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!** I loved this activity because it was easily accessible for my student who struggles with fine motor control. I just had to hand him the tissue paper and point to where he should place it and then he would stick it to the contact paper. Typically if we do cutting or gluing activities, we have to work hand-over-hand so it was great to have an activity that promoted his independence. Putting the tissue paper on all by himself! The table easel helps him see ......