NEW PRODUCT: Social Studies Units on US Holidays

My monthly science products have been a huge hit and I have been asked by several people to create social studies units that are a similar style.  What better time to tackle this than summer break?  I have created my first social studies unit all about U.S. HOLIDAYS.  These products are much larger and have many more activities than my science units so they could last for an entire quarter, or they could be pulled out throughout the year when needed.  Look for more social studies throughout the year...and if you have any topics you are wanting, please leave me a comment or shoot me an email (autismtank@gmail.com).

This product includes:
-Vocabulary overview and matching page (differentiated)
-3 Types of Assessment
-Flashcards (picture, word, and definition)
-38 Worksheets covering a variety of levels and address skills such as writing, matching, counting, graphing, word search, money, time, fill in the blank, cut/glue activities.
-3 Games: Bingo, Memory, I have-Who has. These game includes multiple versions for different ability levels.
-2 File Folders (differentiated for variety of levels)
-1 Adapted book with comprehension activities
-22 Journal pages (differentiated for 2 levels)
-Mini Research project: planning worksheets, grading rubric, self-monitoring checklist, etc.
-Note home about the unit
-Cover sheet for kids to color and use as a cover for all their completed work (either to send home or for in the classroom)

Classroom Set-Up: Data Collection

It's that time of year...back to school shopping, classroom set-up, and prepping for the new school year ahead.  Are you a new teacher looking for some materials to set up your brand new classroom? Or a veteran teacher looking to revamp classroom visuals or up your data game?  I want to take a chance over the next couple weeks to share some tips and ideas for setting up your classroom this coming year.

I recently put together a product based on all the resources I created and implemented in my classroom so that others can use the ideas that worked so well for me, without the work of having to create it on their own....  over 150 pages of class-room set up materials included in the Complete Autism Classroom Set-Up!  I have used this baby in my district with tons of teachers already this past year...and it has been a big hit.  Today, let's talk about one aspect of this product, Data Collection:

You get your classroom furniture set up, schedules figured out, visuals posted, and start teaching...but how do you figure out if your kids are making progress? How do you monitor IEP goals? How do you track behavior? collaboration with other team members? parent communication?  Our jobs as special ed teachers are never over...these data sheets are here to help save you some major time and energy in the data department.  Many of the data sheets included in this product are editable so you can customize to your students/classroom needs.

Classroom Set-Up: Behavior Management and Visuals

It's that time of year...back to school shopping, classroom set-up, and prepping for the new school year ahead.  Are you a new teacher looking for some materials to set up your brand new classroom? Or a veteran teacher looking to revamp classroom visuals or up your data game?  I want to take a chance over the next couple weeks to share some tips and ideas for setting up your classroom this coming year.

I recently put together a product based on all the resources I created and implemented in my classroom so that others can use the ideas that worked so well for me, without the work of having to create it on their own....  over 150 pages of class-room set up materials included in the Complete Autism Classroom Set-Up!  I have used this baby in my district with tons of teachers already this past year...and it has been a big hit.  Today, let's talk about one aspect of this product,  Behavior Management and Visuals:

Classroom Set-Up: Notes Home

It's that time of year...back to school shopping, classroom set-up, and prepping for the new school year ahead.  Are you a new teacher looking for some materials to set up your brand new classroom? Or a veteran teacher looking to revamp classroom visuals or up your data game?  I want to take a chance over the next couple weeks to share some tips and ideas for setting up your classroom this coming year.

I recently put together a product based on all the resources I created and implemented in my classroom so that others can use the ideas that worked so well for me, without the work of having to create it on their own....  over 150 pages of class-room set up materials included in the Complete Autism Classroom Set-Up!  I have used this baby in my district with tons of teachers already this past year...and it has been a big hit.  Today, let's talk about one aspect of this product, Notes Home:

Classroom Set-Up: Visual Schedules

It's that time of year...back to school shopping, classroom set-up, and prepping for the new school year ahead.  Are you a new teacher looking for some materials to set up your brand new classroom? Or a veteran teacher looking to revamp classroom visuals or up your data game?  I want to take a chance over the next couple weeks to share some tips and ideas for setting up your classroom this coming year.

I recently put together a product based on all the resources I created and implemented in my classroom so that others can use the ideas that worked so well for me, without the work of having to create it on their own....  over 150 pages of class-room set up materials included in the Complete Autism Classroom Set-Up!  I have used this baby in my district with tons of teachers already this past year...and it has been a big hit.  Today, let's talk about one aspect of this product, Visual Schedules:

  

Creating Daily Routines to Eliminate Downtime and Increase Productivity

Imagine telling your students to sit down at the table for math. You finally get 4 students seated, but then you turn your back for two seconds to grab the materials for your lesson, and in the mean time, two kids pop up and run back to their preferred activities. Scenarios like these make me want to pull my hair out...I hate down time...my students struggle with it, which makes my life as a teacher so much harder. So one way I have found to eliminate as much downtime as possible (beside packing my day full of activities) is to create routines in every part of my day. This way, students know what is expected and can independently get going with an activity even when I have to run and grab some materials, deal with a challenging behavior, etc. It makes my students (and me) more productive! In today's post, I want to share some helpful tips and activities I have found to reduce downtime in the classroom.

Expected vs. Unexpected: Behaviors in School Adapted Book

If you are a long time follower of my blog, you probably know already that I am a huge fan of adapted books (see additional links at the bottom of the page for more blog posts on this topic).

They just seem to be one of the best ways I have found to engage students in literacy and aid in their comprehension of the text. In addition, I find them helpful for teaching social skills for those students that a typical "social story" doesn't quite work for.  I like them because they allow for additional opportunities to practice identifying a skill.