How to Create the Perfect Classroom Fidget

We all do it... we tap our pencil, we twist our ring, we doodle on our paper.  Me?  I stir (or swirl) my coffee.  I may not even take a drink, I just fidget with the cup.  Fidgeting can help us focus.  As adults, we have learned to keep our fidgeting discrete.  However, many students need help to find an appropriate way to get their wiggles out during work time.

When I think of the perfect fidget for in the classroom 2 things come to mind.

1. It needs to work for the person using it.  If it doesn't work, it won't get used.  Or even worse, it will become a toy.  Which leads us to number 2.

2. It needs to be discrete.  If a fidget is being used in a classroom full of students, it needs to be quiet and non-disruptive to everyone in the room.

Now I get to share with you my all-time favorite fidget.  Why do I love it?  Well, it is super simple to make (you probably have all of the materials hanging around your classroom), quiet and can attach to just about anything.

Here is what you need:

Pipe cleaner
Keyring
4-5 Pony beads
Paperclip (optional)

Directions:

1. Pry open the keyring.  I like to use a paperclip to make it a bit easier.

2. Slide on 4-5 beads.

3. Fold up 1-2 inches of the pipe cleaner over the keyring.

4. Twist the end of the pipe cleaner around itself.

5. Press the end of the pipe cleaner flat.

6. Attach the other end of the pipe cleaner to just about anything!

That's it!  I told you it was easy.

I like to attach these fidgets to EVERTHING.  They are on all of my desks and every leg of my tables.  I find that by making the fidgets available to everyone, they lose their novelty (which is a good thing).  The kids who don't need the fidgets get bored playing with them and the kids who do need the fidgets have them available at all times.  By attaching them to the desks and tables I know that they are always available and I can quickly redirect a student who may be getting their wiggles out in a less appropriate manner (picking at name tags, ripping their paper, etc.).

Are you looking for even more fidget ideas?  Check out this post to find out my picks for the Top Fidgets for the Special Education Classroom.

(This post may contain Amazon affiliate links.  I only link to products that I personally use and find beneficial.  Please click HERE for more information.)

Stop Picking at the Tape! - Tips for Keeping Visuals on the Table

It is the beginning of the year.  Your desks are in perfect rows, pencils are sharpened, tissues are stocked, and your classroom library is beautifully organized. Name tags carefully adorn each desk.  You are ready to rock this year.

Now it is January. You have given up trying to keep the desks in rows, the pencil sharpener is broken and half the class is writing in marker, you have been out of tissues since the November plague, and your classroom library looks like the bargain bin at your local outlet store. To top it off, a majority of the name tags have fallen off of the desks because the kids won't... stop... picking...

Sound familiar?  There are some students (and adults!) who just can't help themselves.  I get it.  You know that pimple that you have to pick?  You know it is going to make it worse but you just can't help yourself. Or, that hangnail that has been driving you crazy all day.  Once you start picking at something, it is really hard to stop.

With that being said, there are some things that need to stay on the students' desks or tables.  Name tags, sticker charts, behavior reminders, visual schedules... they need to be kept close at hand for our students, but how do you keep them on their desks?  I've got 5 tips for keeping visuals on the table.

1. Scotch Tape - Now, there may be people who disagree with me on this one, but hear me out.  I love using Scotch tape to tape down my visuals for a couple of reasons.

1.  It is cheap and I always have it on hand.  
2. As long as the tape is perfectly flat, most kids don't even notice where the edges are and they tend to leave it alone.  

I find that Scotch tape is easier to work with than packing tape and far less expensive than contact paper or self-stick laminating sheets.  I like to laminate the visual first and then tape down all of the edges.  However, I have also taped down visuals without laminating.  As long as you make sure the entire visual is covered with tape, it holds up pretty well.  The behavior visuals that I have on my table are a freebie in my store and can be found HERE.

2. Colored Electrical Tape - Do your students need a visual boundary to help them stay within their own space?  Colored electrical tape is great for sectioning off tables.  Now when I say colored, I mean any color other than black.  Black will leave a bit of a residue that can be a pain to clean off later.  Electrical tape is great because you can't pick off small pieces.  It isn't as satisfying since it is an "all or nothing" deal when you are trying to pick it off.  It is easy to peel back, but also really easy to press back down.  You can find the tape that I use HERE.

3. AVOID PAINTERS TAPE! - If you have ever used painters tape on a student's desk or table, you know what I am talking about.  It shreds as you peel it off which is way too enticing for little fingers!

4. Try Velcro - Are you swapping out your visuals on a regular basis?  Velcro may be the solution that best meets your needs.  I like to use THESE hook and loop dots.  They hold up really well, but come off with a little bit of force if I no longer need them on the table.

5. Fidgets - I've got two words for you: Replacement Behavior.  If a student is picking at the tape on the table, give them something else to do with their hands.  When used properly, fidgets can be an incredible tool to help a student focus and to keep their fingers off of the tape. I like to attach fidgets to all of my tables and desks so that they are available for anyone who may need them.  Would you like to learn how to make my favorite fidget?  Click HERE for directions. 

Do you have any tips for keeping visuals on the table?  Please share!

(This post may contain Amazon affiliate links.  I only link to products that I personally use and find beneficial.  Please click HERE for more information.) 

Teacher Planner Template for the Special Education Classroom

Guys... I love all of the adorable teacher planners that I see out there.  However, they always feel like a ton of extra work.  If you read my last two blog posts about my scope and sequence, you know that I am fairly organized and I like to outline my themes and topics for the entire year but for whatever reason the planners that I have come across never seem to meet my needs.  So I decided to make my own!

Click HERE to pick up the template for free!

In case you missed my Scope and Sequence blog posts (with a few other freebies!), here are the links:

Thematic Literacy Planning for the Year in the Special Ed. Classroom
Planning Math Concepts for the Year in the Special Ed. Classroom

Planning Math Concepts for the Year in a Special Education Classroom

Welcome back!  If you saw my post last week, I shared my scope and sequence for thematic literacy planning in my special education classroom. If you missed it, click HERE to check it out! This week I will be going over how I plan for math in my classroom.

I find that math is bit more difficult to plan since it is so skill based.  It can be a challenge to have a unifying theme when everyone is working on completely different skills.  While it is important to focus on the individualized program of each of my students, I also feel a sense of obligation to provide a "typical classroom experience" (aka theme) for all of my kids, especially those who spend a majority of their day in my room.

For our basic skills activities, I have a general theme that matches up with the season or an upcoming holiday.  This gives my students a bit of variety while providing the consistency and repetition than they need in order to master these foundational concepts.  I love using my Seasonal Counting Packs (found HERE) for my students who are working on numbers 1-20.   However, my students need to move beyond just the basics.

More often than not, most of my students are working on our state's alternate achievement standards, which are aligned to the Common Core State Standards.  Because of this, I base my monthly math topics on the elementary Common Core Math Domains. Each month from September-May I focus on a different topic.  Some of the math domains are spread out over multiple months.  For example, money and time are incredibly important concepts for my students so I stretch out measurement and data over three months.

Here is a list of my monthly math focus:

September - Counting and Cardinality
October - Numbers and Operations in Base Ten
November - Number and Operations - Fractions
December - Operations and Algebraic Thinking - Addition and Subtraction
January - Operations and Algebraic Thinking - Multiplication and Division
February - Geometry
March - Measurement & Data
April - Measurement & Data - Money
May - Measurement & Data - Time
June - Focus on IEP goals

I find that by having a common theme for my math instruction makes planning much easier.  Before I started focusing on monthly math concepts, all of my students were working on completely different skills.  Don't get me wrong, they were all getting a well-rounded education and were challenged with work at their own level.  But there was nothing unifying their instruction with their classmates.  In addition, without a general scope and sequence, it can be too easy to focus solely on number sense and miss the rest of the standards.  Click HERE if you would like a copy of my scope and sequence template.

Having a unifying theme allows me to create shared experiences and common vocabulary with all of my students.  It also allows me to more easily communicate what is happening in the classroom with my families.

I like to send home a letter at the beginning of each month that gives an overview of the math domain that we will be focusing on the for the month.  You can find a copy of my letters HERE.  I also include activities that they can do at home to extend their child's learning.  There are a variety of differentiated activities included so that all of my families can find at least one activity that is appropriate for their child.

With all that being said, my students continue to work on very individualized skills during math.  I typically split our time between instruction related to their IEP goals and the monthly concept. Now, how I split my time... that's a topic for another day!

3/2/2018 UPDATE - Many people have expressed interest in getting a copy of the completed scope and sequence that I have been using in my classroom.  Click HERE to download a copy.  Enjoy! 

Thematic Literacy Planning for the Year in a Special Education Classroom

Teaching in a self-contained special education classroom carries its own unique set of challenges.  Planning instruction that meets the needs of all of the students is one of those challenges.  There are so many factors to consider that it is tough to know where to start. Are you aligning your instruction to the grade levels standards?  But what if you teach multiple grades... how are you going to swing that?  What about the general education curriculum?  Are you utilizing this as well?  Oh yeah... then there are the IEP goals... you should probably work on those skills too... but everyone is at a different level.  Does this sound familiar?

Over the next 2 weeks, I am going to share some of my tips for planning out your year.

First up - Thematic Literacy Planning for the Year in a Special Education Classroom

I like to plan out my entire year, week by week, before school even begins.  I find that mapping everything out at the beginning of the year frees up time during the school year to work on the important things that come up... because let's be real... I don't have time to wing it!  If it isn't planned, I don't do it.  I am way too busy during the school year to be creative!

Here is how I make it work in my classroom:

I like to start out with a theme.  I was resistant to go with themes at first because all of my students were working at their own level and in their curricula.  I felt like I didn't have time to squeeze in an additional topic.  However, my reasons for avoiding thematic units were actually the reasons why they work best in my classroom.

I base my themes on the essential questions and books from our general education reading curriculum.  I find that this is a great jumping off point and provides common vocabulary for my students.

Since I generally have a span of 2-3 grade levels within my classroom, I like to choose a combination of essential questions from each grade level to make sure that I am providing grade level content for all of my students.

Once I have my essential questions, I choose a book and letter of the week.  I also add in possible writing prompts that tie in with the essential questions... one less thing to think about later! I read the book(s) during a whole group story time, giving my students the opportunity to participate in a shared experience before they break off into their small groups.

I also like to add in a sentence frame or core word of the week for my students who are using communication systems, an art or cooking project, and a sensory bin since I try to tie them into my essential questions.

It has taken me a few years to come up with a scope and sequence document that works for me.  You can find a free template HERE if you would like to try it out for yourself!  Because my students' skills can vary significantly from year to year, I don't use every activity every year.  For example, last year I didn't use the letter of the week, but I will this year.

As far as skill-based curriculum goes, I can't map that out as easily.  Each of my students works at their own pace and in their own curriculum.  I use a combination of Read Well, Reading Mastery, Edmark, Wired for Reading, and Wonders.  I don't include this information on my scope and sequence since it is so heavily dependent on the needs of my students.  However, I do include it in my planner, which you can pick up for free HERE.

What about you?  How do you map out your year? Please share!  And keep an eye out for next week's post where I will be talking about Planning Math Concepts for the Year in a Special Education Classroom.

10/19/17 UPDATE - Many people have expressed interest in getting a copy of the completed scope and sequence that I have been using in my classroom.  There are projects that have not been planned, but I am happy to share what I have so far.  Click HERE to download a copy.  Enjoy! 

But I Don’t Have Time to Collect Data! - Tips for Streamlining Data Collection in the Special Education Classroom

Do you feel overwhelmed by data collection? You are not alone! Here are some tips that help me to streamline data collection in my classroom.

1. Start early - Set up your data collection system right away. I like to have all of my students’ goals and data sheets printed before the school year starts. I was on maternity leave at the start of this school year and didn’t have my data system up and running as early as I would have liked. This made it so much more difficult to take data on a regular basis. I definitely learned the hard way and won’t make that mistake again! I now make it a priority to organize my data sheets before the school year starts and keep it updated as my students’ goals change throughout the year.

2. Build data collection into your schedule - I don’t know about you, but my day is busy… crazy busy!! If I don’t have something built into the schedule, it doesn’t happen. Figure out who will be collecting data and how often it will happen. Write it down and stick with the schedule.

3. Consolidate your data sheets - There are a million and one data sheets out there. Some are great and others… not so much. Find out which data sheets best meet your needs and use those sheets as often as possible. My team and I spent some time last year sorting through all of our data sheets and agreed upon a few that worked well for everyone. I revamped all of these sheets to make them simple and easy to use for teachers and paraeducators. You can find them HERE. This leads us to tip number 4.

4. Keep data sheets prepped and ready to use - I keep 10-20 copies of each of my most used data sheets in a separate binder. They are hole punched and ready to be used. No more running to the copy machine or pulling up files on my computer. You can find a free copy of my data binder cover HERE.

5. Train everyone - Data collection is a team effort. Everyone needs to be on the same page and understand when, how, and why, data is being collected.

Do you have any tips or tricks for streamlining data collection? Please share!

5 Tips for Sensory Bin Organization

You may, or may not know this about me, but I LOVE sensory bins!   Not only do they provide a unique sensory experience, but they are a fantastic way to build vocabulary and strengthen fine motor skills.  Best of all… the kids have no idea that they are learning!

Over the years I have built up quite the collection of sensory bin materials.  In order to make it quick and easy to change the bins out, I need to keep everything organized.  Here are some tips and tricks that I have learned to make managing the materials a bit easier.

1. Keep the base materials separate from the goodies. This saves space and allows you to create new combinations of sensory bins.
2. Use zip top bags to store your themed materials.  It’s not fancy… It’s not pretty… but it gets the job done.  I like to store all of my bags in larger tubs.  Some of the bags are seasonal, and some are aligned to our reading curriculum.
3. Keep an extra bin for shovels, tweezers, cups, and tubes.  These tools are a great addition to the sensory bins and since they are not specific to a theme, I like to keep them separate.
4. Have an extra sensory bin available so that you always have one in use and another that is in “restocking mode.”  
5. Put your kids to work.  On the last day that the bin will be used, have your students pull out all of the goodies and put them back into the storage bag.  

How do your organize your sensory bin materials? Please share!