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!