Apple Thematic Unit and Art Activities

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. 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. 

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 his art.

Our finished stained glass apples

I got the idea for another fun art activity through Pinterest. We did apple rolling painting and the kids LOVED it! We used it as a language-building and direction-following activity. The kids each took a turn making their painting but their classmates gave them directions on which color to use and how to tilt the box. It was fun and since we used a box it was fairly mess-free (my hands were the only messy ones from taking the paint-covered apples in and out of the box). 

Getting started

Using Proloquo2Go to tell a friend which color apple to paint with next

Telling a friend which way to tip the box

Tipping the box to make the apple roll

More tipping and rolling!

Looking good so far!

A finished creation!

To accompany these fun apple art projects, I have put together 13 of my favorite apple activities in my Apples Thematic Unit. Click on the image below to check it out on my TPT store.

Think About It Thursday--Paraprofessionals

Karlie at We Are ALL Special! recently wrote a post asking about the roles of paraprofessionals in our classrooms. Originally I was going to just comment on her post but as I started thinking about all the things my wonderful paras do I realized it was too much for one comment! So I decided to sum it up on this week's Think About It Thursday post...

I have two paras (Miss J and Miss T) that have been with me for 6 years (which is my entire classroom teaching career!). Since we all started out together and have been together for so long we have really developed an amazing team (if I do say so myself!). I have a hard time envisioning my classroom without them. We each have different strengths and weaknesses and we have learned over the years how to balance each other out and I plan our schedule and assign roles accordingly.

For instance, I can be a scatter-brain during the day because I am always thinking about the 22 emails I haven't read yet, which IEP is due next week, how to change this students communication device and that students behavior plan, and who hasn't turned in the permission slip for our field trip. Therefore, I have no room in my crazy brain for the "every day" stuff like setting up visual schedules, resetting penny charts, heating up lunches, clearing out the fridge, and stacking chairs. This is where Miss T comes to the rescue! If it wasn't for her I wouldn't remember half of these things until the kids were walking in the door at 8am and then I would really be a scattered mess!!

Miss T is also unbelievably patient. So she is the go-to person for working with kids who can push buttons (who my kids?! NEVER!) or for working with kids that need 10000000 repetitions to master a skill.

Miss T is also the lead para for our "medium" group of kids. So while we rotate reading, writing, and math groups she stays with the medium group and takes care of all of their needs. This includes helping with sensory concerns, redirecting, bathroom breaks, progress monitoring, 1on1 work to differentiate, group material prep, and whatever else might come up!

Miss J is my organizer. She keeps all of our theme files from getting out of control and gets our materials copied and prepped each week (If my brain sounds scattered you should see my desk!). She is also extremely independent so I have her lead a lot of small groups. I provide guidance as far as group goals, daily focus, and overseeing activities but she takes charge of planning her own activities and making modifications as needed. This is wonderful because I think when you plan your own activities you have more ownership so you a) better understand the desired outcome and b) are more likely to be invested in them. For example, I would much rather implement a lesson I personally created than implement a lesson out of a teacher's manual.

Miss J is also the one I rely on to help me figure out all the "bugs" in a plan. Since she leads her own groups, she sees the kids perform some skills more regularly than I do. Therefore, she knows if something isn't working and she will come to me so we can find a solution. Sometimes when I present my aides with an idea, it still needs some work. Miss J will be the one who asks all the questions that make me think "Hmmm I didn't think about that!". This is great because it helps us work out all the variables before trying something new. I would much rather my aides look at me like I am crazy when I come up with a plan than have a group of students looking at me like that! Additionally, Miss J is my confidant. She is the person I know will give me honest feedback about what is going well and what we need to work on. This type of communication is key to creating a great team.

These are just a few of the things my paras do for our classroom. Here is a general list adapted from my Paraprofessional Handbook

• Supervise students in hallway, lunchroom, and playground situations
• Assist students with daily toileting, self-care, and feeding needs
• Lift/transfer individuals from floor to wheelchair, chair to floor, chair to various other furniture/equipment (after receiving proper training from therapist or teacher)
• Supervise free play activities.
• Attend team planning (we meet for 1 hour weekly after school to discuss student/classroom concerns and plan for the following week)
• With classroom teacher guidance, fill in weekly lesson plan template for groups
• With classroom teacher guidance, lead daily groups
• Gather needed materials for groups
• Record data for groups and transfer to IEP progress monitoring sheets
• Collaborate with classroom teachers and paraprofessionals to plan group activities
• Assist with additional classroom material prep (copies, lamination, cutting)
• Make Boardmaker visuals as requested by classroom teacher
• Assist students with end-of-day jobs
• Sanitize desks and tables, student chairs, and counters in bathroom and kitchen area
• Supervise students during morning work
• Grade papers (non-IEP related)
• Gather needed supplies needed for weekly cooking/art activity (my paras each teach one of these)
• Sharpen pencils
• Assist classroom teacher with reading parent notes in student binders
• Refill reinforcer bins

As I am sure you can tell, my paras are busy, busy, busy in our room! How do you utilize the paras in your classroom? Or how are paras used in your building?

I've been BOO'd!

I am so lucky to have been "BOO'd" by Karlie at We Are ALL Special! Karlie is a fellow SpEd who always gives me great ideas in her blog posts and great feedback on my posts. Thanks Karlie!

Cynthia at 2nd Grade Pad is hosting this BOO'D linky.  Here are the rules:

1. Choose a fellow blogger that has MORE followers2. A blogger that has about the SAME number of followers3. Someone that has LESS followers4. Highlight their blogs with links to encourage others to check them out
5. Don't forget to let your fellow bloggers know that you shared about them.  6. Lastly, leave them some love by offering them a goody from your store as their "treat."

MORE Followers
Alicia at Keeping it True in K-1-2

Alicia also has a self-contained K-2 classroom so I get a lot of great ideas from her that I can use in my classroom with my kiddos. In addition to great ideas, she also has awesome freebies & TpT stuff!

SAME Followers
Sarah at Learning is for Superstars

Sarah is a First grade teacher with tons of cute activities and ideas that I like to use for my "higher" kids who work on typical academics.

LESS Followers
Amy at The Puzzling World of Autism

I love finding fellow bloggers who work with kids with autism since that is my passion. Amy has a wonderful blog with lots of practical ideas for making a classroom autism-friendly.

Sensory Saturday--Seating

There are tons of seating options available that also provide sensory input. 

Therapy Balls

Therapy balls are great for kids who need an alternative seating option. Students need to be alert in order to balance their weight on the ball. I also use the therapy ball to provide proprioceptive input (deep pressure by rolling it firmly over a student who is laying on the carpet). A therapy ball can also be used for students who need vestibular input  (rocking back and forth or bouncing). 

"Wiggle" Cushions

I typically use these with my "wiggly" kiddos. Wiggle seats can give some of the same input as the therapy ball but are easier to implement in the classroom (especially in the general ed room) because they are smaller and don't stand out as much. There are a lot of varieties and textures. Last year I had a student who needed something to do with his hands when he was trying to focus but was easily distracted when given a fidget and didn't like using a fidget in general ed. Sitting on the wiggle seat he could rub the texture and it was more discrete and less distracting.

 Howda Hug

I have a student who is unable to sit "criss-cross" on the carpet because he doesn't have the needed core strength. Additionally, he struggled with boundaries and would often be turned completely around by the end of activity. At first he used a preschool cube chair but I wanted something to help him sit on the carpet like the rest of the kids. The howda hug has been perfect for this. It provides a backrest for core support as well as a boundary.

T-Stool

Like a therapy ball, a T-stool requires focus to balance. I have used the T-stool for those students who have not had success with a wiggle seat or therapy ball. A lot of students get frustrated at first with the T-stool because they are hard to sit on but when used correctly (intermittently with breaks) they work well for helping kids focus.

Rocking Chair

A rocking chair can be a way to provide calming, vestibular input and give students a break. 

Bean Bag Chair

A bean bag chair is a great place for a student to take a break and listen to music or read a book. The “hug” of the chair around students can provide some deep pressure input and for students who struggle with sitting due to weak core strength it gives their body a break too.

Teaching Numeration to Students with Moderate-Intensive Needs (with FREEBIE!)

Download my FREE Number Practice Powerpoint

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

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This year I have 7 students who are just beginning to learn their numbers. Initially, I tried finding cutesy number activities that aligned with our weekly theme. However, I quickly learned that these activities we too complicated for this particular group of kids. 
This group has many needs. Most of them struggle visually, either due to vision issues such as difficulty with tracking or visual attention or due to visual sensory sensitivity. Therefore games that featured apples or buses that just happened to have numbers in the middle of them were too hard for these students to process visually and they were unable to focus on the most important aspect of the activity, the number. 

Additionally, this group needs TONS of repetitions and structure. The need to repeat saying the number, seeing the number, and counting that number of objects. Additionally, I needed to find a way to present the new information/number in a similar way to how I taught the previous number. This eliminates several variables such as needing to teach them new directions to an activity or the students needing to learn to process information given in a different way. The most important goal was for them to learn the numbers. After they master the numbers, then I will begin using other activities to assist with generalization. 

Finally, due to the visual and processing needs, these students also struggled with any one-to-one correspondence activities. Again, I felt I needed to find a way to teach the act of counting in a very structured way. 

I am now in the process of creating a modified numeration curriculum for this set of students. This is what I have created so far:

1. Daily Powerpoint Review 

(requires 1 copy of PowerPoint presentation to be projected)

• Project number review PowerPoint on the whiteboard 
• Have students take turns identifying previously introduced numbers. 
• Hide any slides of numbers that have not been introduced. 
• Various colors are used to address visual sensory needs.
• For additional sensory input have students stand on an uneven surface (one foot on phone books, rocker board, etc.)

FREE Number Review Powerpoint Slides

I adapted steps 2-4 from the book Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome. I have found this match, select, say method to be extremely useful when teaching basic concepts (sight word reading, vocabulary, numbers, letters, etc) to my neediest learners and it is my form of Discrete Trial Training since I don't have a specific DTT program. In my opinion, the most important aspect of this method is keeping it very fast-paced. This keeps the student engaged and trains their brain to work quickly. Here is a great example of DTT. I love her pacing. 

2. Match

(requires 2 sets of flashcards, copied on cardstock and laminated for durability

• Introduce target number flashcard, say the number, and have the student repeat
• Lay flashcard in front of the student.
• Introduce identical flashcard, say the number, have the student repeat
• Give flashcard to student and instruct to match (“Put 3 on 3”).
• Repeat 5x.

3. Select (Receptive ID)

(requires 1 set of flashcards, copied on cardstock and laminated for durability)

• Lay out a field of 3 number cards (1 target, 2 mastered)
• If introducing number 1 use 2 blank distracter cards
• Direct student to touch cards in random order (Touch 2, Touch 1, Touch 3)
• Rearrange cards and repeat 5x
• If students struggle with this step, return to Matching and repeat steps

4. Say (Expressive ID)

(requires 1 set of flashcards, copied on cardstock and laminated for durability)

• Shuffle cards and have the student identify each one
• Place easily ID’d cards aside and shuffle missed cards back into the stack
• If student struggles with this step, return to Selecting and repeat steps

5. My Number Book 

• MODIFICATION: Fold along solid lines to limit visual field if needed
• Color Number
• extra exposure to number
• repeat number several times while students color (“I like how you colored number 2”, “You’re 5 looks great”, etc)
• Touch and Count
• Have students point to the numbers as they count
• Color and Count
• Have students count as they color the stars
• MODIFICATION: Use bingo dotters if the student is unable to color quickly while counting
• Cover and Count
• using counter discs or tokens, have students cover black dots as they count out the designated number of items

 

NO PREP Multisensory Number 1-20 Practice Workbook PRINT or EASEL

NO PREP Multisensory Number 1-20 Practice Workbook
Print Example

Generalization/Multisensory Practice

• Matching: sort number flashcards, sort Touchmath TouchNumerals, Vizzle sorting activities
• Receptive ID: SPLAT, Touchmath StepNumerals, DTT Numbers app 
• Expressive ID: Trace and Say Multisensory Flashcards (sandpaper, pipe cleaners, glitter, puffy paint), Touchmath Texture Cards
• Counting: Vizzle counting activities, themed counting activities, counting bear counters or blocks

MMy Multisensory Number Practice Workbook for Special Education also includes the TPT Digital Activity so students can practice using technology too!

NO PREP Multisensory Number 1-20 Practice Workbook
Easel Example

And for more multisensory Math activities check out these great products! 

15-Minute Multisensory Math & Reading Intervention Templates for Special Education

FREE Multisensory Activity Lists for Practicing Basic Math & Reading Skills at Home

Sensory Saturday--Deep Pressure

Proprioceptive (also called deep pressure or heavy work) input is the type that I use most often because it is sort of the "default" that you should use when you aren't quite sure what the student needs. This is because deep pressure has a calming effect. For more information about deep pressure you can read about it here. 

Weighted Vest

Some students need deep pressure during activities. Typically these kids are the ones you see bouncing off your classroom walls or who seem overly anxious. A weighted vest provides a calming effect. 

Steamroller

This is another way to provide proprioceptive (deep pressure) input. We have our steamroller in a sensory room at school and kids who need a break will go to the room and roll through the steamroller several times. 

Weighted Lap Pads

Some students don't like the constricting feeling of the weighted vest but they still need the weighted pressure so I give them a weighted lap pad. This is also the more discrete option for general ed classrooms.

Pressure or Benik Vest

A pressure vest provides deep pressure to a students torso. The vest pictured is a Benik vest which is typically sized specifically to one student. I am sure there is a method to when to use a weighted vest and when to use a pressure vest but I don't know what it is. I typically try both and see which one the student prefers. 

 Body Sock

At first I thought Body Socks were bizarro! But they worked so I quickly started to love them. They are great for those kids who have trouble with boundaries and knowing where they body is in space because it makes a physical boundary around them.

Therabands

Therabands are also great for working on strength and resistance. Another great way to use them is by tying them to a child's chair leg for those kids who seem to constantly be kicking you under the table. The band allows them to kick but protects your shins by providing a boundary.