Special Classroom

Weather

2012-01-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

I used the Rolling Right Along Construction Kit to create a book for a preschool student. The weather pictures are created using textured papers. Each type of weather has a different texture and shape. The student rolls the ball along the velcro path. The words of the class weather songs are included so the student can read or sing the words as he moves the ball across the pages.

Textured Snowmen

2012-01-19T15:33:00.002-08:00

I love snow and especially snow days, so this month some of my activities have centered around snowmen. I created this activity for my students who are blind or have low vision.

I created a snowman using QuickTac by Duxbury. This program allowed me to turn a picture into raised dots. If you do not have access to the program or an embosser (braille printer), then you could use white Wikki Stix or hot glue to make an outline. I pre-cut the hat, nose, and scarf from textured peel and stick papers.

We read a "touchy feely" Usborne book called That's Not My Snowman. The students explored the different textures in the book before making their own snowman.

The students made their color selections, and stuck the items to the paper. The students had to pinch and pull the cotton balls and glue onto the snowman. The students used markers to draw a mouth and color the bumpy eyes. The activity was great for exploring some of the attributes that are tested on the Virginia Alternative Assessment (VAAP).

Rolling Right Along Construction Kit from APH

2011-10-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a book that I created with the Rolling Right Along Construction Kit from APH. I used the Textured Paper to create the shapes. Students roll the ball as you read. If you create your own, remember to add a repeated line for an assisted communication device. I added braille over the large print for students to explore.

The last two pages contain a variety of shapes and textures that can be removed and explored.

Work Tasks

2011-10-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

My caseload includes students with many disabilities. I made some work tasks for students with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and autistic characteristics. I focused on bright colors. Duct tape is available in many colors now. I found it at Target and Home Depot. I covered cardboard boxes with the bright tape, then added accents to the other components.

I included a switch that says, "I'm finished." The task on the right has an auditory component. The eggs are filled with fish tank gravel. Different "fillers" could be used to create different sounds. I found that with the water task, lighter "coins" floated to the bottom of the tube more slowly. I found some St. Patrick's Day Coins that floated nicely. The picture above shows poker chips which sink more quickly.

Halloween Activities

2011-10-28T19:49:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the activities that I used with my students this month. After reading the book, we played a game. I didn't have a spinner so I used a picture cube. Students took turns rolling the cube. If they rolled something they didn't need, they lost their turn. The first one to complete their pumpkin face was the winner. The pumpkins are sparkly foam. I used Boardmaker pictures for the cube. I used foam circles for the eyes, seasonal pom poms for the nose and a foam mouth. The yellow tray made a great background for my students with visual impairments. Each student started by making a choice of pumpkin color.

The other activity pictured here is a sorting activity. Students had to decide if the gourd was bumpy or smooth. It is difficult to see here, but the augmentative communication devices has a bumpy texture on the button for bumpy.

Bright colors and textures not only help my students with visual impairments, but also add interest for all students.

New Position

2010-07-30T14:25:00.001-07:00

This year I will be a teacher of the Visually Impaired. I am really excited about this new opportunity. I will be an itinerant teacher. This is new to me, so I will be learning a new kind of organization.

Adapted Glue Stick

2010-02-18T13:00:00.001-08:00

Here is a quick adaptation for a glue stick. I used a 1/2 " tee, a small length of PVC pipe, and a cap. My students hold on to the longer part at the top. I used a small rubber band around the part of the glue stick that twists. This way I don't have to remove the glue stick to get more glue.

Adapted Writing Utensils

2010-02-02T12:30:00.001-08:00

Here are a few of the utensils that I have created to use with my students. The crayon is in a flower holder. It protects the crayons from breaking, but if they do break add some paper into the top to keep the crayon from going up into the tube.

The PVC marker and dobber holders work like bent markers.

You can adapt the length of the "handle" by changing the length of the pipe.

AT Blog Carnival

2010-01-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

Are you searching for new ways to incorporate Assistive Technology into your classroom? Then check out Patrick Black's Blog Teaching All Students. He is hosting an AT Blog Carnival.

Math Game

2010-01-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the math games I use to teach counting, one to one correspondence, addition, and subtraction. Students use their switch to spin. I color code the ends so that I can remember which switch to plug in for each child. I found that it is easier for each student to have a switch rather than pass one switch around. I use two 10 frames. Each space has a Velcro dot and each cube has Velcro. The spinner can be programmed with numbers to match IEP goals. I have found the game useful for teaching students to count on for addition. The first person to 20 wins.

Climb for Water Recipe - News-2-You

2010-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

We usually "cook" the recipe from the newspaper each week on Thursday. Today we did the Mountain Mix recipe. I like "trail mix" recipes because they encourage choice making and communicating wants.

I gave each student a zipper baggie. Then, instead of pouring all of the ingredients into a bowl, I put them in separate containers. I programmed a switch to say "I want that." Each child was asked if they wanted the ingredient in their baggie. They activated the switch if they wanted the ingredient in their mix. The students enjoyed deciding which ingredients they wanted. I do have some students who don't eat much by mouth, so we send the bags home to share with their siblings, grandparents, etc.

Holiday Activities

2009-12-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

We have been using the Unique Curriculum this year. Our current unit is a Holiday Unit. We started with Hanukkah. One of the most difficult activities for our class is the dreidel game. Once I adapted the game to use the spinner instead of a dreidel, we had a great time. We used beans instead of candy.

Classroom Pictures

2009-10-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

I have rearranged my classroom at least 3 times since the beginning of school. With 5 wheelchairs, 4 standers, and many other pieces, there just is not enough storage. Students are in and out of the equipment so much that I can't store them in another room.

Here are some pictures of my classroom. When I get my Windows Operating System back, I will turn the pictures into a video slide show.

View from the door.

Two computers and some of the multitude of equipment.

Morning Meeting Area and
calendar/ weather activity. Smartboard area.

Kitchen Area and more equipment.

Another computer and storage for devices, switches, etc. I also have things (craft supplies, etc.) stored behind the curtains in large containers.

Student work area. More equipment in the back of the room.

Student storage (tube feeding supplies, etc.)

Teacher and assistant desks. Mine is NOT the neat one in front. Bathroom to the left and storage area. You should see under my desk. More storage!

Nurse seating area. Storage for chart holder/room divider.

Classroom Library and equipment storage.

Unique Curriculum

2009-09-28T18:09:00.001-07:00

I am using the intermediate level of the Unique Curriculum this year. I am impressed with the material so far. I have made a few adjustments to some of the activities to fit them into our state standards. For example, the students will create a timeline for President Obama's life. Most of my students need to learn ordinal numbers, so I numbered the events and the students will glue them to a cash register tape in order.

My students are also creating a notebook with the questions from each book. We glue the questions (2 per page) in the notebook and the students find the answer and help glue it into the book. I note on each page how much help was given. I hope to use the data for some of our reading standards.

One of the activities is a pizza fraction activity. I printed out 2 copies of the pizzas. I cut out one pizza for each set and then laminated and numbered the pizza slices. Students have to count the pieces and answer questions about which pizza they would need if there are 4, 6, or 8 people.

We are having a lot of fun with our curriculum and I think it will help us meet our state standards.

Adapted Math

2009-08-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

I adapt a lot of the materials I
use with my students for math. One of my goals is to have a hard copy of math activities I can send off for State Assessments, save as documentation, and send home. I have had many students who could not write clearly, so I came up with one way to help these students access the curriculum.

I created worksheets that left enough space for an answer that could be pasted next to the problem. Next I copied enough numbers so that there were enough to complete a worksheet and have some extras. Students could be given a choice of
2, 3, or more answers. It was a pain to keep
up with all of the numbers.

This summer, I found a handy item in the craft section to organize my numbers. I also learned how to shuffle buttons in Boardmaker this summer, so now I can make practice sheets more easily. To make my worksheets, I created 2 columns of buttons with the numbers 1 - 5. I shuffle the buttons in each column separately, but you could shuffle all of the buttons. I placed the addition sign and the equal sign on the background so they would not shuffle.

Wobble Painting

2009-07-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

My main goal for my classroom is for students to be as independent as possible. I want this to cross all parts of the curriculum including art. One idea that I read about on a few special education sites is marble painting. I loved the idea. I want my students to do as much of the project as possible from selecting paint color to moving the marbles/balls independently. As I debated how to make this happen, my eyes happened upon the bowl I got at the hospital after surgery. Now, how do I make this bowl move with the smallest amount of effort. I looked at the various bowls and lids around the house, but they all had the same problem - a flat bottom. Then, I found a top to a water bottle that was slightly curved. It has to be small enough that the bowl won't tip completely over.

Ryan was willing to try the activity. Enjoy the video.

Daily Weather Journal

2009-07-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

I developed a Boardmaker activity so that students can create their own weather journal. This activity can be used as data to meet one of our state alternative assessment standards. In this activity students glue the day, date, month and weather on their calendar page. The individual pages can be placed in a binder or glued into a notebook. I belong to a yahoo group for people who share Boardmaker activities and ideas. The activity has been uploaded to the site. I also uploaded it to the AdaptedLearning.com site. Let me know if you would like to receive this activity by way of email.

Adapting Responsive Classroom Part 1

2009-07-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

I am taking the Responsive Classroom class this week. I am working on adapting the Morning Meeting section of Responsive Classroom for my students. I will incorporate communication devices and communication boards for students. I will use a device to support my students in "reading" the morning message as they enter the classroom. Boardmaker symbols can be used to help students interact with the message. Use reusable tape or glue symbols on post it notes so they can be moved easily.

Easy Communication Board

2009-06-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

I encourage my students with disabilities to use sentences as much as possible from low tech to high tech, from verbal to written communication.

One of the most inexpensive ways I have used to encourage sentence development is a basic communication board. I use Boardmaker to print out symbols/words, but any picture from a magazine or camera could be used. I wanted a way to reuse symbols without having to run to the laminating machine. I came across baseball card holders made from heavy plastic at Walmart. I trimmed the holders to 3 in. by 3 in. I set the size of my cells to 2.5 in by 2.5 in. I placed Velcro on the back of each holder.

I use a slant board with an area at the bottom to place the symbols. Students sequence the symbols to create a sentence. I use this board for activities throughout the school day. The symbols are larger and easier to manipulate for students with some physical disabilities. Some students love the sound of the Velcro.