Adapted Math

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

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

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

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

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.