New Classroom Set-Up

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I recently changed my classroom layout! My students have been really chatty lately, so I broke up some of my table groups and now have 4 rows of 4 desks each with 2 groups of 6 in the back of the room!

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Special Education Tips & Inspiration

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 I was recently looking through my Google Drive folder's from when I got my special education endorsement and thought I'd share a Padlet full of tips & words of wisdom for those thinking of entering special education this fall.  Special Education Padlet Link Google Slide of Resources As I was looking through the Padlet- I feel like the advise/stories hit different now that I'm 2 years into my special-educator journey. Here are some thoughts about special education as I wind up this school year and reflect on the past: When people say that special education is both extremely challenging and rewarding at the same time its so true! The highs of helping a student with behavior problems make progress or a kid with dyslexia learning to read is so amazing, but the challenges of getting to that point are also exhausting.  Special education is something that you need to experience and do hands on to really understand it. Teaching in general is a very learn on the job career. I...
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GLAD Strategy: Sequence Pattern Chart

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GLAD stands for Guided Language Acquisition Design and are strategies to help ELL students and struggling readers. I was first introduced to GLAD when I was getting my MA/credential at UC Irvine. When you think about it- most students are English language learners in the sense that they are learning new academic vocabulary! One GLAD strategy I tried was a Sequence Pattern Chart. This chart helps students recognize parts of speech and use a writing resource. I used this because I wanted to help students create interesting descriptive sentences for a personal narrative we were working on. To make a sequence pattern chart you create 5 categories- adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, and prepositional phrases. As a class we picked one noun we wanted to focus on and then filled in the rest of the chart based on our noun. For our example the class decided they wanted to talk about "porta-potties"- we had a good time making creative stories about aliens using space traveling porta-p...
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Tips for Facilitating & Preparing for an IEP Meeting

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 As a special education teacher one of your big jobs is to case manage and teach students with individualized education plans (IEPs).  What's An IEP?  IEPs are legal plans to help students with special needs and create systems to help them in school. IEPs need to be reviewed annually with a student's family/guardian, general education teacher, school administrator, special education teacher, student (if appropriate), and any specialist involved (speech, occupational or physical therapy, vision, advocates, etc.). An IEP outlines goals for student and any accommodations or modifications a student might need for that school year.  I was so nervous at the first IEP meeting I facilitated! It can be nerve wracking to create / share a presentation to a student's family and your colleagues- all while remembering that that is a legally binding document. Today I want to share with some ideas and materials to have a smooth IEP meeting! Preparing / Writing an IEP Give yourself L...
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