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7 Tips to Survive the End of the Year

May 8, 2017 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

7 Tips to Survive the End of the Year

After state testing finishes, many kids (and adults) struggle to survive the last few weeks of school. Summer is coming and everyone knows it! Here are seven tips that will help teachers and kids have a positive and fun ending to the school year.

End of Year Time Capsule1. Assign end of the year projects. Kids love projects with a final result. One of my favorites is an End of the Year Time Capsule Project. Kids can select and bring in three items that symbolize important events, people, or places in their lives this school year. Then, they write essays detailing why each item is important to them. Best of all, this is an easy project to differentiate. You can have kids write longer or shorter essays, depending on ability level. Another option is to include fewer or more items that are meaningful for the school year. The end project is a time capsule in a shoe box that they can share and then bring home to talk about with families. Other options for end of the year projects include designing their own perfect school, creating a list of “must read” books, creating a class book of favorite class activities, and planning a pretend field trip to anywhere in the world.

2. Cut back on grading assignments. You can always give extra practice, activities, and projects without grading them all. Give yourself permission to reduce the amount of time you spend grading papers and entering those grades.

3. Assign organizing jobs to kids. Some students seriously love being given a job by the teacher. Use some of those students to help you organize materials that can be tidied and put away early. You will be happy that you got to it during the school year so you don’t have extra to do during the summer or on the first days back.

What We Learned Bulletin 4. Plan a bulletin board that kids can help with. One of my favorite end of the year bulletin boards is a project that kids create for next year. That means the kids will be doing the bulk of the work while reflecting upon the school year, with the intent to leave it up for your next years kids. It’s just genius. Kids can write reflections on what fun activities they did this year, what advice they have for next year’s kids, how they felt challenged, what they did in each subject, and more. You can make your own or purchase the What We Learned Bulletin Board here.

5. Plan some fun downtime. Plan a movie afternoon. You can choose a movie aligned with something in your curriculum, or just make it a fun kid’s choice selection. Another alternative is having games centers that kids can play on their own. Games like Scrabble, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, and practically any other board games make perfect center activities. You can have kids play just for fun or answer a task card of your choice before taking a turn. These downtime activities also give you the time you need to correct assignments, finish reports, or get grades in.

6. Consider materials and resources for next year. It’s never too early to get a head start for next school year. While the year is winding down, I find it helpful to inventory what I have and what I need for next school year. Make a list and purchase some materials and resources if you find the time. You will thank yourself in the fall!

7. Get outside. Spend time doing a read aloud outside underneath a tree. Consider an outdoor scavenger hunt or take a nature walk that you plan to write about. Getting outside can be fun and give you the dose of sunshine that you need during the springtime months.

If you find yourself needing some fun materials, see what end of the year resources I have available to keep your kids going for the last few weeks of school!

Best of all, TpT is having a Teacher Appreciation Sale on May 9th and 10th, which is a great time to stock up on resources for the end of this school year and the beginning of next. To celebrate, I’m hosting a $10 TpT gift card giveaway below. Please enter to win! Good luck and happy shopping!

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Filed Under: Classroom Management, Tips for Teachers

10 Truths Kids with Disabilities Should Know

May 1, 2017 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

10 Truths Kids with Disabilities Should Know

As a special education teacher, I see kids with all types of disabilities and learning challenges. Sometimes, we are so busy teaching and working on critical skills that we don’t spend enough time talking to kids about their actual disabilities. By starting to talk to kids about their disabilities, we can empower young learners to understand who they are and give them confidence to achieve their greatest goals. Here are 10 Truths Kids With Disabilities Should Know:

1. You are unique. You have your own learning profile with individual strengths and weaknesses. That is true for every person, whether they have a disability or not. Learn to embrace your strengths while always working on your challenges along the way.

2. Your disability is just one piece of you. You are not a “disabled person” but “a person with a disability”. It is just one part of who you are. You have many other strengths and positives that shine through each and every day that are bigger parts of you as a person. While your disability is important, it is just a part of you and not the whole thing.

3. You are your best advocate. You know yourself best. You know what you need to do your best and what will help you to accomplish a task. With that, you’ll need to stand up for yourself at times and make sure you get those things. Sometimes it will be easy to get what you need and other times you may need to fight for it.

4. Many people around the world also have disabilities. About one-fifth of the world’s population have disabilities. That is over 100 million people. You are not alone.

5. You won’t outgrow your disability, but you will develop strategies. As you learn and grow, you will learn strategies to help you cope and compensate for the challenges you deal with. These strategies will help you become a stronger person. While you can’t “outgrow” your disability, you can most certainly get better at dealing with the challenges it brings.

6. Some people still do not recognize or understand disabilities. While many people have knowledge about disabilities, there are still many who do not. Some misconceptions about disabilities still exist. Remember not to take this personally. Instead, use it as an opportunity to educate others.

7. Not all parts of your disability are bad. Many times, a disability helps to highlight or bring forth other strengths inside of you. Kids and young adults with ADHD, for example, are often very creative and innovative. They are known to think outside the box. Those with autism can be known to have a particular attention to detail like no one else. Kids with learning disabilities may have a special drive and determination, able to overcome the biggest challenges. Others might have lots of empathy or compassion. Those are just a few small examples. Simply put, there are positives to each disability, so make sure to find yours.

8. Everyone has challenges. When you have the label of a disability, it’s easy to feel different or singled out. Keep in mind that everyone experiences difficulties and challenges in some form, whether or not they are labeled as a disability. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean someone else isn’t struggling. We all have challenges we deal with every day.

9. It’s okay to be open about your disability. Keeping disabilities secret and hidden have created a feel that they are taboo or bad. When you are ready, it’s okay to open up to loved ones and friends about your disability. The people who care about you will understand and can be there to listen when needed. Take your time and share at your own pace, but when you do finally open up, it’s going to set you free a bit.

10. You can be anything you aspire to be and more. Hold on to your hopes, goals, and dreams. You are a unique person who is capable of anything. Believe in yourself, work hard, and you can do anything in this world.

Get the FREE printable “10 Truths Kids with Disabilities Should Know” and use it today! It includes a reflection sheet for kids and young adults to reflect upon the 10 truths. It would be a great activity in a resource class, small counseling group, or just at the beginning of the year.

I am a special education teacher who loves working with kids and young adults with disabilities. Consider checking out some of my free and paid resources for kids with special needs here at my store.

Filed Under: Autism, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education, Teaching

10 Best Times to Practice Mindfulness in the Classroom

April 17, 2017 by pathway2success 2 Comments

10 Best Times to Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness means being present in the moment with your thoughts and feelings without making judgements. It is being aware of what is happening but not being overwhelmed. Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis can help you feel calmer, happier, and be more in tune with yourself. People of all ages and abilities can practice mindfulness, including kids and young adults. Some people practice mindfulness for different reasons, too. If a child gets nervous before a test, it can help calm them down and regain focus. If a young adult struggles with controlling their anger, it can help them control emotions. And if someone just wants to feel a bit happier (who doesn’t?), it can help take away negative thoughts. Overall, practicing mindfulness can be helpful in so many different ways.

There are many different ways mindfulness can be practiced. Some strategies include practicing slow breathing, mindful observance, mindful listening, walking meditation, yoga, or even mindful coloring. If you need specific materials to start teaching mindfulness, consider this ready-to-go mindfulness activities guide. The mindfulness activities include listening to music, coloring, making crafts, and much more. Best of all, activities are specifically tailored to kids and young adults.

Mindfulness Activities

Here are the 10 best times to practice mindfulness in the classroom:

1. At the beginning of a morning meeting. Start the day together with a positive intention. This helps kids to get centered for the day ahead while leaving any emotional challenges they have at the door. It’s a great way to begin a fresh start.

2. After lunch or recess to help bring the class back together. It’s easy to say that lunch and recess are two of the biggest sensory-overloads kids experience all day. Rather than trying to fight that, turn the day around by meditating for a few minutes. It can become a signal that “we are back in the classroom now”.

3. Before high-stakes testing to help focus and calm the mind. So many kids and young adults get extremely stressed over high-stakes testing. Even the ones who don’t say anything may be experiencing a high level of anxiety and worry. Spending a few minutes mindfully relaxing can help kids de-stress and do their best on the test.

4. In small group counseling sessions to promote relaxation. Many kids and young adults just do not know HOW to relax. Much of their time is spent at school, playing sports, playing games, being online, and checking their phone. Unfortunately, none of those activities promote relaxation. Arrange a small group of kids that meets on a regular basis to practice mindfulness strategies. Anyone can do this, including a special education teacher, counselor, psychologist, social worker, or even regular education teacher. By setting up this small group to practice mindfulness, you can explicitly teach these relaxation skills that so many kids desperately need to cope with stressors in their lives.

Mindfulness Activities5. In between class transitions to provide a mental break. Transitioning from one task to another can throw an entire class off. Transitions provide the perfect natural break to practice mindfulness and relaxations.

6. At the beginning of a resource class or independent work session. One of the greatest elements to mindfulness is that it can help clear the mind. Dedicate five minutes or so to practicing mindfulness just before an independent working session and the benefits will last.

7. Small group counseling sessions to teach strategies for anxiety. Kids and young adults with anxiety need to learn coping strategies to help them through their challenges. Mindfulness and meditation are some of the best ways to deal with anxiety. Remember to try several different techniques to help find ones that work best for individual students. Also, note that many kids struggle with “invisible anxiety” and may benefit from these strategies without ever having the actual anxiety label documented.

8. Let partners or small groups practice before a test or quiz. Any type of assessment can be overwhelming for a number of students. Practicing mindfulness techniques just before a test or quiz can help kids get their thoughts together and feel more confident before they take on an assessment.

9. Just before an assembly or guest speaker. Big assemblies can be extra-challenging for many kids. Some students may feel anxious about the change in schedule, while others may have an extreme difficulty in keeping their thoughts to themselves for that whole time. Try practicing some mindfulness and relaxation strategies before such an effort to reduce challenges.

Mindfulness Activities10. Anytime (just for no reason) to show that mindfulness can be done anytime and anywhere. While there are many times that are ideal to practice mindfulness strategies, it’s important to recognize that you can practice it anywhere and anytime! Use it when the class is getting a bit loud, a group of students are having trouble focusing, or you just need to set a calm tone. Sometimes just taking a mindfulness break can do the trick. And best of all, you don’t really need a reason to do it.

Use this Mindfulness Activities resource to teach and practice mindfulness with kids and young adults right away!

Filed Under: Autism, Behavior Management, Classroom Management, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education

100 Coping Strategies for Anger, Anxiety, and More

April 2, 2017 by pathway2success 5 Comments

100 coping strategies and skills to help kids and teens learn to manage their emotions, anxiety, and anger on the spot. Use this free list as a tool to help people manage stress.

Coping strategies are techniques that help reduce negative feelings when someone is feeling under stress. Those feelings might be the result of anxiety, anger, depression, or just general day-to-day stress. Practicing coping strategies can help kids and young adults learn how to manage their emotions in a positive way.

Every child or young adult should have a “toolbox” of coping strategies that works for them. It’s important to recognize that what works for one person may not work well for another. For example, one student may utilize a stress ball quietly and calmly to reduce anxious feelings during a test. A different student may try to use that stress ball and find themselves unable to hold onto it without tossing it, only creating more anxiety about getting in trouble. That is why it’s important to have a large list of positive coping strategies that kids and young adults can choose from.

If you’re looking for a fun craft to practice and try out some of these coping strategies, try this Coping Strategies Fortune Teller Craft. First, students will identify their top coping strategies from the list or on their own. They will write those strategies in the printable. After coloring and decorating, students will then cut out their fortune tellers and then use the directions to fold their craft together. Let students practice their coping strategies by playing with their fortune tellers in partners or groups. Encourage students to read each others’ coping strategies and even practice them, when appropriate. This can be a great activity in small groups to discuss strategies and identify what works best for each individual student. Give it a try!

100 coping strategies and skills to help kids and teens learn to manage their emotions, anxiety, and anger on the spot. Use this free list as a tool to help people manage stress.

Get your free printable list of 100 Coping Strategies here. Use this quick guide to help teach, practice, and choose the best coping strategies for your students. It can a fun and positive activity to read through the list and choose coping strategies to practice.

100 coping strategies and skills to help kids and teens learn to manage their emotions, anxiety, and anger on the spot. Use this free list as a tool to help people manage stress.

Here is a list of 100 coping strategies for emotional management:

1. Take deep breaths

2. Do a positive activity

3. Play sports

4. Think of something funny

5. Take a quick walk

6. Practice yoga

7. Stand up and stretch

8. Listen to music

9. Take a time out

10. Slowly count to ten

11. Use positive self-talk

12. Say something kind to yourself

13. Talk to a friend

14. Talk to an adult

15. Close your eyes and relax

16. Say, “I can do this”

17. Visualize your favorite place

18. Think of something happy

19. Think of a pet you love

20. Think about someone you love

21. Get enough sleep

22. Eat a healthy snack

23. Read a good book

24. Set a goal

25. Jog in place

26. Write in a journal

27. Hum your favorite song

28. Doodle on paper

29. Draw a picture

30. Color a coloring page

31. Clean something

32. Meditate

33. Use a stress ball

34. Dance

35. Write a letter

36. Look at pictures you’ve taken

37. Make a gratitude list

38. List your positive qualities

39. Do something kind

40. Give someone a hug

41. Put a puzzle together

42. Do something you love

43. Build something

44. Play with clay

45. Hug a stuffed animal

46. Rip paper into pieces

47. Play an instrument

48. Watch a good movie

49. Take pictures

50. Garden

51. Write a list

52. Keep a positive attitude

53. Schedule time for yourself

54. Blow bubbles

55.  Write a positive note

56. Chew gum

57. Paint your nails

58. Write a story

59. Blog

60. Read a joke book

61. Write a poem

62. Drink cold water

63. Draw cartoons

64. Read a magazine

65. Write a thank you note

66. Count to 100

67. Make a list for the future

68. Read inspirational quotes

69. Compliment yourself

70. Visualize a stop sign

71. Laugh

72. Smile in the mirror

73. Smile at others

74. Do schoolwork

75. Look at animal pictures

76. Hyperfocus on an object

77. Notice 5 things you can see

78. Paint with water colors

79. Use a relaxation app

80. Watch a funny video

81. Drink some tea

82. Cook or bake

83. Plan a fun trip

84. Use an I-statement

85. Identify your emotions

86. Express your feelings to someone

87. Write down your thoughts

88. Identify a positive thought

89. Make your day’s schedule

90. List 10 positives about you

91. Ask yourself, “What do I need right now?”

92. Tell someone you are thankful for them

93. Pet an animal

94. Make a list of choices

95. Ask an adult for help

96. Organize something

97. Play a card game

98. Listen to nature sounds

99. Sit and relax all your muscles

100. Ask for a break

Coping strategies and mindfulness activities

If you are interested in even more coping strategies, consider my Mindfulness and Coping Strategies Mega Bundle. With this resource, you will get over 600 pages of lessons, activities, crafts, task cards, posters, and more focused on practicing coping strategies and mindfulness.

Also, make sure you read up on one way I practice coping strategies with a craft! I’d love to hear what other coping strategies work for you and your learners!

Free coping strategies list to help kids and teens learn to manage their emotions, anxiety, and anger on the spot. Give kids and young adults the skills they need!

Filed Under: Classroom Management, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education

Using Sticky Notes to Teach Reading Strategies

March 15, 2017 by pathway2success 3 Comments

Using Sticky Notes to Teach Reading Comprehension

All grade and age levels need to concretely learn and practice active reading strategies. Just because reading comprehension strategies are more explicitly taught and focused on in primary grades doesn’t mean that middle and high school level teachers shouldn’t be teaching and reinforcing, too! Actually, as the content gets harder (around 5th to 7th grade) it becomes more critical that kids and young adults become stronger at utilizing active reading strategies on their own for continued success.

While there are many ways you can teach and reinforce reading strategies, one of the easiest methods includes think-alouds and sticky notes. It’s really that easy. The teacher should model reading a text aloud (which can be on ANY subject). As the teacher reads, he or she should stop and “think aloud” while using reading strategies. You might stop and say, “This part lets me really picture how water evaporates from the ground and becomes a gas” when reading a text on evaporation. You might stop and question, “I wonder why the Nile was such a valuable land for the early settlers” when exploring a text about early Nile civilizations. Besides just saying your thought, though, stop and actually make a sticky note. Then, add it to your text. Have your students practice the same.

Once your students understand how to use sticky notes while reading a text, have them do the same in partners, groups, and eventually independently. The ultimate goal is that learners are reading and stopping to think about what they are reading. It is helpful to have a foundational understanding of all the specific reading strategies, such as visualizing, making connections, questioning, and so on. This is especially true for struggling readers who need more concrete and explicit instruction. However, it’s more important that teachers expose their students to “stopping, thinking, and writing” than it is to wait until all reading strategies have been taught and mastered.

Some of the best specific reading strategies to teach include: monitoring comprehension, activating prior knowledge, making connections, visualizing, questioning, getting the gist, making inferences, determining importance, and synthesizing. Here is what each of those reading strategies really mean:

  • Monitoring comprehension is the first and most important strategy. It is teaching yourself to think about what you are reading. You might stop and highlight when parts are interesting or identify when you have no clue what you really read. It’s the most important strategy since it is the basis for all other reading strategies.

Questioning

  • Activating prior knowledge means thinking about the topic of a text and considering everything you know about that topic. This is helpful for readers because it helps set the stage in your mind for further learning. Give a set amount of time for students to brainstorm what they known about a topic prior to reading about it. Then, give time for students to share out.

Prior Knowledge

  • Making connections means relating what is read to things in real life or in other texts or movies. Making connections can be especially helpful when learning challenging science or math topics. Once you can relate a new concept to something else, it becomes much easier to generalize and concretely understand.
  • Visualizing is using the words in the text to create a picture in your mind. I often tell kids that it is like making a movie in your head using the text itself. This is also one of my favorite strategies to teach because you can use drawing or role playing to show how you visualize a text. A student might write, “I can picture when…” or “I can visualize this part in my head by seeing…”.

Visualizing

  • Questioning is coming up with questions about a text before, during, and after reading. This can also be a really fun strategy to teach, since it inspires students to engage in research and continued learning. Let students start with some stems such as “I wonder…” and “This part makes me question why…”.
  • Getting the gist means to put the “gist” or main idea of a passage in just a few words. This is the essential “did I really get that?” strategy, and a great tool for kids to use to make sure they are understanding what they are reading.

Gist

  • Making inferences is finding clues in the text to figure things out that aren’t explicitly stated. While this strategy is important in many texts, it is critical with higher level language and challenging novels. This can also be fun to teach when using news articles. Students might use this strategy starting off with “I can tell…” or “One thing I can infer is…”.
  • Determining importance is exactly what it sounds like: finding the most important parts in a text. While it sounds simple, it is often more challenging for students to learn. By forcing kids to identify what the three most important parts in a text are, they must really look critically at the text and use higher order thinking skills. Students might write, “I can tell this part is important because…”.
  • Synthesizing means being able to change your thinking after reading a text. It is putting different texts or media together to have a new understanding on a topic.

So get a few stacks of sticky notes and practice reading strategies in your classroom today! Note that it can be fun to have a variety of different sticky note sizes and colors so that your students can choose their own.

Reading Comprehension Lessons

Reading Comprehension Lessons

If you are looking to get started right away, consider for the full reading comprehension lessons guide. It includes lessons for teaching: monitoring comprehension, activating prior knowledge, making connections, visualizing, questioning, getting the gist, making inferences, determining importance, summarizing, and synthesizing.

If you find yourself needing more than lessons, the Reading Comprehension Bundle includes 27 lessons, task cards, posters, journal prompts, a bulletin board, and more!

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Filed Under: ELA, Reading Comprehension, Special Education, Study Skills, Teaching, Tips for Teachers

Teaching Kids How to Relax with Mindfulness

March 4, 2017 by pathway2success 1 Comment

Teaching Kids How To Relax

Relaxation is a skill that promotes health and well-being for people of all ages- including kids! Too often in school, we are all rushing to get through our days, complete our work, and fix the problems that come up. It’s easy to forget that kids need time to relax and de-stress, too. There are many health benefits to practicing relaxation. It reduces feelings of worry and anxiety, increases blood flow to muscles, reduces feelings of chronic pain, improves concentration, reduces feelings of anger and frustration, and boosts self-esteem.

Use these five simple techniques to teach and promote relaxation in your classroom:

1. Play calming music during tests, quizzes, and independent work time. You can choose whether to use meditation music, nature sounds, or instrumentals. Not only will this promote a calming effect on the classroom, but it will help kids who struggle with attention, too. Background music can really help kids with attention issues, such as ADHD, since it allows them to focus on their task instead of always focusing on interfering background noises and interruptions.

2. Build a yoga time into your day or week. Kids actually love having a daily exercise or warm-up time. Yoga can address that need while encouraging a way to relax. Research shows that yoga can reduce feelings of sadness, anxiety, and depression. It helps kids and young adults develop coordination, focus, and self-awareness. If you aren’t comfortable teaching yoga on your own, there are many online videos and tutorials you could play for the class. To make it even easier on a teacher, you can use relaxation task cards with kids. The cards help students learn and practice strategies to help them feel more calm and relaxed. Some of the strategies focus on yoga techniques and postures, while others focus on visualizing and even being a little silly.

Relaxation Task Cards

3. Practice meditation. After recess or a big activity, turn the lights off. Have kids sit at their desks, close their eyes, and just meditate. This is tough at first because kids honestly do not know how to calm their own bodies and minds. It can really help re-center kids, though, before getting back to work.

4. Teach mindfulness activities. Help kids and young adults practice mindfulness to help promote happiness, attention, and emotional control. Mindfulness activities can often include listening to music, coloring, practicing mindful breathing, learning to be present in the moment and much more. Use these mindfulness activities to find even more ways to practice mindfulness in your classroom.

Mindfulness Activities

5. Practice slow breathing techniques. Being able to control your breathing can really help you control your emotions and your thoughts at the same time. It can be fun to practice slow breathing to the beat of a drum or using a “breathe board” like shown below.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mindfulness-Activities-2934740

And while you are teaching kids to relax, make sure you give time for yourself to relax, too!

Filed Under: Behavior Management, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education

Using Task Cards to Teach Social Problem Solving

February 9, 2017 by pathway2success 3 Comments

Using Task Cards to Teach Social Problem Solving

Social problem solving is the process of figuring out how to deal with social situations and challenges. It involves understanding the situation, identifying a problem, considering solutions, and choosing the best way to handle that specific situation. While many kids and young adults figure out how to maneuver through these social challenges on their own, others often needs lots of help. These are the kids who get into arguments with others, can’t deal with disappointments, become upset easily, or have difficulty making (or keeping) friends. The good news is that social problem solving skills can be learned and developed over time.

The best way to learn social problem solving skills is to practice over and over through multiple situations. This allows kids and young adults to go through the process and develop their social thinking skills. Task cards are a great way to practice a variety of scenarios for social problem solving.

Here are some strategies for using task cards for teaching social problem solving:

1. Put together a variety of social situations on task cards. You can make your own with index cards or use a pre-made set, like the Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards. Remember to include lots of different situations, such as times with friends, at recess, in the classroom, with family, at lunch, and any other scenarios that may be important for that child. They key is having many different social scenarios that involve dilemmas or challenges, so that kids can think through each problem in a new way.

Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards

2. Put the cards on a ring. You can choose to just keep one set for yourself or give sets to partners and groups. Flip through them in a small group, during morning meetings, or during partners and group practice.

Social Problem Solving Task Cards

3. Give time for group discussions. Kids learn best from other kids! Allow time for lots of talk on each task card. Discuss things like “What would you do?”, “Why would you do that?”, and “What are some other options you could consider?”. Kids and young adults will disagree sometimes, and that’s okay. Allow for kids to explain their thoughts and really think through their social reasoning. This gives opportunity for social and emotional growth while learning from others.

Social Problem Solving Task Cards

4. Set up cards at centers. Have a center for each different type of scenario. Have kids work through each center in small groups. Then, after a certain amount of time (10 minutes or so), have each group move to the next center. It’s a fun way to practice social problem solving while allowing some movement, too.

Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards

5. Remember to include older kids, too! Middle and high school kids can also greatly benefit from learning social problem solving skills. Make sure to tailor the situations to your age group. For older kids, it’s helpful to focus on friends, relationships, online and texting, in classes, and during less structured time like lunch and in the hallways. Older kids will have just as much fun practicing social situation task cards as long as they are age-appropriate.

Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards

Get Started!

If you want to get started practicing social problem solving skills with elementary-age kids right away, try using Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards for Elementary. The cards are organized into five different sets that target different situations: With friends, with family, in the classroom, at recess, and at lunch.

 

If you need to practice this skill with older kids, try using Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards for Middle and High School. The social situation cards are organized into five different sets specific for older kids. Those situations include: With friends, with family, in classes, in the hallway and cafeteria, and online and texting.

Filed Under: Autism, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education

Save with TpT’s 2-Day Sale (And a Giveaway)!

February 6, 2017 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

TpT Sale

This February 7th and 8th will mark TpT’s 2-Day Sale! Using the code LoveTpT, you’ll be able to save up to 28% on all resources. All resources in my store will be on sale. This even includes bundles, which gives a huge savings on top of already discounted resources. To celebrate, I’m giving away a $10 TpT gift card. Scroll down to enter to win the gift card below.

Here are just a few of the hottest bundles you may wish to snag!

#1 Executive Functioning MEGA Bundle

Executive Functioning Mega BundleThese resources make targeting executive functioning and study skills easy. These are the skills necessary for academic success at the middle and high school level. The bundle includes over 300 pages full of lessons, templates, and workbook pages to teach study strategies and ways to improve executive functioning skills. The materials can be supports for resource room, guided study halls, or even a full curriculum for advisory periods.

 

#2 Guidance and Counseling MEGA Bundle

Guidance and Counseling BundleThis bundle is ideal for guidance counselors, school counselors, social workers, and school psychologists looking to get all of their materials in one place. It focuses on academic skills, executive functioning, study strategies, anger management skills, confidence building, perspective taking, developing goals, dealing with divorce, and encouraging kindness to others.

 

#3 Self-Confidence, Anxiety, and Positive Thinking Bundle

Self Confidence Anxiety Positive Thinking BundleThis is a bundle focused on helping students build self-confidence, increase positive thinking skills, and reduce anxiety and worrying. All kids could use ea boost in self-esteem and positive thinking! The materials are a blend of printable no-prep worksheets, activities, lessons, and task cards. This bundle would be valuable to social workers, guidance/school counselors, special education teachers, school psychologists, and even regular education teachers aiming to help kids build their self-esteem and positive thinking skills.

Enter to WIN a TpT Gift Card!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Practicing Coping Strategies (with a craft!)

January 13, 2017 by pathway2success 7 Comments

Practicing coping strategies with kids and young adults can help them learn to effective manage their anger, anxiety, and more. Use this hands-on and interactive craft to help manage stress and other tough emotions on the spot.

Having a “toolbox” of coping strategies is critical for a child or young adult to deal with challenging emotions. Sometimes the emotions are due to anxiety, depression, anger, stress or other strong feelings. Regardless of the reason, it’s important to teach, practice, and choose coping strategies that work for each individual child.

Using a Coping Strategies Fortune Teller can help with all of those things in a fun, interactive, and hands-on way.

Practicing coping strategies with kids and young adults can help them learn to effective manage their anger, anxiety, and more. Use this hands-on and interactive craft to help manage stress and other tough emotions on the spot. #copingstrategies #mentalhealth #copingskills #pathway2success #anxiety

It’s best to have an example fortune teller already made for students to view and play with. Show your students how it works and explain that coping strategies are listed inside.

Next, share the list of coping strategies with your students. Discuss the strategies in small groups or partners. Have students identify their top 8 coping strategies. Remind them to choose activities that they think will help them personally. It’s okay that everyone has different coping strategies!

Practicing coping strategies with kids and young adults can help them learn to effective manage their anger, anxiety, and more. Use this hands-on and interactive craft to help manage stress and other tough emotions on the spot. #copingstrategies #mentalhealth #copingskills #pathway2success #anxiety

Hand out the Coping Strategies Fortune Teller. Have students fill it in with colors and their top 8 coping strategies. It’s fun to color the entire fortune teller, too.

Practicing coping strategies with kids and young adults can help them learn to effective manage their anger, anxiety, and more. Use this hands-on and interactive craft to help manage stress and other tough emotions on the spot. #copingstrategies #mentalhealth #copingskills #pathway2success #anxiety

Students will cut out their fortune tellers and then use the directions to fold their craft together. Let students practice their coping strategies by playing with their fortune tellers in partners or groups. Encourage students to read each others’ coping strategies and even practice them, when appropriate. This can be a great activity in small groups to discuss strategies and identify what works best for each individual student.

Practicing coping strategies with kids and young adults can help them learn to effective manage their anger, anxiety, and more. Use this hands-on and interactive craft to help manage stress and other tough emotions on the spot. #copingstrategies #mentalhealth #copingskills #pathway2success #anxiety

Best of all, kids can keep their Coping Strategies Fortune Teller for times when they need extra support. They can use it to help them pick a coping strategy when they are feeling anxious, stressed, sad, or angry.

Practicing coping strategies with kids and young adults can help them learn to effective manage their anger, anxiety, and more. Use this hands-on and interactive craft to help manage stress and other tough emotions on the spot.Get your Coping Strategies Fortune Teller Craft to make with your students or clients. You can decide whether you want kids to make their own with individualized strategies or you can use the template already provided. It’s fun, easy, and will have lasting effects for kids and young adults who need support with coping strategies.

 

Practicing coping strategies with kids and young adults can help them learn to effective manage their anger, anxiety, and more. Use this hands-on and interactive craft to help manage stress and other tough emotions on the spot. #copingstrategies #mentalhealth #copingskills #pathway2success #anxiety

Filed Under: Autism, Behavior Management, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education, Teaching

How to Progress Monitor Goals and Objectives

January 7, 2017 by pathway2success 2 Comments

How to Progress Monitor

As a special education teacher, I work to stay on top of my progress monitoring for the kids on my caseload. Between juggling IEP meetings, parent phone calls and emails, collabing with regular education staff, prepping, and teaching my daily lessons, it gets challenging. This problem is even more difficult at the middle and high school level, when the kids need their valuable resource room time to focus on complex homework assignments and projects they genuinely need help with. So, to solve this problem, I developed a Weekly Goals Worksheet that you can download for free and use right away. The idea is really simple: I give each student one worksheet a week on Friday. I make the worksheets far ahead of time, using their individual goals and objectives from their IEPs (Individualized Education Program). That way, I keep track of data on all goals and objectives for all my students throughout the year.

Here is how I do it:

Weekly Goals Worksheet

Get your free Weekly Goals Worksheet

1. I make several copies of the Weekly Goals Worksheet. Download the free Weekly Goals Worksheet if you don’t have it yet! I always keep extra copies on hand. Essentially, you’ll need at least 2 per objective, so the number will depend on your students.

2. I print out my students’ IEPs. I personally love having a paper copy to reference, but you’re welcome to just work from the online document if that works for you. Working on one student at a time, I go through their goals and objectives.

3. On the Weekly Goals Worksheet, I write the first goal and first objective on top of the page. Then, I’ll create 5 sample problems for that specific objective. For example, if the student’s math objective is to add and subtract fractions with common denominators, I would write out 5 different problems on the worksheet. I always make at least two separate Worksheets for the same objective. I make copies of them, too. That way, I can reuse the same worksheets for the student, as needed.

4. I continue this process for each goal and objective. I then place all the worksheets into a student binder and label it “Weekly Goals”. Using simple tab dividers helps you separate the different sections.

5. On any specific day (I choose Fridays), make it a routine for your students to complete a Weekly Goals Worksheet in their data binders. For most students, you can probably assign which page to complete. For students who are more work-avoidant, you can allow them to work on any page of their choice.

For some goals/objectives that are more difficult to measure this way, I’ll ask the student to turn in a piece of work to me. For example, let’s say the objective is to “Answer open-ended text response questions by turning the question around”. I will ask the student for a piece of writing that would require this, such as history textbook questions or reading response questions. I’ll choose the first 5 questions. Then, on the Weekly Goals Worksheet, I use those 5 questions to assess his or her progress on the objective. How many of those questions did the student actually turn the question around? If it was 3/5, the score would be 60%. I staple the student page to the Worksheet (or make a copy if he/she needs it back!).

I will admit this does take some time and work to prep ahead for. However, once you do the work, you are all set to take all the data you need. Best of all, it allows you to be totally prepared with data for all the IEP meetings and parent conferences. Of course, this makes it so much easier to write specific goals and objectives for the next annual review. You can start small by choosing just 2 or 3 students you know you need to collect the most data on. Then, once you get more comfortable, you can grow from there.

Special Education Teacher BinderIf you are a special education teacher needing ideas for more progress monitoring, consider my Special Education Teacher Binder. Materials focus on IEPs and team meetings, progress monitoring of academics and behavior, classroom materials, building a classroom community, planning, lessons, organization, and other forms to make the life of the special education teacher easier. For many forms, there are two different versions so that one is editable for your individual need as an educator.

Filed Under: Autism, Special Education, Study Skills, Teaching, Tips for Teachers

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⭐ Kristina Scully
💖 SEL & Executive Functioning
💻 Blogger at www.thepathway2success.com
👩‍🏫 Curriculum Specialist
🏫 10 Year Special Ed Teacher

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Every teacher is a teacher of social emotional lea Every teacher is a teacher of social emotional learning. That's because we use these skills in everything we do! What are some of your favorite ways to work on SEL skills?
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