pathway2success

Helping Kids with Social Emotional Needs

November 1, 2017 by pathway2success 2 Comments

As a special education teacher, you would think the bulk of my job would be to pre-teach and re-teach academic content, provide educational supports, assess student growth, monitor academic goals, and provide direction instruction in a number of areas. While it’s true that special educators do all of those things (and way more), we need to spend a great deal of time supporting kids and young adults with their social and emotional needs. That helped me to realize that all educators are truly critical in supporting counseling needs to the students we work with every single day. Educators are often the first adults to develop a strong relationship with kids, mentor them, listen to their dreams and fears, and help them through challenging social, emotional, personal, and academic challenges. It’s clear that all of these added responsibilities make us not only teachers, but part emotional support teachers, too.

Over my years in the classroom, the school counselors and social workers have always been some of my best allies in helping kids with social-emotional needs. Working with them and following their guidance is critical. Still, we need to be prepared to provide social-emotional supports, too.

Often teachers feel that they are not trained enough to “act as a counselor”. I hear this come up when teachers have to teach advisory periods or morning meetings. While it’s true that all educators could use lots more training in this area, we must face the facts that we are going to be around these kids much more than a counselor or social worker will be. So, even when students are receiving counseling or social work support once or twice a week, we still need to be prepared to help these students throughout their day.

Whether you are a tenured teacher with years of experience or a new educator ready to start your career, here are some strategies for helping kids through social, emotional, personal, or academic challenges in the classroom:

Share photos of yourself with students and tell them about your personal life adventures.

1. Share about your own life. My students always love hearing about the silly things my dog did, the details of my latest vacation, what foods gross me out, and the challenges I’ve overcome to get where I am. Sharing bits about your life can help kids learn to trust you and build a lasting relationship. Bring in pictures, share experiences, and just really open up about yourself. This really is the foundation to being able to open up and make positive life changes. Of course, it’s critical to keep boundaries, but kids will understand you as a mentor and teacher more when they know about you as a human being.

2. Just listen. When a student talks to you about a challenge they are dealing with, it’s important not to give advice right away or act judgemental. Just listen, nod, and validate their thoughts. You can ask things like, “What do you think you should do?” and “What are some strategies you use to deal with that?”. At the right times, it is important to give support and advice, too. But listening always comes first.

3. Get to know kids. That seems obvious, but getting to really know and understand each student as a whole child can go a long way. That means taking the time to understand their background, where they have come from, their interests outside of school, fears, dreams, strengths, and struggles. Since time in the classroom can be filled with academics, it can be helpful to start the morning with a social or getting to know you routine, sitting with kids at lunch time, and even just being visible before and after class. If you sincerely make an effort, kids will notice.

Use reflection binders to help students see their growth.

4. Help kids see their growth over time. It’s important to remind kids that you can’t reach your goals over night. I love to use student reflection binders to help show students their own progress and growth. Whether the student is working on increasing grades in an academic subject, reducing times they get in trouble, or just getting to school on time more, students love to be able to track their growth over time. This also can lead to developing specific goals that the student work on throughout the course of the semester or year. It leads to lots of deep conversation about making positive changes and how goals can be accomplished.

5. Hide your frustrations. We all get frustrated with students sometimes! When that happens, take a breath and walk away. Kids really need more positivity in their lives. By showing our frustrations, we are just making kids feel poorly about themselves instead of helping them reach their individual potentials.

6. Collaborate with specialists. If you’re having continued issues in your class with a specific student or set of behaviors, reach out to the school counselor, social worker, psychologist, behaviorist, or anyone else who might have ideas. Chances are that a colleague will have specific strategies that you can implement in your classroom right away to work on whatever you are dealing with. Also, if a counselor or social worker needs to work with your student during your time, try to be understanding of this. You are both working on the same goals together.

7. Avoid power struggles. Growing kids and young adults often use power struggles as a way to test their limits. Some kids will use them more than others, though. For example, it’s the time when you tell a student to sit down and they cross their arms and look at you. So how can you avoid these power struggles? The first way is just to give directions politely! For students with behavioral or emotional challenges, a simple, “Let’s get ready to sit down in a minute,” goes a long way. Similarly, explaining your reasoning can help, too. You might say, “Can you sit down in a minute? I’m going to teach the rest of the lesson and it helps me if everyone is seated”. If you do happen to get in a power struggle, here is a winning phrase that can stop the battle right away: “Let’s talk about that later”. If you’re needing more ideas, get a list of over 50 free de-escalation strategies you can use today.

8. Provide structure and consistency. Many kids and young adults who struggle with social emotional challenges truly thrive on a great deal of structure. That structure might look different in every classroom or setting. It’s important to be fair and maintain high expectations for everyone. Most critically, just be there in the child’s life every day. Never give up on even your most difficult student, no matter how challenging any given day, week, or year might be. Your constant belief in them is what they need to survive and thrive.

9. Research topics. If you’re feeling uncomfortable or unsure about how to approach or discuss certain topics, feel free to research and learn from experts in the area. Don’t be ashamed that you don’t understand a diagnosis or challenge a child is dealing with. Instead, use that question to help you learn and grow! As educators, we are always learning. In an ever-changing world, it’s more important now than ever to have the best research in front of us.

For more strategies and ready-to-use ideas, check out my social-emotional learning materials. Remember that as educators, we must support not only academic, but social and emotional needs, too. Most of all, know that educators have such an important role in helping to shape the lives of kids and young adults. The words we say and the actions we take impact students in such powerful ways.

50+ De-escalation Strategies

October 15, 2017 by pathway2success 9 Comments

Being able to de-escalate and defuse situations with kids and young adults is an extremely helpful skill. Kids and young adults who become emotionally overwhelmed or irritated in a situation may begin to express their emotions in aggressive or violent ways. Some examples of these behaviors might include aggressive posturing, yelling, throwing items, swearing, and making threats. Quite often, without training, these situations become a power struggle between the young adult and the teacher. These power struggles only make the situation worse, though.

The best way to handle these types of behaviors is to de-escalate the situation as soon as possible. It’s very important to recognize that this does not mean letting the student get away with the behavior. Instead, de-escalation focuses on helping the student return their emotions back to a normal level. It is critical that the student is calm for a period of time before behavior and expectations are discussed again.

Kids and young adults with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and trauma are just some examples of those who need these strategies utilized to be successful.

If you need further training and support in this area, consider the De-Escalation Strategies Guide that includes extensive training materials, information on Oppositional Defiant Disorder, proactive strategies, reference lists, and a quick-guide to store in a spot for use on the fly.

Also, remember to download the free printable list of over 50 de-escalation strategies. They are ideal to keep on a board by your desk, in the team room, or in a binder to bring to student support meetings. Let me add that they are not only for teachers. Parents, counselors, and administrators could use them, too!

Here are over 50 strategies and phrases you can use when de-escalating a situation:

Act calm even if you’re not.
Say, “Let’s talk about this later”.
Use humor to lighten to mood.
Lower your voice.
Give a choice.
Walk away.
Ask, “What would help you right now?”
Change the subject to a positive one.
Give personal space.
Say, “I see where you are coming from.”
Distract with a positive photo of something they like.
Show that you are listening.
Remove the audience.
Say, “I want to help you.”
Talk about something they like.
Make a joke.
Encourage the person.
Remind them of something amazing they did.
Say, “You can do this.”
Call another adult for help.
Say, “Let’s call… I think they can help.”
Be willing to find a solution.
Offer to change the way you are doing something.
Re-state what the person is saying.
Validate their thoughts.
Avoid over-reacting.
Use active listening.
Offer a solution.
Let the person talk without interrupting.
Say, “I see your point.”
Offer to take a walk with the person.
Clarify expectations.
Remind them of something they love.
Apologize for something you did wrong or the way it was taken.
Invite them to do a preferred activity.
Ask if they can explain more about how they’re feeling.
Try to understand the person’s perspective.
Slow yourself down to avoid getting worked up.
Say, “So, you’re upset because… right?”
Don’t say “calm down”.
Show empathy.
Encourage the person to use a coping strategy.
Don’t take items or personal property away from them.
Encourage the person to take a walk or get a drink.
Give the person an “out” (i.e. letting them go to another room or walking away).
Ask, “Would it help if… ?”
Keep escape routes open to the door.
Coach the person with positive remarks.
Acknowledge where you agree with the person.
Remind the person, “You’re not in trouble”.
Tell the person, “I’m here for you.”
Say, “Talk to me,” and listen.
Tell the person to take a minute to themselves.
Ignore the behavior if it’s minor.
Distract by saying, “Hey, let’s go…”
Be respectful in your tone.
“Do what works” in the moment.
Spend time debriefing after the incident to identify ways to improve.
Ask them to draw a picture of what happened.
Avoid needing to get the last word.
Just give wait time.

If you love this topic, read my post on 13 ways to avoid power struggles with kids and young adults!

Games to Improve Executive Functioning Skills

October 1, 2017 by pathway2success 9 Comments

Kids and young adults need extensive practice in strengthening their executive functioning skills. Executive functions are the processes in our brains that help us accomplish all tasks from beginning to end. We use them when we plan our day, organize our materials, begin a chore, focus on important information, use our time wisely, and work through challenges until we accomplish a goal. The specific skills include: planning, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, self-control, metacognition, attention, flexibility, and perseverance. While all kids could use extra practice with executive functioning skills, the ones who need it the most are often disorganized, struggle to finish assignments, lose items, have difficulty paying attention over periods of time, and give up on tasks that are difficult. These are the kids who could benefit the most from executive functioning skills instruction and practice.

If you’re looking for an executive functioning review game you can download and use right away, check out this Executive Functioning Challenge! It can be played as a board game with partners and small groups, or as a whole-class challenge. The game includes over 200 executive functioning cards so you can play again and again!

Simply put, executive functions are often critical to the success of kids and young adults. So, it makes sense to make practicing them fun and engaging! Games are a great way to weave executive functioning practice into your routine. You can choose to play a game on a Friday afternoon, after a big test, or as a class reward.

Here are ten games for practicing executive functioning skills:

#1 – BLURT

Skills: self-control, metacognition

How to Play: In this game, the teacher reads a definition of a word and kids have to figure out the word itself. For example, a question might be, “What is a partially dried grape?” When the student answers “raisin”, they win that turn. I like to play “around the world” style. All students will sit at desks or chairs around the room. Select two kids to play against each other and have them stand next to one another. Read the card and whoever “blurts” the answer first, wins and gets to move on to the next person. The idea is that only the kids playing can blurt out, and everyone else must have self-control, even if they know the answer. This game can also be played with your own content area questions too, which is great for a review before a test!

#2 – SCRABBLE

Skills: planning, organization

How to Play: In scrabble, kids use random letters to build words and keep score as they go. You can have students play in small groups and even partner kids together who may need extra support with spelling or language. Planning and organization is required because kids need to build off of each others’ words as the game progresses. As an extension, have kids look up definitions to the words they create or use the word in a sentence before points are scored.

#3 – PICTIONARY

Skills: flexibility, time management

How to Play: This game has students drawing phrases on paper or a whiteboard that others must guess correctly. Kids need to use time management to best draw their phrase before the time is up. This is such a fun game! I even love taking pictures of some of the drawings that are both hilarious and amazing.

#4 – DISTRACTION

Skills: working memory, attention

How to Play: In this card game, kids work on remembering numbers given to them while encountering distractions, including questions they have to answer. It is a great activity to teach about distractions that can throw us off!

#5 – 5 SECOND RULE

Skills: time management, task initiation

How to Play: Kids must name 3 things that fit a given topic. For example, kids might need to name 3 professional basketball teams or 3 pieces of jewelry. The categories differ greatly so kids have to be on their toes. As an accommodation, I sometimes play as a “10 second rule” to give kids enough time to process the question.

#6 – FREEZE

Skills: self-control, attention

How to Play: Freeze is a game where you play music and allow kids to be silly and dance. Then, at any moment, say “Freeze!” and kids need to stand completely still. It takes a lot of self-control to stop dancing to a song you’re into! This can be fun to let kids take the role to freeze the class, too.

#7 – JENGA

Skills: self-control, flexibility, planning

How to Play: In this game, kids pull blocks from a tower carefully. They must plan and be careful so they are not the one who causes the tower to fall over. This is a fun game because everyone likes to see towers get knocked down sometimes!

#8 – BRAINTEASERS

Skills: perseverance, flexibility

How to Play: Brainteasers are drawings and words that have a special meaning that kids must figure out. For example, when “man” is written on top of “board”, it means “man overboard”. These type of brainteasers are a great feat in perseverance and flexibility to figure out. They are great for a morning meeting or “do now” when kids walk in the door to start their brains off strong.

#9 – CHESS

Skills: planning, flexibility, working memory

How to Play: Chess requires kids to learn specific rules for different pieces and then use those skills to take out their opponent. This game requires a tremendous amount of planning, flexibility, and working memory to think through your moves ahead of time. It is also a great option when you need a quiet game.

#10 – SODUKU

Skills: perseverance, working memory

How to Play: Sodoku is a math puzzle game that allows kids to use critical thinking skills. Each grid has the numbers 1-9. Each row and column must add up to 9 separately, so the numbers need to be arranged correctly. Incorporate this activity for kids to work on in small groups or just for a fun challenge.

I have always loved using games to teach and support critical skills in the classroom, so I put together some games for social emotional learning skills! This set consists of five games focusing on executive functioning skills, social problem solving skills, empathy, social language, and more. You can really maximize learning time in your classroom by making “break time” skill-focused, too!

If you find yourself needing lessons and materials for direct instruction of executive functioning skills, consider this Executive Functioning Bundle. It teaches all ten executive functioning skills, study strategies, and SMART goals with enough materials for the entire year. You really cannot teach or practice EF skills enough!

10 Ways to Involve Young Adults in their IEP Meetings

September 17, 2017 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

A huge part of our job as special educators is empowering kids and young adults to make positive decisions in their own lives. One simple way to involve our students in some of those important decisions is getting them involved in their own IEP meetings. I always tell kids that they are the most important member of the IEP team, since the entire meeting is really all about them. So, it just makes sense to conference with them before the meeting, discuss their plan with them, invite them, encourage them to report on their own progress, and eventually even have them lead the whole meeting.

When kids and young adults are involved in their own IEP meetings, it helps them understand their own disability, strengths, areas to work on, goals, and modifications. Ultimately, this practice leads to greater confidence and increased self-advocacy skills for our students. Here are ten easy ways you can involve kids and young adults in their IEP meetings:

#1 Be transparent about the student’s disability and needs. Kids need to know and understand their disability in order to fully develop strategies to help them overcome their challenges. Contact families before and let them know you plan to discuss the student’s disability and needs with the child. Sometimes parents may want to address these topics at home first. Regardless of who discusses the topic first, it’s an important conversation to have. Remember to highlight the positive elements of their disability, too! For example, many kids with ADHD might struggle with focusing on a specific task at hand, but they are usually the best builders and hands-on workers of all. Similarly, kids with autism often struggle socially, but are the best to think of solutions outside of the box that no one else has thought of. Highlighting these elements can help kids come to terms with their disability in a positive way.

#2 Go over the student’s current IEP with them, explaining it as you go. Students need to understand their current plan and what it means. This will involve actually handing the student a copy of their own IEP to see the language and format of their plan. For a fun activity, kids can even learn about their IEP with an IEP Scavenger Hunt.

#3 Conference with students prior to their IEP meeting. Get feedback from the student to find out what is working for them and what could be improved. Use this time to talk with the student about how the IEP meeting will work and why their role is so important. So often, kids feel that adults make these plans for them. They sometimes feel that they have no control. This is now the time that they can have a voice! Many times, this can be very motivating for kids and young adults.

#4 Review the student’s goals and progress with them on a quarterly basis. The students should have a very clear understanding of the goals that are expected of them. So often we write goals for students and work on them in isolation. It makes so much more sense to involve our students in the process! A great way to do this is to add the student’s goals and objectives to an individual binder. Take time to check through the goals with the student and review progress on a regular basis. You can choose to review them quarterly or even more frequently is better. Discuss what’s working, what isn’t, and ways to make improvements. You can make your own binder with the student or use a Student Data Reflection Binder to start right away.

#5 Invite the student to the IEP meeting. Regardless of age, kids can always be part of their IEP meeting at least by attending. This gives them a greater understanding of what the meetings are all about. There may be topics and information the adults aren’t 100% comfortable sharing with the student, and that’s okay. Have the student wait in the office, a nearby classroom, or sitting in a chair right outside the room if sensitive information needs to be shared. Whenever possible, though, kids should be at the table listening and participating in their own meetings.

#6 Encourage students to complete a report or progress review to present at the IEP meeting. Have students themselves fill out this free self-assessment to help identify their growth, what went well, and what changes could be made for the future. If possible, have the student bring that form to the IEP meeting to report out on their own progress. This is a great way to get kids comfortable with attending and presenting at their IEP meetings. It also gives them a chance to have their voice heard. As an alternative to a written report, students can create their own PowerPoint presentation.

#7 Hold practice or mock IEP meetings in a resource room setting. Mock IEP meetings are a fun and interactive way to get kids comfortable with joining their IEP meetings. Sometimes we forget that a student joining a big meeting with several adults can be really scary! By practicing a meeting, kids can get a good idea of what will happen in the meeting and understand their role. Just run through what a meeting will be like. Best of all, you can do this in a resource room with other students who will need to participate in their IEP meetings at some point later on in the year.

#8 Use a script to help students read at the IEP meeting. Student-led IEP meetings are a practice that allows kids and young adults to actually lead their own meetings using a script that has been created with them. A script will help the student participate without feeling confused or anxious about what to say. The student can always go off script when they are feeling comfortable. You can write your own script for your students or you can use this Student-Led IEP Meetings guide that includes scripts for both fully and partially student-led meetings. The research is clear that student-led IEP meetings can be extremely beneficial for kids and young adults. When a student leads their own meeting, they learn more about their disability, rights, and accommodations. It also helps to build confidence, strengthens self-advocacy skills, and helps kids’ voices be heard.

#9 Listen to the student at the IEP meeting. Really give the student a chance to share their concerns and needs. Strongly consider their suggestions and input. Even if all of their requests can’t be met, the student needs to know that they do have a voice at the table. Consider ways to compromise or have a trial-period to give something a try. You can write these in the plan and can always change the IEP if those recommendations aren’t working. So often, young adults feel that they have no control over the plans that adults make for them. This is our chance to help those kids realize we are there to listen to them and hear them out.

#10 Reflect on the IEP meeting with the student. After the IEP meeting, discuss what went well and what could go better. Kids and young adults are going to need time to get comfortable with participating in their IEP meetings. Remember to celebrate the student’s success along the way as they learn how to be their own best advocate.

No matter how you choose to start, it’s important to give young adults an opportunity to be part of their own IEP team. If you’re not sure about it, just choose one students to do a “trial run” with! See how that one meeting goes with the student more involved and learn as you go. Whether it’s bringing a self-evaluation progress report or running the entire meeting, kids deserve to know and understand their IEPs and IEP meetings. After all, they truly are the most important member of the team!

50+ Free Counseling and SEL Resources

September 1, 2017 by pathway2success 17 Comments

Use this list of free resources to use in counseling and social emotional learning activities to help you work with kids and young adults. As a special educator for 10 years, I can say without a doubt that we need more counseling and social emotional learning supports for kids and young adults. Some of my best days in the classroom involved collaborating with the school counselor, social worker, and school psychologist to create lessons and activities for our kids. Whether you are a school counselor, outside therapist, psychologist, social worker, or special educator, many of these resources might be able to help you as you work with kids. Free resources include printable materials, websites, Pinterest boards to follow, apps, and videos.

– Free Printable Resources –

1. 100 Free Coping Strategies List – A 2-page printable with 100 coping strategies.

2. Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards – Task cards that highlight social scenarios and situations for kids to solve.

3. Growth Mindset Task Cards – Task cards that help teach hard work, persistence, grit, dedication, and a positive mindset.

4. 101 Free Positive Affirmations List – A 2-page printable list with 101 positive statements for kids to read.

5. Mindfulness Breathe Boards – Two free printable breathe boards to help focus on deep breathing techniques.

6. Think Feel Act Worksheets – Free worksheets to help explain the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

7. Power of Yet Posters – Three simple posters that encourage hard work and dedication.

8. Free Overcoming Adversity Activities – Worksheets and lessons to help kids and young adults overcome challenges and adversity.

9. Free Coping Strategies Notebook – Use this resource to help kids set up their own individualized coping strategies binders.

10. Mindfulness Coloring Pages – Free mindfulness coloring pages with positive sayings.

11. Daily Planner Page – A few simple pages to help keep you on track for the day.

12. Middle School Keys to Success – Worksheet and activity to help kids succeed at middle school.

13. Conversation Starter Cards – Mix of questions regarding self, home, friends, school, family, and more to get to know kids.

14. All About Me – Free 1-page worksheet for kids to share interesting facts about themselves.

15. Free Divorce Worksheets – Information explaining what divorce means for kids and families.

16. What Pushes Your Buttons: Anger Triggers – Checklist of possible triggers for anger.

17. Anger Management Worksheets – Printables including anger trigger worksheets and an anger log.

18. Free Positive Posters – Set of 8 simple posters to help encourage, calm, and soothe kids.

19. Break Cards – Three sets of break cards that encourage kids to take breaks in positive ways.

20. How Big Is My Problem? Task Cards – Task cards that help kids determine how “big” each problem is in a variety of scenarios.

21. Life-Skills Discussion Checklist – Checklist to survey young adults and help determine areas to talk about for support.

22. Free Executive Functioning Workbook – Guide and workbook to help teach kids executive functioning and study skills.

23. Self Esteem Bookmarks – Bookmarks for kids to color while helping them learn positive self-talk and a growth mindset.

24. Counseling Planning Forms – Free worksheets to help you organize and plan counseling sessions.

25. Gratitude Activities – Worksheets and activities to help focus on gratitude and positive thinking.

– Free Apps –

26. Headspace: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness – This app provides meditation exercises with a coach that helps you learn as you go.

27. The Mindfulness App – A mindfulness app that helps you become more present in your daily life with guided and silent meditation sessions.

28. Aware – This app leads you through daily mindfulness meditation techniques, including energizing activities and breathing practice.

29. Stop Breathe & Think: Meditate – Tailored to your specific emotions, this app helps you take a break and reduce stress through meditation.

30. MyCalmBeat – This app provides training and practice in slow, deep breathing for stress reduction.

31. Breathe – An app that assists in controlling your breathing.

32. Gratitude Journal – This app helps you focus on the positive by identifying what you are thankful for each day.

33. Pacifica – Stress & Anxiety – Tools for mindfulness, meditation, relaxation, and health/mood tracking.

34. Affirmation Reminder – Select from a list of positive affirmations or make your own to add as reminders.

35. ColorMe – Free coloring app to help reduce stress.

36. Relax Melodies – Free app with white noise and calming sounds for sleeping and meditation.

Free Websites

37. The Calm Clinic – Website with articles specifically focused on anxiety.

38. National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens – Lots of free resources and information for parents, educators, counselors, and teens themselves.

39. Love Is Respect – Website that teaches young adults about health relationships.

40. PsychCentral – Detailed information, resources, and articles on a number of mental health disorders and disabilities.

41. American Psychological Association – Large assortment of free information on topics and latest research.

42. College Board – Website to help young adults, parents, and counselors navigate through college decisions.

– Free Videos –

43. Creating a Coping Strategies Notebook

44. School Counselor Office Must Haves

45. Developing a School Counseling Program

46. Clipboard Progress Monitoring

– Pinterest Boards –

47. Counseling & Mental Health for Young Adults

48. Child Anxiety

49. Guidance, Counseling, & Social Work

50. Therapist Community Board

51. Coping Strategies

52. School Counseling

I hope these free resources and materials are helpful to you and the kids you are working with! If you are looking for even more resources, consider checking out all of my free and paid resources in my store here.

Making a “Getting to Know You” Fortune Teller

August 13, 2017 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

The start of the school year is the most critical time to help build positive relationships in your classroom. That’s why I’m always seeking new and fun ways to incorporate “getting to know you” activities for the back to school season. This is the best time to help all students feel part of the classroom community. Using a Getting to Know You Fortune Teller is a perfect activity for this. It’s a hands-on, fun, and interactive way to get your kids talking, sharing ideas, and bonding as a community of learners. It’s also important to mention that the activity also incorporates art, following directions, fine motor skills, taking turns, and writing.

First, kids use a list of over 100 getting to know you questions to come up with their top 8 questions to ask peers. They must choose two questions from each category: school, silly & fun, yourself, and activities. This helps so that kids ask each other a wide variety of questions.

Kids will write their questions in the fortune teller. It’s interesting to see what questions kids want to ask others!

If you need an accommodation for some students, you can hand out pre-made fortune teller sheets with the questions already written down. You might even choose to do this for the whole class if you need a time saver! Just simply pass out a different page to each student so that different questions are being asked around the room.

Kids will then spend time creativity coloring and designing their fortune tellers. This is also a great time for small group discussions at tables and desks.

Once they are colored, kids will cut out their fortune tellers around the dotted lines.

Next, they will fold their fortune tellers. It’s helpful to use the picture directions so that kids can follow along easily and efficiently. You may also want to have a few student helpers (who you have already trained!) walking around the room. This part of the activity is a great way to assess following directions early on!

Once the fortune tellers are made, kids should work with a partner and ask questions as they use their fortune tellers. Encourage students to take turns with using the fortune teller but also remember to allow lots of student conversations! This is the best time for kids to get to know each other, laugh, listen, and just feel part of the classroom community. You can choose whether to have students work with just one partner, or to go around the room and travel from partner to partner.

Kids should also write down information they learn about their partner(s) on a worksheet. This is helpful so that at the end of the lesson, different students can share out interesting things they’ve learned about their peers.

If you love the idea of this Getting to Know You Fortune Teller activity, give it a try this back to school season! It includes 4 lists of over 130 questions for kids, a blank fortune teller, 16 pre-made fortune tellers, and many student response sheets. An educator guide with steps to take before and during the lesson, detailed student directions with photos, and student directions posters during the lesson are also included to keep everyone on track. Whether you are a regular educator, special educator, counselor, or other specialist, this craft will help your kids get to know each other and build the positive community every classroom needs.

Clipboard Progress Monitoring

August 2, 2017 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Progress monitoring is often a lot of work for educators. In this video, I explain how how to use clipboards in your classroom to help you manage student data and progress monitoring. I love this tip because it’s a simple solution for how to take quick and easy student data on the go! After watching the video, check out the links below to find the right progress monitoring forms for you and your learners.

Resources I discussed in the video:
Free Progress Monitoring – A free set of progress monitoring forms you can use to help track student goals and progress.

Editable Progress Monitoring – An editable set of progress monitoring forms for tracking student data. The benefit to editable forms is that you can copy and paste your students’ goals right into the forms, save them on your computer, and print them. This gives you a computer file of student goals as well as a printed form for on the go progress monitoring.

Progress monitoring should help you track trends and make critical educational decisions for kids. It shouldn’t take up all of your time! Find a method for tracking data that works for you and stick with it to help your kids grow.

12 Things Special Educators Need

August 1, 2017 by pathway2success 4 Comments

Being a special educator is an amazing title that comes with lots of prep work and responsibility! There are just some resources that a special educator really needs to have in their classroom to help keep them organized, data-driven, and their students on track. Whether you are prepping your classroom for the back to school season

Here are 12 things special education teachers need for back to school:

1. A timer. These come in all shapes and sizes. My personal favorite is a visual timer that shows how much time has passed. These are just critical when you are timing a transition, a lesson, or during a student’s time out period. I like to have multiple timers all around the room. Encourage students to use them, too! It’s great to have kids timing themselves on how long an assignment will take or seeing if they can beat their past fluency rate.

2. A hanging file folder. Words cannot express how critical a hanging file folder can be! They are the perfect place to add folders with individual student names. I like to add any outstanding work, assessments to be finished, or important materials to go home to these files. Kids know when they walk in the door to check their files first. If there is anything in that file, it is a “do now”. Hanging file folders are also a great place to store reflection sheets, goal pages, homework logs, or any other resources you’re going to need frequently.

3. Extra pencils. I mean LOTS of extra pencils. Buy so many you think you will never use them and then stockpile them in a cabinet. You will probably be out by halfway through the year!

4. Magnetic tape. This stuff is the best for putting posters, index cards, artwork, and more up on your board. I personally love making an index card for each class I teach and then putting it up on the board with magnetic taper. Underneath, I’ll list the expectations and plans for the day in that class. These are great because you can use them over and over throughout the years.

5. Coping strategies notebooks. These are extremely helpful for kids with emotional challenges. A coping strategies notebook is just a binder with individualized coping strategies inside for each student. Kids can develop their notebooks with the help of an adult and use it on their own in times of stress. Use this free coping strategies notebook to get started with one in your classroom.

6. A craft bin. Add any assorted craft materials and add them to a bin or cabinet in your classroom. You just never know when a project is going to require popsicle sticks, shoe boxes, or yarn. As a special ed teacher, I end up saving everything for that one time I might need it. It comes in really handy when you do!

7. Books. A classroom library really should have a bunch of books. As a special educator, you are going to need many different levels to meet the needs of your students. Consider asking your friends and family member to donate any old childrens or teens books that they have. My first year, I was very lucky to have a friend set up donation bins at their work and church for me. I ended up bringing about ten big boxes of books into school completely free. If that’s not an option, consider checking out tag sales or sales at your local library for some deals.

8. A binder for every student. I love to use reflection binders to help kids chart their progress over time. It’s important that every student has their own individual binder to store their goals, progress, charts, data, and anything they are proud of and what to keep throughout the year.

9. Alternative seating options. In the past I’ve used mini-rugs, exercise balls, bean bags, beach chairs, and wiggle stools. Kids just love having the option to sit a different way. This is especially important for kids with ADHD. While some seating options can be on the expensive side, you don’t have to go broke to invest in some seating options in your classroom. Many options exist at your local dollar store or discount store.

10. Progress monitoring sheets. Every special ed teacher needs a simple and easy way to take data. Use these free progress monitoring sheets to print, fill out, and clip to clipboards. This makes them easily accessible for you or a paraprofessional to utilize and fill out data throughout the day. If you need an even easier solution, use these editable progress monitoring forms to copy and paste your students’ goals into, print, and go.

11. A reward system. The options are really endless with reward systems. You can choose whether you want a classwide behavior system or reward systems that are more individually based. This might also depend on your age/grade level. I’ve found that the best reward systems are developed WITH your students. That means involving them on how they can earn points or classroom currency and having a class discussion for what types of rewards can be earned. The best types of rewards are really free: listening to music, a half homework pass, lunch with a friend, taking a walk, leading the class, and a free time pass.

12. Task cards. I love task cards because you can get them on any subject you need. They’re so helpful in the special education classroom because you can have students working on different sets of activities with task cards simultaneously. They are small and can fit in a folder or bin for safe keeping. It’s helpful to have a variety of task cards on subjects like reading comprehension, vocabulary, social skills, writing, math, and even study skills.

What else do you think special educators must have in their classroom? Let me know!

Using Task Cards to Teach Executive Functioning

July 25, 2017 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Executive functioning skills are in everything that we do. They include our ability to have self-control, develop a plan, manage our time, begin an assignment, remember important information, and persevere through a challenging task. Executive functioning skills are definitely academic skills, but they are also life skills. Kids and young adults need plenty of practice and instruction with executive functioning skills to succeed in their daily lives.

Here are five simple ways you can teach executive functioning skills with kids and young adults using task cards:

1. Set up class centers for each executive functioning skill. Allow small groups to walk around and work at the center until time is up. Then, they can move on to the next executive functioning center. This will help kids and young adults develop an appreciation and understanding for each individual executive functioning skill.

2. Group students up to discuss the task cards. Each group can focus on one particular executive functioning skill. Have the group then share out what they learned about the skill. You can choose whether the groups share their thoughts on paper or just aloud to the class as a whole.

3. Allow students to pick a card and random and discuss in a small group. Let the students run the group discussion. Remember that it’s okay if students have different opinions on each card. Let your students talk it out and provide reasons to back up their opinions.

4. Have students independently read a card and respond in their journal on their own. After writing their response, give students time to discuss the card and share their response with a partner. Give students time to go back and reflect upon their response, including identifying if there is anything new they learned from their partner.

5. Use a card each morning as part of a guided class or small group discussion. This can also be part of a morning meeting. Starting the day with a positive intention can help pave the way for a great day.

To get started teaching executive functioning skills with task cards you can make your own or consider these Executive Functioning Task Cards. They are a set of 160 task cards that focus on all areas of executive functioning skills: planning, time management, working memory, self control, flexibility, organization, task initiation, metacognition, attention, and perseverance. A page explaining each skill is also included to make teaching executive functioning skills simple and easy.

The cards can be helpful for a range of professionals, including regular education teachers, guidance counselors, special education teachers, 504 coordinators, tutors, school psychologists, and mentors. These materials can also be used during advisory for middle and high school students.

You really can start teaching executive functioning skills anytime. The best time to start is now so that kids and young adults can learn to use these skills independently for the future.

Modifications and Accommodations.. What’s the Difference?

July 1, 2017 by pathway2success 2 Comments

The discussion comes up a lot about the difference between modifications and accommodations in the classroom. In the shortest terms, a modification is a significant change to the curriculum for students who are far below grade level expectations. It is changing WHAT kids are learning. An accommodation is a support or tweak to the environment or instruction. It is changing HOW kids are learning.

Accommodations keep the academic expectations the same while giving a boost to help kids get there. On the other hand, modifications actually alter the academic expectations themselves. Here are a few examples:

Situation #1 – Reading

Samantha has a reading disability and is reading significantly below grade level. While working on a reading unit, the teacher gives her a lower grade level text to read on the same topic as the class. That would be a modification because it is changing the actual content and learning.
Trey is in reading intervention, as he is a year below grade level. He has been making good progress in his intervention class, though. During the same reading unit, the teacher gives Trey a shortened version of the class text so he does not fatigue while reading the grade-level assignment. That would be an accommodation because he is still expected to read the same grade-level material, just shortened a bit.

Situation #2 – Math

Larissa has an intellectual disability. She joins the regular education class for group activities, science, social studies, centers, and breaks. When it is time for math, Larissa goes with the special education teacher to work 1:1 with basic foundational math skills. This is while the rest of her class learns fractions. That would be a modification because Larissa is working on a completely different modified math curriculum with unique expectations.
Jimmy has ADHD and struggles to pay attention during math class. His teacher gives him a daily point sheet where he earns points for every time he completes a problem correctly in math. This would be an accommodation because Jimmy is still expected to complete the same math concepts, but he is given supports to help him focus.

Situation #3 – Testing

Omar has an autism spectrum disorder. His class is taking an assessment on weather. Omar’s specific test is altered with more basic information about weather to allow him to be successful. This would be a modification because the expectations about Omar’s understanding of weather are changed.
Amelia has an auditory processing disorder and gets frequently distracted by outside noises. This is challenging for her during tests and quizzes, so the teacher allows her to take assessments in a more quieter resource room. This would be an accommodation because she is taking the same test as everyone else, but needs a quieter setting to help her get through it.

Sometimes understanding the differences between modifications and accommodations can be very confusing. This is especially true when you are working with a variety of children at all different levels. Some students might need small accommodations to their assessments (such as word banks or reduced number of problems) while others need a significant modification to the content (such as a completely altered assessment or assignment). When in doubt, just ask yourself: “Am I changing WHAT the student is learning or HOW the student is learning it?” If you are changing the WHAT, that means it is a modification and if you are changing the HOW, then it is an accommodation.

To special educators looking for more resources, take a peek at this Special Education Teacher Binder. It is a huge complication of materials focused all on special education. Materials focus on everything including IEPs, team meetings, progress monitoring, accommodations and modifications, lesson planning, writing goals, building a classroom community, and more.

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