Five for Friday.....September 27, 2013

It is time for linking with Doodle Bugs!

1. I've been refining our listening center. It is on our workshop rotation twice a week. It has been a process to teach students how to use the machines and follow the directions. One day we have an audio book, the other day is the card reader. I added a booklet this week to fill in the blanks with a high frequency target word. One of the students need the words "pre-written" with a highlighter, one needs a starter word, then he can continue on his own, and another doesn't need any help!  I also added more specific directions and introduced them before we started workshop. It helped a lot!

2. Next, I displayed the basic directions on the Promethean Board for a group project. The visuals were more effective then me talking!

3. Tumblebooks.com  is awesome! The kids love it and with our amazing Promethean Board, everyone can see just fine. Our school has a subscription to the website.

4. This week I dug out my trusty stamps and scented ink pad. I was once again wowed by the fact that the ink pad is still working! This ink pad and turtle stamps were a gift from my sweet sister almost 20 years ago! I received it in Oklahoma, packed it when we moved to Tok, Alaska, again to Wrangell, Alaska and finally now in the great Mat-Su Valley. Out of curiosity, I looked up Ranger Industries of Tinton Falls, NJ and they're still in business. I didn't see this exact ink for sale but I'm going to write them.

5. Finally I want to share a picture of my youngest daughter and her sweet kitten. She could make a cat food commercial!

There's my week in a nutshell!

Have a great weekend and tell me about yourself,

Paula

Five for Friday...September 20, 2013

It is Friday again!! Wahooo! I live for Fridays because it is time to link up with Doodle Bugs! Well ...and that other little thing...called two days off!  I stayed at school until 8 PM tonight so I could really have those two days away.

I love fall, the orange, red and yellow colors are starting to appear. We have been getting a lot of rain, but this week it started freezing just a little bit, so the rain is letting up....termination dust on the mountains...brrrrrr

This little project requires following directions, fine motor skills (cutting, curling paper strip around a pencil) and counting backwards! I got the idea from a teacher down the hall (teachers are such thieves!). My math group loves to do the "count down to blast off" song, so this seemed like a perfect project.

BEHAVIOR problems! I moved the table to the side and gave them each a desk....they were picking at each other a LOT and driving me crazy.

They love their desks! I didn't tell them why exactly I got them each a desk, they are happy with them and think I'm great. (hee hee)

Next, due to cuts in staffing, I need to help lift another student from his chair to the mat or to his stander and back again...while simultaneously teaching/supervising another 3 students who have difficulties staying out of trouble when I'm not directly in FRONT of them. I tried a couple of activities that failed, I had one of them sit next to me while I helped with the lifting...keep in mind that I was near them the whole time, eyes on them, talking to them...but....ahhhh! 

Anyway, I made them each a binder, their skills vary greatly, so it is perfect. I have some worksheets from Autism Tank that I made up last year, they are laminated with velcro. I also include a couple of little i-spy books and some fun sheets. So when they need to be doing independent work while I am otherwise occupied, I tell them to get their binder out of their desk. They love it, I add new stuff  regularly so they are always excited to see what's there.

Positive reinforcement for making good choices! 10 buttons earns you a trip to the fun table. There is a variety of fun stuff tucked into drawers, they can choose whatever they like and play for 5 minutes. Cleaning up and rejoining the group when the timer goes off earns you another button! ( The card is cleared after 10 and started again). We have a sticker chart that when completed gives them a trip to the treasure box, but it takes a while to earn that one. They needed something more immediate. The 5 minutes they are gone is usually not a problem and they are so much happier! Which make them more generous in their attitude to comply. 

Of course....some days NOTHING works.

FINALLY got the workshop time organized. I call it workshop because the students are familiar with that term from previous classrooms. We rotate three times, while they are having snack, I explain what they will be doing at the stations. The computer and listening center are on alternate days. I want them to learn some independence when they are working at school. Table 2 is my opportunity to work with each one individually. They each have such unique skills and needs. 

 They are already improving!

That's how my week went! How was yours?

Paula

Classroom tour

School has been going for a couple of weeks now, this week is our open house. I thought it would be a good time to share how the classroom came together!

The red, black and white theme is going well. Really, these are classic colors, why wouldn't they work?!

I found this door idea on Pinterest and tweaked it to match the colors. I also got lazy and used a variety of stickers, it turned out great!

This area is our math group place......

I 

I initially planned to have our calendar board on the promethean board, but chickened out.....I think there are advantages to having it displayed all day. The promethean board is used for many other subjects through out the day.

Here is a closer shot of the birthday graph. I purchased it in a packet from First Class Teacher Resources-in the teacher pay teachers store. It has proven to be a wise buy!

This area is the area for our child who uses a wheelchair and a stander, the book nook is next to it in the corner.

The listening center....old tech card reader and a TAPE player. The kids love the card reader!

Saw this in pinterest!

Task stations

My desk area....already getting messy!

I am still learning how to post from my tablet so all my pictures aren't here. Oh well, it is long enough! Think its time to close it up! Thanks for dropping by! 

Paula

Currently for September 2013

I think my laptop caught a virus, internet explorer repeatedly "stops working" when I attempt to download a photo for my blog posts! I have ran some security stuff...so will try this on a tablet.
I am linking up with Oh boy...fourth grade for the September Currently......

Ok there it is! I dont guarntee what it will look like when posted! i was robbed of one teacher assistant during the summer by number crunchers! Now i am working 11 hour days and without a lunch or prep time during the school day. This is apparently optional for special ed teachers. Now you understand why I need an attitude adjustment. 

I want to share my classroom set up soon!

I will be back sooner next time.

Paula