special education lesson plans high school

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For educators, keeping a classroom organized and structured can be difficult. For special education teachers, it can sometimes seem impossible. Teacher lesson plans help educators enter a class prepared with objectives and strategies for their goals. However, special education requires a lot of extra effort, changing plans when they go awry, helping students struggling to comprehend material and working hard to achieve the main objectives.

While many websites offer teacher lesson plans, some are better than others for finding lesson plan ideas and building upon them. After special education teachers develop their teaching style, understand their students’ capabilities and craft realistic goals, they can create their own lesson plans that fit the class’s specific needs and they can use the Internet to help get them started on preparing the right lesson plans.

Creating special education lesson plans

While many lesson plans can be used universally, special education requires a bit more crafting. Even the best special education lesson plans will be catered to a specific class style and level of development. Each teacher must do some added work to decide what parts of the lesson plan need to be adjusted for the class as a whole.

Certain students will also require varying levels of attention in their assignments. Special education teachers know how important it is to individually work around their student’s abilities and lesson plans can incorporate different approaches for specific students.

Learning from experience

Special education teachers learn a great deal from their experience in handling each class. They might utilize some of their past experiences years later with similar students and have new ways of handling difficult situations.

A special education lesson plan might seem like a disaster the first time around, but as the teacher redevelops the outline based on what events occurred, he or she can better prepare for where the objectives did not come through and how assignments and instructions could be better explained.

Where the lesson plan ends

Lesson plans are a crucial part of any teacher’s approach to the classroom. However, they are just one added tool in the educator’s belt. A great lesson plan can help special education teachers maintain better control of their classroom with clearer objectives and purposeful assignments.

As the course unfolds, teachers can make adjustments and rework their lesson plans to accommodate their students’ needs. While a lesson plan may work well with one class, the next year it may bring about a completely different result. Teachers must not get discouraged and instead use their own experiences and the lesson plans of other educators to keep changing their work and preparing for each new class.

Online teacher lesson plans

Technology has embedded itself into nearly every aspect of education. Today, teachers can find lesson plans online to help them get a jump start on the course or compare how others are approaching the curriculum. Many websites showcase free lesson plans and some include categories for special education. Here are some popular websites for finding free teacher lesson plans in special education:

• Teacher Planet
• Teachers.net
• TeAchnology

The importance of top quality

Every teacher knows that the quality of a lesson plan is determined by how well it can be followed during a course. Top-end materials yield more engagement from students who will better follow handouts and assignments and show more interest in the studies.

While there are many online lesson plans available for free on the Internet, another option is to purchase them at sites like TeachersPayTeachers, which lets educators upload and sell their own lesson plans, prompting them to put more effort into their work and allowing other teachers to buy, review and rate each lesson plan.

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Special Education and Needs Resources

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Special education resources by topic.

Accommodations and Environment Curriculum Support IEP Resources Behavior Management Special Education Inclusion

Understanding that special education resources are applicable to both general education and special education teachers alike, TeacherVision provides resources that can be used as part of an IEP both in the general education classroom and in specialist resources rooms. Our resources have been curated from leading special education partners and publishers, and are easily categorized for the most common uses by both generalists and specialists.

What Is Special Education?

Special education can generally be defined as the integration of instructional, behavioral, social-emotional, developmental, and curricular support services and strategies designed to help students with disabilities learn. Special education resources and services are usually delivered across a variety of school settings, depending on the needs of the child and the availability of school staff and environment.

Some special education students may spend part of their time in an integrated classroom, receiving instruction from generalists and interacting with classmates, with scheduled interventions from specialists (speech, language, behavioral, physical therapy, etc.). Others may spend the bulk of their time in dedicated special services environments, with specialized physical, developmental, and learning supports.

Most students designated for special education services will receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP). IEP special education services take into account the varying needs among special education students, and tailor learning and specialized services for each individual student. In most cases, an IEP special education plan involves the development and implementation of specific accommodations designed to meet the needs of each individual student, both in the general education classroom and in specialist resource rooms.

Accommodations and Environment

These special education classroom resources have been specially selected to help general and special education teachers with instructional and environmental accommodations and supports, such as assessment accommodation, special education classroom setup, accommodations for disabilities, and more.

Curriculum Support

These resources provide generalists and special education teachers with strategies and tools for developing and implementing special education curriculum supports. Included are special education lesson plans, special education activities, and other materials for academic instruction and support.

Behavior Management

Use these special education behavior management resources to plan and implement behavior management strategies in integrated and special education classrooms.

IEP Resources

This collection of IEP special education resources gives general education teachers, special education teachers, and parents all the IEP forms, accommodations, strategies, and advice necessary for planning and implementing an Individualized Education Plan in both the general ed classroom and specialist resource rooms.

Special Education Inclusion

Various techniques, tips, and suggestions for promoting special education inclusion in integrated general education classrooms are included in these resources, such as, using stories about children with disabilities to teach others, and proactive tips and effective techniques in your classroom.

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Lesson Plans and Activities

These guides can assist you with creating lesson plans and activities in special education and inclusion settings. Find information on special end support, listening comprehension, and project-based learning so you have the tools to support your students' growth.

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Special Education Lesson Plans

Have you been looking for new ideas for special education classroom lesson planning?

Don't miss the the update and my reflection on the special education lesson plan process below!

I've been asked to share ideas on lesson planning, but first – I have a few questions for you!  

• How does your school or grade-level team lesson plan?  
• Do you lesson plan together as a team, vertical plan based on content, or individually plan for your own class?  
• Are you required to submit special education lesson plans to a “coach” or administrator?  
• Is there a required lesson plan template that you follow?
• Do special ed lesson plans look different than general education?
• Our grade-level teams plan in the following way: each teacher tackles one content area: Math, Comprehension, Writing, Language, Vocabulary/Morning Message, and Phonics. This general education teacher writes the unit plans and assessments, weekly lessons, resources for class (flipcharts, activity pages, exit tickets), and homework. These lesson plans are shared out 2 weeks (10 days minimum) in advance on our “intranet” where we can upload files. Each teacher is also required to presubmit their lesson plan to a designated Teacher Development Leader (often an administrator) for review. This review is a big process at the beginning of the year with constructive feedback, and then often falls into a “check for completion” after the first quarter of the school year. 
• We backwards plan the year, so the scope and sequence and unit plans/calendar are already shared out before the school year starts (we work during the summer!). This “big picture” is extremely helpful to the special educator (me!) and I access them often. Weekly grade-level team meetings often include discussions regarding timing adjustments to the completed plans due to field trips, snow days, and/or data review (i.e.: our students need more practice!).
• The lesson planners also meet vertically with other grade levels planning the same content area. For example, the first grade teacher planning math will meet with the kindergarten and 2nd-4th grade math teachers to discuss key teaching points. 
• As the special educator, I download the general education weekly lesson plans and then differentiate them for students on my caseload. I'd love to say I do it the same way every week/month/year, but as my students' needs change,  so does my planning!
• This year, I've often “stuck to the script” for comprehension, phonics, and math, and then differentiated the presentation  (small groups, more guided practice, parallel teaching).  Next, I supplement and add in tons and TONS of spiral review based on data analysis (I collect data daily!). In previous years, my students have been in a completely different place than the general education population, so my lessons were following a  different (more “bare bones”) scope and sequence. It completely depends on my students' IEP goals and objectives and their areas of strength/growth. VERY interesting, especially because my first graders seem to grow and change WEEKLY!  This makes my job exhausting exciting! 🙂
• I submit my lesson plans 10 days in advance to my team leader. This is the accountability piece our school has built in for every teacher. I find that my lesson plans can be cumbersome and I don't refer to them too often throughout the week. Still, they are a great resource when I'm prepping and/or a student is absent and we need to find a way to catch up the instruction. 

That was A LOT of information about lesson planning!

Here's what my weekly lesson plan overview looks like:

Sorry about those “fancy” font choices I made back in 2012 😉

UPDATE – Wow, this post brings back a lot of memories! It was originally written in 2012 and has received many revisions along the way.

Upon a lot of reflection and opportunities to have meaningful conversations with other special educators, I actually can't believe the expectations we had way back when. It was a WHOLE lot of extra and while the intentions were well-meaning, it was just so much.

I'm keeping the information here because I think (hope!) it may still be helpful for others, especially if you've tried out many special education activities and lesson formats and still haven't found one that works. Maybe some components of these sped lesson plans will be helpful to you and spark some fresh ideas!

If you interested in learning more about special education lesson planning, check out this video:

I'm Jennifer!

I’m Jennifer and I was a special educator in the elementary school setting over the past decade. I entered the classroom every day dedicated to making learning inclusive AND engaging.

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Your One-Stop Shop for Special Education Lesson Plans and Resources

TeachTastic Publishing provides a wide range of resources and materials that are specifically designed to support special education teachers in creating effective lesson plans and teaching students with diverse learning needs.

With a variety of materials available for students with different levels of prior learning and learning disabilities, TeachTastic Publishing provides a comprehensive suite of resources that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of each student.

Free Lesson Plan Templates

Whether a teacher is looking for free lesson plans, examples of effective accommodations and modifications in a lesson plan, or strategies for integrating technology into the classroom, TeachTastic Publishing has everything that a special education teacher needs to help their students succeed.

Learn How Our Special Education Lesson Plans Can Help Your Students in all Content Areas

And if you ever get stuck just give us a help request - we are always here ready help out with anything you might need along the way. so what are you waiting for get started on making this school year amazing right now by bookmarking or sharing our smart iep goals and objectives bank today.

Special education lesson plans that are scaffolded and differentiated for students with diverse learning needs.

Lesson plans cover math, reading, and writing and are designed to meet the needs of all students, regardless of prior knowledge or learning disability.

Curriculum for kindergarten through 6th grade includes all major learning objectives.

Nothing makes a special education lesson better than having built-in direct instruction that students understand, along with tips for many learning disabilities.

Providing educators with easy-to-follow directions, thoughtful teaching tip ideas, free resources, and classroom activities to use to help their students with special needs.

Our Comprehensive Curriculum Covers All Major Learning Objectives for Special Education Students in Kindergarten Through Sixth Grade

At TeachTastic Publishing, we provide a comprehensive special education curriculum tailored to meet the needs of students with diverse learning needs. Our curriculum is available for kindergarten through 6th-grade students and covers all major learning objectives. We offer math, reading, and writing lessons that are scaffolded and differentiated for all learning disabilities, ensuring every student has access to quality education and equal opportunities for success.

Our Lesson Plans

Scaffolding and differentiation strategies for teaching math to special education students.

Math Lesson Plans TeachTastic Publishing’s math lesson plans are designed to help students with diverse learning needs understand mathematical concepts.  

We offer differentiated and scaffolded lesson plans for all learning disabilities, making math accessible to every student. Our math lesson plans include strategies such as modified worksheets, task analysis, graphic organizers, peer tutoring, and mnemonics, ensuring that students understand the material and make progress.

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Incorporate Direct Instruction Strategies into Your Lesson Plans for Maximum Student Learning & Success

Direct Instruction TeachTastic Publishing’s lesson plans include built-in direct instruction to help students understand and retain the material. Our direct instruction strategies are designed to be engaging and effective for students with diverse learning needs. Our direct instruction strategies include strategies for math, reading, and writing lessons and are tailored to meet the individual needs of each student.  

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A Look Inside a Week of my Lesson Plans

Lesson planning in a self-contained classroom can be tricky. I struggled with lesson planning a ton my first year of teaching! Thankfully I’ve learned some tips and tricks along the way. Let me show you a look inside a week of my lesson plans!

Calendar Time

Calendar Time is my favorite time of day! My biggest tip to teachers in self-contained classrooms is to have a routine morning meeting each day. Start the first hour of your day with a calendar/morning meeting. My students love calendar time! It is a routine activity that we do each day, so they love the routine and I love that it is already prepped for me! The students are able to complete the interactive calendar on the Smartboard, and I also have a calendar mat for each student to complete at their table. You can find a great morning meeting routine HERE .

After we complete calendar, I give my students a 10-15 minute break with their preferred reward choice. Then, we begin our ELA block. This time looks different each year depending on our school schedule. This year, we have 4 components to our ELA block that lasts 1 hour. First, we practice our monthly vocabulary .

For vocabulary, I introduce 3 new words each week. We work on vocabulary DTT, picture matching, word matching, sentence building, and much more. Next, we begin our ELA unit for the month. You can shop the ELA curriculum I use HERE. I focus on one unit per month, and we do one activity per day for our ELA unit. For example, on Mondays we read our adapted book and Tuesdays we work on the workbook page as a group. Check out my blog post about how I use the Simple ELA Curriculum here. Next, we work on our Simple Comprehension unit.

We use the monthly comprehension units included in the Simple Comprehension Bundle. This bundle is great for working on comprehension with all students because there is a level for each learner. This curriculum is super easy to follow, and it lays out each lesson for you. For example, on Mondays we work the vocabulary for the story that week, Tuesdays we read the story, etc.

I love using each of these components because they are easy to implement and they are effective! Each component takes about 10 minutes to teach. I love quick, effective lessons!

After we finish vocabulary, our ELA lesson, and our comprehension lesson, my students take another 5-10 minute break before we begin the last part of our ELA block. The last and biggest component of our ELA block is Early Literacy Skills Builder (ELSB.) ELSB is a research based literacy program. This curriculum is great for my K-2 students for working on early literacy skills. Check out my blog post about how I use ELSB in my classroom HERE.

Goal Work Time

Next in my lesson plans is IEP Goal Work time. This also varies year to year, but this year we have an hour block for goal work time. I have a rotating schedule each week for students assigned to each staff member. Then, I also have a data matrix to assign goals and objectives to be tracked each day. During the hour, each staff member rotates through their assigned students to complete their assigned objectives for the day. The students that aren’t working 1:1 with staff member are given independent work to complete until it is their turn. I use the IEP goal bins shown above to track IEP goal data. Check out my blog post about how I set up my IEP goal bins HERE.

Lunch/Social Skills

I do social skills instruction during our classroom lunch time this year. We use Everyday Speech for our social skills program. I work through one lesson of a unit each week. We typically do the videos, games, and practice activities. We complete one activity each day of the week. My students love the games included in this program!

The next part of my weekly lesson plans is our Math block. There are 2 components to my math lesson each day. The first component is Number of the Week. This activity is another routine that we do each day, similar to Calendar time. We work on one number per week, and we practice writing the number, filling a ten frame, sequencing, and tallying. The students complete the interactive Smartboard activity, and they also have their own Number of the Week mat they complete at their table.

The second component of my math instruction is the Simple Math Curriculum. Similar to the Simple ELA curriculum, I work through one unit per month, and we do one activity per day. For example, Mondays we read the adapted book, Tuesdays we complete a workbook page together whole group, etc. This is another activity that is simple to implement, and it is extremely effective!

Special Area & Recess (My Lunch and Planning)

The next part of my lesson plans are Special Area and Recess time. We have library, art, music, and PE special area classes at my school. The special area teachers come to my classroom this year to teach specials. While they do this, I have my lunch time. After specials, my students go to recess. During this time I have my planning period. I work on daily communication logs, IEP documents, prepping for my next lesson, etc. during this time.

Letter of the Week

The last activity on my lesson plans is Letter of the Week. This is another routine that we do daily in my classroom. I love these activities because they are fun for my students, effective, and it is an activity that is already prepped for me all year. Similar to Number of the Week, we work on one letter per week. We practice identifying the letter, identifying the sound, matching, and writing the letter. These routine activities take some work up front, but once they are prepped you don’t have to worry about it again!

There you have it: a look inside a week of my lesson plans! At the end of each week when I prep for the next week it only takes me about 20 minutes to fill in my lesson plans and prep all my materials for the next week. This year my school is using Planbookedu , but typically I plug in my lesson plans into my zoning plan (FREE download.) You can read more about how I use a zoning plan in my classroom here . What do your lesson plans look like each week?

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Life Centered Education Transition Curriculum

An all-in-one set of 1,200 transition lesson plans with related tests, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)’s Life Centered Education (LCE) is a fully online, secure transition curriculum that students and teachers can engage with 24/7. LCE’s online portal tracks and reports on progress and outcomes and is specifically designed to help meet Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals.

 Join the ranks of 2,000 transition specialists in over 500 locations worldwide who already use LCE to prepare students for independent and rewarding lives. Learn more about LCE to get started:

• Sample Lesson Plans
• Curriculum Matrix
• LCE Qualifications
• Case Study: Maplebrook School
• Training Options
• Handout: Prepare Students for Life After School
• Read what real educators are saying

This short demo video shows you the ins and outs of LCE's features to help you learn more and get the most out of the program.

LCE Pricing and Order Forms

Note: Multiple users from different school buildings can all use the program simultaneously.

Visit our Forms Page

Interested in learning more about LCE? Request a free trial:

Features and Benefits

Comprehensive.

• All-in-one curriculum with instruction, assessment, and reporting  
• Includes lesson plans in daily living, interpersonal, and employment skills  
• Reaches beyond academics to functional life skills for independence  
• Provides opportunities for family involvement and community service
• Available anytime, anywhere – entirely online, with a secure portal  
• Lesson plans are presented at three levels of difficulty  
• Offers tips for differentiating instruction, one-one, or in groups  
• Includes links to relevant Internet activities promoting interaction

Widely Applicable

• Content spans a wide range of skill, age, interest, and involvement levels  
• Amenable to integrated settings: self-contained and pull-out programs  
• Subscribers include parents, teachers, counselors, agencies, and employers  
• Used in middle and high schools; post-secondary and higher education programs  
• Cyber, charter, and private schools; residential facilities; and foundations also subscribe

LCE instruction is ready-made, readily available

• LCE provides 1,200 online lesson plans and 450 related test items
• Each lesson includes explicit instruction, practice, and evaluation
• Tracked performance results are easily transferred to IEP updates
• Reporting feature eliminates need to keep separate paper records

Be Accountable

Meet legal requirements for transition plans

• LCE was designed expressly by special educators for special educators
• As a curriculum, it supplies the backbone of mandated transition services 
• Lesson plans correlate to common core state learning standards
• LCE can fulfill graduation requirements of a blended learning course

Respond to Workforce Realities

Transition from school to life takes skill

• Among people with disabilities, only half of them are employed
• One third of the jobs held by people with disabilities are part time
• Those with disabilities face twice the unemployment rate of others
• Impact these statistics: Use LCE to teach how to get and keep a job. (See www.bls.gov and DisabilityStatistics.org) 

LCE Assessment Instruments

Our Life Centered Education (LCE) transition curriculum includes three types of assessment instruments to measure degree of skill attainment and target instruction accordingly. They can be used alone or together depending on reading level of individual students and amount of improvement data required by the setting.

• Competency Rating Scale – behavioral checklist, qualitative An inventory completed by teachers and/or parents based on their judgment of student mastery on each LCE sub-competency.
• Knowledge Battery – multiple-choice items, quantitative A set of written test items that students complete either online or on paper.  An audio option is available for each test item.
• Performance Battery – rating scale of observed performance, qualitative Consists of scenarios that teachers arrange and judge regarding amount of student skill acquisition. Involves students in role-plays, card sorts, etc.

LCE assessment results are stored, tracked, and reported within the online system, so you can readily and justifiably:

• Establish present levels of student competency (strengths, deficiencies)
• Determine and update IEP goals and objectives
• Use on a pre-post basis to guide program planning and instructional content     
• Construct post-secondary vocational and educational plans

Interested in learning more or signing up for a FREE trial of LCE? Click HERE . Contact [email protected]  for questions. Fill out this order form to order LCE, or renew your order .

LCE is intended for all age and grade levels regardless of disability severity or involvement. It includes lessons at three (increasing) levels of complexity. Suggestions for differentiated instruction, including modifications and accommodations, are included in the lesson plans.

LCE could be infused into existing courses or it could be a self-standing elective or independent study course. Lessons on personal finance could be taught within math or economics. Lessons on voting could be taught within government or social studies.

Lessons are meant to be teacher-led and require no reading from students. Worksheets can read aloud by the teacher or other peers and test items have audio feedback, which does not require reading. Two of the three forms of testing require demonstration of mastery, not reading. 

CEC has online videos, and you can contact [email protected] for more resources and information. Webinars are available at 90 minutes for $950 and live, full-day workshops are available for $4,000 plus travel and lodging expenses.

All you need is a computer and a web browser. The LCE portal works best on Internet Explorer 8 and above and the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. The test item audio playback function can be accessed from most browsers.

No, the LCE account administrator needs to be someone willing to serve as the main contact for users and take responsibility for entering usernames into the system. (Note: Users can be teachers, local agency partners, parents, etc.)

Teachers have the only access to student data. However, they can share their student data across classrooms and screens of performance data with supervisors, upon request. Not all user teachers need to be in the same building.

Unlike the few competitive products on the market, CEC’s LCE transition curriculum does not rely on kits, discs, manipulatives, or binders. LCE is paperless and completely accessible online. Plus, it is the most comprehensive transition program on the market that:

• Combines instruction along with related assessment items 
• Contains a progressing tracking and reporting function
• Covers daily living, interpersonal, and employment skills

The account administrator enters a username and password for each teacher, who then names and enters his/her classes into the system. Teachers assign each student a username and password and enters them. Then, the teacher scrolls through the objectives, selecting which to test first. They then create a customized (mini) test or choose a test stored in the online system. Once students complete the test, the system stores individual results as a baseline. Teachers follow the system’s lesson plans (arranged by level of complexity), then re-test; results get stored within the system for easy transfer to IEPs. The system ultimately contains several years’ worth of instruction with over 1,200 lessons. 

Yes, the LCE portal is accessible on an iPad and the audio playback feature, which is available for the knowledge battery test items, should also work. As for use in Moodle, create a link from Moodle that launches the LCE portal.

No, CEC does not distribute the lesson plans alone because they are directly tied to related test items and worksheets, which would be necessary to implement the lesson plans.

No, you cannot pick individual questions to place in a customized mini-test. But, you can select groups of questions that relate to a sub-competency’s objectives.

No, an annual renewal fee (minimal) must be paid to continue access to the curriculum. The account contact receives reminders of when payments are due.

Their names can be deactivated. Should they return, they can be reactivated.

Measures of performance improvement are tracked on an individual student basis to facilitate transfer onto IEPs, but data across students can be generated in a report.

The account administrator enters teachers into the system, including each teacher’s school name; so, the name of each school is associated with a teacher. Then, teachers name their classrooms and enter those classroom names into the system, along with a username and password for each of their students. If you wanted to further differentiate classes within one school, teachers could name classes (for example, “Bedford HS:  transition class” or “Bedford HS: functional math class”). 

• Choose objectives relating to daily living and independent living skills.
• Select lessons at the lowest difficulty level (“awareness” level).
• Print out the worksheets and tests so the students can complete paper copies.
• You, or higher-functioning students, could read aloud for the others.
• Make use of the Internet resources suggested for each lesson, including short videos.

Yes. LCE is being used with students as young as elementary school and as old as 26 (through post-secondary, workplace, hospital, and corrections settings).

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Special Needs for SPECIAL KIDS

Teaching high school math in a special education classroom.

• August 26, 2019
• Tips for High School

Teaching high school math can be a challenge in any situation, but it can be especially challenging in special education. Most students are lacking pre-requisite skills. However, I know teachers are being expected to teach higher level math concepts to their high school students, even those with significant needs and challenges.

Topics like functions, linear equations, geometry, coordinate graphing, and even advanced algebra are all urgent requests I have gotten over the last few months. The sad reality is that these teachers are rarely given anything more than a list of standards to follow. Why? There is just very little material out there to support students with significant disabilities in the middle and high school range. So what are you to do if you are tasked with teaching high school math in a special education setting?

In this post, I want to give you some concrete, actionable tips to use and remember before jumping into these more advanced math topics. More importantly, I want you to see it is possible with the right tools and support, even your most affected students can work through these standards and gain some knowledge and understanding that may benefit them in the future. And, of course, I will have some free downloads for you to try if you still are not convinced.

1. Pre-requisite skills for high school math

Ok, let’s face it, most of the topics I mentioned above have a laundry list of pre-requisite math skills a student would need to have in order to be successful. In addition, 99% of the students coming into a high school math classroom just do not have them. It is a tough conundrum to solve for sure. But being able to shift our belief and definition about what those pre-requisite skills really are can be a game-changer.

You will never, ever be able to go back and teach all the math skills necessary to solve a linear function equation. But that does not mean you cannot still teach your students how to complete a simple function table. And, if you can get them to do that, they are right on the precipice of solving a linear equation.

When teaching high school math, meet your students WHERE THEY ARE . Rather than trying to go back and teach all the skills they never were exposed to or never learned, figure out how to use the skills they do have to teach them this material. Sounds impossible? Let’s take functions as an example.

So here is the standard: F.IF.1c Identify the input or output of a function given in table form. (see the complete standards for this high school math unit ) A standard function table may look like this:

But what if you could make it look like this:

And not only that, what if you used actual objects and a real-life function machine when teaching this high school math standard? (I made this one while in the classroom, and used it for so many things. The kids loved it. CLICK HERE ) With enough practice and creativity, many of your students will start to understand the input/output concept.

Students still struggling? Try moving away from quantities and leveraging those skills your students do have. Like this table:

As special ed teachers we are so good at thinking outside of the box!! Even with these more advanced standards we just need to get even more creative when teaching high school math. Be sure to download my free set of function worksheets at the end of this post .

2. Vocabulary in high school math

As we introduce these higher level concepts, I find it so helpful to take a step back and really focus on vocabulary. As much as possible, I would encourage you to use the REAL words. Do not make up cute replacements that you think will be easier for students to remember. Instead, use simple pictures to pair with these curriculum based words.

I know so many students who have learned very sophisticated words for items that are highly desirable to them. Since most, if not all, of this content will be new let’s just start off with the correct vocabulary .

Play games, practice daily, and be consistent with your use of words and symbols to deepen their understanding of this new and challenging material.

3. Real-world examples when teaching high school math

This one is probably fairly obvious to many of you. When you start on a new topic, try to relate it to items and processes your students are already familiar with.

Again, we may need to think outside of the box but it makes such a difference. Google searches were my best friend when trying to come up with ideas for some of these more advanced units. There is so much out there, it just takes some time to hunt it down.

4. Repetition and re-teaching

So, if you have followed my blog for any time or purchased any of my resources, you know how I feel about repetition. It is absolutely crucial and should never be taken for granted. When I create these high school math units, I not only make tons of worksheets (probably way more than is necessary) but I also strongly encourage teachers to use them more than once.

You can read more about the benefits and power of repetition by visiting my blog post and learn how to do it without being boring.

This is likely a brand new skill, and it will take many, many, many trials to master. Now, I do like to add some variation to the mix. Change up the objects, the quantities, the colors, even just changing the font all adds to the variety and increases the likelihood of generalization. So, repetition with variety is HUGE!!

How much time to spend on re-teaching? That is a question that can be hard to answer. If your students just do really horrible on the assessment, then I would definitely go back and re-teach for at least a week. But, here is the key : if you give the assessment BEFORE starting the topic as a pre-assessment, then you have a much better idea if there was any growth. I would often have students who only got 3 out of 10 correct on the assessment. Sounds awful right? But, they had only 1 correct on the pre-assessment. Guess what?! That is 200% growth . Without that pre-assessment piece I might feel really discouraged and spend way too much time re-teaching. How much growth is enough? Only you can decide that.

5. Using pictures when teaching high school math

So as you saw in the function table example, you can insert pictures in the place of numbers and letters as much as possible. A program I used, Hands on Equations, did a great job of this. (You can see a YouTube video about that HERE .)

Compare these two worksheets:

You may have some students than can complete this function table with the numbers. But, more likely, you have students who are not even able to read much above a 1st – 2nd grade level. Could they do the worksheet with pictures? Same exact problem, just less pre-requisite knowledge needed. I know they would need support of course, but you are more likely to make some connections and gain some independence with the second worksheet.

Hopefully, by now I have inspired you to try it. At the very least, I hope I have eased that sense of panic you may have had as your administrator handed you these “new” standards that had to be addressed. It is absolutely possible!! And, if you still feel like you have no way to put all that together, I have you covered!! I have lots of advanced math units in my store ready to download, print, and go. Use your energy on the teaching rather than the creating. Click HERE to see all the units I have specifically for middle and high school.

Now, about that free download. Just click the button below to grab my set of function table worksheet. Then, watch your email for some more function freebies!!

Take a look a this video that covers my Functions and Linear Equations Unit. Get it now, click HERE .

Hi, I really like the way you show your students how to learn math even though they are years behind. Do you have any material for 8th grade math resource teachers?

Thanks for the question Jeremey. I emailed you a pacing guide that lists all 25 units I have for middle and high school math. I am currently building out more Algebra I and II units!!

Hi Christa! Coincidently, I too teach 8th grade math and have been searching for some additional resources and alternate methods of teaching students who are behind. Is there any chance you may be able to email me that pacing guide with those units as well? I’d greatly appreciate it!

Thanks for reaching out Ben. I emailed you the pacing guide for middle and high school math. You can also see it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14nRvdKenuNjJZG9uS9MCflMlY1jhpQrZ/view?usp=sharing These units are geared toward students who take an alternate assessment.

I am a new algebra 1 special education teacher who are looking for resources to teach my students at their level. It has been hard, because my school does not supply me with worksheets or books. I get through same materials the general education teachers receives. I am seeking ways to help my students before they fall further behind.

Hi Javonna. I sent you an email, but I would check out my algebra bundle here: https://specialneedsforspecialkids.org/product/algebra-bundle-for-special-education-print-and-digital/ . I have quite a few middle and high school math resources that are supported with a lot of pictures and step by step scaffolding worksheets that guide students through the process of solving various types of equations. Thanks for reaching out. I hope that bundle has some helpful material for you.

Comments are closed.

I'M CHRISTA JOY MY MISSION IS TO GIVE PARENTS AND TEACHERS THE TOOLS THEY NEED IN ORDER TO FEEL EFFECTIVE AND CONFIDENT TEACHING EVEN THE MOST CHALLENGING OF STUDENTS.

Special Education Math Curriculum

Special Education Math Curriculum

enCORE is a comprehensive approach to delivering grade-aligned academic instruction for students with moderate to severe disabilities. The math domain of the K-12 adapted core curriculum was designed with the evidence-based instructional practices found throughout enCORE, including the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and systematic, explicit instruction .

Structure of enCORE Math Lesson Plans

Each math lesson is structured to flow through the gradual release of responsibility, guiding students towards greater independence as they show they are ready. Lesson plans begin with anchored instruction to help students connect the new learning objective to their existing background knowledge and to make connections to their everyday lives. Then, teachers move through this sequence:

• Direct instruction and modeling
• Shared instruction and guided practice
• Independent student practice with ongoing teacher monitoring

This progression is noted within the print lesson plans as ‘Model, Lead, Test’ and will likely be familiar to educators as the I Do, We Do, You Do model.

Introducing students to new skills in small, bite-sized pieces supports complex learners by ensuring students receive multiple exposures to the new skill, prompting and feedback to avoid practicing incorrectly, and plenty of practice to reinforce new learning.

• Click here to see a sample enCORE Elementary Math Lesson Plan
• Click here to see a sample enCORE Middle Math Lesson Plan
• Click here to see a sample enCORE High Math Lesson Plan 

The math domain also includes evidence-based instructional practices that are specific to math, including concrete representations, the use of technology, and connecting math to real-world events.

Concrete Representations

Concrete representations , or math manipulatives like ten-frames and counting toys, are available throughout the enCORE curriculum for elementary , middle , and high school students . Lessons incorporate many everyday items that are found in the classroom. For example, in one elementary lesson, students learn to distinguish between thin and thick by comparing books of different sizes.

The specific math manipulatives included in each grade band are shown below in the manipulative kit item lists:

• enCORE Elementary Math Manipulatives
• enCORE Middle Math Manipulatives
• enCORE High Math Manipulatives

Concrete representations help make math concepts and operations less abstract, more concrete, and relevant to students’ lives. For example, students who practice concepts about money with coins and dollar bills are much more likely to generalize those concepts to their everyday lives.

Math and Technology

Technology is also used to help anchor instruction by making math operations more applicable to day-to-day activities and to literature stories.

Connecting Math to Literature

Literature reviews identify the use of math problems that represent real-life scenarios as an evidence-based practice for teaching math. This is one way to anchor instruction. Math instruction in every unit of enCORE Elementary is anchored in problems that are meaningful by using the literature embedded in the curriculum. For example, word problems designed to teach problem-solving skills and basic math operations focus on the characters and scenarios for the book that anchors that particular unit.

The lesson plan snapshot below shows a sample word problem related to the characters and scenarios from a unit in enCORE Elementary. The book for this unit is The Swiss Family Robinson. Students practice modeling single-digit addition and subtraction math problems through the context of the characters in the Robinson family (e.g., collecting sticks, building a fire, etc.).

Connecting Math to Everyday Living

While enCORE Elementary makes connections from the new math concept to the unit’s literature throughout the lesson plans, enCORE Middle and enCORE High primarily make these connections during the anchor instruction portion of the lesson plans (e.g., the beginning part of the lesson). Activating background knowledge helps older students make sense of new math concepts by drawing upon existing references but also honors the developmental advancement of both the literature and math as the lessons progress.

EnCORE Math incorporates real-world math applications alongside standards-based activities and practices for all grade bands. Skills like budgeting, time management, and other skills that students with low-incidence disabilities may not learn incidentally are explicitly taught and reinforced through warm-up worksheets. These skills are spiraled where appropriate throughout the lesson plans so that students have opportunities to apply foundational concepts to their everyday lives.

Students learn how to:

• Read a bus schedule and plan accordingly
• Account for traffic when deciding what time to leave the house to arrive on time
• Save enough money to make a desired purchase

And much more!

These everyday math skills are reinforced to ensure these foundational skills are acquired, retained, and generalized to support their transition to adulthood & the appropriate level of independence after high school.

Let’s take a look now at the specific math content in each of the grade bands.

enCORE Elementary Math Lessons

In enCORE Elementary, the Math domain includes 8 areas of focus.

The Counting and Cardinality Segment addresses number identification, number sense, rote counting, counting quantities with one-to-one correspondence, and sequencing numbers and quantities. These early numeracy skills provide a strong foundation in what numbers mean and how they relate to the objects in our world, allowing students with moderate to severe disabilities a firm footing for jumping into the content included in other Math segments.

In the Operations and Algebraic Thinking Segment , students are guided through pre-problem-solving and problem-solving activities. Math is brought to life using relatable story problems, and students are taught to identify critical information from a problem and the steps necessary to solve the problem using evidence-based support.

The Measurement and Data Segment addresses measurable attributes of physical objects, sorting and comparing those objects, and graphing and analyzing data. Students and teachers work side by side to complete hands-on activities based both in the curriculum’s literature and in real-world scenarios.

The Math All Around Us Segment addresses two key areas: (1) extending skills taught in other segments as they relate to the world around us, and (2) how we can draw skills from multiple math domains and use them in tandem to solve problems in the education classroom and beyond. [Add another sentence like …] This segment gives students additional practice with newly acquired skills and the valuable opportunity to connect seemingly abstract concepts to their everyday lives.

Each Number and Operations in Base 10 (or Fractions, for Units 19-36 in the 3-5 band) Segment provides teachers and students with hands-on materials and graphic organizers needed to develop conceptual knowledge and clear comprehension of how numbers, quantities, and individual objects can be put together, organized, and taken apart. These lessons encourage students to practice numeracy skills in the context of Base 10 units, tens, and hundreds and in the context of the parts and wholes represented by fractions. Students will bring these skills together to solve equations and word problems using Base 10 Units and fractions.

The Time Segment is designed to address the functional math skills we use daily. From identifying time on various devices to identifying money and making purchases in the community, teachers are provided with scripted step-by-step instructions on how to teach these critical math concepts.

The Money Segment is designed to familiarize students with coins and dollar bills and support them in developing a sense of their value, both in relation to other currencies (e.g., “A $20 bill is worth more than a quarter.”) and in relation to their value in everyday situations (e.g., “I can buy more with a $20 bill than a quarter, but someone should not ask me to pay $20 for a pack of gum.”). These lesson segments focus on identifying coins and bills, counting the value of money, and employing practical strategies to use money effectively in the real-world environment.

The Geometry Segment teaches students to identify two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. Additionally, students are taught to identify the attributes of shapes, compare shapes by their attributes, and identify and extend patterns.

enCORE Middle School Math Lessons

In enCORE Middle, the Math domain includes 6 areas of focus:

• The Number System
• Expressions & Equations
• Statistics & Probability
• Geometry, Ratios & Proportions (6th and 7th grade)
• Functions (8th grade)

Within each unit, there are 2 lesson plans, each containing 4 segments that focus on clear, specific learning objectives derived from state and national Math standards.

• The Math Momentum I segment introduces new topics and reviews prerequisite skills, setting students up to learn more complex, multi-step concepts in later segments within the lesson.
• In the Math Foundations I segment, students are introduced to problem-solving and multi-step tasks.
• The Math Foundations II segment expands on the content covered in Math Foundations I.
• The fourth segment, Math Exploration, requires students to solve more complex problems using the skills they have developed over subsequent segments. The instruction in this segment serves as the culmination of a series of scaffolded skills.

At the end of each lesson plan are Generalization and Extension Activities . The Generalization and Extension Activities provide students with extended practice and helps them generalize learned skills and can be completed at times that work with a classroom schedule.

enCORE High School Math Lessons

In enCORE High School, the Math domain includes 4 standard mathematics courses:

Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II, and Probability, Statistics, and Logic. The order the courses are presented, corresponding to grade band 9-12, can be shifted when required by district or state guidelines. Each course contains nine units of instruction, equating to one year of instruction. The Algebra I and II courses incorporate instruction that encompasses Algebraic Reasoning and Functions (Equations and Inequalities). The Geometry course instruction covers standards in Geometry and Measurement. And during the Probability, Statistics, and Logic course units, students will receive instruction covering Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability, as well as Numbers, Operations, and Logic. Each course consists of eight units of instruction and concludes with a ninth unit of Financial Literacy .

Within each unit are 2 lesson plans, each containing 5 segments that focus on clear, specific learning objectives derived from state and national Math standards.

• The Math Momentum I and II segments introduce new topics and review prerequisite skills, setting students up to learn more complex, multi-step concepts in later segments within the lesson.
• The fifth segment, Math Exploration, requires students to solve more complex problems using the skills they have developed over subsequent segments. The instruction in this segment serves as the culmination of a series of scaffolded skills.

At the end of each lesson plan are five Math for Life: Generalization and Extension Activities . The Generalization and Extension Activities focus on skill development in the areas of Community, Vocational, Home, Personal Life, and Leisure.

enCORE Lesson Plans:

Click on a subject area to learn more.

English Language Arts     Math    Science      Social Studies

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A Look Inside My Self Contained Class Schedule + Planning

Being a self-contained classroom special education teacher, I often get asked about what my classroom schedule looks like, how I lesson plan for all the different ability levels, and just what one single day in my classroom looks like.

I decided it may be time to share my classroom schedule, and give some pointers on how to make your classroom schedule work for you… no matter setting you work in.

I do want to preface this entire post by saying that every single classroom is different. What works for me, may or may not work for you… and I promise you that my class schedule wasn’t a one time thing. It took me months to refine, and even some days it’s a work in progress.

But hopefully with these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to build a classroom schedule that works for you and meets the needs of all of your students.

Here’s our daily classroom schedule:

7:45-8:00 Arrival / Potty / Breakfast

8:00 – 9:00 Morning Calendar

9:00 – 9:45 Specials (Teacher Planning)

9:45 – 10:20 English Language Arts

10:20 – 10:50 Student Lunch

10:50 – 11:00 Potty

11:00 – 11:45 Computers + iPads (Para Lunch Duty)

11:45 – 12:30 Motor Lab (Para Lunch Duty + Lunch)

12:30 – 12:45 Snack + Potty

12:45 – 1:00 Story Time

1:00 – 2:00 Mathematics

2:00 – 2:45 Inclusion / Science / Social Studies

2:45 – 3:00 Clean Up + Potty + Dismissal

Let’s take a deeper look into each part of the day for a better explanation of what’s going on during each part of our day:

Most of my students arrive on the school bus. Contract time for paras begins at 7:30 and teachers begin at 7:45, so my paras get all of the students off the bus and bring them to the classroom.

Students put their belongings away… backpacks in their cubbies, coats off, lunches out (so we can determine who packed and who will be eating school lunch), and students get their Daily Communication Logs out and put them on the back table.. Students If they had a Reading Toolkit to return, they place it on the back table. Or maybe signed paperwork, order forms, fundraiser packets… you know, all that fun stuff.

We ask each student if they need to use the restroom, as well as use this time to change any diapers or pull-ups.

If a student eats school breakfast, one of us will take the child down to the cafeteria to get breakfast. They eat breakfast in the classroom at their desk.

At 8AM, the school announcements begin. We stand for the Pledge of Allegiance (and the Star Spangled Banner on Friday’s) and listen to the daily announcements. After that, we begin our morning calendar routine.

One special thing about the beginning 15 minutes of the day is I get a moment to say good morning to each child and ask about their night or weekend. It’s our 1:1 time to start out on a positive day.

This hour is probably my favorite part of the entire school day. It’s a section of our schedule that I planned for one time. Yep, once. And it works every single day, it’s a routine the kids know, and it’s something my para could run if I were out for the day.

To read a very in-depth blog post about the entire first hour of our school day, click here .

On Friday mornings, we also do Coffee Cart Friday . We do a modified morning calendar routine on Fridays 🙂

It’s kind of crazy that our class is fortunate enough to all have specials around the same time. And if they don’t (I mean… there are 4 grade levels in our classroom!) they are either in inclusion or in resource.

This is also the time when I take 45-minutes for teacher planning.

IEP meetings are scheduled during this time as well, as well as other team meetings with admin, etc.

ELA is such a short time, but we do SO. MUCH. STUFF. during this time. It’s really all meat and potatoes.

Typically what is looks like is a whole group session at the back table. Whether that’s reading a story together and using a differentiated book companion , or a full on accommodated Guided Reading lesson , we’re all working.

Monday and Tuesday, we start new stories. I use the leveled readers from Reading A-Z. They’re a life saver! To get student reading levels, at the beginning of the year, we conduct the Literacy Assessment to see what students know.

Wednesday and Thursday are used for ELA centers and adapted work binders , quick checks on the stories we read, IEP goal data on specific students, and/or end of the story assessments. It really depends on the student.

Through Monday-Thursday, students are also working on interactive sight word readers .

Friday is for Fun Food Friday .

Our students eat lunch at this time. They eat lunch in the cafeteria, and both myself and paras attend lunch with our students. We help them eat and monitor our student’s lunch period.

In the past, a few of my higher level students would eat lunch with their inclusion classes.

We take this time to wash our hands and get cleaned up from lunch.

Some school years, our recess also overlaps this time and the beginning of computers in the classroom. But last year, students had recess with their inclusion classrooms, so we did not have a specific recess time.

This time is so important for our class because at this time each day, our paras have Lunch Duty. So it typically looks like just me in the classroom with all of the students. Technology is a great way to occupy all students at once, and have them working on something academic. Especially if a student did not finish their morning work, I can successfully pull that student to finish their work while all other students are occupied.

My second year in the self-contained setting, I won a grant to purchase 4 iPads for the classroom. We use them during this time.

In our classroom, we have 5 iPads and 4 desktop computers for students to use. The most students (so far) that I’ve had is 7 at once. We rotate who uses the desktop computers and iPads.

The first 30ish minutes are for academic purposes. Students need to work on something academic… whether that’s an app or Keyboarding Without Tears ( which is phenomenal by the way! ).

The remaining 15ish minutes are for students to “play games” or watching Daniel Tiger. This remaining time is each child’s reward for completing their morning work and computer work. If a student doesn’t successfully complete all of their morning and computer work, they finish it up during this time.

I guess you could say that this time also works as a huge incentive in our classroom. 🙂

You can see a list of general apps here , and a list of math apps here .

I think it is imperative that students have time in their day to be kids… and be kids outside of a 15 minute recess. I know some teachers do smaller increments of time spread throughout the school day for sensory integration, so it’s something you make fit into your schedule.

Along with computers, motor lab also serves as a time when I am alone with my students in the classroom while my paras eat lunch or finish up duties.

A few examples of activities students can play with during this time: a sit and spinner, trampoline, dramatic play (dolls, kitchen, stuffed animals…), Legos and blocks, train set, sensory tubs ( water beads , MadMattr or kinetic sand , PlayDoh, etc.), indoor swing , sensory pods, body socks , sensory stepping stones … we have a very wide range of activities students can interact with.

Snack and story time serve as teacher lunch time, so the paras are alone with students at this time.

They use this time for students to eat snack, as well as use the restroom and change any diapers/pull-ups.

Story time is pretty self explanatory. A para or a student will choose a book from the classroom library. I do have a tiered bookshelf for seasonal and monthly-related books that offer great recommendations for students to listen to.

Our math block is one hour, give or take a few minutes to wrap up story time or head to inclusion around 2.

In our classroom, it typically looks like all students at the back table working on individualized skills. A few days each week, we will do a whole group lesson on a targeted skill that a majority of my students are working on (like money, addition/subtraction, etc.).

Other than that, it’s highly individualized based on grade level content that needs to be addressed and student IEP goals. Our Math Adapted Work Binder comes in huge handy here.

Read more about differentiating Guided Math here.

Many of my students attend inclusion for the social aspect of it and not necessarily for the academics, and myself or a para go to inclusion with our friends. My higher level students who can handle attending the regular ed setting on their own, go by themselves.

Adults document inclusion time using this data sheet on a clipboard. All of my students have a clipboard for this purpose, and you guessed correctly if you guessed color coded clipboards .

So far, it’s worked out well that all of my students attend inclusion for science and social studies at this time. To implement the grade level content on my students’ levels in our classroom, we utilize the Science and Social Studies Adapted Work Binders .

Just like any other classroom, students have to clean up after themselves. They pack their own backpacks, listen for their name to be called to get their Daily Communication Logs , push their chairs in, use the restroom (if needed), and then wait patiently to be dismissed.

We walk to dismissal together and at 3PM, students are dismissed (either to car rider or bus).

And that’s pretty much it!

WHERE DO YOU SHOWCASE YOUR SCHEDULE IN THE CLASSROOM?

The classroom schedule is posted on the front board using a visual schedule . I print, laminate, and add magnets to the back so we can easily switch out parts of our day if needed.

Individualized student visual schedules are posted on their desks (specials only) and on the cabinet doors.

What questions do you still have about our schedule?

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

• The First Two Weeks in a Self-Contained SPED Classroom
• Creating Your Class Schedule for SPED

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Free Reading Resources For Special Education

Instruction and Lesson Plans

It’s important that we have many resources at our fingertips when teaching reading because we never know what will work with our students, their needs, levels, etc. Below are a variety of free reading resources to add to your repertoire.

resources with visual supports

The shared tarheel reader has a variety of books with core boards right on the screen. Plus, there are books in a variety of languages allowing ESL students to read in their language. You can also use switches and change color contrast.

The How To… Life Skills Books are interactive and include the visual supports students need. These books are adapted for special education and speech. They will help students develop matching skills, build language (receptive and expressive) and attending skills.

Boardmaker To Go offers a free unit with visual supports such as core boards and templates.

Target core words

I love these books developed by Tobbi Dynavox that focus on core words. These books include lesson plans with multiple free books for each of the core words in the list. You can print the books or share them on a smartboard or Google Classroom.

Online Tools To Support Learning

The Unite For Literacy site has a large variety of books and read to me options. You can change the language the books are read to you based on your student’s needs as well.

The Oxford Owl ebooks have read to me options as well as annotation tools. Use the tools to highlight words, sounds, punctuation, blends, etc. These books are great when teaching remotely or during shared reading in the classroom. An account is required, but sign-up is free.

Set Up Student Access

Epic is a fantastic website that is free for teachers. It has many topics, leveled books, and read to me options. There is also an alphabet series that is great for highlighting 1 letter at a time. There are options to set up students in your teacher account. Then, you can assign books and quizzes to students, as well as get data on how long and which books students are reading.

Reading activities

Use these reading comprehension sheets in your direct instruction, reading centers, independent work systems, or for homework. They are free in our resource library. Not a member? Click HERE to join our email community.

The Matching CVC words tasks are also free in our resource library!

For students still learning their letters, grab these free alphabet poke cards . They are also in our free resource library.

Check out these blog posts for more info on teaching reading:

• Using Guided Reading In Self-contained Programs
• How To Target Reading and Language With Interactive Books
• Integrate Science and Reading

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• Color Sorting - Sorting colors and shapes.
• Counting with Dr. Seuss - The student will use numbers and count.
• Decimal Values and Money - The students will use coins to arrive at the designated total marked on the envelope.
• Exceptional Children Class Lesson - Students will use their prior knowledge of The Grouchy Ladybug to help them create a mathematical story problem using the grouchy ladybug and the aphids that are to be eaten.
• How do I feel? - The overall subject would be "Sometimes I feel..."
• Independent Work Assistance - The student will use a visual approach such as a Visual Schedule to keep him/her on track during in the morning for independent work while the teacher is working with other children or groups.
• Introduction to Fractions - How can we use our knowledge of fractions to help us make something for real-life?
• Learning Your Times Tables - The goal is for the children to learn the times table from 0 to 12 with 80% accuracy. The outcome will be that the students will be able to repeat the table 4 out of 5 times when asked.
• Letter C - Students will be able to identify the letter C from a field of two and will identify sight words that start with the letter C.
• Money - Pennies and Dimes - I want my students to be able to identify pennies and dimes from a group of coins.
• Name the Animals - The student will be able to identify the animals from the book "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?".
• Phoneme Track - The student will develop phonemic awareness by encouraging lots of talking, listening and playing with sounds.
• Planting Seeds - The students will be able to go to the table and select the appropriate item for their task. The students will complete the tasks in proper sequence. The students will follow the directions on their necklace.
• Producing the "s" sound in words - Students will identify and formulate words that begin with the "s" sound.
• Over Stimulization - The topic for this lesson is learning about the stimuli in the classroom environment that most people do not notice but that distract and frustrate children with autism.
• Sequence of Events - I want all of my students to be able to recognize that a story is made up of different events.
• Soap and Rinsing Away Germs - Teach the steps of hand washing. T
• Stranger Awareness - The students will be able to identify someone whom they know and someone who is a stranger. The students will learn what to say to a stranger when he/she approaches them.
• The Four Seasons On Earth - The goal of this lesson is for language impaired students to increase vocabulary knowledge and usage related to the Four Seasons.
• Tolerance - The goal of this lesson is for students to appreciate the differences between them and others.
• Turkey Hunting - To improve categorization skills to learn the concept of "pair" to increase use of descriptive language.
• Using Phonics to Increase Reading Speed - The student will be able to recognize and produce the sound represented by the symbol when given a printed symbol.
• What Are Antonyms? - Students will produce a pair of antonyms and draw a picture representing them.
• What is the same - Recognition of two items that are the same and one item that is different.

For Third to Fifth Grade

• Acting Out a Message Using Toys - This activity helps develop auditory memory as well as meting sentence level step 6 from the Auditory Learning Guide.
• Addition and Subtraction Practice - Julie will be able to successfully add or subtract 20 math practice problems with 80% accuracy. She will look at the math sign to determine the action to be taken.
• Classroom Rules - Students should be able to explain how government and laws can protect natural rights.
• Compare and Contrast Essay - Students will be able to write an essay in which they compare the similarities and contrast the differences among one room schools from the past and schools today.
• Communication w/ Hearing Impaired - List 3 general considerations that will help officers better communicate with deaf citizens.
• Deaf Awareness Week/Nonverbal Communication - Students will analyze various contributions to society by Deaf/HoH individuals and apply this to their daily lives by a class reflection-small project.
• Dividing By Groups - Students will be able to use "reverse" grouping to determine the inverse relationship between multiplication and division.
• Dominic's Smart Start - Dominic has sensory integration dysfunction.
• Name Processing- Speech - Student will improve their ability to name items of a given category or under certain criteria.
• Place Value To Millions - Student will be able to take any number up to 1,000,000 and chart each digit's place value on a chart.
• Signing- Family, Fun and Feelings - To be able to sign while learning new English vocabulary.
• Talking About Feelings - Angry - Students with autistic spectrum disorders will develop their understanding of feelings and pragmatic skills.
• Teaching sh, ch, ck, and th - The learner will apply phonics and structural analysis to decode words.
• Writing About Cam Jansen - Students will focus on one writing skill at a time with direct instruction of mechanics.

For Middle School

• Attributes - Color - Attribute blocks and shapes in the colors given.
• Create a Play - At the end of this lesson students will be able to read a text and rewrite the text in play form, making changes and adding elements to make it work on stage.
• Language Arts Inclusion - An example lesson.
• Plan for the Future - The goal of this lesson is to get the students to think about what they think that they might like to do with their lives as an adult.
• Observing Patterns - To read for understanding and spiral reading levels.
• Reading and Using Word Study Strategies - The student will demonstrate understanding of appropriate communication skills.
• Student's Original Children's Book - Students will learn the elements of writing a short story.
• The Pearl - Facilitate understanding of the importance of rules in society Relate decision-making skills to each students own personal experiences.
• Using The Parts of Speech Properly - Given fifteen words, ten of which are verbs, the student will identify the verbs with 80% accuracy

For High School

• Behavioral Goals - This student has had problems staying on task and has interrupted class at times through behaving incorrectly.
• Braille Work Area - Given a student that will use a Braille writer and use Braille, the teacher will create an organization system for the student.
• Chair Check 101 - This is to help student develop appropriate Social Skills for a variety of public settings in the school day to include assemblies, cafeteria and field trips.
• Culinary Skills - To improve quality of nutrition and health in the community service .
• Creating a Safe Classroom Climate - Teacher and students will negotiate the guidelines for creating and maintaining a classroom climate.
• Help Wanted Ads - The learner will exhibit job-seeking skills necessary to secure employment in chosen career pathway.
• HEY, STOP BEING PUSHY!! - The student will demonstrate a firm but nice way of telling people "no" when someone has become annoying, demanding, or pushy.
• Inclusion and Motivation - Inclusion and how parents and peers affect students' motivation.
• Intellectual Disabilities - Students will also learn some successful practices for teaching students with those disabilities.
• Learning Letters for Severe Students - Each student will be able to recognize their own name.
• My Country - Students will apply theories of government and economics and sociology to create their own country.
• Our Right to Know - Students will recognize the role of the press as "the public watchdog." Scandals and wrongdoing have been brought to public light by the press.
• Resource Room - Describe preconditions to improve motivation and affect within the regular education classroom.
• The Necklace - Plot Elements - Students will read "The Necklace" and identify parts of the plot.
• What Can I Afford? - The student will begin the process of sorting out jobs they do and do not like.
• Why Should You Wash Your Hands? - To understand the importance of handwashing To demonstrate the seven steps for good handwashing technique.

Special Education Lesson Plans From Other Web Sites

• IEP: Individualized Education Program - An overview of the IEP process.
• National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education Through Technology, Media and Materials - Ideas and resources for improving your Special Education classroom.
• Teaching Math to Visually Impaired Students - A full resource for teaching math to the visually impaired.

More Special Education Resources

• All Resources For Teachers and Parents
• Educational Literature on Special Education
• Special Education Laws

The High School Resource Room and Special Education

• Categories : Inclusion strategies for mainstreamed classrooms
• Tags : Special ed information for teachers & parents

General Guidance

What is a resource room? How much time will students spend there? Do they have opportunities to attend regular classes and

classrooms? Targeted towards parents, this article gives a rundown of what the high school resource room is, as well as dispelling some stereotypes associated with special education.

A Guide to Setting Up a High School Resource Room

Taking into account the diversity of students and learning styles, the author makes some basic recommendations for how to set up the resource room to minimize distractions, allow students and teachers to move around freely, and organize learning materials effectively.

Special Education Classroom Designs: How Important Are They?

How important is the classroom design of a resource room, anyway? In fact, everything in the classroom should contribute to the learning of the students, and a good classroom design will take all the students’ needs into account. This article gives some tips on how to do so.

Autism Support Resource Rooms

A relatively recent development, the autism support room caters directly to the needs of autistic children while striving to gradually mainstream their education. This article defines, describes and gives advantages of the autism support room compared to regular resource rooms and mainstream education.

What Is the Difference Between a Self-Contained Class and a Resource Room?

Self-contained classes and resource rooms educate the students outside of a traditional classroom setting, but there are important differences between the two. In a self-contained classroom, the students are grouped according to learning level and/or disability, and have the same teacher for all subjects. Resource rooms have a variety of teachers, classes and students of different learning levels and special needs. This article explains the differences.

Mainstreaming vs. Inclusion

Mainstreaming and inclusion are other options besides the resource room. With inclusion, the special education student will still spend some time in the resource room. Both strategies involve educating special needs students as a part of the larger school system, rather than in a specialized setting. This article is useful for comparing different education methods. What are the benefits to mainstreaming and inclusion vs. the resource room?

Holistic Learning in the High School Resource Room

The principle of the high school resource room lies in the idea of holistic learning. Generally these teaching methods are more interactive and individualized. This article explains the principles of holistic learning in the resource room, as well as some strategies to incorporate it in classroom structure and in your teaching methods.

Making Reading Interventions in the Resource Room

This article focuses on techniques to develop students’ reading skills, including evidence-based reading instruction, phonemic awareness activities, decoding activities and comprehension activities. The author gives examples of formal and informal teaching activities, such as rhyming to work on phonemic awareness. Several helpful reading programs are also identified as resources for the special education teacher.

Creating Centers in the Special Education Classroom

In your resource room, you might want to create centers within one classroom that each focus on a particular skill set or lesson. This article discusses the challenges posed by creating such centers and gives examples of different classroom setups and situations. Clear instructions are given about how to prepare for and teach in a resource room structured this way.

Strategies for Helping Physically Disabled Students

This article discusses IDEA’s policies and regulations on accommodating students with physical disabilities. Although this article suggests several ideas for integrating physically disabled students into a standard classroom, many of its suggestions and ideas apply to the resource room. Strategies include having resource staff conferences with parents, organizing resource rooms around student needs and using technology to help students with disabilities.

English Language Learners and Special Education

If you are a special education teacher, at some point in your career you may have to deal with English language learners and ESL students who are misassigned to the resource room. The question of how to teach these students is a growing problem. The easy solution — to shunt them off into special education — is a mistake, and something special education teachers are not trained to work with. This article should prepare you for the issues and problems arising from being assigned a student classified as “disabled” because s/he does not speak English.

Using Exercise Balls for ADD/ADHD Students in the Resource Room

This article proposes a creative solution for ADD/ADHD students who can’t seem to focus. In the resource room, a special education teacher can provide them with exercise balls instead of desks. Using exercise balls as desks may seem odd, but this article makes a strong case for it: they promote upright posture, allow the student to move around during learning and help them with body/sensory awareness problems.

With these articles as a guide to the high school resource room, teachers and parents alike should feel more comfortable and informed about the education of their children.

• Jones, Susan, M. Ed. Resource Room - Tips for a working model.

A Guide to Special Education Terms

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The number of students in special education has increased steadily in the last four decades , with parents more readily seeking additional support and more students being diagnosed with conditions, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

In the wake of the pandemic, though, districts struggle to hire and—more importantly—keep their special education teachers, who are often beleaguered by stressful working conditions and a lack of resources.

Even as the field shifts to address workforce shortages, with some states considering extra pay for special education and others eyeing how artificial intelligence could lessen the burden of increased workloads, students with disabilities make up roughly 13 percent of the school population, said Natasha Strassfeld, an assistant professor in the department of special education at the University of Texas at Austin.

These are key terms educators should know.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act , or IDEA , is a federal law that establishes the rights of students with disabilities and their families.

First passed in 1975 and most recently reauthorized in 2004, the act provides grant funding to states that agree to the federal government’s vision for educating students with disabilities, said Strassfeld.

Students must be identified, evaluated, and deemed as IDEA eligible for the state to use federal money to educate that child. There are 13 categories under which a student could be eligible, including physical and intellectual disabilities.

There are about seven million students served under IDEA, said Strassfeld.

An Individualized Education Program , or IEP , is a legally binding contract between a school district and a family with a child with a disability. Under IDEA, students are afforded an IEP, said Dia Jackson, senior researcher for special education, equity, and tiered systems of support at the American Institutes of Research.

IEPs spell out what area a student has a disability in, how it impacts learning, and what the school will do to address those needs, such as providing speech or occupational therapy, more intensive instructional supports, and accommodations, including for standardized tests and other learning goals.

The number of IEPs is increasing in schools as conditions, like autism spectrum disorder, or ADHD, are being diagnosed more readily.

All students with disabilities are protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires schools to make “reasonable accommodation” for students with disabilities.

Educators don’t have to make specially designed instruction plans under a 504, but students can get certain accommodations, like elevator passes if a student is in a wheelchair, Jackson said.

“It’s a slightly different focus, but both play out in schools,” Jackson said.

Individualized family services plans , or IFSPs, are developed for children up to age 3 who need help with communication, social-emotional skills, and physical needs, Strassfeld said.

Like an IEP, the plan is made in collaboration with a parent or guardian, along with professionals such as a child care provider, religious leaders, or doctors. The document outlines a plan for families to help seek services—such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, medical services, and more—but is focused more on the family’s goals rather than strictly educational goals, Strassfeld said.

“While they’re focusing on pre-education goals, primarily at that age, we’re thinking about that child as being a part of a component of a family,” she said.

The right to a Free Appropriate Public Education , or FAPE , means that for every IDEA-eligible student, services must be provided at no cost to the student or their family, must be appropriate for the needs of the child, and have to be education oriented, Strassfeld said.

With FAPE, there is also the concept of least restrictive environment, or LRE, Jackson said. Students should be included to the fullest extent possible in mainstream classrooms and be challenged but appropriately supported, alongside their general education peers.

That’s not without its challenges, however, Strassfeld said.

“IDEA essentially is premised on the philosophical notion that it is that easy. It’s a real challenge for school districts,” she said, adding that as parents and advocates examine special education through disability justice and disability studies lenses, there are more critiques of the model.

Jackson said that she’s heard criticism along these lines: When students with disabilities aren’t prepared for a general education environment, or when general education teachers don’t have training on special education.

Response to intervention , or RTI , came as an amendment to IDEA in 2004 to help earlier identify students who are struggling before they begin failing, Jackson said, and begin giving them additional support through a tiered process. Generally, all students receive “tier I” instruction on grade-level standards. Then, students who need additional help get more intensive supports. That could look like a teacher working one-on-one, or in small groups, helping target specific areas to improve learning.

Intervention is an evidence-based program meant to address a specific learning or social-emotional need. It can be done in a general education classroom, and looks like regular teaching, Jackson said, but it uses particular materials and involves collecting data on progress.

The term RTI has evolved into multitiered system of supports , or MTSS , which is also a preventative framework, but goes beyond academics to consider the infrastructure districts need to implement MTSS, Jackson said.

“The shift to MTSS is meant to be more inclusive of the infrastructure as well as inclusive of social-emotional learning as well as academics,” she said.

A functional behavior assessment , or FBA , is a way for educators to collect data on student behavior, and what is triggering certain unwanted behavior, Jackson said.

For instance, she said, if a teacher has a student who has autism and, when they get upset, they throw a chair, an FBA could be conducted.

Once that analysis is collected, a behavior intervention plan , or BIP , is developed, describing what the behavior is, how often it happens, and what will be done to address it.

FBAs and BIPs are not without concerns, however, as students with disabilities—especially students of color—are more likely to face exclusionary discipline, such as suspension and expulsion.

“A lot of times, it is a subjective judgment call if a student is exhibiting ‘appropriate behavior’ or not,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of potential bias that goes into discipline of students and behavior management.”

It’s one example of disproportionality , where an ethnic or racial group is over- or under-represented in certain areas. For instance, Jackson said, students of color with disabilities are over-represented in discipline, on being identified as having a disability, and being placed in more restrictive environments.

Restraint and seclusion are practices used in public schools as a response to student behavior that limits their movement and aims to deescalate them, by either physically limiting their movement (restraint) or isolating them from others (seclusion), according to previous EdWeek reporting .

The practice of physically restraining students with disabilities or placing them in isolation has been heavily scrutinized, but is still used in some states.

It should only be used in extreme cases when a student is at risk to harm themselves or others, Jackson said, but never as a behavior management technique, or as punishment. Students have been harmed, or even killed, as a result of restraints , Jackson said. Students of color are over-represented in the population who are restrained and isolated, Jackson added.

Even still, there are educators who don’t want to see the practices completely banned, Jackson said.

“Teachers have been hurt by students or they’ve been hurt in the midst of a restraint so they still want to have the option available,” she said. “It’s an issue of not having training in another alternative, so they feel like: ‘This is the only way I can handle this particular student, or type of student, because I don’t know anything else.’”

Strassfeld said that there’s been more focus on the practice alongside excessive force in law enforcement.

“There’s been discussion that disability advocates have had about criminalization of behaviors that a person has no control over, and this type of force seems to deny the humanity of people who perhaps are exhibiting behaviors they are not able to control,” she said.

Education Issues, Explained

Vanessa Solis, Associate Design Director contributed to this article.

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