Intervention Binders

Last year I bought a Math intervention binder off of TpT.  While it is totally awesome, it did not suit all of my needs or my students' needs.  So, I came up with my own.  These were super easy to put together once I came up with what I was going to do.  I simply decide on the topic of the binder, then add various practice sheets and games about that topic.

I have several binders set up: alphabet, shapes, math, numbers, comprehension, number tracing, and letter tracing.  You have seen pictures of the number and letter binders before when I talked about my inclusion box.  Some pages I have made myself (such as the letter and number tracing pages), but  I use a lot of pages by the Moffat Girls and then other various sheets I have.  I like the Moffat girls because it is more than just tracing or writing.  Annie Moffat includes a lot of games and activities in her No Prep packs.  I put each sheet in a page protector so the sheets can be re-used.  Each binder is organized a bit differently.  The alphabet binder is more of a mix, where the shapes binder is organized by shape.  I also add a zipper pouch or resealable bag (just put duct tape on the edge to make it durable before you hole punch it) to the front that I can store dry erase markers, an eraser, dice for games, game markers, etc in.

 Now, we just grab a binder and use it to practice these skill at any time.  I find this great for when we have an extra 5 minutes or I end up with an extra person that can work with someone individually.   The kids think it is neat because they can write on the page protector and it just wipes off.

Just an extra note that the Learning Ahoy caddy next to all the binders holds clipboards, extra markers, erasers, etc.

SPED Tricks & Treats blog hop

Hello!!  I hope you are enjoying the SPED tricks and treats blog hop!  I can't wait to see the goodies everyone can collect.  Special educators always have to have their bag of tricks handy and you can never have too many. 

My trick is all about metallic sharpies (and this will lead right into my treat)!  I love metallic sharpies.  They show up great on dark paper (especially black) and look so much better than a white crayon or colored pencil.  I have been able to get them  almost anywhere sharpies are sold and they come in gold, silver, and bronze. I used these twice this past week to make the activity I am about to show you and also to make dots on a black circle (that activity went with my letter F week, I will share it it soon). 

Last weekend, The Printable Princess  posted about some activities she made for her kindergarten classroom.  I just loved the spider webs!  However all I could find at the dollar store was black plates, which I ended up loving even more.

 I used the silver sharpie to draw the webs.

1.  I started by adding the targeted skill in the middle, for example the letter Y. 

2.  I then drew a circle around the Y 

3. Next, I added lines going out from the A to the sides of the plate (I usually did 4 or 5 lines on each one). 

4/5/6.  Last I connected the lines to make  spider webs.  I found it easier to start on the outside of the plate and work my way in.   

I made these adorable spiders to go with the webs.  I used graphics from My Cute Graphics and added letters, shapes, and numbers to the back to make a matching game.  I also picked up some spiders at the grocery store that my kiddos who are practicing 1:1 correspondence can count out the number of spiders to match the web.  This week with one of my kiddos we matched the letter spiders to their webs.  She loved it!  I told her the spiders were sad and needed to go back to their homes.  This worked like a charm (sometimes she is tough to get started )!  She was practicing identifying upper and lowercase letters, I was able to sneak some letter sounds in and we even practiced counting by counting how many spiders we had matched to their webs.  I can't wait to do this with her again this week.  

So this leads me to my freebie!!!  I am sharing the cute spiders I made to go with these webs.  I have included all of the lowercase letters (you would write uppercase on the web), shapes, and numbers.

 You can get them by clicking on the graphic below!

I would love to hear how you use these spiders or any of the tricks I shared with you.  Please leave a comment below!

If you are not already, make sure you follow me on Facebook, on my blog, and on TpT so you never miss another freebie!

Now hop on over to Breezy Special Ed to see what tricks and treats Brie has in store for you!!

Jelly bean numbers & sight words (freebie)

Last week while working on the sight words with one of my students he requested that I put sight words in plastic eggs.  I have posted about how I do this before with a sight word egg hunt, but this is a student that I only work with for 30 minutes a day so I wanted to figure out another way for us to do this.  I sat down at the computer and this activity is what came of it.

This really simple.  All you do is print out the page with the numbers & sight words (I chose to print them on brightly colored cardstock) and stick the numbers or words in eggs depending on which ones you are using.   Now that Easter is over, I am going to see if I can find some of the jelly bean eggs on sale.  (If you see them let me know!)  To complete this activity the kiddo pulls an egg from the basket, opens is (fine motor), reads the word/number, and then finds the matching jellybean on their paper, color it in, then close the egg back up.  With my sight word kids, I had them put the egg back in the basket so if they pulled it again then they practiced the word again.  With the little one in these pictures, I put the egg to the side after she opened it.

This activity went over great!  The little one in the picture has been giving me a run for my money lately since I try to push her at the end of the school day.  I have not been able to get her to work on anything for any length of time.  This activity however, caught her attention right away.  I plan on using this again after spring break to keep the learning and review rolling.

So after all of this are you ready to download this activity.  It is posted for free in my TpT store!


I would love to know how you use this and what your students think of it. Please leave a comment letting me know

Count and match hearts

I made this task for one of my kiddos who is working on 1:1 correspondence.  I am hoping that being able to feel what he is counting will help with the input and make it easier for him.

To make the hearts:

I used foam sheets and heart die cut.  I have also seen heart foam shapes at Target and the Dollar store.  I then cut the hearts in half using various craft scissors (just like these ). Next, I took some left over puffy/fabric paint that we had from another project and started making dots on the left side of the heart.  I then wrote the corresponding number on the matching right side of the heart.

To use:

The student counts the dots and finds the matching number.  The student then needs to try to match the heart halves together to see if they fit.

My student was able to count up to 5 dots independently, but needed hand over hand assistance to count the higher dots.

This was a well-liked task in my classroom and I am planning to make a few more just like it using different die cuts to fit into our various themes.

I am linking this task up with Christine over at Autism Classroom News for her monthly Workbasket Wednesday. I am just a few weeks late. Oops!!!

To find more great ideas head over to the Linky to see what else has been shared.  You can also find more work boxes I have made by clicking here!

Also, don't forget to see what freebie is in store for you today through the Special Education Secret Valentine hop!

Apples & worms (counting) & a new quick tip!

Hi everyone!

I made this quick file folder game this weekend  to go along with our apple unit.  The students count the seeds and then find the worm that has the corresponding number.   It is super easy to put together.  I simply printed it out, glued the apples to the file folder, then laminated everything.  I added clear Velcro (I love it, but much more expensive then the not clear stuff) to the side of each apple.  I made sure to out it on height same part of each apple as to eliminate confusion as to how to hook on the worms.   I am hoping to use this eventually as an independent task for one of my students.

  

To help make it more tactile ( Here is where the quick tip comes in!). I added small dots of school glue to each seed.  Once it dries it is clear and when the students count by touching the seeds they will feel a slightly raised texture.  This provides a little bit more input then just touching the laminated page would.  

If you would like to get your own copy of this file folder game, you can find it in my TPT store.

Throwback Thursday Pirate Style!

Picture Credit: David Willbanks

It is time for another Throwback Thursday over at The Teaching Tribune.  Keeping with the pirate theme for this week, I am reposting a game I made when I first began blogging.  This game continues to be a class favorite.  Of course, I do not have any pictures of the kids playing it!  I put the sticks in a sand bucket to help fit the theme. 

**This post originally appeared on Learning Ahoy!! on June 12, 2011**

Ship Wrecked! (math & sight word game!)

After seeing a game called Don't Get Zapped on Swap Frog First Graders (I love this blog by the way) I decided to add my own spin to the game to make it fit the pirate theme. The name of the game is Shipped Wrecked. Students pick a stick and read the work or solve the problem. If they get it correct they get to keep the stick, if they get it wrong they put it back. If they pick a stick that says Ship Wrecked then they need to put all of their sticks back. If they pull a stick that says trade with another player, then they need to give their sticks to another player and the other player takes the first players sticks. I think lose a turn is self explanatory :o)

To make this game, print out the game sheet on to address labels. Then cut in half and place on craft sticks.


Let me know your thoughts and if you have any other ideas on how this game can be adapted. Also, please check out Swamp Frog First Graders if you haven't already by clicking on the button.

Ship Wrecked Addition to 20

Ship Wrecked Sight Words

**End of post**

Matics Math Game: A differentiated card game

I was contacted by KabukiHelps.com a few weeks ago and asked to review a card game called Matics   I checked it out online and it seemed like a game that my kiddos should like to try.  Matics is a game that was created by a mom who wanted to help her child who was struggling with math.

Well after trying this game with my 5 year old B, I am in love.  This game has built in differnitation.  There are multiple ways to play  and B even came up with more as we were playing. 

Matics is a 2 player card game for ages 5 and up ( I feel like my preschoolers would be ok with this game also).  It uses card numbers 0-12 and each card has different shapes on it and different colors (similar to a traditional set of cards, just different shapes).  The game comes with 5 levels of play.

1. Greater Than/less than:  Each player turns one card.  Announce the value of each card,  larger number wins the hand.
2.  Addition: Each player draws two cards and  adds his/her two cards.  The larger Sum wins the hand.  (For this one students can do the math in their head or count the shapes.  I introduced adding to B with this)
3.  Subtraction: each player turns two cards. Subtract the smaller number from the larger number.  The larger difference wins the hand.
4.  Multiplication:  each player draws two cards and multiplies them.  The larger product wins the hand.

Before the start of the game players decide how ties are resolved.  I just told B that we would draw another card to determine who wins a tie. 

We started by playing greater than/less than.  B did great with this and picked up on it right away.  During the game C (2 years old)decided he wanted to join in on the fun.  He helped me by flipping a card when I said "1, 2, 3 flip!". After I was demolished in a round of greater thanLess than we tried additon.  B did great with this also.  First I showed him how to count all of the shapes, then we moved on to counting on.  I again was badly beaten. 

I was thinking of other ways to use these cards in my classroom and came up with a few.

•  Sort by color
• Sort by shape
•  Sort by number
• Player with the smaller number wins
• Put numbers in order
• Play go fish to work on number recognition (that was B's idea)

I think my most favorite feature of this game is that it comes with its own hard plastic case,  no more flimsy boxes falling apart.  The cards are also durable and survived my 2 year kid throwing them all around the living room.  

KabukiHelps.com has graciously offered a giveaway to one of my readers.  They also are giving FREE shipping to anyone who orders any of the learning products on their site.  Just use the code Ahoy at checkout.   To enter just fill out the rafflecopter below!

Entry-Form

Work box: money sort

So what did you think of the alphabet matching task?  Easy to make right?  Well this one is even easier!

I found these great 3 section trays at the Dollar Tree and they are perfect for sorting.  I use them for all types of things, but this one is sorting coins.  To make it I used clear packing tape to adhere a coin to each section.  

The kids do great sorting these and after they sort we count the number of coins(we are not ready to to count the actual amount of money yet).  I will have more ideas for this in the next few days.  I jut forgot to take a picture and pictures are always better!

Monster Freebies!

I did a quick update to my Monster freebies from last October.  Now they are updates and all in one easy download from Google Docs.  Use these to practice numbers 1 -12, letters A-Z and some basic sight words.   Let me know if you like them and how you use them as I may make more (which will also be free)!

Click on the picture or here to get your copy.  Enjoy!!












I am linking up with Maniac Monday   & Freebie Friday for this post.  Check it out for more freebies!!

Social Skills and Academics using board games

Social Skills seems to be a topic that in special education we always need to work on.  I love using board games or other types of games to work on social skills in my classroom.  With these games we can address turn taking, sharing, conversation, fine motor skills, color recognition, sight words, numbers, and the list goes on and on.  I often buy my games at the thrift store instead of paying full price.  For example, yesterday, I picked up Spiderman Monopoly for my boys for only $2.50.   When we opened it, the only problem (which really is not a problem at all) was that it had some extra money from a Littlest Pet Shop Monopoly game.  I do recommend if you can, check the pieces before you buy a game.  I have bought a game before to get home and find the pieces are missing.

Some of the games I use weekly include Candyland and Trouble.  In Candyland you can play by the normal rules and work on color recognition and counting or you can add some sight words to the cards and add another level of learning.   You can sometimes find extra cards for Candyland at the thrift store and you can then adapt those.  You can also find premade cards on teachers pay teachers.   This set by Deana from Primary Punch works on tons of math skills with lots of room for differentiation.
 

Trouble allows us to work on number recognition, counting, and fine motor (pushing down on the dome thing).  We play only using one piece per player.  This makes the game go much quicker.

Do you use board games in the classroom?  I would love to hear what you use and if you adapt it at all.

Work Box: Counting Hearts

I made a work box similar to this one last year but used erasers instead of scatter (that is the official name for the little hearts). I think the erasers were distracting because they were different. Using the heart scatter (I found it at Dollar Tree) my kiddos were able to be much more successful with this activity.

 Each little heart container has a number on it. My students need to put that number of hearts in each container. We did this as a whole group first, then I worked with them 1:1, and then they did it independently. One of my students was able to take off with it in the 1:1 setting, but when he did it independently he had to go back and try again with a few. Overall, I liked this activity because it worked on fine motor, number recognition and 1:1 correspondence/counting.



If you are looking for more tasks I have a pinterest board dedicated to them or check out the others I have posted on the blog by going here!

Valentine's Day(week) Activities

Wow! It feels like February is just flying by! We did a few different activities to celebrate Valentine's Day that I wanted to share.

We used the Valentine Hearts to practice sorting by color and counting.  When we started sorting I realized there was not enough of the hearts to sort onto for the colors we had.  I decided just to wait it out and see what the kiddos did.  It was really interesting to watch.  One made his own spot on the paper to add his blue hearts and one of the others decided to put his hearts on his neighbors pile of yellow hearts.   What great problem solving!

We made cards for our parents by taking a coffee filter heart and using washable markers to color it.  Then we used a water sprayer (I can not think of the name of it right now) and squirted our hearts.  I put the heart on a cookie sheet when the kids sprayed so that I could try to contain some of the water.  Of course I forgot to take a picture of this!! After the hearts dried we glued them onto a piece of pink paper and decorated them.

We also made cards for various people in the building.  I used the die cut to cut out hearts and then made labels that said Happy Valentine's Day!  The kids then stuck the labels onto the hearts.  We put them in a basket and delivered them to our office staff, past teachers, etc.  The kids had to hand it to the person and say Happy Valentine's Day.  This activity helped to work not only on fine motor(putting the stickers on the heart), but also communication and social skills. Of course I completely forgot to take pictures of the hearts.


We also have been using hearts to practice our numbers.  Similar to the way we practice our sight words with shapes on the floor.  We do the same thing with numbers.   I used the same hearts as last year and it made me realize how far some of my kids have come.  Last year I had a student working on numbers 1-5.  This year that student was finding all of the numbers for 20-30.  Amazing!