Especially Education

Adapted high-quality curriculum to help special education students succeed in the classroom

  • Especially Education
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Freebies
  • Shop
  • MFML
    • Facebook Group
  • About
    • Contact

Planning for the First 2 Weeks of School in Your Special Education Classroom

August 3, 2016

The first few weeks in the classroom can be tough. You’re given the room and the caseload, but not much else. There’s grade level curriculum to be adapted, but before you can even start that, you’ve got weeks of assessments and data collection ahead of you.

Here are a few ideas to help you survive the first two weeks of school.

1.) Get Organized

I wish I could say I am an organized person by nature, but I’m just not. I’m a “setter.”

My own definition of the word setter

Yes, I did just type up this definition.

While my love for being creative benefits me in the classroom, having a messy classroom does not. Instead, I must be very conscious of where I put things. This year, my classroom is labeled and color-coded, to keep me on track!

Organized and colorful bins and drawers in my classroom

1) Dollar Tree 2) The Container Store 3) Wal Mart* 4) Wal Mart* 5) Lakeshore Learning
*
I’m not sure why the Wal Mart prices are so expensive online, but I paid no more than $10 for these in the store.

Starting the year with an organized classroom sets the tone for a calm, ready-to-learn environment.

2.) District Assessments

Familiarize yourself with all district assessments and make a calendar of the due dates. You don’t want those deadlines to sneak up on you!Familiarize yourself with all district assessments and make a calendar of the due dates.

3.) IEP Goals

Right away, you need to start collecting data. I keep all data sheets on a clipboard for easy, grab-and-go data collection. It is important that your data sheets are specific to the student’s individual goals.

Data Sheets on Astrobrights inside "data bags" - ziploc bags with materials to assess student goals hung on cabinet doors

 

Each of my students has their own “data bag,” which is a ziploc bag with any materials I need to assess the student’s goals (sight word flashcards, math manipulatives, etc).

Data Sheets printed on Astrobrights attached to clipboards with materials to assess student goals

Having this at your fingertips eliminates the wasted time (and headache) of searching for supplies.Data collection materials for assessing student goals inside the ziplock data bag

Data collection made easy with materials for assessing student goals stored inside the ziplock data bag

The Post-It Note tab idea came for the SPED guru,  Breezy Special Ed.

4.) Teach Schedules and Routines

Consistency is SO important to my students. I once had a student break down in tears after we took a left instead of our usual right. Yeah. That happened.

Printable Color Coded Schedules for visual scheduling in the classroom

For more tips about successful scheduling in the self-contained classroom, read my previous blog post.

With structure such a high priority, we practice our schedules and routines daily. I want my students to know what each station looks like, what it sounds like. It is equally important to practice what happens when there is a change in a child’s schedule, as that can sometimes cause a student great distress.

5.) Discuss Classroom Expectations

While you may be tempted to jump right into the ABC’s and 123’s of learning, you will also want to focus on the social aspect of back-to-school, such as classroom rules and behavior expectations.

I am thrilled to have found The Behavior Basics program from Autism Adventures. It is leveled, it is hands on, and, most importantly, it focuses on necessary social skills in a way that is appropriate for the levels of my students.

Color Coded Schedules

While there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for back to school, I hope you found these pointers useful!

How do you prepare for the first two weeks?

Michaela

For more great tips on how to schedule your first two weeks, be sure to check out Kayla from My Special Learners!

«
»

Filed Under: Behavior Management 24 Comments

Comments

  1. Julie says

    August 3, 2016 at 6:38 am

    Oh MY GOSH I love your class expectation board! That is SOOO cute!

    Reply
  2. Kayla says

    August 3, 2016 at 4:32 pm

    Umm I’m in LOVE with your classroom expectations board! How adorable! And you are killing it with the adorable color coded organization. You will be organized and no longer a “setter” in no time!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    August 4, 2016 at 8:23 am

    LOL! “setter” … I think my mixture of Type A and Type B teacher goes between organizer and setter!

    So excited your classroom is color coded too. It was such a game changer for me.

    I want to know more about those IEP data bags! Genius!

    Stephanie

    Reply
  4. Keryn says

    June 19, 2017 at 6:54 am

    Hi, I love your Expectations board. Where do I find the Ready to Learn behaviour monitoring chart?
    Cheers

    Reply
  5. Mallory says

    June 21, 2017 at 12:19 am

    I love the setter, I may have that issue. ?
    I adore your expectation boards!! ?Do you sell the templates?

    Reply
  6. Kim says

    June 21, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    I love everything. I wish I could be so organized. ?

    Reply
  7. Mona Busbice says

    June 24, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    Did you make your class expectations or bought them?

    Reply
  8. Leslie says

    July 17, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    Is that class expectations board on TPT or where can I find it?

    Reply
  9. Brittany says

    July 24, 2017 at 9:29 am

    I love your class expectations board and your products. I purchased the whole body listening but was wondering if you had the classroom rules (mouth is quiet, eyes are looking, hands and feet to self, ears are listening, have fun and learn) available to purchase? Thanks so much!

    Reply
  10. Jessica says

    July 28, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    I love your stuff! I especially like your Class expectations bulletin board but I can’t find directions or a link for the clip art anywhere – help! I would love to use it in my preschool classroom! Thank you!

    Reply
  11. Shannon says

    August 1, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    I like classroom expectation board and the data clipboards. Can you tell me where you got the pieces from for the board?

    Reply
  12. Karen says

    August 2, 2017 at 10:23 am

    Love the organization of the class. Work with AU students, and looking for ways to take data better with IA’s. (thanks). And look the color coded ideas in the class. Any extra ideas would be helpful!
    Thanks,
    Karen

    Reply
  13. Lalene says

    April 13, 2018 at 2:34 am

    Hi, i so love your expectation board. Would it be okay to use it in my class too?

    Reply
  14. Laura Marshall says

    July 26, 2018 at 7:59 pm

    I love your class expectations board but am having trouble finding it for sale. Can you please send me a link? Thank you

    Reply
    • Michaela Davis says

      August 8, 2018 at 3:54 pm

      Laura, this is the link to Whole Body Listening: Classroom Expectations.

      Reply
  15. Nisha says

    August 26, 2018 at 9:31 am

    Where did yo uh get the items from in the pinterest cover photo? It’s a black and bright colored classroom expectations chart and a behavior chart next to it

    Reply
  16. Karen Bedford says

    June 2, 2019 at 9:19 pm

    I paid for the the class expectations board and thought it came with everything shown and now I am ver disappointed. The main think I wanted was the red, green, yellow, purple expectation ladder but did not get it. Is there another link to follow?

    Reply
    • Michaela Davis says

      June 3, 2019 at 8:15 am

      Hi Karen! Isn’t the clip chart cute? That is actually a product from Learning in Wonderland and can be found here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Behavior-Chart-Editable-Clip-Chart-Classroom-Management-1953878. Sorry for any confusion! The picture was posted years ago and is just now going viral on Pinterest.

      Reply
  17. Tiera says

    July 10, 2019 at 5:38 am

    Hello! I would like to know what labels you used for the container store container. “Toolbox” I like your labels.

    Reply
  18. Melanie says

    July 21, 2019 at 9:45 pm

    Where’d you get the labels for the #3 organizer for pencils and highlighters?

    Reply
  19. Callen says

    August 7, 2019 at 9:51 pm

    Are you selling your templates for your expectations board?

    Reply
  20. Amanda says

    August 1, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    Love it! Where did you get the pencil holder to put on the clipboards?

    Reply
    • Michaela Davis says

      August 10, 2021 at 4:28 pm

      Believe it or not, but I actually got that at a thrift store!! Who would part with such a treasure??

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Get Access To Freebies

Search this website

Categories

Grab A Button

Grab A Button

Popular Posts

How to Make DIY Sensory Bottles

Planning for the First 2 Weeks of School in Your Special Education Classroom

FAQ: Task Boxes

Instilling Independence in the Classroom

Made For Me Literacy

Michaela Lawerence and Gabrielle Dixon

Gabrielle Dixon (Teaching Special Thinkers) and I teamed up to bring you some wonderful products! Click here to check out Made For Me Literacy on Teachers Pay Teachers

MFML on Instagram

MFML on Instagram

Follow Made For Me Literacy On Instagram and then click here to join our MFML Facebook Group!

EE on instagram

EE on instagram

Follow Especially Education On Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs