Multisensory Approach to Core Vocabulary in Special Education

Two years ago I was feeling a little bored and dare I say it... burned out. I went to a conference that Karen Erickson presented at and I discovered core vocabulary! Implementing core vocabulary instruction has made me so excited about teaching again and has sparked my creativity in the classroom.

The BEST Resources for Core Vocabulary in Special Education

There is a lot of research, information and resources out there around core vocabulary. Since I started implementing core vocab in my classroom two years ago, I've spent countless hours reading websites and looking for materials. I want to share some of my favorite FREE core vocab resources and finds. I'm highlighting resources that have a LOT of information and freebies alll in one location.

Circle Time in Special Education: Focusing on Communication & Literacy

Circle time is still one of my favorite times of the day! It can be tough planning and mixing up circle time since I have the same students for up to 6 years. This year, I decided to spend much of circle time focusing on communication and literacy and I'm super excited about how it came out!

Embedding Core Vocabulary in the Special Education Classroom

If you follow my blog, you know I've been on the core vocabulary train the last couple of school  years. Our kiddos need every opportunity possible to be exposed to vocabulary and language, so it's important that we embed core vocab across all instruction and the environment! I wanted to share some simple ways you can embed core vocabulary across the classroom environment to promote communication. Not only does enriching the environment with core vocabulary support the kiddos, but it's also a great reminder to staff to intentionally use and model the language throughout the day!

Check out some of my ideas for embedding core vocab across the classroom environment!

Core Vocabulary Tubs/ Activities for Special Education

A few weeks ago I got a few questions about what I store in my core vocabulary tubs. I have been meaning to work on this post since then, but I was busy finishing grad. school (YAY!) and then I got sick. So better late than never, right?!

Ideas for Circle Time in a Special Education Classroom

Another year... another circle time... I continue to struggle to update and change my circle time. I can have my students for up to 6 years (YIKES!), so I try to mix it up quite a bit from year to year so they're getting exposure to different academic tasks and not getting bored. I mean, how long does a student need to work on basic calendar skills?!! I'm nixing the normal calendar and weather tasks and focusing on more functional academics and social skills instead ;)