Perkins School for the Blind
Language Experience Stories
Here is a great way to bring core content to your special education classroom. Included is a set of instructional ideas intended to help learners increase their verbal and written expression through storytelling. Tape recorders, story...
Dick Blick Art Materials
“Gawu” — African-influenced Tapestry
Here's a great way to combine environmental science with art. Kids use recycled materials to create their own Gawu, a tapestry made of discards. Although designed for special education classrooms, the activity is sure to engage all...
Curated OER
Using Simultaneous Prompting to Teach Opening a Locker
Make opening a locker with a key an easy task for your special needs upper grader. Here you'll find a prompting hierarchy and 15 steps to guide your learner through the process. You'll verbally prompt while physically modeling the locker...
Perkins School for the Blind
A Visit to the Doctor
Going to the doctor's office may be a source of stress and uncertainty for some children. Help your learners with special needs discover what to expect at and how to cope with their next trip to the doctor. They explore real medical...
Perkins School for the Blind
I'm Thinking Of...
Learning how to describe an object or a person is a great way to develop verbal and written expression. Learners with special needs improve their verbal expressive skills and concept development skills while playing a guessing game. The...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Glue Paint Symmetry Prints
Add watercolors to white glue, paint onto clear film paper, fold, open, and voila, a butterfly! This art project, designed for special education classes, but perfect for any classroom, is sure to engage your young artists.
Curated OER
Rap Your Way Through Integers
Your resource or special education class will have fun with this interesting approach to learning about integers. They use rap, movement, and an interactive online game to reinforce the rules of integers. A well-rounded lesson that...
Curated OER
Home Living/Daily Living: Selecting an Outfit
When people make clothing choices, they should be attempting to buy clothes that are the proper size. Unfortunately, for most that is a skill that they have never been taught. Make sure your special education learners can purchase...
Curated OER
Home Living/ Daily Living: Food Pyramid
What did you have for lunch? Did it contain all four food groups? Help your special education class make good food choices and recognize foods in each of the four food groups. They look at images and discuss the foods on the food pyramid...
Perkins School for the Blind
Silly or Sensible?
Is it silly or sensible? That's a great question, and it's the question that will drive this entire lesson. Learners with special needs and visual impairments work together to analyze verbal information. The instructor makes a statement,...
Perkins School for the Blind
Packaging Snacks
Have your learners with special needs practice cooperative work skills, teamwork, and packaging. The kids will form an assembly line. Each pupil will add an item to a paper bag and then hand it off to the next person until the bag is...
Perkins School for the Blind
Safety Skills
Learning how to stay safe in a dangerous situation is of utmost importance, especially when you have a visual impairment or special need. The teacher makes up a set of dangerous scenario cards based on the provided set of guiding...
Perkins School for the Blind
Calendar Bingo
While this activity was designed for students with special needs, it could be used with any group learning about the calendar or days of the week. Old calendar pages become the bingo board, and numbers 1 through 31 become the numbers...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Civilization of Ancient Greece
Students explore Greece. In this introduction to ancient Greece lesson, students locate and circle the names of the bodies of water surrounding Greece, then underline the names of important cities in Greece on a world map displayed on a...
Curated OER
Non-Verbal Communication
Many developmentally disabled students struggle with accurately conveying messages and interpreting those of others around them, especially when they are non-verbal. This lesson contains fun activities and exercises, such as talking with...
Curated OER
Current Issues Lesson 4: Local Police and Immigration Law: The Case of Special Order 40
Students examine immigration issues. In this immigration lesson, students prepare for a panel discussion regarding Special Order 40 in Los Angeles as they read an article regarding the order and role play local lobbyists in the panel...
Curated OER
Lessons in 'Little Theater' Echo in Students' Lives
Students explore the drama of real life. In this journalism lesson, students read the USA Today article titled "Lessons in 'Little Theater' Echo in Students' Lives," respond to discussion questions regarding the article, and complete an...
Curated OER
Sustainable Southern Belize: Coral Health Lesson Plan
Fifth graders investigate coral reefs and the dangers they face by labeling and drawing. In this oceanography lesson, 5th graders view a PowerPoint presentation of photographs of coral reefs in Belize. Students investigate and...
Curated OER
Sense of Hearing
Create a graphic organizer to review parts and systems of the body, then present a new topic. Special education students grades 3-5 learn about the sense of hearing. They draw parts of the ear, sign a song, read Perk Up Your Ears, and...
Curated OER
Truly Amazing Mammals
Explore the world of amazing mammals with your kids with special needs. Each child identifies one mammal from a previous lesson and writes a short paragraph on that mammal. This lesson states that it is intended for all levels, but not...
Curated OER
Brog-Cube-the Spam
A Middle school special ed class uses the acronym SPAM to learn the 4 parts of writing. They employ 4 different colors to help them visually distinguish each part of writing in a given prompt. This instructional activity is vague and...
Curated OER
Social Skills For Autism
Designed for pupils with special needs, such as autism, this lesson plan calls for learners to practice saying hello to others. The teacher begins by modeling the behavior she expects and practicing with each pupil before pairing...
Curated OER
You've got a friend in me
It can be hard for anyone to make a new friend and particularly if you have a special need or disability. To build social skills and make new friends they watch videos related to friendship. Everyday they meet up for friendship club...
Curated OER
Teaching the Musical Concept of Tempo
Intended for an Autism class, this lesson teaches self-expression through music while facilitating an understanding of the concept of tempo. Pupils engage in a call-and-response song, clap, discuss, and sing keeping feelings and tempo...