Curated OER
Crash Course in Flight
High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...
Curated OER
Autism Help Through PowerPoint
Learners investigate the effects of autism by creating a slide-show presentation. In this special needs lesson, students define autism and the mental health problems it can cause young people afflicted with it. Learners create a...
Curated OER
Transition Needs
Special Education students practice setting a goal and following through with it. They learn skills needed for transitioning into a different part of their life.
Alabama Learning Exchange
President's Day for Special Education/Early Elementary
Students investigate how both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington displayed the trait of honesty. They listen to read alouds of class books and poems that address both the lives of these men and the trait of honesty. They use a graphic...
Curated OER
Special Interests: How Would A Legislator Vote?
Students act as elected officials who must make decisions that will make someone unhappy. They consider five bills that are up for vote in light of the contributions that many special-interest groups made to their campaigns. Students...
Curated OER
I Am Special and You Are Special Too #6
We are All Alike…We Are All Different is the springboard for the creation of an illustrated book in which young writers record their impression of themselves, their families, and their interests. Sharing the completed books in circle...
Curated OER
First Day Lesson Plan
Students participate in a first day icebreaker activity. In this icebreaker lesson, students are paired up and film their partner doing something unique. Students continue to film eachother while conducting a short interview.
Curated OER
Geometry: Lesson 8
Eighth graders engage in a instructional activity that is concerned with the finding of angles that are found in different two dimensional figures. They compare and contrast exterior and interior angles while also determining the unknown...
Curated OER
Cat on the Mat Guided Reading Lesson
Young learners participate in a guided reading lesson. They will read the book Cat on the Mat by Brian Wildsmith. The teacher helps provide the group with reading strategies, and provides more one-on-one support during independent...
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living: Shopping List
Talk with your pupils about the importance of staying focused at the grocery store. Your special education class will discuss how to create and use a shopping list. They will make a shopping list and pretend to use it in a role-play...
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living: Dental Care
Don't forget to brush! Help your special education class excel at taking care of their wonderful smiles. They'll discuss proper brushing and flossing techniques, watch a video on dental hygiene, and then brush their teeth.
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living: Nail Care
Nails can get really dirty really fast. Prepare your special education class for life on their own by introducing them to a regular nail care routine. They discuss why it is important to care for your nails and practice washing,...
University of Oklahoma
Developing My Resources
Learners with special needs create Summary of Performance (SOP), a written document which describes their disability, its impact on their daily life, ways they have learned to compensate, their personal strengths, and their goals. The...
Curated OER
Points on a Line
Get your learners up and moving, all while reviewing numbers on the number line! For this activity, learners are grouped in teams outdoors. The teacher will have already created number lines on the ground (with chalk, tape, etc.), and...
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living: Dressing for the Weather
What to wear? Help your special needs class make independent choices about what they should wear during various weather conditions. They'll discuss weather-appropriate clothing, dress dolls for the weather outside, and even put on a...
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living: Shopping List 2
I've done this exercise with my special needs learners more times than I can count. They practice getting ready to shop at the grocery store by identifying items on their shopping list. They match grocery items to the proper department...
Curated OER
Home Living / Daily Living : Measure Ingredients
Cooking often requires one to measure out ingredients. Build an understanding of relative measurements as well as a reference for future cooking projects with your special needs class. In a small group, you'll discuss various measurement...
Curated OER
Home Living/ Daily Live: Fire Safety
Learners with special needs discuss the importance of fire safety. They visit smokey.com, discuss where fires commonly occur, and how to prevent them. They then practice responding to a fire-related emergency.
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.