Hey there, teacher friends!
You are relaxed, sipping on a cold beverage and enjoying your well-earned holiday break ☀️. Then suddenly you glance at the calendar?
It’s BACK TO SCHOOL. How on earth did these holidays go by so quickly? That chilled holiday vibe seems to become a distant memory…
Then your inner teacher’s voice kicks in. We got this!
It will be exciting meeting your new students and preparing your classroom will be fun! So let’s prepare together.
I want to help, I’ve got you covered with 5 simple tips any Special Education teacher can use in their classroom this back to school season.
Organise your back to school supplies
First things first, I absolutely ❤️ a back-to-school sale! Who doesn’t love a vibrant teacher planner, some chiselled whiteboard markers, and Velcro dots.
Let’s chat about organisation – we all know how important structure and order can be for our students, right? So, let’s make sure our classroom is set up to meet their needs!
First things first, we want to make sure everything is clean, in good condition, and easy to find. One way to achieve this is by implementing a storage system that works for you and your students. In my classroom, I use labelled tins for easy visual access, and a rainbow tote tray to help me group materials into categories based on subject, activity, or student need.
A Classroom trolley is a great idea too. Have you seen our trolley? It’s parked right by our teacher desk and is jam-packed with all sorts of awesome supplies and resources for our students! We especially love using it to store our sensory items, so that our students can easily find and access them whenever they need a little sensory support.
Pick a communication method for students and families
As we gear up for the new school year, it’s important to think about how we’re going to keep in touch with our students’ families.
Luckily, there are lots of options to choose from – you could send home a printed newsletter, or even a weekly PDF via email!
If you do decide to go the printed newsletter route, now is the perfect time to create your template so that you can easily update it each week. But if you’re interested in exploring more high-tech options, there are tons of apps out there that make it super easy to exchange messages, share documents and upcoming events with students and families.
We’re big fans of SeeSaw, Class DoJo, and Remind – they’ll save you time and make it simple for parents to get in touch with you.
Speaking of Class DoJo, we absolutely love using it in our classroom! Not only does it help us stay connected with parents, but it also gets our students involved in the topics and organisation of the class using their own unique QR code.
Plus, it has a really fun creative feature – in our class, we’re all about Pokémon! We’ve designed avatar profiles based on our students’ interests, and each student starts with a Pokémon ball and gradually evolves into their favourite Pokémon as they achieve certain levels or accomplishments in class. I know it’s cool, right?
(If you’re interested, we can definitely share more details about this in another blog post – just let us know!)
Review and update IEP’s
Get to know your students! Before the school year begins, take the time to review each student’s Individualised Education Program (IEP).
This superhero-worthy document identifies their unique strengths, challenges, and goals. Use this information to develop a plan to support each student’s growth and collaborate with families and other professionals to ensure their success.
By embracing your students’ superpowers, you’ll be ready to help them soar at school this year!
Create a positive classroom culture
Get to know your students on a personal level! This is the glue that holds a classroom together.
Special education teaching is all about building relationships, and one of the best ways to do that is by getting to know your students. Ask them about their hobbies, what they did over the weekend, or what their favourite TV show is.
Listen to their responses and show genuine interest in what they have to say. By doing this, you’ll create a positive and welcoming classroom environment that values each student’s unique experiences and interests.
Have engaging morning work!
We all know how important it is to start the day off on the right foot, and having an awesome morning routine can make all the difference in creating a positive classroom culture.
By setting up a consistent and engaging routine, you can help your students kick start their day with enthusiasm and energy.
Why not try a life skills based morning work, that also has an individual emotional check.
If you are looking for easy, and engaging morning work, you will love my done-for-you morning work for each day of the school year mega bundle!
Click here to find out more about Daily Morning Warm Ups
It has Differentiated levelled activities across a range of curriculums and key learning areas.
Fantastic for special needs students warming up for the day and tailoring to their own specific needs. It also features a daily Emotional check-in to help identify student emotions in the morning. Helping the student in a visual method.
⭐️I bind these all together and use these structured Warm Ups in my High School Special Education class Daily, they would also be appropriate for early and adult learners. These Daily Morning Work Warm Up Levels are a must for any Special Education classroom! Super Easy No prep, great for any busy Special Education Teacher ❤️
Or if you want to try out my morning warm ups – you can definitely access this freebie! you can download within our members only area on our webpage.
Here is the link to help you
Thank You! ❤️
Thanks for hanging out with us! We hope you found this post helpful to both you and your special students.
Be sure to check us out when it comes to special education teaching resources and ideas, The Special Education Studio is where it’s at. Visit our website and socials for helpful tips, resources, and personalised support.