Ideas for teaching a special day class grade 4 and 5?

Question

I was recently hired to teach a 4th/5th grade special day class in California. I've taught grade 4 before, but it was a regular education class. I need some ideas for:

First week of school activities & lessons

Arranging the classroom (I have 15 students)

How the school day will be different than a regular class

Any other useful information

I will also be contacting other special ed teachers in my district, but I'd like as many ideas as possible. Thanks!

Answer 1

It depends on your students -what level of academics they have, and what disabilities they have.  Hopefully you will have some information about this before the students arrive.

You will likely have to give them work which is far below grade level, so having resources for primary grades will help, including reading material.

For the first week of school, you can do similar activities that would be done in regular classes, bearing in mind that students may need this modified due to: ability level, social skills, behavior.

You will have to keep track of students' individual goals and progress and follow their IEPs, so developing systems to do this will help.

You will likely have to modify the grade level curriculum a lot to make it more accessible.  Identifying key ideas and using hands-on resources can help.

You will likely have to break lessons down to smaller steps and do more review and practice than with a regular class.

You may have some extreme behavior issues, so be ready with strategies, such as behavior support plans, behavior contracts, communication with parents, and so on.

You may have students who leave class for OT, PT, and Speech services, so you will need to track that and work around it (a notecard taped to the edge of the student's desk will help THEM remember).

You may need to arrange the room with access in mind if any students are in wheelchairs of have other physical needs.  

You may need a quiet area a student can retreat to if it gets too much.

You may need a quiet study area if a student is very easily distracted.

You may need a desk/ area for a paraprofessional to put his/ her things.  

You will likely want to work with students in small groups at some points, since you may have a range of abilities and needs in the class.

Some good resources:

About.com's Special Ed. guide: http://specialed.about.com/

I recommend signing up for her email newsletter.

Professional Association for Special Education teachers:

http://www.carsplus.org/

They have a handbook of standards based goals and objectives for writing IEPs which can be invaluable:

http://www.carsplus.org/publications.php

http://www.edhelper.com

printable worksheets and reading comprehensions at all levels

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

I would advise you to call the school and ask for the contact number of the teacher who teaches the 2/3rd grade combo.  Ask her to go to coffee with you so that you can get some ideas going and things in place for the kids prior to the first workday.  

Answer 3

tutorial-

http://w3schooling.info/

Answer 4

You will have to follow their IEPs--so in effect, the ideas for teaching will not be up to you. It will be up to the students individual education plans.

As for the class structure, I'd talk with your school leadership about the number of students who are going to be in the class at once.

Since the school is required to educate every student with disabilities within it's boundaries, and it cannot deny qualifying students special education services, 15 students in one room with various disabilities is overload.

The parents/guardians are going to expect that progress on the IEP will be made. And the school must be able to prove this at the meeting, including when one is requested because of concerns with how the class is structured.

Answer 5

being the mother of a 8th grader who is dyslexia and A.D.D, the

things that I would recommend for a child in special class, is

have a lot of hands on activities and use a lot of praise and

rewards, also many of these children are visual learners if you

play a tape or vidoe that corresponds to the subject you are teaching

or a computer program that they can take turns using. As far as arranging the class room if possible do a big

circle with you in the middle so that you can see what is going on

at all times. Give frequent breaks where they can walk around the

classroom, small group activities.