Im looking for samples of lesson plans/materials for middle school students in a special ed life skills class?

Question

I want to be prepared. What lesson plans or materials can I use or buy for middle school with special ed life skills class? Any ideas on hands on activities that deal with the students senses?

Answer 1

What is your role in the classroom? Are you student teaching or doing an observation? Are you a paraprofessional? Are you the teacher? If you are the assistant or student teacher, talk to the teacher and ask for her advice. Basic subjects that are taught in a middle school life skills classroom are Math, Language Arts, Social Skills, Functional Skills (taking care of self, independence skills, community functioning,etc), and possibly science, social studies, health, etc depending on your district. For students who are typically in life skills classes, independence is a major goal. This includes personal responsibility, taking care of themselves- hygiene, laundry, cleaning, money skills, telling time and time management, being able to function in the community by taking public transportation, going somewhere, purchasing items, making choices, etc. You can find lesson plans based on what you are focusing on in class. All academics are generally functional in a life skills class and should be related to real life as much as possible to benefit their quality of independent functioning in the future. Some companies that have different materials for students with disabilities are

www.enablingdevices.com

http://www.abilitations.com/

www.lakeshorelearning.com

http://www.superduperinc.com/

http://www.tasksgalore.com/

You can also google the following companies and terms to find more information:

Mayer Johnson Company

EDMARK (reading, math, etc systems)

Touch Money

Touch Math

Lesson Plans for life skills students

Community Based Instruction