Helpful Freebies for Back-to-School!

This first week of school has been c-r-a-z-y busy! I can't believe we are three days into the year. On one hand, I feel like just yesterday we started but on the other hand, I feel like summer never happened!

We've spent the week catching up and completing maintenence checks on skills. Establishing routines has also been a huge this week. It's amazing how a group of kiddos can forget how to walk in a line in the hallway! So, tonight, I have a short and simple post to help you get your kiddos back on their feet.

First, assessing a student's ability to trace letters and numbers is an important precursor to writing. Check your kiddos' fine motor abilities with this Letter and Number Tracing Freebie:

This FREE resource contains a KG trace font for numbers 0-9 and uppercase and lowercase A-Z. Get more KG fonts here!

Or use this Bathroom Task Analysis Freebie (available for boys or girls!) to guide a learner's independence for toileting:

Thanks to Graphics from the Pond for the amazing, free fuzzy bumps borders!

That's all for now!

Happy Teaching!
Kortnie C.

Throw Back Thursday: Shopping Unit Flash Freebie!

Throughout each year, we take trips for the purpose of C.B.I., or community-based instruction. These days are often a chance for our class to go somewhere in the community and practice academic and life skills. Although skills such as shopping and ordering off a menu seem to be second nature to us, individuals with autism benefit most when these skills are learned via direct instruction, using specific and explicit techniques.

Popular places for C.B.I. include restaurants, community parks, and the zoo but we typically start out by visiting a store. When planning our trip to visit a store for the first time, we acknowledged the importance of our students practicing this skill first in the classroom. We set up a "store" of empty food containers on some bookshelves in our classroom. Price tags were printed and affixed to each item and each student was given a "shopping list" of items to find. Differentiating (or leveling) this instruction was also pretty easy! Some of our students used a picture shopping list with a place for the student to check off "buying" an item. Other students used shopping lists with the check-format but also a space to write and total the price! We made it as realistic as possible, with one staff member reminding them to walk and use a quiet mouth.

Advanced Shopping List

Skill Sheet

Basic Shopping List

After a few days of prep, we visited a local store! Each student used a list to find necessary items and we later used the supplies to make pancakes (find my breakfast task analyses here). The shopping trip is one I am excited to repeat soon!

As my first Throwback Thursday, I am also making these resource a FLASH FREEBIE! Get this resource for FREE in my TpT store from 8:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. tonight only! Find it fast here!

Happy Teaching!
Kortnie C.

Mathematic Manipulative Mat Super Pack!

Whew! After another day in the classroom, things are finally shaping up! I'm (almost) done organizing the room for the 2013-2014 year and we are beginning to solidify plans for our first week! I really wish we had "before" and "after" pictures but oh, well.

This year, we would like to try to incorporate a new concept into our schedule that involves the students learning independently. During this, they will practice current and old skills in a structured, independent way for approximately 10-15 minutes. We realize it will initially take loads of prompting and then a good amount of fading, after that, but it is important that our students are able to independently attend to a task.

One of the activities we plan on using during this time involves the ever-popular counting bear manipulatives. In case you aren't familiar, they are available for purchase online, including Amazon.

We like these bears because they come in three sizes and six different colors! Really, the possibilities are endless but I have a good place to start for anyone who is interested in using these at school, home, or wherever!

Jenna, the other teacher in the classroom, created a set of brilliantly useful manipulative mats for reinforcing skills such as categorization by color, patterning, fill-in patterning, and one-to-one correspondence (#1-20). The colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple are included in the mat packet as well as blank templates for new ideas!

One:One Correspondence

Fill-In Patterning

Patterning

Categorization by Color

Fill-In Patterning Template

Above is just a quick peek at the complete 96-page document, available here in Jenna's TpT store. Be sure to follow her when you stop by!

These mats can be used with any sort of manipulative with distinguishable colors... beads, stickers, crayons, oh, my! I know I can't wait to incorporate these into our classroom and get our kiddos working independently!

Happy Teaching!

Kortnie C.

Token Board Starter Pack (Dinosaur, Princess, Train, and Rainbow Token Boards)

With school just around the corner (six days away!), we are starting to finish arranging the classroom and beginning to build things for individual students. Like what, you ask? Well, I'll reference a quote I've heard: "If you know one individual with autism... you know one individual with autism."

A common way to manage behaviors is through a token economy. Token economies can be as simple or elaborate as the child for which they are designed. Some adults discredit them initially without realizing they are subject to one on the daily... money! In other words, money (a token) is earned (most likely through task completion at work) to access reinforcers (i.e. food, clothes, electricity). Trust me on this one, they can get much more difficult than that; the good news is, though, they don't have to! Even basic token economies hold much scientific merit.

Basic components of a token economy:
1. Tokens (tickets, pennies, small picture cards... keep in mind these do not necessarily need to be "appealing" the the child but instead serve the purpose of telling him/her that reinforcement is ## responses away)
2. [Withheld] Reinforcers (this is different for each individual but may often include food, verbal praise, or a preferred activity)
3. A well defined target behavior (a.k.a. behavior to increase, TB)

That's it! Of course, for our visual kiddos with autism, we typically include an actual base or board, pictures or symbols of available reinforcers, and a space on the board for the currently selected reinforcer. Sometimes even a timer is helpful.

Basic guidelines for a token economy:
1. Start off with the student set up for success (by allowing the student to contact the reinforcer or "prize" )
2. Be consistent (this is easily done if your behavior to increase is very well defined and yes, across staff members)
3. Offer multiple reinforcers across functions
4. Gradually increase what is "expected" (the response requirement)

Further information is readily available from Cooper, Heron, and Heward's publication of Applied Behavior Analysis. Which leaves me with the fun part: actually making the token economies! We tend to design our kiddos' with a little personal flare. An FR5 (fixed ratio of five... the number of tokens required to "cash in" for a reinforcer) is pretty standard in our classroom but your ratio of tokens/per reinforcer will depend on the child in mind. With this in mind, I made a token boards today that will debut in our classroom this year!

Grab your copy here:

My TpT Store

(while the last few hours of the TpT sale take place!)

Happy Teaching!
Kortnie C.

I Spy Colors: An Adapted Book

In less than two weeks, our kiddos will be back to school. During those initial days, we plan on assessing the students to see how well their skills maintained over the summer (or, if the student is new, we will assess to determine what skills they currently hold). A popular skill program in our K-2 classroom is learning colors. We tend to teach the necessities (red, yellow, blue) as well as extra colors (purple, green, orange, black, etc.).

To compliment our traditional direct instruction, I like to create a resources to help practice common skills. Adapted books are one of my favorite methods (if you couldn't already tell) of doing this. So, today I authored I Spy Colors. 

I Spy Colors is designed to increase expressive and receptive language. It targets skills such as naming pictures of objects and colors.

Differentiation (or leveled, individualized) instruction is a built-in feature, too! For example, a teacher may read with the student and then prompt, "Find red." The student could point to the red items on the page or the teacher may require the students to name the red items by saying "firetruck" and "apple." A more advanced student, however, may read independently or with the help of the pictures above the text.

I think this book will prove to be a great resource. Hopefully I can make a few more of these before school starts!

To my parent readers out there: Books like this can be great resources for connecting with your child at home. We often take adapted books on our C.B.I. (community based instruction) trips for the students while they are waiting or on the bus. Remember, your child's learning starts with you!

Get your own copy of this resource here, in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

This resource and all others will be sold at a reduced price from August 18th-19th for the Teachers Pay Teachers back-to-school sale! Load up your cart for this great savings event!

Also, here's a quick peek at another adapted book I finished today. Do you recognize it?

Happy Teaching!

Kortnie C.

A Tool for Tallying Frequency

Because our classroom utilizes an ABA-based model, the staff and teachers in the room our almost constantly taking data on one or more students (and often multiple behaviors for each kiddo!). We use this data to drive our instruction and decision making. Frequency is a common way to measure how many times a behavior occurs. It's a useful measure for "quick" behaviors (such as vocal outbursts or addition problems completed).

Today's post is probably a regular tool for many, but I've come to realize there are tons of parents and teachers who aren't aware of a device for counting frequency: the tally counter!

This tool can be purchased from Amazon or at most sports stores. They're notably inexpensive ($1-4) and typically come with a black lanyard for use. With the lanyard, the tally counters can be clipped on a key ring, belt loop, or worn as a necklace. At the end of a day, session, time period, or interval the number on the face of the tally counter can be transferred to the data sheet.

Additional colored lanyards (shown above) can be purchased, too; this is helpful in situations for tracking multiple behaviors or multiple students.

I prefer tally counters because they are a tool that is inexpensive and reliable. They don't use batteries and, when worn, travel constantly with the individual collecting data. Tally counters may also prevent some errors in data for those moments when you're thinking, "Oh, I'll remember to write that incidence [of behavior] down." (Come on, we've all done it at least once.) In addition to all of this good stuff, they're nearly indestructible.

Happy Teaching!

Kortnie C.

4 DIY Fine Motor Tasks

As I've mentioned, I spent six weeks of my summer as a lead teacher in an academic-based program for inner city youth. My class consisted of a group of wonderful kiddos entering Kindergarten this fall. To help them prepare for the usuals of Kindergarten (cutting with scissors, writing with a pencil), I created a series of fine motor tasks for use at our "choice table." The choice table was a special table where students could select an activity for 15 minutes at the start and end of each day. In addition to my homemade fine motor tasks, the table held puzzles, books, and other rotated materials.

Fine motor movements involve small muscles, specifically in the hands, feet, and mouth. Students, especially young children and individuals with autism, can benefit from extended practice using these. As the muscles develop or strengthen, activities such as writing with a pencil and feeding with a spoon usually become much easier. In fact, fine motor tasks often use and develop other skills such as hand-eye coordination or even gross (large) motor skills.

The fine motor tasks were designed to be quick and inexpensive. I hope your students enjoy them as much as mine! (Note: Even though I created these for my regular ed class this summer, I plan on using them in our AS classroom, for sure!)

Pom-Pom Bottle:

Materials: 

pom poms (small, medium, and large)

Fabric Softener bottle

1-4 clothespins

Objective: Students use the pincher grip (thumb and pointer finger) to use clothespins to pick up pom-pons and place them in the opening in the top of the bottle. When finished, store all materials inside the bottle!

Pipe Cleaner Piggy Bank:

Materials:

pipe cleaners

bank with slit in lid or a bottle with a slit cut in the lid

Objective: Students use the muscles of the hand to maneuver pipe cleaners into the thin slit on the top of a bank. When finished, store pipe cleaners inside the bottle.

Cover the Numbers:

Materials

small pom poms

markers

number cards, cut, colored, and laminated (Found Here)

pencil case

Objective: Students use the pincher-grip to place the correct color of pom pom on each dot of a number card. Numbers 1-10 are included using dots commonly used in math programs. When finished, store materials in a pencil case or container.

Magnetic Wand Bottles:

Materials:

pipe cleaners, cut into pieces

magnets or magnet wands

empty see-through bottles

hot or super glue for sealing bottles

Objective: Students use magnets or magnetic wands to manipulate the pipe cleaner bits inside the plastic bottle. May be used as a scientific method for increasing hand-eye coordination.

These tasks allow students to develop fine motor muscles in an engaging way. Once teaching students proper use, they quickly gain independence. Plus, if more than one student is working with a specific task, opportunities for taking turns and cooperative play are available. Which fine motor work task would be a win with your kiddos?


Happy Teaching!
Kortnie C.

A New Favorite Low-Budget Teaching Store

While visiting my tiny hometown this past weekend, I stopped at a store to grab some cat food. Now, I've frequented this particular chain of stores before in various location but this experience was a little special. After picking up the food, my teacher-instincts led me to the school section (just in case), even though my past history with the store reminded me there was no "teaching" section. Until, I turned the corner and I saw it: a variety of new teaching and learning resources! One thing led to another under the big yellow and black sign and soon I walked out with this:

Now, I realize the previous picture is a little overstimulating but don't worry, the price wasn't! All of the resources I purchased were $1 each. This, combined with the excitement of realizing Dollar General also carries such resources, made for one great morning. Yes, you read correctly: Dollar General now has a teaching section! 

They sell traditional favorites:

They sell new"hands on" learning supplies:

I intend on laminating most of the resources for durability but can't wait to add them to my classroom! After this purchase, going across the street to another great store with teaching and learning items seemed like a must.

What is your favorite discount supply store?

Happy Teaching!
Kortnie C.

Classroom Poster: Where Are We?

I met up with my co-teacher, Jenna, today and we discussed modifying our classroom for four hours. We are currently set to have eight students, two of them being completely new!  A lot of "work" (Does anyone else enjoy decorating/arranging as much as me?) lies ahead of us but we're both excited to get started. Twenty short days stand between us and our 2013-2014 school year with our first inservice day being a week before students arrive. Not to mention our graduate classes kicking off in beginning of September. Let the countdown begin! 

As we were prepping and planning today, Jenna suggested we download/purchase a poster for hanging in the hallway near the classroom door. The common purpose of this type of poster is to notify visitors (or even students who arrive late) where the class is working. Now, I've seen these a million times before (and I'm sure you have, too) but just today I realized the function it could hold for us (...thanks, Jenna!).

 Our classroom invites BCBAs, practicum students, two program directors, multiple TSS, parents, and so on, through our door on a regular basis. Practicality also lies within assisting our staff, principal, and maintenance mechanics with our location. What better way to have this information available and ready when someone comes to our door?

Forever seeking uniformity, I was unable to purchase or download one that specifically fit our needs; so, I made my own! A special thanks to Graphics from the Pond and Jen Jones for creating graphics and fonts free for personal use. A little typing, resizing, printing, and laminating yielded this:

Oh, and not do mention these glitter clothespins I found at Michael's craft store for $1.

We plan on visiting the classroom next on Tuesday; I can't wait to hang it up. 

Click here to get your own copy of this resource.

How are you getting ready for back to school season?

Happy Teaching!

Kortnie C.

Ten Black Dots: An Adapted Book (and FREEBIE!)

Where exactly does my time go these days? I looked at the clock ten minutes ago and it said 2 P.M. Today, my original thought was to share with you adapted books I previously made this past spring for my kiddos. I was stopped in my tracks when I was notified that the floor in my classroom was just waxed and still drying. So, I pulled two of my favorite teacher skills from my hat: flexibility and improvisation.

Making more adapted books has been in the works since the school year ended. Today, I transformed my paperback copy of Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews into an adapted version for my students!

I started by making a list of symbols to print from Boardmaker. The skills I targeted for this book were matching to sample (i.e. match the symbol of the train to the train in the book), counting through 1:1 correspondence, and identifying numerals 1-10.

Then, I continued by cutting the book apart (don't worry... this part was painful for me too, at first) and laminating. I choose to do this because it makes the book more durable. I also rebind the book for this purpose.

I wanted to include 1" black dots to be used as manipulatives throughout the book. The students in my classroom are grades K-2, so 1:1 correspondence is something important for us to practice. Looking back, I should have laminated the black cardstock before sending it through my Cricut (yes, I laminate everything). It would have been nice to have a 1" hole punch but my paper cutter worked just fine, too.

Next, I laminated and cut my Boardmaker symbols. I prefer putting Velcro material on my symbol cards; that way, when the student interacts with the book using the symbol card, it stays in place. A tip of advice I frequently give is to have a pair of scissors specifically for cutting Velcro. (I cut my Velcro strips in half to conserve resources.) Do it at home. Do it at school. Do it wherever you cut Velcro! Note the amount of gunk accumulating on my Velcro-cutting scissors. 

I continued by placing the Velcro squares inside the book and on the back of the symbol cards. A tip one of my professors in undergrad gave me is to have a uniform way of mounting Velcro. That way, all of your resources are compatible. Before this, I remember the dismay I felt when attempting to stick two soft-sided pieces of Velcro together, from two different resources. Mayer Johnson recommends placing the hard (hook) side on the surface and the soft (loop) side on the card; this yields easy cleaning with a toothbrush for the surface side, if ever necessary. Either way, I recommend choosing a uniform method that works for you!

Next is rebinding. I use my binding machine because I like the finished product.

Finally, something I learned from a fellow blogger (The Autism Helper) is to bind a blank sheet of laminated card-stock to the back cover of the book. This makes an easy storage flap for the symbol cards! I also used Velcro to attach a baggie for the black dots to the inside of the back cover.

Although not the simplest method, I try to make my books as durable as possible. My students really enjoy interacting with the books once they are adapted!

For being such a dedicated follower, I give to you the Boardmaker symbols to turn Ten Black Dots into your own adapted version! Enjoy! Download it quick, though, this one may only be free for a limited time.

Ten Black Dots Adapted Book Symbols

Happy Teaching!

Kortnie C.

First Freebie: Super Smart Student Awards!

First and foremost, I apologize for this post arriving so late. The good news is, I will be releasing my first freebie tonight! Attached to this post is a link to a downloadable file that is F-R-E-E. If you love it, though, be sure to look for the full version for sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. On a side note, please bear with me as I am still working out a few glitches with links/webpages/etc. I really appreciate your patience!


On to the freebie:

Last week, I finished working a summer program for inner-city youth. During this six-week period, I had the pleasure of teaching a group of 5-year-olds, all of which never attended any sort of formal education. My mission was titled: "Life Skills: Kindergarten Edition."

But in all seriousness, aside from teaching them the importance of raising your hand and sitting criss-cross applesauce while on the rug, we also practiced a ton of skills necessary for success in school. Which (ABA-nerd alert) led me to wanting a concrete way to track progress of the kiddos, although not required by my program director.

Early within the first week, I happily attained a baseline (or starting point) for each child. In fact, if someone reminds me, I may be able to get together the data collection sheets for this information and include it in another freebie (hint, hint!). Attaining a baseline is a usual first step in assessing where a learner is with a skill; it simply tells a teacher where to start with instruction.

From there, I probed (the behavior analyst's fancy word for "quizzed") the students with skill flashcards about once or twice per week. Their progress (especially for a short, six-week program) deserved applause... so I gave it to them! Once a student was able to demonstrate mastery of a skill (at least 90% or more responses correct over two consecutive data collections), he or she received a SUPER SMART STUDENT AWARD!

It was a HUGE deal. When the awards were announced during morning circle, my students beamed with pride. My favorite part of the experience was the commentary between the class, "My momma be so happy when she see this!" There's no telling what a little social praise and a piece of paper can do for a child.

So, I give you, better late (at night) than never:

FIVE FREE SUPER SMART STUDENT AWARDS

SUPER SMART STUDENT AWARD Freebie Download

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a post about adaptive books!

Happy Teaching,
Kortnie C.