Update~ How to Be a Resource Specialist!

I am updating this manual as the school year progresses. I have found that older kids really take ownership of getting their work done, if they have a checklist to fill out and then check off their assignments and activities as they complete them! These are included in my updated manual~

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Special-Education-How-to-Be-a-Resource-Specialist-747284

Special Education Students and Art

I love working with students with disabilites and differences, and I love art! I have never considered my self an expert in either area, but those are my loves. Throw in some good literature too! I am convinced that when our students find a medium where they can be successful, it opens windows for other areas that they struggle with. Everyone is an artist, whether they know it or not. With the right instruction( and maybe a little directed drawing) kids can create masterpieces. I pair the art lesson with reading and writing, which makes the whole process a little lesson painful! I just ran across this painting from Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, that one of my students did 7-8 years ago(she's graduating this year!). 

Where's the Bacon?-finished art project and Freebie

 I am keeping this product free for the weekend because I discovered that the art project is so do-able and the kids love it! My older resource kids are reading the book and doing the art project now!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wheres-the-Bacon-A-Balanced-Literacy-and-Art-Unit-Common-Core-aligned-808342

My kids love Charlie and Bacon!

Freebie for one day!
We read Charlie the Ranch Dog, Where's the Bacon by Ree Drummond with my primary group this week. I did it as a shared reading, although my third grader can almost read it on his own. This is the first time I have been able to do the unit I created this summer, and it is sooooo fun! We have a variety of disabilities in this group, including autism, and so far, so good. Here is our progress on the art project:

Now all I need is a real Bassett Hound to bring in! The kids have already let me know that it is OK if I bring some bacon......

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wheres-the-Bacon-A-Balanced-Literacy-and-Art-Unit-Common-Core-aligned-808342

Color words are on my TPT site- Freebie

You can print these, cut on the paper cutter, and mount them on colored construction paper!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-Words-864492

Color Word Wall

Don't you love my color word wall? May fabulous assistant put all the words on coordinating paper...my students love to use these words instead of the boring basic color words!

Elmer Elevator....Reading and Writing about My Father's Dragon

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Garnett is a classic! It is a fabulous, accessible read for Special Education students and English Language Learners. We have started our Reader's and Writer's Interactive Notebooks as our back-to-school activity. The group I am doing this activity with are 4th, 5th, and 6th grade resource students with an array of eligibilities, including autism, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities. Some are English Language Learners as well. I am always pleasantly surprised when I pull out this book, which was written in 1948, and kids can't wait to read ahead to the next chapter. Below is a knapsack (isn't that a great vocabulary word?) that some English Learners from Korea created several years ago.... I am not a big laminator, but glad I have covered this knapsack in plastic, because it has gotten a lot of use! The kids read the list of items Elmer packed for his trip to Wild Island, and study the knapsack carefully to make sure there are the right number of lollipops and apples in it!