Abe Lincoln's Favorite Cake

Abraham Lincoln’s favorite cake was a white almond cake. The other day, I showed the kids in my reading group this recipe, and they asked, “ So are we going to bake a birthday cake for him?” I actually had an angel food cake mix at home, and some almond flavoring, so without divulging my shortcut, I showed up with a birthday cake for Abe on February 12th! 

  We read the recipe, and discussed the ingredients, and made a vocabulary list. I wrote some phrases for the baking process on the board. Before the kids could cut the cake and celebrate, their writing task was to list the ingredients and write directions for baking Abraham Lincoln’s favorite cake!

  There is nothing cuter, and more genuine, than to read a child’s perspective of cooking! But I also think children who struggle with writing are more comfortable and engaged when they write for a reason. And what better reason than Abe Lincoln’s cake!

  Enjoy!

Book Lists and Patriotic themes~

I really think that the right books are the best part of a reading or writing lesson. I made a couple new units- one for Presidents' Day and 4th of July, and one for Valentine's Day. The lessons are pretty open-ended and allow for differentiation. Then I combed my bookshelves for old favorites, and looked for some newer reads to include on the booklists I have included in each unit. My teaching brain is usually geared toward kids with learning disabilities, autism, and primary grades. My 4-6th graders can finally read these terrific books, and if they think they are too babyish, I have them read to a younger child. We also have a high number of English Language Learners at my school, so many of my units are perfect for those kids.
Here's my Patriotic book list:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Patriotic-Reading-and-WritingPresidents-Day-1058240 

Valentine's Day

I am offering this Valentine unit for a freebie for a little while. I have created mostly open-ended activities that can be used with various Valentine's Day books, and will allow the kids an opportunity to get creative and have fun! I can't wait to use it with my own group....

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentine-Reading-and-Writing-Special-Education-ELL-or-Primary-1040863

How to Decorate a Gingerbread Cookie

My kids are experts as you can see! During the holiday time, you can never go wrong with different versions of The Gingerbread Man! We decorate cookies, and then I made this little goodie that you can get for free on my TPT store.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/How-to-Decorate-a-Gingerbread-CookieChristmas-1023076

Cooking Club! Reading, Writing, Social Skills, and a Yummy Time!

I discovered a great kids' magazine called Chop Chop! put out by the American Pediatric Association. My students selected this Soba Noodle Salad for Cooking Club this week. I originally started the lunchtime group for a resource student who hated reading. She is in the 6th grade and is leading the group now. And....her reading level has increased by a year since we started reading children's cookbooks, and double-dosing her with lots of other interested books!

We also have two students with autism in this group, and they really look forward to Cooking Club. They invite a couple of friends from their general ed classes, and we end up with an eclectic group of students, included English Language Learners. 

Needless to say, we always make a mess, have a blast and everybody wins!

 

Here's my TPT product "A Recipe For...."

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Recipe-For-Informational-Text-766204

And I am Definitely Not an Autism Specialist!

More and more of my students are on the autism spectrum. I have participated in many trainings over the years, and have learned so much from specialists who really are trained in the area of autism.  But my college training was way-back-when, when the autism label was reserved for children with severe disabilities, and there were not the array of terrific interventions and research.
But, I have definitely developed my own bag of tricks over the years for students with behavioral, social, and communication difficulties, autism eligibility, or not.
Here's a sample of tools that I am calling "I Can" statements, and I have updated my Resource Specialist Manual to include them. The kids enjoy reflecting and reading their own ideas in the form of replacement behaviors for tricky situations.
No, I do not consider myself an autism expert, but these simple charts are working with my students!


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