Student Schedules

Schedules! Hearing the word just makes me anxious. So many things go into making the perfect schedule. I know everyone's classrooms run differently but I can tell you that I do not have a self contained room. All of my students are assigned to a general education classroom and then come to me for reading, writing and math.....some do end up staying with me all day with the exception of specials and recess. So... that means I have to build my schedule around 4-5 general education teachers schedules. It can be a nightmare. However, once I figure it out I really do enjoy creating the physical schedules for my students. Keep reading to see the different types of schedules I have in my classroom.

When making schedules keep your students in mind. While there may be some super cute schedules at Target or on TPT but ask yourself, "Is this really appropriate for my students?" Not all students have to have the same type of schedule. For instance, this year in my classroom I am going to have 8 students (the lowest I have ever had!) and 4 different types of schedules.

The first schedule is for my highest functioning students. They struggle with reading but are able to follow routines. I made an outline of their day on a single page. There is a picture to help with reading the schedule and a place for them to check off with a pencil when they have finished the task. They are also working on telling time so I made sure to add that to their schedule as well. I will print these in black and white, hole punch them and add a stack in their binder (that they will carry with them to and from classes). On the back side I have left a space for notes home and notes to school. This will serve as the daily communication component for these students. If you didn't need the daily communication part you could print the schedule in color, laminate or slip in a page protector and have the students check off with a dry erase marker.

 

The second schedule I have is for my middle group. This schedule will include a little more prep but is the best for this group of students. This group is able to read and/or understand what the next subject is but needs a little more visual supports when knowing that the task is over and what is coming up next. I have made enough pages to include all of their schedule icons for the day. Some students have more pages than others depending on how much they are doing throughout the day. For this I printed in color, laminated and then added velcro. The student will check their schedule (located in a binder) and complete the task. Once finished the student will pull off the icon and put it on the back of the page (I added velcro there too) or put it in a finished bin/pouch. They will then look at their schedule and move onto the next item. For this schedule book I decided to only have a few schedule components on each page so that it isn't too overwhelming for this group of students. 

 

The third and fourth schedule I have made are similar in concept but stored in different ways, it is for my most complex learners. I made a color coded schedule (below you can see the color template) that will be housed in a binder or on the way (depending on student need/level). Each student has their own color and will check their schedule, pull off the task, locate the matching large schedule piece in the classroom and attach the little schedule piece to the big piece. This allows the students to not only know what is coming next but is concrete enough for them to understand that where they put the piece is the location in which they will be completing the task. Since I have a few students using this model and have a color coded system I decided to have the main schedule piece in white and then have the student corresponding colors on the bottom. That way they each have their own dedicated space at the center.

 

**Hint: make a schedule guide so you, your paras or even your students can reset the schedule at the end of the day if needed.

There are many other types of schedules you could set up. For example you could have a google calendar with alarms, write it out on post-its, have an entire page filled with a weeks worth of tasks for the students to check off when completed. You could also use actual objects for a schedule, first then schedule (very basic and limited visual stimulation). These are just a few examples. Do you have any different types of schedules you use in your classroom?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Keeping it Simple: All in One, Student Binders!!

After moving into a much smaller classroom this year I needed to have a plan on how I was going to help keep myself my students organized. In the past, I had individual binders at each center. I liked this because no instruction time was lost. The students showed up to the center and could start working instead of having to run back to the last center to grab their binder. With my new space there was no way I could do this, so I decided to make 1 binder for each student. Keep reading to see what I included and how they are organized!

Last year I used wall schedules....again with the smaller classroom this just wasn't an option. I have the schedules set up so they are the first thing the student sees when they open their binder. I have a variety of levels in my classroom so student schedules vary from student to student. For my students who still have velcro schedules I have included a pocket on the inside cover for them to put their schedule pieces when they are completed.

In the past I have used these behavior management boards. While these boards are great they are no longer functional for my classroom. I decided to create an all in one work time visual chart and thought it would be perfect to put inside the student binders. Each student will be able to see the work time expectations, have access to common work time questions and have the opportunity to work for a reward. You can grab this work time visual along with my rules pack for FREE here! 

  In the reading section I keep these Reading Response Sheets. For our reading instruction we do a close read model so I read the same story for an entire week. Each day we focus on a different part and the students use the response sheets to show their understanding.

I also include there weekly assessment and these Monthly Comprehension sheets for my students to complete during teacher time.

 Most of my students have functional/fine motor writing goals so we work on writing throughout the day in a variety of ways. One thing that we do consistently is respond to our Daily Journal Questions. These are leveled so each student has the opportunity to practice their writing daily. I have enough pages for the students to complete one everyday for the entire school year. Including all of the pages in the binder made it bulky so I included enough for the first trimester.

This is the section that is the most individualized. Due to the nature of my classroom my students math skills vary greatly. The math section contains their math papers for 1-2 units at a time. I make all of the copies at the beginning of the year and add a new unit once we completed another. I am going to LOVE having all of their math worksheets in 1 spot. Last year I was constantly running the copier and let's just say.....I felt like we didn't get much math done :(.

Everyday I work with the students on their specific IEP goals. Let's face it, not all goals can be covered during curricular content time. I load each students binder with activities that match their goals and objectives. We work on these 1:1 everyday. I also keep their data sheets in this section.

This is probably what I am most excited about. Before I clean out the other sections to put in a new monthly theme or unit I plan to go through each section and pull out 1 sheet. Then I will store them in this "Filed Work" section. This will be PERFECT to showcase work the students have done all year. I don't have a picture of this yet as we haven't started school....therefore there is no work to be filed :). Here is a glimpse of what the binders look like when the students first open them.

Do you want to know the best part about putting EVERYTHING in 1 binder? I don't have to go all over the place collecting work samples. I plan to simply grab student binders when I go into IEP meetings. No more lugging baskets of papers home to grade and file. No more "where is this and where is that". Everything is in 1 spot!!!!

I am very excited about these!!! How do you keep your students work organized?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin