*DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free for the purposes of testing it and reviewing it. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. All opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own. Teaching and modifying behavior is a huge part of being a special education teacher. I used to tell parents in IEP meetings that a huge part of school is just learning to "do" school. That means be able to sit, work quietly, follow along, get along with others and so on. The sad this is these skills are rarely explicitly taught beyond kindergarten. We expect students to do what we ask and do it well just because they should, but this doesn't work for everyone. My students with special needs often need more incentive or reminders about their behaviors. I was so excited to try out the Yoyoboko Reward Chart for Students that was sent to me that I put it up the day it arrived. My behavior chart could not have arrived at a better time. I had a student who was really struggling with his behavior and decided to use the chart for him. I could see the chart being used for individual students, but also possibly as a whole class incentive. What is all included: - A single chart that has spots to write in times or subjects, 4 target behavior magnet spots, 4 reward magnet spots. and a place to write in a target number. - 16 picture supported target behavior magnets and 4 blank behavior magnets to add your own - 8 picture supported reward magnets and 4 blank to write in your own - 168 red and blue star magnets - A pad of weekly behavior monitoring sheets with a space for parents to sign - Plastic storage bag for magnets and small magnetic dry erase markers. Positives & Praises The first thing I noticed about the chart when I opened it was the picture support. I don't care if students are good readers, having picture support is always a plus in my book. When a student is frustrated or upset, they can just glance at a visual for a reminder instead of trying to focus on reading. I also loved the variety in the behavior and reward magnets. There was "something for everyone" and the blank cards made it easy to add my own rewards for special school events for the student to work towards. The chart was also very motivating for my student. He was constantly asking if he got his stars and loved putting the stars up himself. The color coding of the lines also made it easy for me to compare behaviors like "Look you been doing really well in purple today but lets make more of an effort to get more stars in green!" Kept everything very positive and goal oriented. The board was well made and the magnets are strong. It fell several times from its hanging place and never lost a magnet. The only change I had to make was writing on it with a wet erase marker instead of the included dry erase because I kept smudging it. Concerns & Cautions Most of my concerns about the chart stem from larger, individual needs of programs. Because the chart is individual focused, if you had students with a wide variety of behaviors or really severe behaviors, it might be hard to manage many charts at a time. While the chart was motivating for my student, it didn't really allow for me to keep number data in terms of his behavior on it so I had to have another chart to do that. The look of the chart is also very nice, but very young. The colors are very soft pastels and the idea of a hanging behavior chart might not appeal to all students. I felt the visuals on the magnets were appropriate for all ages though. On the other hand, the chart is not a huge size so it is easy to keep it in a spot that could not be as obvious and do private conferences with the student using it. Overall, I plan to continue to use the chart for the rest of the year and into next. I think like any behavior plan or support, you need to make sure that the chart will work for you and your student to meet the ultimate end goals. It worked well with my student and I did see an improvement in behavior especially in school survival behaviors like raising your hand for attention and staying focused on the teachers. The chart might make a great addition to an inclusive setting as well do to its ability to blend in to the classroom environment so well.
Click the picture below to head to the Yoyoboko website to get more information on the Reward Chart for Students and cool products.
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Teaching writing is hard. To be able to write, you have to be able to accomplish multiple tasks at a time including motor skills, planning, modifying thoughts on the fly, and applying a lot of learned skills. This can be challenging for typically developing students but I find that most of my students with special needs are very resistive to writing, especially at any length.
My love for teaching writing has grown each year. When I was teaching Early Childhood Special Education, I made it my mission to catch kids early and help them see the joy of writing and creating their own little masterpiece with words. I started with my students as young as 3 years old to build that confidence mostly through guided writing of names and colors. Moving from tracing to copying to free writing. The progress was amazing and made my teacher heart so happy. Now that I teacher a wider range of students including upper elementary, it is much more of challenge to create that positive experience. I have 3 keys to writing success in my resource room.
The biggest hurdle to successful writing for students with special needs can be believing that they can write and write well. I start small and try to show my students they can be good writers. This involves constant positive reinforcement for making correct letters or writing longer sentences. This also includes a lot of writing practice. I use cut and paste activities a lot in my classroom to be able to check for student understanding, but I always make sure that they follow that up with an opportunity to write the answers as well. This can also be giving my students a chance to practice a task as well before they do the "real deal." This can build their confidence and ensure that they know what is expected of them.
A big piece to the writing instruction in my classroom is planning. This can include a quick review and writing about the sequence of a topic and brainstorming, reviewing words to add detail or that might just be needed to complete the topic, and making sure their thoughts are organized and make sense to others. This is all done a planning sheet that the students can reference while completing their main writing page. The planning time is also a great time for pep talks. Encouraging my students that their ideas are good and way to expand them and make their writing better is a huge part of this process. So many of my students with special needs think writing is a "right or wrong" process and I'm trying to change that mindset that your ideas aren't wrong but you may need to work on the structure of the writing.
Not all of my students are ready to take on long or detailed writing tasks. This may be because of cognitive levels or writing difficulties. This is when I get creative! Some of my students use adapted journals where they match the picture and then either match, trace, or copy words from a model. Another great strategy to increase writing confidence and proficiency in writing about a topic is having students build sentences and then write them in their journal. I have a target sentence idea in my mind, but make sure their are plenty of words that the student can use if their idea is different. Lastly, I give my students opportunities to eliminate the physical act of putting pencil to paper. Some of the ways I do this is through using a computer, stamps, stickers or a scribe. The stress of not having to make letters physically can really improve a students production in creating sentences and written pieces.
Writing truly is one of my favorite subjects to teach these days. This summer I hope to read "The Writing Strategies Book" by Jennifer Serravallo to further increase my knowledge and give me more ideas on how to better support the students in my resource room! Head over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking the link below to check out all of my writing resources.
Today I'm linking up with some other Special Education Bloggers. Make sure to check out everyones posts!
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About MeHi! My name is Kelsey & I am a Special Education Teacher in WI. I love what I do & love sharing new ideas & awesome materials. When I'm not teaching, I'm enjoying being a Mommy, cooking, & being outdoors. Archives
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