Color Coded Calendar Visuals

Do you have a calendar set up that you love and that is functional for your students? Do your students have a hard time understand concepts such as weekends vs. school days, yesterday/today/tomorrow or struggle with changes in their schedule?

Enter: Color coded calendar visuals!! This calendar color code system helps students

• understand what to expect for the month
• reduce anxiety about upcoming and new events
• learn time skills

This was a total game changer for my students. It helped reduce anxiety about upcoming events, weekends, and special days. And it started with four simple colors.

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Our Morning Classroom Routine: The Morning Meeting for Special Ed

I love our morning routine and morning meeting in my special education classroom! It goes so smoothly because it is structured and my students know what to expect every day. After everyone has signed in and completed their jobs (see part one of our morning classroom routine), we start our morning meeting.

Wait, Pause! Not all students will complete their jobs at the same time. Sigh, if only we lived in a perfect universe...however, I have a solution for that. First, if I can add something to the job, I go right ahead and make the job a little bit more work for them. Second, remember how they grab their binder with the schedule and their sign in sheets? I keep morning work for them in there too.

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Our Morning Classroom Routine: Coming in and Classroom Jobs

Especially important in the special education classroom, is a consistent morning routine. When students know what to expect and there are no surprises, things run a whole lot smoother. As an extra bonus, it makes things easier for the teacher as well!!

My students come in anytime between 15 minutes before the bell rings to 5-10 minutes after the bell rings. Before the bell rings, I'm very relaxed with what they choose to do. Some students prefer to just sit at their desk, others follow a sensory diet, and others want to get started with their daily tasks, but oddly enough, no one has ever picked a "free time" choice, even though it has been offered!

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