My Summer Break

I've spent a good portion of my Summer Break (all of two weeks!) making things for my new classroom. I have done a serious amount of color-coding (almost obsessively so) and I think it's going to work great for independence in the classroom. Each student is assigned a color, and virtually everything that belongs to them is marked with that color (either by being the actual color, such as folders, or marked with electrical tape... which is great for color coding).

So far, here are some things that I have made:

• Independent activities (recognizes name, arranges numbers on clock, traces name, matches abbreviations with days of the week and months of the year, time concepts, money concepts, and many others). I made so many that I broke my laminator that Heather got me last year. :( Never fear, I just purchased a new one!
• Locker tags (with color coding tape to denote each student's personal locker)
• Schedules (I called them Daily Agendas because I thought that was cool for middle school). I color coded all of the pieces so if a kid loses a schedule piece on the ground, I will know who it belongs to.

The name is written in cool cursive font but I blurred it for confidentiality. The lion is our school mascot!

• Schedule match boards (so the students can match their schedule pieces to the correct part of the classroom) They will each place their color schedule piece on the correct part of the match board.

• Extra schedule pieces (because you know it's easier to make a second set while you're in the groove, instead of being frustrated in 3 weeks when a kid loses their "snack" card)
• TEACCH work system folders for Language Arts and Math. Each folder has a different activity inside of it that corresponds to the child's IEP goals. They have to follow the schedule (the page that says 1-2-3-4) by doing each folder, one at a time, and matching the piece to their work system. Each student has colored folders based on their "color" in the classroom.

• I bought some clipboards on sale at Target (99 cents!) and color coded them. These will be for morning work or data collection, not sure yet.
• I made a binder, that is also color coded with dividers corresponding to each student, and printed the IEPs. I created IEP data collection sheets, which look spectacular! I would post them, but they have a lot of personally identifying info (including the school logo!)
• I also bought the materials to make a great bulletin board. I had a hard time coming up with something that was interesting to look at, not too busy, and not too babyish. I chose ethnic hellos. I bought a set of cards that has pictures of kids from different countries, and the word "hello" written in different languages on the cards. The bulletin board will say "Hello from around the world!" (That's cool, right?)

That's all for now. I have to go clean up all of my laminatey pieces on the floor.