Moment Teacher Resources

Clapping out syllables gets more engaging when you're using learners' names. Model some names first, then have the class join you in chanting names with each syllable clapped out. Bring up the difference between multiple-syllable and...

Looking for a tangible way to help emerging readers identify phonemes? You've found it! They use chips without letters to segment single-syllable words into first, middle, and last sounds. As you say each sound, scholars place a chip on...

Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...

Dazai Osamu’s short story, “A Sound of Hammering” is the focus of a three-day investigation of modern Japanese literature and life in post-World War II Japan. The events in Osamu’s story mirror those in his own life, and give a...

Gary Paulsen’s Canyons is the focus of an exercise that models how to read closely using a Questioning the Author (QtA) strategy. Complete directions for the strategy, which can be used with any text, are included in the richly-detailed...

What is a cloze passage? The first page of this resource details this procedure and its benefits. To determine if Hiroshima is an appropriate reading-level text for your class, have them read the first passage provided, and then give...

Pogrom, schlepped, meshuga. Kapo, reich, Wehrmacht. As part of a unit study of Maus I and II, readers use a list-group-label (LGL) strategy for vocabulary drawn from Art Spiegelman's famous graphic novels. The focus of the activity is...

Hold a silent discussion about concepts related to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. After reading chapter seven, learners participate in a whole-class written discussion based on guiding questions written on the board by the teacher. 

What would you do? To prepare for the final scene from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, readers are presented with a series of moral dilemmas and asked to consider what they would do in the same situations.

Who is Oedipus? Use this crossword puzzle to preload vocabulary relevant to Oedipus the King or to review vocabulary after your class has finished Sophocles' classic work. Answers are not provided, and some definitions are tricky!

It's fun to play games, but sometimes it can be hard to know how. Here is an instructional activity intended to teach severely disabled learners how to engage in a fun leisure activity, such as playing checkers or croquet. They'll...

Taking twenty dollars out of the ATM seems like second nature, once you get the hang of it. The class practices the steps needed to withdraw money from the ATM and then performs the task at an actual bank. The lesson has the instructor...

Banking is a key skill all individuals should practice. Provide a hands-on exercise to encourage the proper method of writing a check and using an ATM. The activity prompts special needs learners with full assistance until mastery is...

After you make a photo album of image depicting the process of using a debit card, kids in your class can start practicing. They learn how to use a debit card in various shopping and community settings to gain independent shopping...

Who doesn't need to buy groceries now and then? Prepare your special needs class for an upcoming trip to the grocery store. They practice matching the words on the shopping list to images of each item. They then use their list to locate...

Buying groceries and using money is a must-have skill. Listed here are the steps and procedures needed to train a special needs individual to purchase items at the grocery store. They will use pretend money, a calculator, and images of...

The worst part of the week is trying to scrounge quarters for the laundromat. Make the task of cleaning laundry an easy one for your high-functioning special needs learners. You take a trip to a local laundromat to practice using coin...

Who doesn't love a good snack? Provide practice with basic snack preparation skill for your special education class. They follow each step-by-step procedure to make and serve a hot drink and a sandwich. These skills are taught using...

In a home environment, learners with special needs practice creating nutritious meal plans. They talk about healthy food choices, then use the food pyramid as a guide to planning three balanced meals. They use a food group check sheet to...

Prepare three different simple meals with your special needs class to prepare them for an independent life. They watch a video of a person preparing three different meals, they pause the video, complete the steps, then push play when...

Getting lost can be scary for anybody. Hone communication skills necessary when attempting to ask for help in a scary situation. Learners with special needs discuss how to know they're lost and how to use a cell phone to call for help....

Staying safe at home is as important a skill as staying safe out in the community. Your special ed class can practice what to do in a dangerous kitchen situation. They use gloves, dust pans, brooms, and paper towels to practice...

We have all been lost at some point and for Special Needs individuals getting lost in the community can be a real issue. They prepare for a life of independence by memorizing their phone number and practicing what to do if they are lost....

Everyone gets minor cuts and scrapes now and then. Provide your special education class with the skills they needs to clean and bandage a small wound. Use read marker (fake blood) on your arm and show your class how to wash and dress it....