Curated OER
Environmental Awareness and Children's Literature
Use an alternative setting for pregnant teens and young mothers, as well as special education children to examine environmental topics through literature. Included in this unit is a visit to neighborhood libraries to select children's...
Curated OER
I Am Special and You Are Special Too
Pre-schoolers identify things that make them a special individual. In this diversity lesson, they read the book Little Gorilla and discuss ways they are special and unique. Children create a birthday party for "Little Gorilla" and...
Curated OER
Educating Children about Autism in an Inclusive Classroom
How do we meet the needs of learners with autism? Find out with an in-depth study that offers a thorough explanation of autism—what it is and how unique every individual's case may be, nine lesson plans spanning from kindergarten to 12th...
Curated OER
Special Protections-Session Six
Parents and children work together in a community circle to discuss caring for people with special needs. In separate groups, the children sing and listen to a story. They discuss ways people are alike, and ways they are different....
Curated OER
Creating Children's Books
Young scholars collaborate to create a children's book. In this visual arts lesson, student study the components and procedures that go into making a children's book including the shape, size. layout, biographical information about the...
Curated OER
Falling into Shapes
Children with special needs participate in several activities to reinforce shape and color recognition. They sign the word leaf, sing a song about leaves, and bounce leaves around on a parachute. They then help the instructor name...
Curated OER
Japanese Festivals and Holidays
Bring the excitement and beauty of Japanese festivals into your classroom. Kids with special needs create calendars that reflect special festivals and holidays common to Japanese culture. They start the project by creating a list of...
Curated OER
Autism Help Through PowerPoint
Students investigate the effects of autism by creating a slide-show presentation. For this special needs lesson, students define autism and the mental health problems it can cause young people afflicted with it. Students create a...
Curated OER
Let's Meet The Presidents
Create a digital movie documenting research about an American President. Using internet sources, students with special needs gather information about their chosen president. Working in groups, they use this information to create a...
Curated OER
Monoprinting with Washable Markers
An art activity can benefit special needs pupils in a variety of ways. The class creates mono prints. Focus on increasing motor skills development, expressive communication, and safe handling of materials. Discuss or show a video of...
Curated OER
Specialized for the Sea
Students use pictures and make a mural to investigate how ocean animals are adapted to certain parts of their environment.
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying special attention to...
Curated OER
The Moomba Festival
Students study an Australian festival, Moomba. They research early tram usage, power sources and construct 3-D tram for their own tram parade. They decorate large recycled boxes, such as refrigerator boxes, as trams. Younger children and...
Curated OER
Arkansas is Our State: Differentiating Between a State and a Country
An ambitious geography lesson is geared toward kindergartners. They discover what the differences are between states and countries. They look at maps of Arkansas, and learn what the shapes and lines mean. Additionally, they create a...
Curated OER
Water, Weather, and the World
Learners in a special education classroom examine the role of weather and water in their lives. Each day, they add a symbol for the weather outside and identify the proper activities for the weather on that day. In groups, they...
Colorado Unit Writing Project
Simple Machines
Planning an elementary science unit has never been simpler! These twelve lessons guide young scientists through an exploration of simple machines and their many uses in the real world before asking them to apply their learning in the...
Curated OER
I Am Special
Students conclude and acknowledge that each person is unique and special. In this I Am Special lesson plan, students compare their digital photograph to pictures of people in magazines to determine likenesses/differences. They describe...
Curated OER
What A Pair! A Cross Grade Writing Activity
What a pair! Older pupils interview younger ones and use what they learn to write a short, illustrated storybook that features the youngster as the main character. The youngster responds with a thank-you note in which they identify their...
Curated OER
"The Soil Around Us" Project
Young geographers collect samples of different kinds of soil to match to the soil terms in Barry Rudner's rhyming book Filet of Soil: dirt, mud, dust, soot, etc. They start a glossary for the project on index cards or large sheets of...
Curated OER
The Giving Tree Gives
Students study both poetry and science in this language arts activity for early elementary, Special Education, and LEP students. They listen to Shel Silverstein's, The Giving Tree, and discuss its contents. They graph apple types, make...
Curated OER
Sense Poems
Young scholars explore 5 senses poetry. In this poetry writing lesson, students visualize a special day and brainstorm related vivid adjectives and phrases. Young scholars create mindmaps of the five senses to go with their...
Curated OER
As Good as Gold
Students create a Mother's Day Coupon Book, full of coupons that can be exchanged for special services rendered by students!
Curated OER
Publish a Book
Help your autistic learners to create a story and publish a book. They write simple stories, then turn their stories into books. A picture is drawn for each page of the book and the story is written below. Note: This is a good activity...
California Academy of Science
Plants: Hanging Tough
Learning about the rainforest can be more fun than you think. The class discusses vocabulary-in-context as they cut cardboard boxes, destined to become part of a rainforest model. Small groups of children color, cut, and construct...