Missouri Department of Elementary
How We Are Alike And Different
Scholars develop social awareness by exploring the concept of similarities and differences. Learners examine two beverages and use a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences. They tally each item to identify if they are more...
Social Skills Central
Ready, Set, Respond!
When faced with a difficult situation, do you respond selfishly, face it head on, or ignore the problem? This game encourages learners to evaluate the wide range of reactions we can have to problematic situations, and how our responses...
Social Skills Central
Don't Get Mad...
Pupils discover important alternatives to expressing anger and how to better manage their emotions through a collaborative discussion activity with their classmates. This resource includes nearly 100 (99, to be exact!) hypothetical...
Curated OER
Communication, Day 3: Asking What You Want
Mild to moderately disabled secondary students practice asking for what they want. They discuss a scenario, list things they want, then practice asking for those things. Our special needs students need to know how to communicate...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Listening Exercise
Active listening is key to interacting with others in a way that shows respect. To develop their skill as listeners, high schoolers first play the "Telephone Game" to demonstrate some of the problems that arise in communication. Pairs...
Missouri Department of Elementary
My Feelings
Encourage self-awareness with a lesson that challenges scholars to identify feelings—happy, sad, mad, and scared. Using a feelings thermometer, similar to that of a bar graph, pupils discuss how they would feel in specific scenarios then...
Curated OER
HIV/AIDS & Other STDs, Day 1: Germs & Risk
Assist your secondary special education class for understanding risky behavior, hygiene, and STDs. The class discusses how germs spread, how people get sick, and what needs to be done to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. They...
Curated OER
Fix the Problem!
People won't let me finish talking!...I hate the lunch room...Leave my name alone! Explore a variety of problems learners can face on a daily basis, and use this game to have pupils determine the best ways to answer those situations.
Missouri Department of Elementary
Origins: A Simple Word Game For Use In Human Relations Trainings
Words can hurt. Words may not break bones but they can break a heart. An activity focused on the meaning of and the history of some often heard words and phrases is designed to raise awareness of the importance of choosing words...
Curated OER
Girders and Wrecking Ball Activity
As learners build the "girders" of conversation by staying consistent on a particular topic, they avoid the "wrecking ball" of an off-topic comment. To help students develop this important conversation skill, this resource provides them...
Perkins School for the Blind
Wheel of Fortune Game
Games are great for practicing any number of basic skills. Here is a set of wonderful instructions for making a braille version of a spinning game, where children win points by correctly reading/identifying the high-frequency words the...
Curated OER
Tattling and Correcting Cards and Panels
When is it okay to correct others and report their mistakes? Here you'll find a tattling and correcting game in which learners draw cards describing a variety of infraction scenarios, and then ask questions to determine whether it is...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Caution: Thin Ice!
Sixth graders listen to a story titled "Thin Ice!" then partake in a whole-class discussion asking and answering questions about what was read. Scholars brainstorm risky behaviors in preparation for a game of RISKO—a game similar to...
Do2Learn
Respecting the Ideas of Others
Communicating clearly is one part of a successful conversation, but listening to others is just as important. Individuals with special needs plan calm responses and reactions to differing opinions with a collaborative activity.
Perkins School for the Blind
Baseball
Baseball is an American pastime, super fun to play, and can be made accessible to learners with visual impairments. Instead of taking to the ball field, your class can learn the rules of the game by playing a small three-dimensional...
Perkins School for the Blind
Circle Time
Oftentimes children or teens with one or more disability are reluctant to participate in whole-group activities. Foster good participation, verbal expression, and social skills through daily circle time activities. Each day you and your...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Family Traditions
Honor family traditions with a lesson that examines the variety of winter celebrations. Class members discuss their family's traditions then complete a cut-and-paste practice page in which they match a picture to the name of a holiday....
Curated OER
Lessons for Young Children with Autism
Here are a variety of lessons geared for young children with Autism. There are 12 short activities intended to build attention, imitation, communication, independent living, social, motor, and literacy skills. Each skill is geared toward...
Free Printable Behavior Charts
How Do I Respond?
Help your learners respond to feelings of anger appropriately by working with them to brainstorm fitting responses to stressful situations. This organizer includes a list of anger-causing situations paired with images, a column for an...
Perkins School for the Blind
Following Directions
Turn the act of following directions into a fun and engaging game! Especially designed for students with cognitive or intellectual disabilities, this lesson uses a game format as a natural reinforcer. Write a set of directions onto a set...
Perkins School for the Blind
I See Something Red
For learners with low vision, the ability to identify colors is an important skill that will help them identify people and places. Groups of brightly colored objects are placed around the room. The child is then given a colored paper and...
Curated OER
Isolation Worksheets
Designed to support learners on the autism spectrum or with Asperger syndrome, these worksheets will help you and your pupils to identify patterns of isolation they may be experiencing in their lives.
Positively Autism
My Family's Thanksgiving
Prepare for the excitement of Thanksgiving with a helpful slideshow presentation. Colorful and engaging, the presentation explores Thanksgiving symbols, details, and traditions, and prompts learners to contrast the given topics with what...
Northern Ireland Curriculum
Festivals: Learning for Life and Work
How do different communities celebrate special occasions? After researching celebrations in their countries, class members investigate other festivals like those associated with Ramadan, Diwali, Chinese New Year, Halloween, Easter,...