It is so important to help special needs individuals know the difference between dating and friendship. They define friendship, differentiate between friends and strangers, role-play, practice greetings, then talk about dating. This...

Having social skills and being able to assert yourself in a positive way is so important. Students with mild to moderate disabilities engage in a series of activities to practice assertive communication and social skills. Perfect for a...

Intended for moderate to severely disabled students, this instructional activity focuses on building an understanding of human anatomy. A secondary special education class reviews, identifies, and labels parts of the body. Including the...

What is puberty? Get your secondary special needs students on the right track with this develpmentally appropriate lesson. They define and describe the differences between men, women, boys, and girls, discuss major events that mark...

Engage Secondary Special Education students in a developmentally appropriate lesson on human reproduction. They review genital anatomy and 5 key components that comprise the reproductive cycle. Perfect for a mild to moderately disabled...

Reproduction can result in parenthood. Discuss the pros and cons, responsibility, and possible results of sexual intercourse. Intended for a secondary special education class, this lesson is developmentally appropriate for mild to...

Fun is in the air as learners with special needs engage in sensory-filled activities. They discuss color, snow, cold, winter, and body parts while touching and smelling various objects. They discuss the parts of the body with relation to...

Sorting big and small objects builds spacial reasoning classification, and visual discrimination skills. Your class will read a story about big and small bubbles, practice identifying big and small objects, then sort big and small balls...

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...

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...

Teach your special education students about cause and effect with this SMART board activity. After analyzing real-life examples of cause and effect -'What happens when you eat too much? What happens when you don't get enough sleep?"-...

Here is a great little reading and vocabulary development lesson plan created just for learners with special needs. The lesson plan is constructed with both core content and necessary adaptations in mind. The group will use PECS,...

I really like this activity. Learners with special needs play a stoplight game to practice giving and responding to the need for personal space. Each child is given a green light and red light card, when you say, "Go" they walk around...

Have you special education class examine multiculturalism. By exploring the cultures of Israel and Greece, they discover the holidays, cuisine, arts, andgeography of the countries. During this twelve-week unit, students develop a...

Such an ambitious lesson! Third graders with special needs listen to an audio recording of the novel, Moby Dick. They stop often to discuss each of the main characters and analyze their actions in the story. They then make puppets of one...

Use photographs to teach young special education or speech students how good speech looks, as well as sounds. Kindergarteners are photographed making the F, TH, W, R L, and S sounds. They then use the images to identify each sound that...

A special education classroom examines a variety of literature from Latin American authors. In groups, they read excerpts from many autobiographies and compare them with their own life. After writing their own autobiographies, they...

Students examine and describe the course of the Indus River. Special Education students participate in a SMART Board activity which includes map work and the geography of the river valley. They determine what type of agriculture is grown...

Little kids often have very big feelings, and need help expressing them. A set of social emotional lessons provide tangible ways for young elementary learners to visualize their emotions, focus on clear communication, and channel their...

Students investigate the effects of autism by creating a slide-show presentation.  In this special needs lesson plan, students define autism and the mental health problems it can cause young people afflicted with it.  Students...

Learners investigate how both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington displayed the trait of honesty. They listen to read alouds of class books and poems that address both the lives of these men and the trait of honesty. They use a graphic...

We are All Alike…We Are All Different is the springboard for the creation of an illustrated book in which young writers record their impression of themselves, their families, and their interests. Sharing the completed books in circle...

Team sports are quite social; they involve following rules, playing cooperatively, communication, taking turns, and interpersonal relations. Introduce your special education class to the all-American sport of baseball. They learn about...

Talk with your pupils about the importance of staying focused at the grocery store. Your special education class will discuss how to create and use a shopping list. They will make a shopping list and pretend to use it in a role-play...