Summer Planning for Sped Teachers

We all know summer time is supposed to be our time to RELAX and not worry about school… but as a teacher, we are ALWAYS thinking about school and our students! Summer is a great time to plan at our own leisurely pace and develop ideas of how we envision starting the next school year off. Of course, there will always be unknowns that pop up, but we can start thinking of routines, activities, how we want to set up our classroom, how we want to organize each class period etc. It’s a great time to start brainstorming and solidifying some classroom ideas/plans so when that teacher work week hits, you can start off running!

It’s a good idea to try to visualize how you want to set up your classroom so you can stock up on necessary items.

• Do you want academic centers?
• A calming or break area?
• Work tasks/life skills/job skills area?
• Cooking corner?
• Individual student work areas?
• Group work station?
• Bulletin board ideas?
• File folder activity ideas?

I also like to pre-plan so that I can utilize the first teacher work week back before students come. I get an idea of how I want to set up each class period, what materials I’ll need etc. so that I can also have my paras/instructional assistants help get everything set up.

• Individual student subject binders
• Folders
• Finished Work Bin
• Organize worksheets/activities
• Set up stations
• Prepare curriculum materials
• Make copies
• Laminate/cut activities & materials
• Set up token boards/reinforcers

I also know that as teachers, we are always on the lookout for sales on supplies for our classrooms. Here is a list of items to keep an eye out for!

Things to keep an eye out for and stock up on over the summer:

• Velcro
• Laminate paper
• Folders (with prongs & pockets)
• File folders
• Big binders for data collection & documentation
• Spiral notebooks (great for interactive notebooks)
• Glue sticks
• Rewards/reinforcers (always look at the Target dollar bins!)
• Materials for hands on activity boxes
• Fidget toys/squishy balls etc.
• Manipulatives for Math activities
• Materials/items for sensory boxes
• Sales on plastic bins
• Dot daubers

I know we aren’t always lucky and some of us don’t get to see our classroom until the year actually starts, but the more you brainstorm, the easier the transition back to school can be.

Check out some of the other BLOGS for ideas on how to plan for block scheduling, find hands on life skills activities for SPED classes & more!

Happy Planning & Shopping!