“How To Set Up A Special Education Program”- Teaching Reading

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Reading is such an
important skill to teach students.  It is
also one of the most challenging because students are most often reading at all
different levels.  Students working on
matching pictures vs. students working on comprehension questions of the 4th
grade text is hard to manage at the same time. 
It is important to have student groups managed by level to make it
easier.  It is important to jot down all
IEP goals so you can be certain you are meeting each students goals.  All reading takes place at the green center
during the afternoon work centers.

I use flash cards
to teach fluency within my work centers. 
I broke down all the Dolch Sight Words into groups of ten.  



Students start with one sight word.  Once they mastered the sight word- they are
introduced to another.   This goes on
until all sight words are mastered. These mastered words are stored on a binder ring and labeled 
 “mastered” sight words.

Students also have a ring of “working on” sight word
ring.  Students typically have 1-4 sight words on their “working on” ring at a time.  We drill drill drill these words each day!
Student sight word
rings are stored in a drawer.  Each group
has their own labeled drawer so that they are super easily accessible for staff
for quick sight word practice during work center rotations.
Student’s also
work on sight word spelling during this center. 
The same concept is applied to spelling as reading- start with one word
and gradually add more spelling words as the student masters more!
These 95 DolchNouns are functional vocabulary words for students with special needs.  I created these fun interactive center
activities for student to practice matching text to pictures.  I store 10 in a bag so that they are not
overwhelmed with 95 words at a time. 

Each month I
introduce 20 new vocabulary words.  These
word are centered around monthly themes and holidays.  Several activities are included in each of my
monthly vocabulary units.  Here is a
preview of my Match Vocabulary:
Adapted books are
a great activity to practice reading skills. 
They work on so many skills in a fun, interactive way.  I love them because you can create them to
target any skill needed!  Here are some
of the adapted books I use!

I love to use
social stories for absolutely everything. 
I like to utilize them for teaching communication, social skills, life
skills and behavioral management.  But I
also like to use them for reading activities. 
My favorite social stories are my holiday social stories that explain
why we celebrate each holiday throughout the year.  It is a great way to disguise reading for
students who are resistant to reading.
To read more about my work center rotations, click below:

Tomorrow I will be discussing MATH! 

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