Countdown to Beach Time

Well, the countdown has begun! We have just a couple of weeks left before summer break and it is safe to say that it has been a doozy of a year. Between a change in paras, growing to a class size of 12, and my many non-classroom duties, I am definitely looking forward to a break so that I can get reorganized and ready to start next year off on the right foot. My goals for this summer include organizing our ABLLS-R testing materials, organizing our discrete trial area, and making plans for incorporating more assistive technology into my daily routines.

We have completed many fun units this school year but I think that our current unit is the favorite (maybe because it means that beach time is right around the corner!). My water unit allows us to incorporate so many fun activities such as catching fish in the sensory table, stamping play dough with seashells, dressing up in beachwear, and reading one of my favorite repeating lines books-- The Pout Pout Fish by Diesen. I'm a big fan of repeating lines books for this population and I try to incorporate one into each unit. I used to think that exposure to the most literature possible in one unit was key but after much research and spending this year focusing on reading the same repeating line book each day for the entire unit, I have decided that the latter is the best choice for my group. I have seen an increase in my students' participation, attention, and motivation since making this change.

My water unit, Riding the Waves, is comprised of over 50 pages of suggested literature, songs, motor, sensory, language arts, and math activities, all connected to the Georgia Early Learning Standards (GELDS). It includes unit vocabulary, intraverbals, beginning sounds, tracing letters and words, counting pictures, rote counting, printable play dough mats, patterns, printable BINGO cards, and I Spy pages. Activities are designed to be used on an interactive board as a whole-group or small-group activity or to be printed off for whole-group, small-group, or individual use. Head over to my TPT store to check this unit out!