Classroom Choreography Part 3: Circle Time

My main circle time occurs first thing in the morning, right after my kiddos finish breakfast. Upon entering the classroom, the students unpack their backpacks (with many verbal, physical, gestural, and visual prompts:)) and are told to sit on their "spot" on the rug. They are given a toy to play with while I take attendance and get the lunch count in. When I'm finished with that, toys are "finished" and circle time begins.

I have a layered circle time- an idea I was shown at my first TEACCH training many years ago. This means that my circle time is broken up into sections and that students transition to other activities throughout the circle time. The students know what to expect because of my visual circle time calendar displayed on the board. As it becomes time for a child to transition to another activity (usually because they are having difficulty focusing or sitting still), they are shown the "finished" picture and my para helps them to transition. Some days all of my students remain throughout the entire circle time- other days only one child is remaining at the end. Everyone has to sit for at least the first 3 activities.

 

{1}Circle time always begins with the Get Ready for Circle Time PowerPoint. This PowerPoint shows students how they are expected to behave during circle time. They love it.

{2}Second- we sing and say good morning. I change up the song everyday. Sometimes I use songs from an old CD I have and some mornings I use YouTube videos. I like to keep the activity the same- this one being "Good Morning"- while changing the actual contents of the activity. Here are some of the optional songs we sing:

this one
and this one
and this one

{By the way, I keep all of my circle time stuff in a "circle time" folder on my desktop- separated by activity- such as "good morning" or "shapes."}

After singing a good morning song, the students either say good morning to each other (sometimes using whisper phones) or-if nonverbal- wave or activate iPad button.

{3}The third thing that we do every morning is what I call "words." Last month we learned school words. This month we are first learning body words. These are our 10 vocabulary word. I alternate between showing them illustrations, real pictures, real objects, or a PowerPoint of pictures. I ask the same questions everyday- usually something like "What is it?" followed by "What do you do with it?" This is an example of last months:

(Show pic of bus)
T: What is it?
S: Bus.
T:What color is it?
S: Yellow.

(Show pic of backpack)
T:What is it?
S: Backpack
T:What do you do with it?
S:You wear it on your back (pointing to back)

These are the same questions that are asked during their unit assessment. Expressive students answer the questions verbally as stated above. For my receptive kiddos, I may say "Point to the thing you wear on your back." Or I may say "What do you do with it?" and if they can point to their back, I take that.

**FYI- Some days circle time ends here. You know those days- don't judge.**

{Optional Activities} After our words, I choose 1-4 more activities, including-but not limited to- letters, numbers, shapes, colors, game, story, nursery rhyme or song.

Letters. We learn about our letters! I usually do this one right after the words activity because most of my kids seem to like letters most of all. Here are some of the activities I choose from:

this one
or this one (they love!!)
or this one
or play with this SB activity
or play this one
or this one
or singing the good ole fashioned alphabet song
or an iPad game
or writing a letter on the whiteboard and letting them trace it with their finger
or ANY letter activity

Numbers. We have a number of the month that will come into play later but for this activity, we look at all numbers. Here are some of the activities I choose from:


this one
this one
this SB activity
or this one
or I pull out some teddy counters
or we count on the number line
or we count students
or we count teachers
or we count fingers
etc.
etc.
etc.
or we use an iPad counting app

Shapes. We have a shape of the month but here we usually talk about all basic shapes.

they love this video
this one
or this one
this SB activity
or I pass out shapes and they ID them before they put them back in the bucket- we use a carrier phrase "I seeeeeee the __" and some of my nonverbal kids approximate the tune of it.
or I pass out pieces from a shape puzzle and they ID them before they put them in

and most of the time I just draw the shapes on a whiteboard and they point to the one I say

Colors. We have a color of the month but here we look at all colors most of the time.

love this one
or this one
or this one
or this SB
or I pass out teddy bears and they have to ID color before putting it "in" the bucket- again using above carrier phrase

or I use a BM sheet and they have to point to the color requested

Nursery Rhyme. We have a nursery rhyme of the month and either say it or watch it.

Game. Sometimes we play the tickle game. They have to ask for more tickles- practicing taking turns too. Sometimes we play bingo with our unit vocab.

Story. Goes along with unit.

Song. They get to choose from communication board.

New final activity. Okay- I'm just starting this activity tomorrow. We will do it everyday to conclude circle time. I'm really excited about it. On the schedule it will be a balloon. The balloon will be the color of the month. When I blow said balloon up, it will display the shape of the month. I will have a visual that shows the countdown until the balloon is let go. The countdown will be the number of the month. This is how this month's will go:

(Show balloon)
T:What color?
S:Purple.
T:(Blows up balloon; shows shape) What shape?
S:Rectangle.
T:Countdown.
T&S:3, 2, 1, GO! (Teacher lets go & the crowd goes wild:))

We'll see. They may not be nearly as excited about it as I am.

I'll then show the finished sign and we'll transition to work time.

Okay- so that is circle time. I keep all of my circle time materials in a plastic organizer with 3 drawers and all of my visuals and communication boards in a folder divided by activity type. This makes it easier for my para or sub when I'm out. I try to not use too many videos and have a good mixture between incorporating technology and using good ole fashioned manipulative. But hey- my kids are so motivated by technology so I don't feel too bad about using it a good bit.

 

Classroom Choreography Part 2: Detailed Class Schedule

People most often email or post questions related to scheduling details. I'm posting my detailed classroom schedule here in hopes of giving others ideas for scheduling their class schedules. Next I'll go more in depth about my circle time, table time, individual programming, and natural environment learning activities.

Time	Name of Activity	Teacher Details	Para Details
7:15-8:15	Arrival & Breakfast	-Bus Duty -Assist students in going through breakfast line, requesting items via verbalization or gesture, assist in appropriate behavior during meals	Para 1-Hall duty Para 2- assist with breakfast
8:15-8:30	Toileting/Housekeeping	Take attendance; submit lunch count; check folders	Toileting
8:30-8:45	Circle Time	Teach basic skills & themed unit activity	Para 1- Inclusion Para 2- Model appropriate behavior; participate in activities
8:45-9:30	Individual Programming/ Natural Environment Learning	Individual teaching	Para 1-handwriting Para 2- Rotate students through stations
9:30- 9:45	Story time/ Toileting	Read story & teach basic skills	Para 1 & 2- Model appropriate behavior; participate in activities
9:45- 10:30	Individual Programming/ Natural Environment Learning	Individual teaching	Para 1- Table time & work station Para 2- Inclusion
10:30-11:10	Lunch	Supervise	Supervise
11:10-11:30	Recess	Supervise	Supervise
11:30-12:30	Toileting/Rest Time	Lunch Break/ Planning	Para 1- Break/Supervise Para 2- Inclusion/ Break
12:30- 1:45	Individual Programming/Natural Environment Learning	Same as above	Para 1 & Para 2- Rotate students through stations
1:45-1:55	Snack Time	Supervise & assist; encourage communication	Supervise & assist
1:55-2:05	Circle Time	Music & Movement activity	Model appropriate behavior & participate in activities
2:05-2:20	Dismissal	Dismissal	Dismissal
2:20-3:15	Planning/ Meetings		Car duty

Classroom choreography Part 1: Master Schedule

A day in my classroom is like a very complex dance. My paras and I move through the classroom, guiding the students and reacting to their behaviors. We all know our roles & the expectations of our roles. At three weeks in, we've got our routine down and things are running pretty smoothly- well, as smoothly as you can expect in my classroom!

I believe that behind every well-choreographed classroom routine is a color-coded, detailed class schedule. Or four. I create one master schedule that includes the time, the name of the activity, my role, each paras roles, and any "extra" information- such as kids that leave for speech/OT. I also make an individual one for myself and each para to keep with them at all times. Things just work better if I'm not constantly asking someone to do something.

{Master Schedule}
I set up our master schedule using a table in either Word or Publisher. At the top of the chart I list time, class, teacher, para 1, para 2, and therapy. The rows are labeled with the time. I color-code based on the type of changes- when paras are out of my room, when paras have break, and when students have therapies. I highlight the time as well so that I know that there is something different then when I quickly glance between activities. I've received many questions about scheduling so I'll work on posting a detailed daily schedule for my class to share some ideas. Stay tuned!

Setting Up My Autism Classroom- Step 5: Prepare data sheets

One area that I struggled with for a long time was collecting and analyzing my students' data. Although I took your typical assessment course as an undergrad, I don't think that I fully understood the importance of taking good data and allowing that data to inform my teaching.

One year, I sat down with my school's SLP and asked her to give me a little mini-lesson on how she took data. She was always so organized with her data forms and reviewed her data often- allowing it to drive her therapy sessions. She gave me some great advice and I even adopted her data sheets for a while. Since them, I have tried several different methods of data collection- one form for all students working on similar goals, one form for all students with goals that can be addressed during circle time (or play time, meal time, etc.), one form per student, checklists, yes/no forms, flashcards...you name it, I've tried it. I have finally decided that there is no right way to collect data. I have to do what fits each individual student at that time. One thing I do know is that preparing my forms and having them ready on day one can be extremely helpful. (I don't print off too many at first because, knowing me, I will decide to change them two weeks in.)

Last year I ended up using the flashcards- one per goal per student for all academic goals. I kept them in a little file organizer separated with dividers by student. These were great in that they allowed me to pull a few out and hand to my para during centers so she could work individually with a student. This was also super convenient when I needed to update progress notes.

For any behavior, social, physical, and toileting goals, those students had one data form with all of their goals listed. All of those sheets were kept on the same clipboard hanging by the door- in easy access to me and my para. I also used my school district's data probing forms for my students with autism.

This year, since I have moved to the autism program, I will use my district's cold probe forms with all of my students for the majority of their goals. Each student will have their own data probing form for all related goals. Their data will be analyzed often and used to update their programs. I will also use one data probing sheet for all students with similar behavior, social, and physical goals. I'm going to use my own toileting form for any students not toilet trained yet that will be kept on a clipboard in the bathroom. I also will have some forms that I use for all students. These will be kept blank so that I can write in a general goal- such as receptively identify colors by pointing. I can keep these forms at the circle time area and quickly jot down who knew the color and who didn't. Although all of my students may not have IEP goals aligned to these tasks, I think there are just some basic concepts that are important for my kids to work on daily and for me to know where they stand with them. Finally, I will use my county's maladaptive behavior checklist for any problem behaviors. You can head over to my TPT store to snatch up 5 of my whole-group data forms. They'll be {free} for the rest of the summer so snatch them up quickly!

{Whole Group Circle Time Data Collection Form}

{Whole Group Social/Behavioral Data Collection Form}

{Whole Group Toileting Data Collection Form}

Setting Up My Autism Class- Step 4: Set Up "the schedule"

Setting "the schedule" is by far the most intimidating part of setting up a classroom to me.  There are two different types of schedules that need to be determined- the class schedule and then the students' individual schedules. Let's talk about the class schedule first. There are so many factors to consider- student needs, attention lengths, therapy times, school times, specials classes, breakfast and lunch, and the list goes on. First, I always look at the school times- when students arrive, when they need to be ready for dismissal, when we are assigned breakfast, lunch, and recess, and if any of my students will be going out to specials or time in gen ed classes. I write all of that down along with therapy schedules and then look at the rest of the times available. The autism program in our school district endorses the use of discrete trials for individual instruction. So that tells me we will be doing a lot of rotating through centers during the day to ensure that each student gets their individual instructional time while other students are working on other readiness or functional skills. My two paras will assist my students in rotating through the centers (reading, computer, listening, leisure, work station, table time) while I am working one-on-one with students. We will complete this rotation 3 times a day and each student will work with me at least once. We will also have a layered whole-group circle time at the beginning of the day. Some students will only be expected to stay for one activity (singing good morning song) while others will stay for two or three or more activities- based on their attention spans. Since my kiddos will be in Pre-K and Kindergarten, our circle time will probably not last for more than 20 minutes. That will probably include 10 minutes of singing/reading time and 10 minutes of an interactive activity. TEACCH recommended only 15 minutes with preschool students and no more than 30 minute activities with elementary students. Of course those are only guidelines and as usual, the amount of time should depend on individual students. They also recommend separating work times with play or leisure times.

When setting up the class schedules, it is important to create a schedule for paraprofessionals or aids as well. I have learned that it is easier to be up front about expectations- people cannot read my mind. When I create the class schedule, I will include a column next to each activity detailing what I will be doing and what my parapros should be doing during the activity.

{Visual Class Schedule}

It is important to set up individual daily schedules for each student. TEACCH stresses the importance of making the schedule meaningful for each student so that they could achieve independence in this area. As crazy as it sounds, using detailed schedules allows the students to be more flexible- something that is very important to teach students with autism. There are a couple of things that you need to consider when developing the detailed student schedule: type of schedule, length of schedule, and manipulation of schedule.

Type. When thinking about the type of schedule you have to consider the individual needs of the kids. Some students may need an object schedule, some a picture schedule, and some may be able to use a word (written) schedule. Most of my kids will probably be using a picture schedule.

Length. I have tried to do a full day picture schedule in the past with students and it was extremely difficult for me to manage it. I will not be doing that this year. I am going to stick to using a First/ Then schedule that is located at each center and at our individual work table. I will put two pictures on it- one of the activity they are currently completing and one of the activity that they will transition to next.

First/ Then Schedule

Manipulation. Will the students mark through or check off the activity completed if using a word schedule? Will they match the picture to the one at that center if using a picture schedule? Will they match the object to a photograph if using an object schedule? I think I will have a laminated page with the picture symbol for students to Velcro their pieces to when they arrive in the right location.

Check out my Autism Schedules Pinterest board for tons of ideas for setting up autism class & individual schedules.

Friday FREEBIE!

I'm taking a break from the "Setting Up My Autism Classroom" series today for a Friday FREEBIE! Head over to my TPT store to pick up these {free} toy bin labels. I used them in my play center & my reading/sensory center. I will probably be making a few more in the next few weeks & will update when I do. Right now there are 26 of these black & white labels that include a visual. They are a great way to get students involved in the cleaning up process & to help them practice their sorting skills while cleaning.

 

 

Setting up My Autism Class- Step 3: Visual Structure

When I was first learning about autism, someone shared with me the example of being in a foreign country and not understanding the language. How would I navigate and understand what was going on around me? One way would be to use signs & symbols. We can use signs & symbols to communicate with children with autism. In her books, Temple Grandin has said that she thinks in pictures & that the use of pictures or visuals helps her. Visual structure in an autism classroom can help students to better understand what is expected of them. I will be using visual structure in many ways in my classroom, including:

1. Defining areas of the room
2. Explaining rules & procedures
3. Explaining learning activities

Also, visual structure will be used to define our schedule, but that will be saved for another post.


1. Defining areas of the room. This one's simple. I use labels to let students know what activities will occur in what areas. I have a sign with a Boardmaker symbol for that area. If I want the students to transition to that area, I will hand them a small visual with the symbol for that area and they will know where to go. Some students may need gestural, verbal, or physical cues at first. I will be adding a laminated sheet for them to Velcro their symbols on when they arrive at their area.

2. Explaining rules and procedures. When I worked with kiddos with autism before, I used the motto "When in doubt, use a visual." I may think that some of my kids understand rules and procedures just by me explaining them verbally. But a visual can't hurt. Some people would disagree. I remember when I was at TEACCH II we got into a discussion about this. One person shared that they thought providing visuals when the student was higher functioning was putting them at a disadvantage. But then someone else brought up the fact that we all use visuals to function on a daily basis. How could we drive without traffic signs- they help us to know when to stop, yield, when there's a bump ahead. We use visuals to help us function. So do kids with autism. Here are just a few of the ways I use visuals to explain rules and procedures:

{Circle Time}
visual structure to let students know how many & which activities we will be doing during circle time
after we complete an activity, such as singing the good morning song, I will take it down because it is "finished"

{Toileting Procedure}
visual structure to show students how to go to the bathroom
font credit: Miss Law's Primer Font

{Class Rules}
visual structure to explain class rules
other visuals will be used throughout the day- such as a "no hit" sign
 

3. Explaining learning activities. At TEACCH, I learned that visual structure can be used to give instructions, to organize activities, or to clarify.

{Two sets of instructions for craft activities}
visual structure shows students that they will complete 3 steps



{Sorting breakfast & dinner foods work task}
students know how many pictures they need to sort before they are finished & see that they are sorting breakfast & dinner items

{Sorting food & animals work task}
students know how many pictures they need to sort before they are finished & see that they are sorting food & animals

{Fine motor work task}
visual structure doesn't always= pictures!
students know to use the tongs to pick up the bones and put in the dog's mouth
students see how many bones they have to place in the mouth
finished basket on the right

 

Setting Up My Autism Class- Step 2: Setting up Physical Structure

I learned that physical structure is key when working with individuals with Autism pretty quickly. I remember walking into the first Autism class I had ever been in when I was a sophomore in college and seeing all of the bookshelves, dividers, and crates that were used to separate everything. I think the OCD part of myself is secretly drawn to the organization and the idea of there being a place for everything. Fast forward ten years and going on 6 years of teaching and I am setting up my 3rd Autism classroom. My first and second classrooms that I set up for the same population of kids were complete different because I had a different set of kids each time, a different physical classroom, and different resources. I know that my current room will turn out completely different as well. Just like the saying "No two children with Autism are alike"- I guess no two classrooms for children with autism are alike!

When I started teaching children with autism, we had very little resources. I had to get creative with sheets and cardboard. I am very excited to share that this is not the case this go around! I was thrilled to see that I have bookshelves, fancy schmancy dividers, and even adorable rugs to section the room off. Armed with my mental organization about my new group and my plan for 7 centers, I got busy with my new paras. A lot of people prefer to draw out a picture of the room and label the different areas before moving furniture. For some reason, this does not appeal to me. I have to actually see the furniture in the spot to decide if that is where it belongs.

Step 2-Setting up Physical Structure
1. Draw It Out
2. Get busy! Take advantage of the shape of the room & furniture.
3. Try again!

Reading/Sensory Center

I started the arranging with my reading/sensory center. The class had this great little bench that they used in their reading area before & I was able to use my little bookshelf next to it to create a barrier. There is another small book shelf not pictured on the left side wall that holds the sensory items- fidget toys, vibrating animals, and rainmakers.

Leisure Center

 

The back of the reading bench forms a little desk area. The paras told me that they used this area for the little DVD players that the kids loved. I added two chairs and voila- the leisure center is ready!

Play Center

 

Usually each classroom is set up with 4 computers under the pod windows. Since I won't need that many computers, I was able to set up a bookshelf next to where the computer table will sit and turn the rest of the space between the bookshelf and the storage cabinets into the play center. I think having a play center with this group is very important- they will still be learning how to appropriately play with toys & we'll do a lot of structured playing together. Plus it's a great opportunity to work on playing cooperatively with peers. I'll discuss how I organized the play center in another post. Sorting through the tons and tons of toys was probably the most overwhelming part of setting up my new room but I was able to make it work and am really happy with how it turned out.

Table Time

I knew that I wanted to place the large area rug in front of the smart board for circle time activities & I wanted a table nearby in case we did some whole group craft, coloring, or tracing activities during that time. I decided to place two bookshelves directly behind the table to house all of the work tasks that will be used during table time. As the students rotate around the room, two of them will be working on individual work tasks with one of the paras. These tasks will be anything from simple fine motor tasks [drop the block in the container] to color and shape matching. I plan to cover the shelves with fabric so that it won't be so distracting for my kids. I added these great dividers on each side to cut down on distractions for the kids.

Work Station
 

The back of the table time bookshelves provided a wall that was perfect for two work stations for my higher functioning kids. I used my TEACCH training to design a left-to-right work station for independent tasks. The Autism Specialist left these four-shelf containers behind and I used them to create a barrier on the left side of each work station. I will place 4 activities in those containers for the students to complete. When they complete each task, they will place it in the "finished" basket that is on their right. I'm thinking that the work station on the left will be just for file folder type interactive work and the work station on the right will be more for adaptive/functional tasks. Higher functioning students will use both work stations.

I don't have a picture of my last two centers- computer and listening. The computers for my room are not set up yet and won't be until closer to the start of school. I'm still playing around with the location of my listening center but I will update with a picture of it as soon as I decide. I'm currently teaching ESY in this room so I am sure that I will make some changes once the kids show me what areas are working and which are not working. Like I keep saying, it's important for me to be flexible and be up for making changes based on my kiddo's needs. I also hope to post some pictures of my co-workers room. She teachers the older kids with Autism and I just helped her set her room up a few weeks ago. I think it is a great example of how to set up a room for kids that are focusing more on academics rather than the readiness skills that I will be focusing on. My next post will be on setting up the visual structure of my new room. Stay tuned!

{View from Classroom Door}




{View from Reading/Sensory Center}