Celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on 3/21

World Down Syndrome Day is coming up on March 21st. WDSD is celebrated on the 21st day of March to honor and share our love for those living with Down syndrome and to create awareness for others. March 21st (3/21) was chosen as the day to signify the uniqueness of the triplication of the 21st chromosome, which is what causes Down syndrome.

Every year on WDSD, we celebrate these awesome individuals in my classroom! Here are some ways you can celebrate WDSD in your classroom or community!

1. Participate in the "Lots of Socks" campaign. 

The World Down Syndrome Day Organization is hosting the "Lots of Socks" campaign again this year! Wear lots of socks, colorful socks, crazy socks, or maybe even 3 socks to represent the 3 chromosomes. Stand out so others will ask you about your socks so you can share awareness and get others talking about WDSD! You can learn more about this campaign here.  

My students wearing LOTS of SOCKS 5 YEARS AGO!

My students wearing LOTS of SOCKS last year!

 2. Make blue and yellow ribbons for staff and students to wear.

3. Rock your designer jeans (genes). 

This is my all-time favorite that one of my students did a few years ago!!! So stinkin' adorable!!!

4. Celebrate WDSD with some blue and yellow cupcakes...or cookies! This year we are doing blue/yellow iced sugar cookies. Walmart never lets me down! Every year they always seem to have blue and yellow cookies and/or cupcakes this time of year!

5. Show/View these videos.

Just Like You, Inc. 


6. Read this book.

You can find it on Amazon here.

7. Share 21 facts about Down syndrome with your audience.

You can get this fact sheet from my FREE WDSD Freebie Set here!!

It also includes free ribbon buttons and a fun hat!!

8. Host a Disability Awareness Day!

Hosting a Disability Awareness Day Event is one event you will never regret! The reactions, responses, and feedback is beyond priceless! Students get to experience what it may be like to have to live with a particular disability. Students leave with a better understanding and an acceptance of people with special needs. I shed a tear (or two) every year! I've hosted this event at my school four times and it's always so inspiring!!! Read about last year's event here! 

If you're unsure where to start, this amazing kit plans out your entire event for you here. 

Check out the video preview!!

9. Get the word out there!

In addition to celebrating in your classroom or in your community, get the word out there! Share WDSD and the "Lots of Socks" campaign with your family and friends and on your social media sites. Use the hashtag #wdsd18. Get everyone wearing LOTS of SOCKS!

MARCH 21st

Mark your calendars and spread the love and awareness for these precious individuals!

Save and share this image to promote WDSD on March 21st!

Follow my WDSD Pinterest Board for even more ideas! If you would like to collaborate and post to this board, leave your email below and I will add you!!

SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies Link Up

Welcome! Every Sunday I host this freebie link up here on my blog for Special Education Teachers! Visit every week to download free resources for your classroom! If this is your first time visiting, you can access all of the freebies from previous link ups by clicking on "SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies" under "My Files" on my right sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're a TPT seller, blogger, or resource creator, I invite you to link up and share your own freebie(s) using the link up tool below! 

Link Up Rules

1. All resources must be FREE! It can be free for the day, but please delete your link once you mark it back to paid.
2. You may link up 1-3 freebies.
3. Your freebie can link to your blog or store.
4. Freebie does not have to be related specifically to SPED, but should be practical for SPED.
5. If you are linking up from your blog, using this image in your post and linking back to my blog is not required, but is greatly appreciated! 
6. Share this image on your social media so others can enjoy all of these freebies!

*I recommend using an image of your freebie & not your button when linking up. 

 Feel free to share the image above all over your social media to let other teachers know about these freebies! 

The link up tool will close on Saturday each week, but "forever" freebies will remain accessible! Come back every Sunday to link up or download new freebies!

An InLinkz Link-up

SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies Link Up

Welcome! Every Sunday I host this freebie link up here on my blog for Special Education Teachers! Visit every week to download free resources for your classroom! If this is your first time visiting, you can access all of the freebies from previous link ups by clicking on "SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies" under "My Files" on my right sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're a TPT seller, blogger, or resource creator, I invite you to link up and share your own freebie(s) using the link up tool below! 

Link Up Rules

1. All resources must be FREE! It can be free for the day, but please delete your link once you mark it back to paid.
2. You may link up 1-3 freebies.
3. Your freebie can link to your blog or store.
4. Freebie does not have to be related specifically to SPED, but should be practical for SPED.
5. If you are linking up from your blog, using this image in your post and linking back to my blog is not required, but is greatly appreciated! 
6. Share this image on your social media so others can enjoy all of these freebies!

*I recommend using an image of your freebie & not your button when linking up. 

 Feel free to share the image above all over your social media to let other teachers know about these freebies! 

The link up tool will close on Saturday each week, but "forever" freebies will remain accessible! Come back every Sunday to link up or download new freebies!

An InLinkz Link-up

SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies Link Up

Welcome! Every Sunday I host this freebie link up here on my blog for Special Education Teachers! Visit every week to download free resources for your classroom! If this is your first time visiting, you can access all of the freebies from previous link ups by clicking on "SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies" under "My Files" on my right sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're a TPT seller, blogger, or resource creator, I invite you to link up and share your own freebie(s) using the link up tool below! 

Link Up Rules

1. All resources must be FREE! It can be free for the day, but please delete your link once you mark it back to paid.
2. You may link up 1-3 freebies.
3. Your freebie can link to your blog or store.
4. Freebie does not have to be related specifically to SPED, but should be practical for SPED.
5. If you are linking up from your blog, using this image in your post and linking back to my blog is not required, but is greatly appreciated! 
6. Share this image on your social media so others can enjoy all of these freebies!

*I recommend using an image of your freebie & not your button when linking up. 

 Feel free to share the image above all over your social media to let other teachers know about these freebies! 

The link up tool will close on Saturday each week, but "forever" freebies will remain accessible! Come back every Sunday to link up or download new freebies!

An InLinkz Link-up

Whole Group Management Strategies

I have a very challenging group of wild energetic students this year! I'm talking blurting out, out of seat, whining, pencil drumming, raring back in chairs, yelling, profanity, breaking pencils, and these are only the mild behaviors I'm listing! Sound familiar?

I have numerous behavioral reinforcements going on all over the place in my room at all times. I have students on "Cool Points" charts, some on individual token boards, some marking frequency charts, and some that thrive on verbal praise and a simple high five. 

While these are amazing for small group, 1:1 instruction, independent work systems, and self-monitoring; I've also found that having whole group behavioral management systems in place is important as well, especially if you have a large group. (I have 12).

Here are some whole group management strategies that I use in my classroom to provide additional positive reinforcement.

This is a whole group token board. I use it when I'm teaching whole group (morning meeting) to reinforce positive behaviors. Students earn tokens for raising their hand, staying in their seats, looking at the speaker, keeping chair legs on floor; whatever the behavior is the student is working on. I catch them following the directions; not NOT following the directions. You can read a detailed blog post on how to use the whole group token board to teach rules and procedures here.

I use these as group incentives. My students sit at tables in 3 groups of four. At the end of each day, we determine the best group "together," (we all take a quick vote) and that group gets a hole punch. The first group to get all 10 punches gets a prize. This not only holds them accountable for their behavior at the end of the day, but encourages teamwork and group interaction.

You can get these punch cards from Creative Teaching Press here and you can choose from four varieties. These also work great for individual student token systems as well.

Changing things up to keep it exciting is also important, so before I began the punch cards in January, I was giving each group a ticket and then the group with the most tickets at the end of 10 days received a prize. These also work great for individual student goals too. Creative Teaching Press also has these here. 

One of the best things I ever did for whole group classroom management was creating a GOAL WALL four years ago! I get asked alot, "Are these their IEP goals and is this a breach in confidentiality?" No, these are not their IEP goals. These are basic classroom behavioral goals that we all need to work on that are posted much like classroom rules. Students that are capable help to determine their own goals and often they add goals as needed. In addition to having an active role in their goal planning, students also recite their goals daily following our classroom rules that we also recite daily. 

It's no different than with academics. Our behavioral challenged students also need that daily repetition and reteaching of behavioral instruction.

This goal wall has been very powerful! My students know their goals by heart, they are conscientious about what they need to work on, and even my non-verbal student uses PECS to recite his goals each day. And because we all know what our classmates are working on, we encourage one another to achieve our goals! You can create your own goal wall here.

While my classroom is strongly centered around positive reinforcement, and students should never lose something they've earned, there also has to be some consequences!

So I started this minute chart in late September and it has really decreased a lot of spontaneous behaviors. Students get a tally for breaking a pencil, blurting out, being out of their seat, yelling, whining, using profanity; whatever the inappropriate behavior is that should have a consequence, and then those tallies are turned into minutes they owe at the end of the day when everyone else is on free choice. The last 30 minutes of our day is free choice if students have no missing work (assignments they refused to do during the day) or no tallies. Students that have tallies sit for that many minutes before they can join in on free choice.

Those tallies can be so painful for some of my students...because well who wants to sit while everyone else plays!? Right? But it has worked in decreasing many of these impulsive behaviors in my classroom! Hope some of these tips can work for you too!

Learn even more about "How to Rock Your Behavior Management" here.