Field Experience: Self-Contained Lessons for 7-8 grade Autism

Below are the lessons I've created for a classroom I did my special education field experience in. I had nine boys all on the spectrum. Four non-verbal students, three with very limited speech, and two very verbal students. Each lesson was created to meet the needs of their learning style and IEP goals.

My first lesson was about George Washington. I did not use any technology.

My second lesson was about Clara Barton. I had just purchased my personal projector to bring into the classroom as they did not have any technology besides an old fashioned chalkboard that was 4'x4'. I created a PowerPoint presentation and included actual images of Clara Barton and war images that were related to the Red Cross.

My Projector.

My third lesson was a review lesson on American Heroes through the Unique learning system. I created Trading Cards for each of the heroes. Then I used my differentiation cubes and put in the faces of the heroes for the students to name or identify. Then I used other pictures that related to the hero's for them to associate who they belonged with.

My fourth lesson was about grocery shopping. All sort of materials were used such as play food, play register, play money, baskets and plastic bags, four videos, assessments that matched each student's IEP goals, and much more. It was WONDERFUL!

My fifth lesson was about My Climate. I introduced weather from various states. I created fake snow out of shaving cream and glue. The ugliest rain stick and vocabulary cards. I made a PowerPoint presentation to accompany the story that was very vague. Every time I said the word snow I held up  the container with snow and the same for rain, I held up the rain stick. At the end, the students got to feel the snow.



My sixth lesson was about Pete the Cat and the New Guy. The purpose of the lesson was to infer the theme of the story using details. This lesson went really well. I had to video tape this lesson and a few students could not be included but I did so without them in the shot or using their names. The flip assessment took a few hours to create...yes, a few hours. The portable whiteboard I brought in because we all sat around a large table and not in their desks. Assistive technology was used for those who are non-verbal to answer questions either with a response I loaded in or type in their own.

I had taught two other impromptu lessons during my field experience as there was a substitute in the room that day and the paraprofessional asked me to teach the lessons. Those lessons I could not incorporate assistive technology or the projector into those lessons but made due with what I had at the moment.