I'm back - at least for a little while

So I kind of disappeared from the blogging world for a while.  Things have just been too crazy!  I don't know how those of you who post almost daily do it!  With IEP instruction, state testing, meetings, working after school and doing In Home Training with students, I just cannot find the time/energy to post!  I'm going to try hard to get back into the habit and make time for it.  I may go a little crazy this weekend and post bunches of stuff!!!

For my first post back, I want to share information about Donor's Choose.  This is a website/program that allows you to post a shopping list of classroom items you need and have donor's buy them for you!!!  I have now had three projects funded and I feel like I have hit the jackpot.  
It is so easy to use.  You just sign up for an account, create your personal classroom profile and then add the things you want.  Once you have done that, sit back and wait for your project to get funded and your materials to arrive!  
I have received three sets of books on CD for student use.  These cost over $800 and I never could have gotten them without the support of donors choose.  I also got all four sets of "School Specialty Interactive Reading Books". These books allow my students to interact with text in so many different ways.  

If these items do not seem of interest to you, there are tons of other items you can get for your classroom.  The sky is the limit.  My co-teacher purchased math and science kits for his classroom.  Our art teacher got sharpies, scrapbook paper, and notebooks.  

If you haven't checked into this yet, go do it!  It's an amazing resource and I can't wait to put up my next project!


Sampling of items I've received:

All about Adapted books

This year, I have been thrown into a new teaching situation.  For the first time in my teaching career, I am SHARING my students with another teacher!  I now teach ELA and Social Studies while my counterpart teaches Math and Science.  We are both responsible for other IEP areas such as rec/leisure, life skills, daily living, vocational, etc.  I started this position with a lot of fear.  I'm pretty much a control freak (aren't all sped teachers?) and was worried about how it would be to have two adults working with students with such a need for consistency.  I must admit, I love it.  I am now able to focus only on my Academic content areas and I'm finding that it allows me to create more materials that are actually meaningful.
In this new position, I have found a new love for adapted books.  These are books that allow students to interact with the material while listening to a story.  Usually there are velcro icons or items that can be manipulated on each page.  Here is a FREEBIE of one adapted book I created about "Community Helpers".

Community Helpers Adapted Book

Print out the book and take it for a spin.  Let me know your thoughts!  I'm currently working on creating many more books which I will post soon!