An important part of my teaching schedule includes a daily pull-out session with 5 students. We meet for 45 minutes every afternoon for an intensive session focused on IEP goals and objectives. Behavior and time on-task plays a significant role in the success of these sessions. I've tried many, many different incentives, seating arrangements, you-name-it...with mixed results. Here's what I've had the most success with:
Using an agenda!
This is obviously not high-tech, but it has caught my students' attention. I believe it's a combination of having a structure of activities and the fact that I just may let a student use one of the cool crayons to cross off the list (extra incentive!). Our agenda rarely changes...we start with journal writing (more on this coming soon!), math warm-up (i.e.: a quick flashcard race or problem-solving with manipulatives), lightning-fast sight words review, songs (phonics - I use Heidi's Songs), Long E (a focused phonics mini-lesson - I will usually keep the same topic for one week with a variety of hands-on activities), and then an earned "brain break." We decide together what the brain break should be...i.e.: a puzzle, using wipe boards for 5 minutes, file folder games, etc. A scorecard is at the bottom of the agenda with a column for points earned by Ms. D and by the students. Points are earned bykeeping our hands to ourselves, using quiet hands, using kind words, etc. :) Students are striving to earn ten points for their brain break. Now I just need to find a larger board to use for writing our daily agenda! Flashing lights and any sounds may help, too :) If any teachers or interventionists out there have any ideas, please pass them on! Thanks!
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