On this Teacher Appreciation Day and every day, we want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you do. In your honor, we’ve put together a list of free activities to use in your special education classroom. We hope you download each activity and enjoy them with your students.
Teacher appreciation bingo
In the spirit of the day, we’ve created a fun bingo game for you to play with your class. It’s full of symbols and words that honor you, your work and your relationship with your students. Take advantage of this entertaining and meaningful activity, and don’t forget to reflect today on the difference you are making in many lives.
Download teacher appreciation bingo
Accessible poetry
To honor poetry as a form of creative writing, we created accessible poetry for students in the special education classroom. The poem featured, Clouds, uses the imagery of sheep on a hill to describe the movement of clouds. There are two versions of the poem: a literal version and a figurative version. The literal version symbolizes the words as they are, which helps students with word recognition and vocabulary. The figurative version symbolizes the words with their metaphorical meaning to support understanding the concept of symbolism.
Weather-ready nation newspaper and activities
We've proudly partnered with the NOAA to provide individuals with language and learning disabilities with access to the first-ever symbol-supported weather safety materials. Although the weather may be different from day to day, always changing with the seasons and varying from region to region, one thing remains the same: it is important to stay safe and informed during potentially dangerous weather. These materials will help educate your students on weather conditions and our ever-changing environment.
Download newspaper and activities
Coding activity and certificate of completion
We created a symbol-supported coding activity for students with intellectual disabilities. The activity focuses on moving an object, in this case Bitt Bott, to a target. Students must choose which arrow represents the correct direction. The level of difficulty increases through different obstacles Bitt Bott must avoid. The activity practices coding through following directions.
Internet safety pledge
Working with NetSmartz, we used SymbolStix to adapt symbol-supported versions of the Internet Safety Pledges. This four-page resource helps children understand what to do and not do to stay safe while online, as well as offline.
