Calming the Chaos

A few years ago, I was overwhelmed at the number of abilities within my small classroom. As a teacher of ten students, I struggled grouping my students and finding curriculum that I could teach in a variety of ways to all of my unique learners. I was pulling a thousand different items from a thousand different directions and it was pure chaos. I found The Autism Helper’s Leveled Daily Curriculums on a desperate, late night search on Teacher Pay Teachers hours before my lesson plans were due. What a game changer they have been for my classroom! Over the years they have become a staple in my classroom. Obviously they provide amazing content for our students, but I’ve gained more than just worksheets with this curriculum. Here’s three unique ways I use Leveled Daily Curriculums.

Teaching Students How to Use Anchor Charts

I love that each unit of the Leveled Daily Curriculums come with anchor charts. We pull these out and teach students how to reference them as they are completing work throughout the unit. Once a student can utilize an anchor chart, they sky is the limit! This is such a great classroom skill, and one is often required in general education. When students are done they turn them in a basket for me to grade. I give feedback to them quickly after they turn in their work. Tip for using anchor charts: use acrylic photo frames (like the one pictured) to keep the chart visible for your small group or to simulate copying from the whiteboard (vertical plane to horizontal plane). Once they master having the anchor chart near them, move it farther away or project it on your board for students to learn to copy from the whiteboard.

Taking Accurate Data Remotely

There is nothing I love more than good data. I love to know exactly where students are at so I can target any gaps I find.A solid pre/post test can show you so much about what a child has learned! Each unit of The Autism Helper Curriculum has a pre test and post test. I use these curriculums with my remote learners and my in-person learners. Let’s be honest, unless we can see exactly what is happening and have control of the environment, it’s hard to get valid data for your remote students. I sought out this year trying to find a way to get honest feedback about where students were and what they had learned while using the Leveled Daily Curriculums in small group in a hybrid setting. I have administered these pre/post tests with the annotate feature on a one-to-one zoom call where I give the student control and I get real, valid data about what a student knows. I’ve also used these on digital platforms such as SeeSaw to gather knowledge. This pretest shows me exactly what I need to focus on when teaching this unit. By taking baseline data, I’ll be able to see how much the student grows once the post test is given.

Meeting IEP Goals

So many of my student’s IEP goals align with the Leveled Daily Curriculum. They align nicely to many Common Core Standards, as well. In the video, I have a sample of a student who has a reading goal of identifying beginning and ending sounds of CVC words. He’s currently working through the Leveled Daily Curriculum and practices beginning sounds every day, and he’s making huge progress! Check it out!

For students on Level 1 curriculums, the corresponding file folders are a perfect extension activity and removes the frustration of writing. They are a great way to reinforce concepts and get a quick informal assessment on the concepts you’ve taught. I use these as independent tasks or in centers for students to complete.

Worth Every Penny

These curriculums are an investment, but they are worth every penny! Well before I became a team member at The Autism Helper, I purchased these curriculums for my classroom and used them year after year. I saved up, used my TPT credits, and waited for TPT sales before purchasing. The idea of having one subject planned and laid out for me for the entire was totally worth it! While I love having the content the curriculum brings, it continues to surprise me with how many ways I can use it daily, remotely or in person.