Raise your hand if you have an animal loving student in your classroom *every reader raises their hand*. If this is indeed the case, then look no further because this TAH resource is perfect for your classroom! The All About Animals Adapted Book utilizes a hot topic (animals) to practice identifying attributes such as color, size, and quantity. Read along to see who this activity is a fit for, why you should include it in your classroom instruction, and how to do so successfully.

Who?

If your teaching experience is anything like mine, then you may have 8-10 students, sprinkled throughout 6 different grade levels, each working on a variety of different skills. Our classrooms are far from “one size, or one activity, fits all”. The All About Animals Adapted Book is a resource that can be used by many different learners. If you have students working on number correspondence between 1-10, this activity is a match. If you have students working on color identification, fabulous! If you have students working on size or opposite concepts, even better! 

The best part about adapted books is just that – they can be adapted. Whether you have a student working on one of these concepts or all three, you can prep this material in whatever way that will make your students successful. While it comes with an icon grid so your students can scan the icons to find the correct answer, you can simplify this by only have a few icons to choose from, or by only focusing on one skill at a time. 

Why?

Adapted books are a great way to provide fun and engaging work for your students. As previously discussed, who doesn’t love animals? The images are colorful and eye-catching, and the activity itself is hands on which allows for student independence. While this resource is primarily working on identifying attributes, it also works on answering “wh-” questions. In order to identify the correct answer, our students are comprehending the question that is being asked of them. What color? What size? What animal? How many? These are all questions that piggyback off of what I’m sure many of your students are working on during their speech sessions. Not to mention, the use of icons also allows students with limited verbal communication skills to practice answering “wh-” quesions. We love a multi-purposeful resource!

How?

So you print it, laminate it, cut it, velcro it, and now what? Time to put this bad boy to use. There are several ways you could incorporate this adapted book into your classroom. If you have a couple of students working on these skills, you can use this resource during small group instruction. Teach with it, practice turn taking, or even give each student a few to practice the skills independently. Throw these cards on a key ring and flip through as needed. For students who have a strong grasp of these skills, go ahead and choose 3-6 cards and put them in a workbox. That way during independent work times, your student is able to complete the provided task cards and you can easily switch them up at the end of the day. We must remember that maintenance is just as important as teaching new skills! 

This adapted book is one of many. If you’re like me and you love all that this resource has to offer, be sure to check out the other themed adapted books that The Autism Helper store has waiting for you!