Severe/Profound Classroom Schedules

[inhisgrip20]

Hi Teachers,

I teach students with severe/profound intellectual disaiblities. This is my 4th year. I want to try a different classroom schedule this year. If you teach a similar group will you please share your classroom schedule/activities. I'll start:

7:15 – 7:30 Arrival (in gym until bell rings)
7:30 – 8:00 Breakfast/Pledge and Morning Announcements
8:00 – 8:30 Bathroom/Self-help Skills (toothbrushing)
8:30 – 9:00 Circle Time
9:00 – 9:30 Morning Work (pre-academics/fine motor skills)
9:30 – 10:00 MeVille to WeVille lesson
10:00 – 10:30 Bathroom/Prepare for lunch
10:30 – 11:15 Lunch in Cafeteria
11:15 – 11:30 Bathroom/Self-help Skills (toothbrushing)
11:30 – 12:00 Leisure Skills
12:00 – 12:30 Work Boxes/Independent work
12:30 – 1:00 Story and Art Activity
1:00 – 1:30 Specials (Music/Art/PE)
1:30 – 1:45 Snack Time
1:45 - 2:00 Bathroom
2:00 – 2:15 Pack up and Departure

Of course this schedule changes slightly on days we have PT, OT, Speech, and Community Trips.

What is a typical schedule in your classroom?

[Ghost]

My schedule was nearly the same, except I never used times.
Mevilleto Wevill (what is that???)

arrival/coats/breakfast
announcements/pledge/aerobics
toileting
am circle & calendar
group math lesson
individual math lessons/independent work stations
sensory activities
toileting
recess/lunch
toileting
p.m. circle
group reading lesson
individualized reading lesson/independent work stations
leisure skills
snack/toileting
fine arts
music/singing/story time
toileting
pack up/PM announcements/departure

Does that help?

[ZoomZoomZOOM]

MeVille to WeVille - - Is that the name of your social skills lesson? That's awesome!!

[franny]

I know this is getting off topic but how do you use MeVille to WeVille in your classroom? Do you use it for social skills? I went to a website about it and it said it had activities that focused on:
Reading activities.
* Vocabulary and word wall activities.
* Writing activities.
* Creating books.
* Art projects.
* Games.
* Brainstorming.
* Relationship building.

It doesn't say the sole focus is social skills but is that part of it? Are there lots of areas the program covers that are too hard for your students, like for example writing activities?

[inhisgrip20]

Thanks Trinda... I've thought of adding an afternoon circle time too, but I always run out of time. What types of activities do you do during your afternoon circle? My morning circle consists of calendar, weather, attendance (identifying their picture/name), identifying body parts, and a few other things.

MeVille to WeVille is a curriculum developed by AbleNet for the elementary level. It's a literacy program that integrates, reading, writing, speaking, listening and augmentative communication. There are 3 different units.... Me, My Family, and My School. We're required to use this curriculum in my county.

[inhisgrip20]

Hey Franny, Yes that's accurate. It includes activities for each of those areas during for each section. All of the materials are already created for you and come with the curriculum, you just have to make copies for your students. The lessons are very simple. The first unit is all about "Me"... so the students "write stories" using picture symbols, about themselves and different things, they make posters describing themselves, they play games using their names, work on simple concepts such as boy/girl. Many of the activities are a little high for my students with more profound disabilities and I find that I still have to adapt alot of the materials to suit them. But it does have plenty of good ideas and starts building basic literacy. If nothing else it gives plenty of opportunities for my students to communicate using their assistive devices.

[TeacherNY]

The Meville to Weville sounds interesting. I'm going to check it out. My schedule includes:
8:30-Morning work/Circle Time
9:00-Specials or Health
9:30-snack/sensory time
10:00-Language Arts/Individual work/Speech
11:00-Lunch
11:30-Hygiene (toothbrushing) and Leisure
12:00-Math
12:30-Special or OT/PT
1:00-Game time or group activity
1:30-Science or Social Studies
2:00-Classroom Jobs/prepare for dismissal

[teachersk]

Meville to Weville sounds cool! I am going to have to check it out.

I teach in a moderate/severe setting, but the class right next door is severe/profound. Our S/P teacher was out on FMLA for 6 months this school year, and I ran both classrooms.

7:00 Breakfast
7:30 Hygiene/Bathroom
7:45 School Wide Morning News Television Program / Pledges
8:00 Circle Time (Calendar, Social Skills Songs, Weather, Counting, Alphabet, colors, months, days, etc.)
8:30 Story (varies from book on tape, group activity, teacher led, etc.)
8:50 Bathroom
9:00 Rotation 1 (half work on independent work stations- to include fine motor, pre-academic, vocational, independence skills, half work on IEP goals activities with paras and teacher)
9:30 Rotation 2 (switch)
10:00 Bathroom
10:10 Leisure/Sensory break
10:20 Specials (Music/Art/PE)
11:10 Hygiene/Bathroom
11:20 Lunch
12:00 Recess
12:30 Bathroom/Hygiene
12:40 Phonics/Handwriting (varies for each kid.. some are working on pre-writing skills such as hand-eye coordination, some are doing tactile letters, etc.)
1:00 Afternoon Lesson Rotation
Monday- Language Arts Focus
Tuesday- Math Focus
Wednesday- Science Focus
Thursday- Social Studies Focus
Friday- Daily Living/Cooking Focus
1:45 Bathroom/Hygiene
1:55 Leisure/Sensory Break
2:10 Snack
2:20 Backpack/Pack up
2:30 Bus

[franny]

Okay, I'm veering off topic again, hope you don't mind. To all of you who teach social skills, do you use a particular program/curriculum or do you have a good resource for the lessons you do? I have a new class just one year old and I sorely neglected direct teaching of social skills this past year. I've never taught a class of students with moderate cognitive disabilities before this year and am just not sure how to go about teaching social skills. We indirectly worked on them through the course of the day but I know that I am expected to teach social skills as part of my curriculum. Help!

[franny]

Teachersk and Trinda, could you give me some examples of your independent learning activities? I desperately need to have some independent work for the kiddos who are waiting their turn for direct instruction on IEP goals with me or a para. This past year, I just let them choose from our choice time menu activities like computer (academic stuff), read independently in reading corner, puzzles, etc., when not being worked with directly. What kinds of independent tasks do your kids do?