Resources for the New School Year

I am so excited to embark on another amazing year of learning and growth together! Before we dive into the year's first newsletter, I want to introduce myself to all the new subscribers here. My name is Jen Guettler. This is my third year as the Minnesota ASD Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Coach through the Minnesota Low Incidence Projects based out of BrightWorks. I have the privilege to provide in-person coaching to teachers across the state on implementing EBPs in their classrooms. When I'm not working directly with teachers and students, I provide professional development through virtual and in-person training and this newsletter, Tuesday Tips and Tricks.

Before this role, I was a setting III middle school special education teacher, supporting students with ASD and DCD. Like many of you, I came into the role with very few resources and even less knowledge of supporting autistic students in an educational setting. Through years of research, trial and error, and constantly being humbled, I learned how to create a safe, positive, and proactive classroom for my students so they could show up as their authentic selves and be successful. It has always been my dream to pass on some of the tips and tricks I learned to other autism teachers. I am so happy to have the opportunity to do that through this newsletter!

Enough about me; I want to talk about YOU! As we step into this new academic year, I want to recognize the incredible impact YOU have on your students' lives. Your dedication, creativity, and passion make a huge impact and encourage your students to reach their fullest potential. Thank you so much for all you do for your students and families! This work is demanding and often done with limited resources. That is why we are so excited to have another year of FREE access to the Star Media Center! Today, I will review some big updates to the STAR Media Center. I'm so excited about these additions and changes! If you haven't signed up for a FREE STAR Media Center account, you can register below. If you're new to the STAR Media Center, click here for a demo!

I am so excited about the updates to the STAR Media Center! Over the summer, they revamped some major areas that needed improvement. Here are the two significant changes:

1. They updated Routine Essentials, including Behavioral Supports, Transition, Circle, and Snack-Mealtime, to include comprehensive implementation guides and new inclusive visuals.
2. They created more robust Math and ELA sections with four levels of differentiation.

💡Tip: Check out the Back to School Themes First unit and the Back to School Bonus content for engaging whole group and small group activities that will fill your schedule for the month of September! You can find this content under "Themes First" then "Active Theme Units."

My two favorite updates to Routine Essentials are the Behavioral Supports and Transition sections. Each section includes new visual supports and detailed implementation guides—perfect for paraprofessional training! Below are several examples of updates to the Behavioral Supports and Transition Sections.

💡Tip: Need a visual? A social script? Mini-schedule? New to teaching ASD students? Check out Routine Essentials! It has everything you need for your classroom!

I love the updates to the self-regulation supports! It now includes all new visual supports and guides on how to use them. The guides include Instructions, Student Visual Supports Guide, Prompting Strategies, and Reinforcement Strategies. The guides are fantastic for training paras! They've included so many different options for visuals that it's a little overwhelming (in a good way)! See some examples below.

One of the most important things we can do for our students is create an environment and differentiated supports that help them feel safe to transition. This section has it all! They broke it into four parts: Getting Started, Pre-teaching, Student Visual Supports, and During Routine Instruction. It has everything you need to teach students to check their schedules and transition throughout their day!

The Getting Started section has all the guides needed to teach transitioning, including how to set up and teach all the visual supports included in the section. It also includes data collection sheets.

The Pre-Teaching section includes all the vocabulary to teach students to transition successfully. The vocabulary assessment provides valuable baseline data and the six engaging lessons are a perfect way to introduce and teach the vocabulary.

💡Tip: Create a para-led vocabulary station. Each Themes First unit has a vocabulary assessment and several lessons. All the lesson plans are ready to go; you just need to print and laminate them for a month of center activities with detailed instructions for your para. This ease of implementation will surely boost your confidence in using these resources effectively!

The Student Visual Supports section includes all new individual schedules with inclusive graphics and expanded options! Check out some examples below!

Teachers asked and STAR Media Center delivered a more robust math and ELA section! The ELA activities and games are based on theme unit vocabulary and concepts. They can be used to teach the following literacy skills:

• Phonics
• Reading comprehension
• Sorting
• Sequencing
• Writing vocabulary words
• And more!

Activities are broken into three sections: word recognition, letter and letter sounds videos, and language comprehension. Each of the lessons includes four levels of differentiation!

Along with all of the new activities, four different levels of independent work can be used in independent work centers or adult-led centers.

💡Tip: The independent work in the ELA and Math sections includes file folders and worksheets. I like to cut apart the file folder activities to create task cards or use them as cut-and-paste activities in para-led stations. You can also use the worksheets as file folders.

The math activities and games are based on theme unit vocabulary and concepts. They can be used to teach the following math skills:

• Counting and 1:1 correspondence
• Identifying numbers
• Identifying shapes
• Patterning
• And more!

Just like the ELA activities, each math activity has four different levels!

💡Tip: For a variety of activities, move through the different levels of each activity throughout the month. For example, on Mondays, play the "Follow the Numbers" activity. Start with the 1-5 mat for the first Monday, 1-10 on the second Monday, and so on. Just make sure to provide support as the levels move up!

Don't forget to check on the four levels of math independent work!

Check out the Hometown Helpers unit in Themes First!, which includes original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded Social Studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns via email or phone. I'm also available to chat via Zoom Mondays from 7:30-8:00 AM and 3:00-3:30 PM. If these times do not work for your schedule, please email me and we will find a time that will work for both of us.

Use the link below to ask questions about this week's Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks and/or give suggestions on future topics.

2023-2024 Tuesday Tips & Tricks Newsletters

Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks is made possible by Minnesota Low Incidence Projects