A friend of mine and former colleague, Natalia Morón, supports educators of our most complex learners with her company Autism and Exceptional Learner Elements. She is wealth of knowledge in the realm of special education curriculum. I had the pleasure of joining one of her dynamic webinars on using holidays in instruction and asked her to write a guest blog post for us! This is great information that all special educators should check out.

4 Ways to Incorporate Holidays in the Classroom by Natalia Morón of Austim & Exceptional Learner Elements

The holidays are here! As a teacher we feel obligated to make sure all our content is academic driven. But no one said that learning cannot be fun! I love the holidays to make learning come alive through various ways. 

Here are some ways to incorporate the holidays into your classroom:

1. Learn about the holidays through books and vocabulary.
   Use thematic units to teach the varying reading standards. Students will learn real life information which will not only target their reading skills but teach them about history and ways to socialize in the near future. As well, students will increase their thematic vocabulary knowledge.

2. Use differentiated modalities for all your teaching content.
   Guide your lessons around the thematic holiday units. Always keep in mind that students have different learning styles. When creating lessons incorporate different components such as online videos, read alouds, interactive activities, hands on tasks, writing, typing, or oral responses! Students will be more likely to participate if they have multiple means of representation to display their knowledge. 

3. Make learning come alive.
   Create centers based on the thematic unit. You can make learning fun and engaging for students. As a teacher, address the skills using the holidays. Teaching should not just be the teacher reading or presenting a lesson at the front of the classroom. Instead create activities that will inspire student interactions. 

4. Throw a party!
   There are several advantages to throwing a party with your students. In case you need to explain the skills to an administrator, here are a few skills taught: teaching social skills, teaching social etiquette, how to take turns or practice patience, how to participate in gatherings, to learn about the holiday events and how holidays are celebrated. Besides, who doesn’t love a party?

The beauty of education is that everything and anything can become a lesson to teach! I saw a difference in my students when I began to incorporate these concepts in my classroom. Students were eager to go to centers awaiting what new fun task was there. Students were engaged through learning. I also had differentiated tasks that met all the varying needs within my classroom. 

If you would like to learn more about differentiated resources and other teacher tips, check out the Autism Elements Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AutismElements. You can also check out the resources shown at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Autism-Elements.