Resources:

• Curriculum for purchase (vocabulary, interventions, etc) (paid)

• Free Resources Blog- reviews different curriculums, strategies, activities, etc (free)

• Free summer school program (free* some paid/content requires sign up)

• Letter Tile Freeplay- A great online letter tile mat where students can build words (free)

• Heart Word Magic- videos and animations for teaching high frequency/sight words. (free)

• Free Diagnostic Reading Survey to assess reading levels (free * with the intention of leading to purchase of curriculum/required sign up)

• Grouping Matrix- resource to help collect data, group, and progress monitor students (free* with intention of leading to purchase)

• Oral Language Screener (paid)

My favorite: I love the letter tile freeplay. I like it better than other letter tile apps online because you can literally pull down/move letter tiles around yourself as if it were an actual magnet letter tile board.

Really Great Reading. (n.d.). https://www.reallygreatreading.com/

Activities in the following areas (components):

• phonological awareness

• Phonics & Advanced Phonics

• Fluency

• Vocabulary

• Comprehension

Florida Center for Reading Research. (n.d.). https://fcrr.org/

Ditch That Textbook has many things for teachers on their site including books, resources, and templates. The templates' main goal is to save teachers time and getting students to work quickly. There are templates for games, interactive activities, graphic organizers, lesson plans, communication templates, feedback templates, exit ticket templates, back to school templates, end of year templates, and social media templates.

Ditch that textbook templates and resources. Ditch That Textbook. (2025, March 30). https://ditchthattextbook.com/resources/templates/

Differentiate, extend, or add resources for existing content - using any text, PDF, book, article URL or YouTube video. Great for:

• Adapting, re-leveling, and translating existing curriculum or articles

• Getting standards-aligned questions, summaries, and extension activities for any content

• Instructional strategy aligned activities for individual work, centers rotations, entire lesson plans, sub plans, and so much more

Generate informational texts on any topic - all from real, cited sources. Perfect for:

• When you don’t already have the curriculum you need

• Creating readings and activities aligned to student interests, to build background knowledge, or to extend learning

Get student-ready activities: Choose from a growing library of ready to use templates for your Diffit content, and export in Google Slides, Forms, Docs, Powerpoints, Word, or Printable PDFs.

I like using this tool to help my co-teachers and other teachers differentiate their lessons.

Diffit. (n.d.). https://web.diffit.me/

Building Thinking Classrooms: Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning Mathematics. BTC Site. (n.d.). https://www.buildingthinkingclassrooms.com/

There is an online blending board, word work mats, and a game generator.

I like using this resource as introduction lessons for my students on different phonics topics. The roll and reads are also really helpful for my students.

University of Florida. (n.d.). Ufli Foundations Toolbox. U F Literacy Institute. https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/toolbox/

Free math worksheets. Drills. (n.d.). https://math-drills.com/

K-2 Math Assessment. NC DPI. (n.d.). https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/academic-standards/standard-course-study/mathematics/k-2-math-assessment

Each cluster also has a section that describes concepts and connections with the standards that are necessary for students to use in mathematics. There are also student learning progressions and problem solving situations.

Whoosh Agency. (n.d.). Tools 4 NC Teachers. https://tools4ncteachers.com/

Instagram:

Hammond, E. (n.d.). Neurowild. @neurowild_. https://www.instagram.com/neurowild_/?hl=en

Teachers Pay Teachers:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=neurowild

There is a plethora of great resources regarding Autism for both Autistic people and allies. This can be a great resource for people working with Autistic folks to help them understand and reframe their thoughts on Autism.

Reframing Autism. (2024, August 11). https://reframingautism.org.au/

This organization is for former, current, and future special education teachers. It is a membership based organization but there are some free resources/forums on the site. The resources on the site include information about ABA, fetal alcohol syndrome, deafness, cerebral palsy, interventions, literary/journal resources, occupational therapy and psychological information. There is also a Q & A about IDEA and disability law for students.

National Association of Special Education Teachers. NASET News Alert RSS. (2025, February 23). https://www.naset.org/

Promoting diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility; Building networks, partnerships, and communities"

There are policies, standards, professional development, and free resources. There are resources specifically for parents as well as for educators.

Council for Exceptional Children: The Premier Association for Special Education Professionals. Council for Exceptional Children. (n.d.). https://exceptionalchildren.org/

Council for Exceptional Children. (n.d.). Division of Emotional and Behavioral Health. Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders. https://debh.exceptionalchildren.org/

Council for Learning Disabilities. Council for Learning Disabilities | The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) is an international organization that promotes evidence-based teaching, collaboration, research, leadership, and advocacy. (2023, January 3). https://council-for-learning-disabilities.org/about-council-learning-disabilities/

Learning Disabilities Association of America. (n.d.). https://ldaamerica.org/

• Federal State Snapshots of Learning Disabilities

• Significant Disproportionality in Special Education

• Inclusive, Innovative Assessments for Students with Learning Disabilities

• Data Snapshots

• Overviews of laws, bills, and policies

Resources. National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2024, May 7). https://ncld.org/resources/?resource-cat=8

Within the learning library you can choose from different subject areas/challenge areas for students. From there you can choose skills and it will show you subskills for that task, common obstacles to those subskills, and additional helpful tips.

All Kinds of Minds. (2025, March 14). https://allkindsofminds.org/

IES funds education science, evaluates federal programs, supports evidence based policies and practices, collects and reports education statistics, and oversees the scientific peer review process for IES reports and grand applications.

The practice guide offers research and science backed practices to improve student outcomes.

Institute of Educational Sciences. Institute of Education Sciences (IES). (n.d.). https://ies.ed.gov/

Recommendation 1: is building students' decoding skills so they can read complex multisyllabic words. IES recommends identifying the level of students' word reading skills and teach vowel and consonant letter sounds/combinations. Students also need to be taught a routine they can use to decode multisyllabic words. This routine usually includes identifying prefixes and suffixes, identifying single vowels and vowel or vowel/consonant combinations, scoop under each word part as you say it, then say the whole word by blending the parts together into a word that is familiar. Include spelling in the lesson as well as a wide array of activities to allow students practice decoding multisyllabic words.

Example: During a routine decoding session, have students look for prefixes/suffixes. Then we identify the vowels/vowel teams/vowel sounds and use that to find other syllable types (open, closed, vowel team, r-controlled, consonant l-e, etc). Students then scoop each syllable, mark short vowel sounds with a breve and long vowel sounds with a line. Students read each individual syllable scoop then put it together into a word. You could also do an inverse of this for spelling by giving students the word orally and having them try to spell it.

What Works Clearinghouse, Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 4–11.

Fluency is being able to read text accurately, with ease, expression, and pacing. This recommendation's purpose is to improve students' ability to read text with increased ease. It is important to provide a purpose for each repeated reading and explain to students why repeated reading. IES recommends giving students the opportunity to read many different kinds of texts. Reading with fluency improves comprehension for students. Increasing fluency will increase comprehension.

Example: During a fluency lesson/portion of a lesson group read sentences/phrases with the full group. Have students repeat read the phrases (I say, you say). Have students partner read and/or solo read outloud. I enjoy doing stations and having one of the stations be a reading station. My younger students will read to our stuffed animal collection.

What Works Clearinghouse, Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 4–11.

Example: Begin your math lesson with a review problem from the day before/another "mastered" topic (multiplication, addition, etc). Relate the new topic to the review topic if possible. If the review topic was addition you can connect that to a new topic of multiplication by discussing repeated addition. Don't start with multiplication problems like 9x9 or 12x5. Start smaller with numbers students are very comfortable with like 2x4 or 3x3. Use anchor charts to post reminders/visuals.

What Works Clearinghouse. (n.d.). Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades.

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (U.S. Department of Education)

NOTE: As an Autistic individual, I want to caution educators working with Autistic students against blindly implementing any practice with their students. Please ensure that the goals you set for your students are also based on what your students want and need, not just on what you think they need. The goal should never be to "cure" or "mask" Autism. It should be to give Autistic people the tools and skills they need to make choices and be as independent and successful as possible.

RethinkEd was founded on a simple, yet powerful idea: 

• To literally re-think education. 

• To make it better and easier. 

• To unburden school districts and empower educators. 

• To improve outcomes and elevate accountability. 

• To promote collaboration and inspire learning.

• And, most importantly, to make a difference in the school day for everyone – administrators, educators, and students.

As a division of RethinkFirst, an award-winning technology developer of cloud-based tools, training, and supports, RethinkEd is pioneering EdTech. We’re relentless in pursuing innovative ways to put evidence-based, data-informed, digitally delivered instruction and assessments into the hands of educators, clinicians, and parents who share our single-minded focus: To help all children succeed. "

The professional organizations listed provides teachers access to specialized knowledge, professional development, and community support. These organizations provide research-backed guidance, personal experiences, and advocacy resources.

I included some legal resources because it is vital for Special Educators to understand the policies and legalities of our field. These resources mainly focus on IDEA and Section 504. They link to the government webpages that not only offer the policies themselves but supportive tools and guidelines to help educators understand them.

Legal Framework & Policy Resources

The inclusion of platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers, Diffit, Florida Center for Reading Research, and UFLI demonstrates awareness that teachers benefit from ready-to-use materials and differentiation tools. These resources help bridge the gap between theory/best practice that is so often discussed in courses and classroom application.

I didn't have a big idea in mind when collecting these resources. I asked coworkers to send me what they use/love and did some of my own research/digging as well as included sources I already knew about/use in my own classroom. Looking over everything, I can see how multi-faceted special education is by the need for such varied tools for EC teachers. The resources I gathered emphasize both compliance and instructional effectiveness as complementary rather than competing priorities. A big commonality across the resources is the emphasis on structured and systematic approaches to instruction. This pattern suggests that predictable instructional frameworks benefit students with diverse learning needs while allowing for personalization within those structures.

I tried to include a variety of specificity. Legal guidelines can be broad so I also tried to include some more specific sources such as best practices and research backed strategies.

I hope to start with the legal resources to become more familiar with the laws surrounding special education. I feel this is an area I personally am weaker in. From there, I can use the other resources to ensure I am in compliance with the law and the specific strategies to ensure effectiveness in my teaching.

This padlet looks better with your computer in dark mode. I have no idea how garish the colors will look in light mode.

Orange: Best Practice, Teaching Stretegies, Evidence Based Practices

Black: Generic resource/website with helpful tools/information

Purple: Professional Organization

Red: Government websites, databases, and laws

(Photo is from Padlet's AI feature)