Choose task boxes based on what each student can already do with minimal support and not simply their grade level or what you’re currently teaching. The best task boxes for independent work use familiar skills, have a clear start and finish, and are challenging enough to be meaningful without requiring you to teach the task while the student is completing it.
Start with the student. Look at their current skills, IEP goals, level of independence, and the amount of prompting they need. Then choose tasks they can practice successfully within an independent-work routine.
Before you choose a task box, ask yourself: Can this student complete the skill without me teaching it at the same time?
Independent work is a place to practice familiar skills—not introduce brand-new ones. A task may connect to an IEP goal or current area of instruction, but the student should already understand enough of the skill to work through the task with minimal support.
A task doesn’t need to be difficult to be useful. If a student can complete it successfully and independently, it may be exactly the right task for independent work.
A student may know the skill and still need you to explain how the task works. Before adding a task box to independent work, look at the task itself.
Can the student tell what to do, where to begin, and when the task is finished? The more obvious those answers are, the less likely the task is to depend on adult directions or reminders.
Look for a task that:
A student’s grade level can give you context, but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor when you choose independent work. Two students in the same grade may need completely different task boxes because their current skills, motor needs, and level of independence are different.
Look for the task the student can use successfully right now. You can always increase the challenge later by changing the skill, the amount of work, or the response required.
Once you know what you’re looking for, the next step is finding tasks that match the students in front of you.
Inside the Task Box Club, you’ll find a large library of structured task boxes across skills and levels, so you can choose what fits each student without creating every activity yourself.
I’m Jennifer and I was a special educator in the elementary school setting over the past decade. I entered the classroom every day dedicated to making learning inclusive AND engaging.
|
|
|
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See full disclosure here.
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
See full disclosure here.