Mr. McDaniel SPED Teacher

HELLO! My name is William McDaniel and I am the Special Education CDC Teacher here at Livingston Academy. I am so looking forward to teaching this year and working with a wonderful group of students and dedicated paraprofessionals who have a heart for my students and want to see them succeed as much as I do. We will be working on Life, Job, Employability and Academic Skills that my students will need and use everyday for the rest of their lives. We will also start using the PAES Lab at Livingston Middle School and starting CBI Trips within the Livingston Community to help teach all the skills they will need. We have a lot of other good things planned so stay tuned for more Good News! 

Fall Lesson Plans

October 16 - November 17 LESSON - Organization and Getting Started.

Most of our CDC Lesson Plans are Month Long or more and based on the Skills that our students will need for Life and to be productive and as independent as possible. This month will be based on Organizational Skills and how Important they are to getting and staying ready to learn. 

Vocabulary For the Month WELCOME, BEGIN, EDUCATION, TRANSITION, SKILLS, FUTURE, ORGANIZE, COMMUNICATE, INFORMATION, IMPORTANT, SCHEDULE, BEHAVIOR, RULES CHOICES, and PRACTICE.

All Reading and Math assignments will be wrapped around how to get and stay organized so students can have a better and more productive year. 

Students will be graded on 3 different areas each week. Grade 1 will be a Quantity grade based on the amount of work each student does. Grade 2 will be a Quality grade based on how well each student does their work and finally there will be a Quiz grade each week where students are tested on how well they learned and retained the information given them. Quizzes will be on Fridays or the last day of a given school week and will be orally given or written depending on the student's level and understanding of the material.

Math will be mainly two different types. Consumer Math based on costs and word problems surrounding what an individual would spend and use their money for and Timed Math Drills designed to increase their speed and recognition skills so students can do basic math in their heads.

 Along with Comprehension Lessons in Reading, students will gain the skills necessary to become more and more independent and ready for life after LA every day.

TEST November 17th on Vocabulary.

 

November 20 - December 15 LESSON - Community 

This month's lesson will deal with Community as a whole. What is my community? What services are offered or available in my community? How do I access those services? What can I do on my own within my community and what can I do to make my community better? All these questions and more will be answered to prepare our students for a more independent and sustainable life after Livingston Academy. This will also help lead us to the start of our on campus business and our CBI trips, both of which I hope to have started next semester.

VOCABULARY - COMMUNITY, SERVICES, ACCESS, LOCAL, STATE, FEDERAL, FIRE, POLICE, MEDICAL, SOCIAL.

Grading and testing will be the same as always and each student's progress will be measured by their willingness to try.

TEST December 15 on Vocabulary

 

Jan 3, 2024 - Just a short note on the passing of Mr. Todd. Having taught in Special Education for 25 years, I have come across many Paraprofessionals and Educational Assistants in my career. Most are caring and dedicated people who have a desire to work with students with disabilities. It is absolutely rare though to meet, learn about and have the opportunity to work hand in hand with someone of the caliber of Mr. Todd. His dedication, eagerness and heart for these students easily puts him as one of the best people I have ever had the privilege of working with. For him, this was not a job of necessity but rather an outpouring of love for students that, for many, had nowhere else to turn. He was there, open and loving towards them on a daily basis and he will always be greatly appreciated and sorely missed. Thank you, Mr. Todd. Love. Rest well my brother.

 

Jan 8 - Feb 23 LESSON - Getting and Keeping a Job 

This month we will be learning how to 1. Look for a job. 2. Fill out proper applications. and 3. Interview with the idea of how to stand out of the crowd positively so you GET THAT JOB!!  Again, the central thought of our program is transition and independence in life AFTER Livingston Academy. All of this month's lessons, reading and math will revolve around how to get a job, keep a job, earn money and what to do with that money once it is earned.

VOCABULARY - CHORE, JOB, EMPLOYMENT, EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE, CONTACT, APPLICATION, RESUME, EXPERIENCE, REFERENCE, APPROACH, INTERVIEW.

PARENTS - THERE WILL BE HOMEWORK THIS MONTH. It will consist of two things. As we will have mock interviews in February based on a business we will create, students will need to practice their interviewing skills. I will be sending home questions for them to practice with. Your help in preparing them will be greatly appreciated. Also, References are still one of the most important parts of an application. They will need to know 3 people, NOT related to them who would stand up for them and say good things about them. Your help with this will be appreciated as well. More information will be sent home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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