Position Detectives Lesson Plan
Special Education • Grade 1 ELA
Position Words Lesson Plan
30–40 Min Explicit & Visual
High Visuals
Clear pictures paired directly with single focus words.
Zero Sentence Writing
Pointing, circling, and drawing replace sentence copying.
Hands-On Actions
Direct body movements & tangible objects for every concept.
SpEd Learning Goals
1. Identify WHERE: Given picture cues, student will point to or circle ON, UNDER, and BESIDE with 80% accuracy.
2. Identify WHEN: Given 2 routine pictures, student will identify which happens BEFORE and which happens AFTER.
Hand & Body Gestures (Anchor Prompts)
ON Slap palm on top of desk
UNDER Place hand under desk
BESIDE Hold hand to the side
BEFORE Point finger forward
AFTER Point thumb backward
I DO • 10 MIN
Concrete Real-Object Demonstration
Step 1
Use a physical bright red cup and a toy teddy bear (or soft ball). Avoid lengthy explanations; model one word at a time with big vocal emphasis:
1. Place toy ON: "Look! The bear is ON the cup." Have students repeat: "ON!"
2. Place toy UNDER: "Look! The bear is UNDER the cup." Have students repeat: "UNDER!"
3. Place toy BESIDE: "Look! The bear is BESIDE the cup." Have students repeat: "BESIDE!"
Position Words • Special Education Page 1 of 2
SpEd Guided Practice & Assessment Structure
Lesson Plan (Cont.)
WE DO • 10 MIN
Follow the Leader & Slide Pointing
Step 2
- Sensory Body Game: Each student holds their eraser. Teacher commands: "Put your eraser ON your shoe! Put your eraser UNDER your hand! Put your eraser BESIDE your chair!" Provide physical hand-over-hand prompting as needed.
- Slide Visual Matching: Project the big-font slide deck. Students point directly to the large matching word on screen or touch a printed communication card.
YOU DO • 10 MIN
Activity Sheet: Big Circles & Large Drawing Space
Step 3
Students complete the SpEd Activity Sheet. No sentence frames or handwriting lines.
Part 1: Circle the Word Students look at the big icon and circle the huge word choice (on, under, beside).
Part 2: Big Drawing Box Large open area with generous space to draw a sticker or ball ON or UNDER the big table.
Individual Accommodations & Modifications
Fine Motor: Use bingo daubers, stickers, or highlighters instead of pencils to mark answer choices.
Non-Verbal / AAC: Provide 3 laminated picture cards (ON, UNDER, BESIDE) for direct point-and-show responding.
Visual Tracking: Fold the activity sheet in half or cover items with cardstock to show only one question at a time.
SpEd Exit Ticket Assessment Routine (5 Min)
Distribute the modified half-sheet ticket. Teacher reads prompts aloud while pointing to the images. Students circle their choice from large, high-contrast buttons with zero writing required.
Position Words • Special Education Page 2 of 2
Position Detectives Slides
Special Education • Visual Learning
🔍
Position Words
Where is it? When is it?
ON • UNDER • BESIDE
Where is the ball?
⚽
ON
⚽
UNDER
⚽
BOX
BESIDE
Look at the ball!
ON
On Top
🍎
👉 Touch: Hand ON your head!
UNDER
Below
🏀
👉 Touch: Hand UNDER your desk!
BESIDE
Next To
🐶
BOX
👉 Touch: Stand BESIDE your chair!
BEFORE
First!
🧦 Socks FIRST BEFORE shoes
👟 Shoes NEXT
BEFORE = What comes first!
AFTER
Next!
🪥 Brush Teeth
🛏️ Go to Bed AFTER brushing teeth
AFTER = What comes next!
Point to the word!
🐱
Where is cat?
ON
UNDER
Point to the word!
⚽ Where is ball?
BESIDE
UNDER
⭐
Great Job!
Now let's do our activity sheet!
Circle the big word!
Position Detectives Answer Key
Teacher Resource • SpEd Answer Key
Position Words Answer Key & Prompt Guide
Special Education Zero Sentence Writing
Activity Sheet: Answer Key
Pages 1 & 2 (7 Items)
Page 1: Circle the Word
- 1. Cat on table: ON
- 2. Ball under table: UNDER
- 3. Dog next to box: BESIDE
- 4. Apple in basket: IN
- 5. Bear under chair: UNDER
Page 2: Time Words
- 6. Socks before shoes: BEFORE
- 7. Bed after brush teeth: AFTER
Page 2: Big Drawing Rubric (2 Targets)
1. Apple ON table: Any mark, sticker, or drawing touching or above the horizontal brown table line.
2. Ball UNDER table: Any mark, sticker, or drawing between the table legs below the table bar.
Exit Ticket: Master Key
4 Items Total
Item 1 ON Cat on bench
Item 2 UNDER Ball under bar
Item 3 BESIDE Dog next to box
Item 4 BEFORE Socks first
SpEd Prompt Hierarchy & Data Tracking Guide
I = Independent Circles or points with zero teacher prompting.
V = Verbal Prompt Teacher reminds: "Is it on top or under?"
G = Gestural Prompt Teacher gestures to the location or points to options.
P = Physical / HOH Hand-over-hand guide to circle or stamp the choice.
Position Words Teacher Key • Special Education Scoring & Data Tracking
