Hello Friend Teacher Guide Day 1 Focus: Routines & Name Recognition
Hello Friend Teacher Guide
Extend 1 Self-Contained Special Education Classroom
Pacing
60-90 Min
SEL Focus
Students identify their current feelings (happy, tired, excited) using emoji cards.
Academic Focus
Baseline name recognition, spelling, and initial tracing skills assessment.
Transitions
Practice "Check-In" desk routines and clean-up visual countdowns.
1. Arrival & Desk Check-In (15-20 mins)
The Greeting Routine:
Stand at the door with the Visual Greeting Choice Board (wave, high-five, or fist-bump). Allow non-verbal or anxious students to point to their preferred choice.
The Cubby Routine:
Guide students to find their personalized, color-coded cubby (pre-marked with their photo and name in primary print colors). Teach the "Backpack goes in, jacket goes on hanger" rule with physical modeling.
2. Interactive Morning Circle (20-30 mins)
Teacher Script
"Good morning, friends! Let's look at our schedule. It's time for Morning Circle. Let's sing our 'Hello' song! (Sing: Hello [Name], how are you today?). Let's check in on our feelings board. Look at this happy face. Show me your happy face!"
Student Level Instructional Accommodation Verbal/Fluent Saying "I am [Name] and I feel [Emotion]" with high engagement. Emergent/AAC Selects name tag out of a 2-choice field and presses the "Happy" button on communicative device. High Support Uses eye-gaze or physical reach to select photo from teacher's hand; physically hand-over-hand models feelings emoji.
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Day 1 Activity & Assessment Guide
Implementing & scoring the "Hello Friend Worksheet"
3. Guided Activity: Name & Emotion Board (25-30 mins)
Prepare worksheets with each student's name pre-written in large, bold dotted font. Supply thick triangular crayons, dot markers, or glue sticks for students using tactile adaptations.
1 Name Activity Setup
If the student is learning name recognition, place their photo next to their name card. Encourage tracing, coloring inside name bubbles, or sticking physical name letters.
2 Emotion Circle Match
Point to each face (Happy, Tired, Excited). Have the student mimic the face. Guide them to trace the path from the character to their corresponding emoji.
4. Day 1 Baseline Observational Rubric
Record student prompt levels and mastery metrics during circle time and activity.
Skill Tracked Prompt Level Met Teacher Observation Notes Name Identification I Independent VP Verbal Prompt HOH Hand-Over-Hand Did student orient to their name card? Did they select their name card out of a distraction field of 2 other names? Emotion Recognition I Independent VP Verbal Prompt HOH Hand-Over-Hand Can student map happy/tired/excited drawings to physical facial expressions or concrete photos?
5. Departure & Cleaning Routine (15 mins)
Provide a clear, auditory chime or countdown warning ("5 minutes until cleanup"). Utilize the Cleanup Song. Students match a cleaning card to the toy bin, then transition to wash hands. Use positive praise: "Thank you for putting away the crayons, [Name]!"
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Hello Friend Student Worksheet My Name is:
Date:
Hello Friend!
Let's practice writing our name and showing how we feel today.
Step 1: Write or trace your name inside the lines below:
Step 2: Draw your face or paste your picture here!
My Photo / Draw Face
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My Feelings
Look at the pictures. Draw a line to match how they feel!
Step 3: Draw lines to match the feelings:
A
Happy Bear
Smiling wide!
B
Tired Bunny
Yawning and sleepy.
C
Excited Puppy
Jumping with joy!
Sleepy Face
Ready for bed.
Excited Face
Big bright eyes!
Happy Face
Big warm grin.
Step 4: Use crayons to color the happy sun:
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Color Sorting Teacher Guide Day 2 Focus: Transitions & Classroom Centers
Color Sorting & Centers Guide
Extend 1 Self-Contained Special Education Classroom
Pacing
60-90 Min
Transition Sound
Teach response to auditory cues (chime, hand-bell) for clean-up and rotation.
Centers Intro
Introduce safe boundaries and play routines in Fine Motor, Sensory, & Cozy corners.
Sorting Baseline
Assess baseline matching, sorting colors, and basic big vs. small identification.
1. Transition Sound Routine (15 mins)
The Auditory Cue (Chime / Bell):
Introduce a highly distinct sound (e.g., musical chime or wind chime). Instruct: "When you hear this sound, hands up, look at me!" Play the chime. Praise students immediately when they look up. Repeat 3-5 times with a small visual card showing "Stop/Look".
2. Safe Interest Center Exploration (30-40 mins)
Divide the class into 3 small, supported groups. Each group rotates through the following centers for 10-12 minutes each, prompted by the auditory chime transition:
Center 1
Blocks & Fine Motor
Stacking cardboard bricks, matching block sizes, safe building zones.
Center 2
Sensory Bin
Scooping colored rice, finding hidden toy buttons, tactile play.
Center 3
Cozy Corner
Picture books, soft sensory pillows, and deep breathing cards.
Center Rule: "We keep toys in our own space. We clean up when the bell rings." Use physical modeling to show clean-up boxes.
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Day 2 Sorting & Size Assessment Guide
Implementing & scoring the "Color Sorting Worksheet"
3. Guided Assessment: Sorting Practice (25-30 mins)
Distribute the "Color Sorting Student Activity" sheet. Students will classify geometric shapes by primary color and match sizes. Prepare physical counting cubes/blocks matching worksheet colors for concrete adaptation.
Color Match Accommodation
If the student struggles with writing or using markers, place actual color blocks directly onto the correct color zones of the worksheet (Red blocks on red zone, etc.).
Size Comparison Accommodation
Use physical toys (e.g., big spoon vs. small spoon). Ask the student: "Give me the big one." Then point to the corresponding sheet shapes.
4. Day 2 Sorting & Size Observation Rubric
Record student performance metrics during the physical and paper sorting tasks.
Color Sorting Student Worksheet My Name is:
Date:
Color Sorting Fun!
Color, paste, or place your blocks inside the matching color boxes below!
Red Bin
Put Red Items Here
Blue Bin
Put Blue Items Here
Yellow Bin
Put Yellow Items Here
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Big and Small Shapes
Look at the shapes. Follow the steps to match the size!
1 Find and circle the BIG circle:
Small
Big
2 Find and circle the SMALL star:
3 Draw a line between matching sizes:
A BIG SQUARE
B SMALL SQUARE
SMALL TRIANGLE C
BIG TRIANGLE D
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Sharing Counting Teacher Guide Day 3 Focus: Turn-Taking & Counting Baselines
Sharing & Counting Guide
Extend 1 Self-Contained Special Education Classroom
Pacing
60-90 Min
Turn-Taking
Practice waiting for a physical talking piece and returning it gently.
Helper Jobs
Introduce visual job matching boards (Line Leader, Paper Passer, Door Holder).
Counting
Assess baseline 1:1 correspondence and cardinal numbering for quantities 1 to 5.
1. Talking-Piece Circle Routine (15 mins)
The Pass-the-Object Game:
Seat students in a solid circle. Introduce a high-contrast physical talking piece (e.g., a squeeze toy or a colorful ball). Model the routine: "Hold the ball, say one thing, pass to friend." Have non-verbal students wave when holding, then pass. Track wait times.
2. Matching Helper Job Roles (20-25 mins)
Establishing helper jobs instills routine and community. Introduce job descriptions using high-contrast visual boards:
Line Leader
Stands at front, guides the group on floor footprints.
Door Holder
Holds classroom door open for safety during transitions.
Paper Passer
Hands out worksheets or mats to friends at desks.
Teacher Practice Note: Use name cards from Day 1. Let each student slide their own photo next to their chosen job slot on the wall helper matrix.
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Day 3 Counting Assessment Guide
Implementing & scoring the "Sharing & Counting Worksheet"
3. Guided Assessment: Counting up to 5 (25-30 mins)
Hand out the "Sharing & Counting Student Worksheet". Use large counting cubes or plastic blocks alongside the worksheet so students can match 1 physical block to each pictured shape.
1:1 Correspondence Check
Have the student physically point to each star as you count aloud: "One... Two... Three..." Note if they skip objects or double-count.
Cardinality Check
After counting, ask: "How many stars are there altogether?" Note if they repeat the final number or restart counting from one.
4. Day 3 Counting Baseline Rubric
Record student performance metrics for mechanical counting and 1:1 correspondence.
Skill Tracked Prompt Level Met Teacher Observation Notes Rote Counting to 5 I Independent
Sharing Counting Student Worksheet My Name is:
Date:
Our Helper Jobs!
Look at the jobs. Circle the helper job you want to try today!
Line Leader
Walks in front of the line.
Door Holder
Holds the door open safely.
Paper Passer
Passes sheets to friends.
Step 2: Color the happy sharing star!
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Count and Point!
Point to each box and count. Use crayons to color the stars!
How many? Trace the number:
1
How many? Trace the number:
2
How many? Trace the number:
3
How many? Trace the number:
4
How many? Trace the number:
5
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