Austin & Lily Blog
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Gathering Academic Information for the PLAFP
A benefit for parents and teachers during the COVID-19 remote learning era has been the opportunity to give individual students more of our undivided attention, along with an opportunity for parents and teachers to collaborate more closely to better educate students....
Taking a Walk to Restore Attention
Making beeswax soap can be tricky. Beeswax can make soap lather really nicely, but if you use too much, it has the opposite effect and not only will the soap not lather properly, but it makes the bar waxy. While interesting, I did not need to watch 5 videos on making...
Austin & Lily Partner with Infinite Family in South Africa
I am really excited to share some news about Austin & Lily (austinlily.com) helping students in South Africa. Amy Conrad Stokes, the Founder and CEO of Infinite Family, is a friend of mine from high school. So, when COVID-19 led to a lockdown in South Africa, Amy...
Free Ebook on the Coronavirus
Hello Everyone, I wrote a book on the coronavirus for you to use and share. My version uses photos and short, direct language to help students understand the coronavirus pandemic. I explain how people get it, why it is called a pandemic, and why things are being...
How to Develop Vocabulary Organically
Lily and I were in the garage the other day sorting some artwork I am going to get rid of. I was holding a framed picture and trying to read the back of it, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a scorpion running across the picture toward me. I instinctively threw...
How to Use the Game Uno to Teach Students with Disabilities
Me: if you are a sore loser, I don’t want to play with you anymore. Lily: what is a sore loser? Me: When you get mad when you are losing and try to put down the wrong cards. Lily: OK, I won’t be a sore loser anymore. Me: sounds good. Lily slaps down the wrong card to...
Using Compassion to Support Students Working on Behaviors
Brene Brown, Ph.D. is a researcher who has focused her studies on the topic of vulnerability and shame. You may have read her books or watched her Ted Talks. Her research on shame is thought-provoking. She says, “Shame is the most powerful, master emotion. It’s the...
Photographs are a Needed Accommodation for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
4th graders in Arizona learn about the Grand Canyon. They learn that the Colorado River flows through it, and that it has been home to Native Americans for a long time, and still is. It's also a great unit to use with students with intellectual disabilities because it...
Make Clear Connections to Content in a Project
Stephanie asked the student working on this project, "What keeps polar bears warm in the Arctic?" The student replied, "cotton balls. "Stephanie pointed at the photo of the polar bear in our book, and said something like this, "Polar bears have thick white fur. Fur...
How to Wake up Students’ Brains each Morning
I went to a Brain Gym workshop a few years ago and learned about developmental movement exercises. Paul Dennison Ph.D. is a researcher behind this method and it is very interesting. The simple morning exercises involve marching and crossing mid-line with hands and...
