Jennifer Hofferber lives in Oklahoma, but she’s a special education teacher in Kansas since 1995 (yes, you read that right!) In 2007, she was named Special Educator of the Year for the state of Kansas. Then, in 2015, she received the great honor of being named to the Kansas Teacher of the Year Team and got to travel the state visiting schools, talking to legislators, and collaborating with some amazing administrators and educators. She loves teaching children, but she has also realized that teac...
Feb 23, 2022•39 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Ashley is the teacher behind Spedtacular Days. She is currently an elementary resource teacher. She previously taught in a middle school self-contained setting for several years in Virginia. She has taught all subjects, including a functional skills class. It is her job to create and adapt curriculum for a variety of needs in my classroom. Differentiating is one of her favorite parts of her job. Seeing one topic come to life in multiple ways makes her heart so happy. When she’s not teaching, she...
Feb 16, 2022•33 min•Season 5Ep. 2
I’ve been a licensed speech-language pathologist for the last 12 years and have seen it all. I graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2005 and received my masters in 2007 from Adelphi University. Since then, I have worked with children from preschool to high school, in both schools and home-based agencies. I’ve been at my current New York public school district for almost a decade, handling a caseload of 65+ fifth and sixth graders every year. What I’ve found is that both new and veteran SL...
Feb 09, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 1
I love to learn from other special education teachers. How about you?! In this season of the podcast, I'll be sharing an interview with a fellow special education teacher each and every week. It is by far the most fun I've had on the podcast so far. If you would like to share a little about yourself and your classroom, you can sign up here !
Feb 03, 2022•3 min
Are you a naturally organized teacher? Some of us are. Others, not so much. While I can sometimes be scattered, I am usually a pretty organized person. In this episode, I'm sharing all of the things that I do to get my special education caseload organized!
Sep 01, 2021•26 min•Season 4Ep. 6
How do you feel about progress monitoring? Do you love it? Do you dread it? For me, I did progress monitoring wrong for a LOOOONNG time. Today, I'm sharing some simple tips for you to implement before and after progress monitoring.
Aug 25, 2021•21 min•Season 4Ep. 5
What procedures do you have in place? In this episode, I'm sharing the things that you should explicitly teach your students during the first few days of your small groups.
Aug 18, 2021•22 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Would you like to take a peak inside my first week in Special Education? In this episode, I'm outlining exactly what I do with my students. I mention a few things in this episode. You can find the links below! Our Class is a Family The Magical Yet Informal Assessments (Quick & Easy to Give!) Back to School Themed Printable Reading Books...
Aug 11, 2021•24 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Did you just find out about your special education role? Are you a new special education teacher? In this episode, I'm sharing about my back to school to do list. Click here to download the back to school shopping list and to do list! :)
Aug 04, 2021•32 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In special education, Back to School Night looks a little different for us! In this episode, I'm sharing what I do to make it a success. Downloads Two Truths & a Lie Template Meet the Teacher Page Conference Cards...
Jul 28, 2021•18 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this episode, I'm summarizing ALL of the special education strategies that were mentioned in previous episodes and discussing how they can help many students in many different ways. So, whether your students are struggling with weaknesses in memory, auditory processing, visual processing, or another perceptual disability, you'll be sure to find a few strategies in this episode to use with your students.
Jul 21, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Word problems can be so overwhelming for us and for our students. Have you ever sat down and thought about WHY? In this episode, I'm share a few factors that go into solving word problems accurately.
Jul 14, 2021•19 min•Season 3Ep. 8
How do low scores in expressive and receptive language impact our students' ability to do math? Well, in this episode, that's exactly what I'll be sharing. What should you be looking for and what can you do to help and accommodate them?
Jul 07, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Are you interested in joining in on any of my summer activities? I can't wait to see you! Links Mentioned: Summer Book Study Webinar Wednesday
Jun 11, 2021•8 min
In this week's episode, I'm sharing how various weaknesses in memory might be causing your students to struggle with math. I also shared strategies for helping students conquer these weaknesses.
Jun 09, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 6
This week, I'll be sharing common characteristics that you might see in students with motor and spacial disabilities. I'll also share a few strategies to help students conquer these difficulties.
Jun 03, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Visual & Auditory Disabilities are incredibly hard for our students. After all, school is very visual and auditory based. In this episode, I'm sharing 11 characteristics that you might see in your students and a few strategies to help them overcome areas of weakness.
May 26, 2021•46 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this episode, I'm sharing two big ideas: how to break up addition math facts and strategies for solving them.
May 19, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Our kids all have different strengths and weaknesses. They all have different things, so in this episode, I'm sharing my suggested routines that you might consider for your small groups.
May 12, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 2
We often see our students struggling, but it can be hard to pinpoint WHY! In this episode, I'll be covering seven reasons why your students could be having trouble in math.
May 05, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 1
You guys had a lot of GREAT questions. In this episode, I'm sharing my answers to the following questions: How do you know where to start? What if groups progress at different levels? How do you progress monitor spelling? How do you decide how much small group time to dedicate to spelling? Why can some kids read words they can't spell and visaversa? Is it better to have students spell easy words 100% independently or harder words with more support? Could I (or should I) use these spelling lists ...
Apr 28, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 9
This episode is a little different. I recorded a few of my small groups so that you can listen in on what I'm doing each day to practice spelling. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Spelling Freebie: You can download five weeks of spelling lists to try with your students. Email Address: theprimarygal@gmail.com Email me if you have any questions that you'd like answered in the Q&A episode. :)...
Apr 21, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 8
I love watching my students develop their spelling skills. It's amazing to watch them go from a high level of support to independence. But, it's a process. In this episode, I'm outlining the various levels of support that your students might need from you. I also stress the importance of communicating that information with other teachers and parents. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Spelling Test Printables with Level of Independence: I just recently began using these in order to communicate how...
Apr 14, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 7
I once thought that morphemes were for higher level readers and spellers. And boy was I WRONG! We should be teaching our students about morphemes as they begin to spell and decoding CVC Words. In this episode, I highlight various types of morphemes, when and how we use them, and how early we should be teaching them. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Spelling Freebie: You can download five weeks of spelling lists to try with your students. Email Address: theprimarygal@gmail.com Email me if you hav...
Apr 07, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 6
These two topics are HARD! In this episode, I'll be sharing a few tips for teaching vowel teams so that they aren't intimidating for you or your students. I also share my approach for teaching syllables from early, more simple syllable types to more difficult syllable types for higher spellers. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Phoneme & Grapheme Chart: I've shared this in earlier episodes, but I know you may not have had a chance to download it. Spelling Rule Book: I'll continually update th...
Mar 31, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 5
I use letter tiles to teach my students to blend, segment, and manipulate words. In this episode, I'm sharing what I do each and every day. I also have a few weekly routines that I share in this episode as well. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Spelling Freebie: You can download five weeks of spelling lists to try with your students. Letter Tiles: You can download the letter tiles that I use with my students. I print the vowels on one color and the consonants on another. I like to use cardstock ...
Mar 24, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 4
These two terms are so often used interchangeably. In this episode, I hope to clarify and give examples of each. But most importantly, I hope that I can simplify the approach you have on helping your students spell. For many words for younger students, spelling is a two step process. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Spelling Freebie: You can download five weeks of spelling lists to try with your students. Email Address: theprimarygal@gmail.com Email me if you have any questions that you'd like a...
Mar 17, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this episode, I'm sharing simple explanations for phonemes and graphemes, as well as potential difficulties that you might see in your students. I also share why GRAPHEMES can be difficult for your students! Links Mentioned in this Episode: Spelling Freebie: You can download five weeks of spelling lists to try with your students. Email Address: theprimarygal@gmail.com Email me if you have any questions that you'd like answered in the Q&A episode. :) Blog Post: This week's podcast is also ...
Mar 10, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode, I discuss three big topics: Questions to Ask Yourself about Textbook Spelling What Teachers DON'T Know about Spelling Rules Research Based Strategies for Teaching Spelling Links Mentioned in this Episode: Spelling Freebie: You can download five weeks of spelling lists to try with your students. Email Address: theprimarygal@gmail.com Email me if you have any questions that you'd like answered in the Q&A episode. :) Blog Post: This week's podcast is also recorded in blog post ...
Mar 03, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this pep talk episode, I'll be sharing what you need to know to be a great reading teacher by bringing together all of the things that I've shared with you over the last six episodes. Plus, I'll let you know what will be coming in season TWO!
Feb 24, 2021•13 min•Season 1Ep. 7
