Aha! Brainteaser Kit

We’re giving this kit away!! Click here to see how to enter to win one copy of Aha! Brainteaser Kit for your classroom!

Age level: Upper Elementary, Middle School

Description: This kit includes 8 brainteasers. Each comes with an object card and 3 hints cards, making this a great tool for individual activities, team activities, or center activities within the classroom. The game also includes great tips for having a classroom “Brainteaser of the Week,” throwing a Brainteaser Party, and creating a Brainteaser Corner in your classroom.

Skills & Modifications: The game also includes a short summary about the inventor of each puzzle. My students with autism who are highly motivated by facts and history were excited about this information. I was able to use the summary as a reinforcer for completing the puzzle.

• Problem Solving /Accepting Mistakes & Errors – The kit is designed to have learners practice the strategies of problem solving, including trial and error. Many of my learners who struggle with accepting mistakes and errors practice it well with this kit because they understand it is a part of the activity.
• Logical Thinking/Spatial Skills – Each puzzle requires the learner to use logical thinking and spatial skills to solve the problem. It’s also beneficial that there are eight different puzzles so the learner has access to a variety of practice in these areas.
• Teamwork – These materials lend themselves well to having learners work together to solve each puzzle. Some learners with autism may need prompts to attend to their teammates attempts to solve the puzzle.

Pros: The puzzles work well with learners with autism because the learner can choose when he/she needs a prompt. It makes it easier for learner to be involved in age-appropriate activities and materials.

The Pack It In puzzle, with the hints available if the learner needs them.

Cons: If you work one-to-one, this is probably not the set for you. But if you’re a classroom teacher it’s a fantastic resource.

Cost: $24.95  You should invest in this game if: you are a classroom teacher, you are working on logical thinking skills, or you have a learner who is highly motivated by visual-spatial puzzles or activities.

ABLLS: A19, L24, L25

VB-MAPP: N/A

**Aha! Brainteaser Kit  was provided to me for free by the company ThinkFun to write about here at Teach Through. This did not influence my opinions on the game. The thoughts and ideas above are all my own.

Teach Through Games: Dweebies

Age level: Early Elementary, Upper Elementary

Description: I have yet to meet a student who hasn’t fallen for Dweebies. The cards are entertaining to look at, and while the game is simple to play it involves strategy that allows for critical thinking and high-level observation skills. Players take turns playing cards in a grid format. If a player lays down a Dweebie on a row or column in which the same Dweebie is the other end, that player gets to pick up the entire row or column of cards. The goal of the game is to collect the most cards.

Skills & Modifications: I use these materials without actually playing the game to work on basic skills with early elementary students. I find it especially helpful with K-2 students who need assistance with Pre-K skills such as matching, but need more age-appropriate materials. I play the game as designed for older students. As designed, the game naturally practices higher order scanning skills and problem solving. Some students have difficulty fanning out their card and holding them in their hand. If your student struggles to hold cards in his/her hand, you may want to use a cardholder, such as this one.

• Expressive Language/Feature – I love using these cards with kindergartners and first graders to play “Tell me about” or “Let’s talk about.” There are many details for each Dweebie, so it’s a great tool for describing a variety of features of the Dweebie pictured.
• Alike and Different – Students have to determine how two pictures of Dweebies are alike and different. They can compare the color of the Dweebie, whether or not it’s wearing a hat, or notice that one is holding a fishing rod while the other is holding a violin. It’s also good for working on student understanding  of words such as “all” and “some.” For this I’ll lay out 3-4 cards and ask the student “Tell me one thing ALL the Dweebies have in common.”
• Matching – This is also a great resource for practicing matching with older students who are still struggling with the skill. You can introduce it in a field of three and ask them to match one card or you can make it a game of Memory with 10-20 card turned facedown. Just be sure that you pulled out the right number of matches!
• Scanning – This game requires higher order scanning skills, because the students has to scan his/her own cards, the cards on the table, AND the placement of the cards on the table. For some students I have them place their own cards face up on the table in front of them, and I help them through minimal prompting scan each area and make decisions about what card to place.
• Problem Solving – Students have to use their scanning skills and solve the problem of where to place a card to be able to pick up the most cards. For some students, I have them think out loud to describe each step of how they are making their decision. This way I can help correct any errors in their problem solving strategy. There is some strategy based on trying to find the longest row or column of cards that you can collect, but there is also strategy in keeping track of the number of dots in the corner of each card, which indicates how many of that Dweebie are included in the deck. For some students I also create a sign with steps for problem solving:

Pros: The cards are highly motivating. It’s easy to use the materials for a variety of skills. It’s also easy to modify it based on your student’s needs.

Cons: For students who struggle with maintaining attention, this may not be the best game. Some students are motivated to see what card will be placed next, but others need a more interactive element in order to maintain attention and get good practice at key skills from playing the game.

Cost: $9.99 You should invest in this game if: these materials would be motivating for your students and you aree looking for a  game for playing with siblings and peers because it’s easy to modify it for each player.

ABLLS: A10, B5, C55, G16, H40, K15

VB-MAPP: VP-MTS 5, VP-MTS 6, VP-MTS 8, Listener Responding 9

Teach Through Toys: Trains

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary, Upper Elementary

Description: Trains are such popular toys, it seems silly to describe them. However, as I use trains a lot to teach students with autism and other developmental delays, it is worth noting that my particular train set incorporates six different types of train cars of varying colors, multiple types of tracks including hills and crossings, trees and shrubs, buses, cars, road signs, blocks to create a variety of buildings, and three different sizes and colors of people.

Skills & Modifications: Many of the preschools I have been able to observe have a train set as part of the supplies in their classroom, and that train set is typically brought out at almost every opportunity by the students. When you see a typically developing child play with a train set, you see them engaging in a wide variety of skills through the building of tracks, arrangement of trains, discussions with peers also playing with the trains, and enactments of different train scenarios. However, if you see a student with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delays, you will frequently see them rolling the train back and forth at eye-level, building the exact same construction of tracks each time, or fixating on one particular train car without ever building a longer train.

Because many students with ASD are highly motivated by trains, it is a tool I use to foster a variety of skills.

• Manding – The very nature of trains allows for many opportunities for a student to mand (or request) for items or actions.
• Cause and Effect – For early learners, trains offer basic cause and effect play, including rolling a train down the hill, crashing trains, or putting down crossing gates.
• Problem and Solution – When working with more advanced learners, I will have them engage in small play scenarios with me in which each of us is either playing the role of a train or person. For example, I might be a person, and say “Oh no, I missed the train! What am I going to do?” And the student will come up with a solution such as “You have to wait for the next train.” or “Wait, I’ll come back and get you.” When I am working on problem and solution with my students, I engage them with novel problems each time, and once they have mastered offering a solution, I may object to their solution within reason (for example, “I can’t wait for the next train. I’ll be late for school!) and have them offer me a second solution (such as, “You’ll have to call a cab.) I work in New York City, where students are much more familiar with trains and cabs, so this is an appropriate problem and solution scenario for my students, but may not be appropriate if your student is less familiar with such concepts.
• Adjectives – You can introduce adjectives in terms of describing trains, but you can also use trains to demonstrate the adjectives fast and slow.
• Imitation – This is a great way to have students practice imitation in the natural environment. Sometimes I will have trains available for both myself and the student and play a game of “Can your train do this?” Then I will make my train roll across the floor, down hills, under bridges, etc.
• Matching – For some students I do not allow access to the train cars until they have helped me build a track for the trains. I will spread out the different tracks (or for early learners put out an array of 3-8 tracks), then hold up one and ask them to find another one that looks like it. After they have found the correct one, we will put them together. I do not do this for every single track (they may lose their motivation and decide they don’t want to play with trains after all.) But it’s a good context for practicing matching in the natural environment. This is why matching is important after all: So you can find something that you’re looking for!
• Scanning – While the activity described above involves scanning, there are many other points that I may practice scanning with the trains. For instance, I may say that I am looking for the blue train or the stop sign and have the student help me find it. Sometimes as part of the imaginative play story we are creating, I will have a train or person hide (but be partially visible) behind a tree or building, and have the student (or the train or person the student is playing with) find what is hidden.
• Peer Play – You may have the opportunity to play with a typically developing peer or with a sibling. What’s nice about most train sets is that there are so many pieces and most have duplicates, so it’s less likely that a student will get upset about the pieces the other students is playing with. (Unlikely, but as we all know, not impossible!) For early learners, trains may be an opportunity for parallel play.
• Sorting – This is another toy in which students can practice sorting during clean up. I have one bag for the train tracks, another for the houses, another for trees, and so on.

Pros: The positive aspects of trains are simple: they’re highly motivating and there’s a multitude of skills involved in playing with them.

Cons: If you are working with students with autism spectrum disorders, they may have some rote or scripted play with trains that is difficult to break through. Trains may not always be the best place to start with these students if you have access to other toys and items that are equally or more reinforcing for them.

Cost:  The set I have is $49.99 at Lakeshore Learning. Should I buy this? My set is pretty comprehensive and I do highly recommend it. Some students are not as motivated by my set because they are specifically reinforced by Thomas & Friends. This is an important consideration if you are using the trains to work on language skills for early learners. If you are a parent, I think that a train set is a great toy for your child. There are so many activities you can do with it, it is age appropriate, and most sets are pretty sturdy. As a teacher, this is one of those toys that I carry with me almost every where I go.

ABLLS: B8, B18, B19, C34, D1, D2, D20, F3, F5

VB-MAPP: Mand 1, Mand 2, Mand 3, Listener Responding 5, Social Behavior and Social Play 4, Social Behavior and Social Play 5, Motor Imitation 3, Listener Responding 9, Independent Play 6, Motor Imitation 8

Teach Through Apps: Toontastic

Age level: Early elementary, upper elementary, middle school, high school
Description: Let me start by saying that I love this app. It is highly motivating for a wide range of students, and can be used to teach both low- and high-level learners. At it’s most basic, this app allows students to draw, animate, and share a cartoon. It splits the cartoon into five scenes: setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution. For each scene, the child can choose the setting and characters, then click “Start animation” for that scene. They can move the characters around the screen AND record dialogue and sound effects. After creating each scene, they can add music to each scene, a movie title and their own name as the director.  Then they can label what their story is about from a menu within the app.
Modifications: I use this app for a variety of skill levels. For some of my early learners, I may create a story on my own and use it to teach a specific skill, especially for social skills for my students with autism or language delays. For some students I will create the entire story except for the resolution, have them listen to the story, then have them create the resolution on their own. The app also easily works for teaching story structure.
Students with autism or language delays can use this app to practice a conversation between characters. Because you can record dialogue for each scene, they can listen to what they have said and make improvement/adjustments on their own. I also work on requesting with these students if we are creating an animation together. I will ask them where they want me to move my character and require them to use adjectives, prepositions, and/or adverbs in their response. Additionally, because this is a highly motivating app for typically developing students, it can be a great tool for initiating age-appropriate peer play.
Finally, it is a fantastic skill for teaching recognition of emotion to older students with autism. Identifying the emotion the character might be feeling, having them respond appropriately to that emotion, and identifying music that would match that emotion are all important skills to practice.
Skills: Intraverbal skills, Story structure, Sequence, Retelling a story, Summarizing, Picture comprehension, Problem solving, Peer play
Pros: This is very user friendly, highly motivating, easy to modify, and a great tool for teaching a variety of comprehension and language skills.
Cons: After you have created a story and want to re-watch it, it is a little too easy to accidentally record over your initial dialogue. When you want to watch the animation, instead of pushing “Start Animation” you should push the clapboad in the upper right hand corner.
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases of additional scenes and characters. Should I buy this? Did I mention it’s free?
ABLLS: F16, F17, F22 G2, G10,  G13, G21, G39, G43, H48
VB-MAPP: Social Behavior & Social Play 12, Social Behavior & Social Play 13, Social Behavior & Social Play 14, Social Behavior & Social Play 15, Intraverbal 13, Intraverbal 14, Intraverbal 15, Linguistic Structure 15