Learning about the people and places at school is not only important for our students, but sometimes it can be challenging. I like to spend the first few weeks of school learning about the people and places we will visit so that my students are better able to access their school environment and will be more successful. Teaching students about their environment is important. They need to know where things occur during their school day. We also need to teach students who the people they will be interacting with at school. This helps build social skills and independence!
Adapted Books
I love using my People and Places at School adapted books to teach my students about their environment. These books are great because they have a quick set up. I make 2 books for my students and use them during our classroom Story Time during the first week. I actually start with my Places at School book for the first week. This book allows me to introduce students to the places they will visit. Because this book is completely editable, I can add in some expectations for places on campus. For example, I can explain that in the lunchroom, we are expected to sit at the tables.
Usually I’ll read this book for about a week with my students or until we’re very familiar with the places on campus. After we’ve mastered the places at school, I will introduce an adapted book about the people who work on campus. This is important for independence and safety at school. Students begin to know who works on campus and can begin to interact with those people.
Have I mentioned these books are completely editable?! I made a book that I could set up and customize for the people and places on our actual campus. I go around and snap some pictures, then I insert them into the book. Having pictures of the ACTUAL people and places on campus is beneficial for my more concrete learners. The text is also editable so I can go and add expectations and names of people into the books.
Generalizing People and Places at School
Once I’ve taught my students the basic vocabulary at school, it’s time to generalize that skill. I have a few activities I love to do with my students that help them generalize people and places in their school.
Tour Your School
My students are matching the pictures in their adapted book well by now, so it’s time to take this show on the road and connect the book with the actual places my students will be visiting. I’ll usually do this activity 1-2 times at the beginning of the school year. Last year, I took the adapted book with us on our tour. I also went ahead of time and left pieces to the places we were going to be visiting in their destination. That way we could read our familiar book, visit the space, and return to the familiar activity of matching the pictures in their adapted book.
Places at School Scavenger Hunt
Now that my students know all about the different places at school, I love to send them on a scavenger hunt! Sometimes I’ll divide them into teams. I’ll give each team a checklist of places to visit. Depending on the student, I’ll use either the actual pictures or written words. It depends on your students. The teams will join up with a para and explore campus to find all of the important places.
The Hello Game
I wrote all about The Hello Game a while ago. This is a great activity for generalizing skills about the people on campus. My students are able to practice locating different people on campus and are able to start having some positive interactions with staff members. This is a great activity to do during the first weeks of school or any time your students are ready to practice greetings!
People and Places Match
Another important skill I teach my students is WHERE they may find certain people on campus. I’ll make a quick grid with the general places on campus (office, library, classroom, playground) and either picture or word cards for people on campus. My students will cut and paste to match the people to the places where they work at our school. I love how this activity brings together the people and the places on our campus. It’s also important because it will teach our students where to find the people they’re looking for at school.
Back to school can be stressful for so many of our students. Often when starting a new school, with all kinds of new people around our students can easily be overwhelmed. When we teach them about the people and places in their environment and how we interact in those places, I often find that my students are better able to navigate their school. Do you teach your students about the people and places at their school? I challenge you to use one of the generalization activities from this list to help your students better navigate their school environment.
