Special Ed Lesson Plans: Top 10 Web Resources

As a special education teacher, you have to constantly find new and innovative ways to teach material to your students. What you teach depends on your grade level and the abilities of your students, but typically, no matter what the topic, it is difficult for these students to grasp concepts or perform tasks. If you’re frustrated with creating lesson plans, there are a number of web resources you can use to help you with the work. Here are the top 10 web resources for special education lesson plans:

Teach-nology.com: This is a great resource for teachers because it aggregates lesson plans from across the Internet. There’s also a section of the site where teachers can upload their own lesson plans, which is extremely helpful to other teachers.
TeachersNerwork.org: This site has a healthy category for special education, as well as categories for other teachers, so all of your bases are covered. Even if you can’t find what you need in the special education section, you can look at other sections and modify those lesson plans for your students.
Teachers.net: Real teachers submit all of the special education lesson plans on this site, so you know they’ve been tested and actually do work well with students. They have plans for elementary through middle school students.
SpecialEducatorsWebpages.com: This site by Kay Davis has not only lesson plans for special ed teachers, but also a number of other awesome related resources as well. It’s a great website to bookmark!
LDOnline.org: This is the world’s leading website on learning disabilities, so they have awesome resource for teachers at all educational levels. It takes a little hunting on the site to find actual lesson plans, but there’s a lot of cool reading to be done on this website, which can inspire you to create lesson plans of your own.
Marc’s Lesson Plans Page (http://www.halcyon.com/marcs/lessons.html): This website includes a number of lesson plans, all modified for special needs students. Marc also lists dozens of places to go for other lesson plans, both for special education classes and other classes.
EducationWorld.com: This is a great site for lesson plans, which are sorted by type, and while you’re there, you can also read about professional development, administration, using technology in the classroom, and more.
VSArts.org: VSA is an international organization that combines special education and the arts. There are a lot of valuable resources on their site that can help you with using art, music, and more in the classroom.
edHelper.com: There are plenty of lesson plans on this site, all surrounding weekly themes, which makes the learning fun for students.
YouthFirst.org: If you search by subject matter, you’ll find resources for teachers by grade level. The great thing about this website is that it includes resources not only special ed students with disabilities, but also for gifted students.

Remember, you can also go to the website for the Office of Special Education Programs for more special education teaching resources and information.

Top Master of Special Education Degrees

Special education is teaching that caters to the individual differences of students with special needs, including autism, communication difficulties, developmental disorders, learning difficulties, emotional disorders, and physical disabilities. Teachers of special education programs are usually required to have a master's degree in teaching, education, or special ed. The following schools each offer online degrees in these subjects.

MS: Special Ed (K-12 Non-Lic.) MA: Sp Edu Behavioral Disorders MA: Sp Edu Learning Disabilities More Degrees...	Walden University – The Walden University Master of Science in Special Education (K-12) degree program infuses the latest in neuroscience, assessment, and intervention training to offer a students a unique learning environment. Graduates are able to successfully touch the lives of young people throughout the field of special education. Related degrees offered online by Walden include the MA in special education for behavioral disorders, MA in special education for learning disabilities, and PhD in special education
MA: Teaching Special Edu w/Lic. MEd: Special Edu w/Lic.	Liberty University – At Liberty University's Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education program (M.Ed. also available), teachers are prepared to pass the following endorsements: Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Special Education. The Advanced Master of Education degree likewise prepares graduates for a license in and Administration/Supervision, School Counseling, and Program Specialization.
MS: Special Education	Saint Joseph's University – Saint Joseph's University MS in Special Education program provides students an on-demand online master's program in special education designed for teachers that currently hold a Level 1 early childhood/elementary teaching certificate, are already certified in special education , or desire a master's degree in education.
MEd: Special Edu (With Cert) MEd: Special Edu (No Cert) More Degrees...	Grand Canyon University – The MED in Special Education (with certification or without certification) from Grand Canyon University provides current teachers advanced training in teaching students with special needs. The curriculum is designed around the idea that students with disabilities deserve the same opportunities in education as traditional students. GCU also offers an MED in Special Education for those who are already certified to teach special ed.
MEd: Exceptional Student Edu EdD: Exceptional Student Edu PhD: Exceptional Student Edu	Northcentral University – Northcentral University offers one master's level degree in special education and two doctorate degrees in special education. Their Master of Education in exceptional student education prepares its students for teaching and working with individuals who may suffer from a variety of disabilities, whether behavioral, learning, mental, or physical. Two related doctorate programs are the Doctor of Education in exceptional student education and the PhD in Education with a concentration in exceptional student education.
MSEd: Inclusion Education	University of New England – The University of New England's MSEd in Inclusion Education degree program provides classroom teachers and school administrators with knowledge of critical theories and practices pertaining to special education inclusion. Upon completion of this program, graduates will have a thorough grasp of the latest research in the field of special education.