Special Education Math Curriculum

Our students with learning difficulties need the safety of predictable routines that consistently lead to success. They need us to meet them at their level and break material into small chunks. They need many practice opportunities in order to master each skill before moving on to the next. These math lessons were designed to meet the needs of these students--getting them smoothly from point A to point B, taking small sequential steps along the way. Their confidence grows with each step and soon they have mastered what once seemed overwhelming.

These materials were created to align with what is taught in general education classrooms and link directly to the standards, yet they are adapted to be explicit, systematic, and chunked into small objectives. Many practice repetitions are needed to master a skill. These workbooks provide that practice in an easy-to-teach format.

Each workbook can be used individually as a stand-alone intervention for that skill or they can be used together, taking students from the basics of addition and place value in first grade all the way to dividing fractions in fifth grade. These materials can also be used with older students to help fill the gaps in their learning. No grade levels are printed on workbook pages and clip art is appropriate for all ages. They have been used successfully with elementary, middle school and high school students.

These math resources have been used in special education and intervention settings at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. They've been used by homeschooling families, math tutors, and Title 1 and ELL teachers.

These step-by-step lessons could benefit all students, especially students who have:

• Attention difficulties—minimal visual clutter, short lessons, simple instructions, clear stopping point

• Learning disabilities—objectives are carefully sequenced in small chunks with explicit step-by-step instruction and many practice repetitions

• Slower processing speed—accuracy is emphasized rather than speed; mastering a skill will increase automaticity

• Language difficulties—Receptive Language: Teacher directions and vocabulary are simple, consistent, and concise. Expressive Language: Rather than asking students with limited verbal skills to ‘explain their thinking’, teach them how to state the steps they are following.

• Executive functioning difficulties—clear expectations and predictable routine, organized and straightforward layout

• Fine motor issues—larger font and space for writing answers; students are not asked to write many words or sentences.

✎ Each lesson is presented in model, guided practice, independent practice format.

There are no separate lesson plans or teacher manuals, everything is included in a simple workbook. Written step-by-step instructions help the teacher be clear and consistent during modeling and guided practice. The written steps can be used to help you “think out loud” while you demonstrate. Independent practice problems give students a chance to master each “chunk” before moving on to the next lesson.

✎ Step-by-step task analysis is included next to each model.

Teachers may give a student’s workbook to a paraeducator or parent without needing to explain how to teach each skill. All they need to do is follow the step-by-step models and gradually fade prompts during guided practice. Once teachers are familiar with the format, they can make adjustments to fit the pacing and number of practice repetitions each student needs.

✎ Easy to use. Print and teach.

Save hundreds of hours of planning and preparation time. I suggest printing the cover on card stock and the remaining workbook pages double-sided. Bind the workbook together using what you have (staple, spiral binding, three-hole-punched in a binder, or with binder rings). The method I used was a double-hole-punch at the top, fastening booklets together with two 1” binder rings. I chose this method because I didn’t want anything on the sides of the pages to interfere with handwriting. After outlining what I planned to teach during the coming month, I would spend a couple hours of my prep time printing and assembling workbooks. After that, math time was nearly prep-free until we came to the end of the workbook and began the process again.

"I love the approach and routine to your math units and the multiplication was no exception! Students with Intellectual Disability were multiplying with pride and parents were very tickled! Great evidenced-based structure." --Melissa G.

"Simple steps and explanations helped my ELL students tremendously. Thank you." --L. G.

"I used this resource to teach a child from Somalia how to regroup with subtraction. The explicit instruction was instrumental in helping the child conceptualize regrouping. I also appreciate the numerous sheets available for additional practice. Thank you!" --Baudelina A.

"This has been AMAZING for my learning support 2nd graders!!! They're finally feeling success!!" --Laurie M.

"My 4th and 5th grader students with learning disabilities are finally feeling successful in math!" --Kimberly D.

"This is amazing. I'm using it with a 6th grade tutoring student who has autism. He is making great progress already!" --Kimberly F.

"We have struggled a lot getting my 4th grader with autism to understand multiplication. With this bundle it's been a breeze. The large font and small amounts of problems on each page have prevented him from being overwhelmed. We have only worked through chapter one so far, but he flew through almost 175 pages in a matter of 2 weeks averaging 20-30 pages a day and retaining it. I'm really thankful to this bundle and can't wait to get more." --Viola P.

"I wish that there was an A+ option for how amazing this resource is! ... My intervention students have blossomed with using this resource. It is extremely thorough and guides the students through scaffolded steps to achieve competency. Couldn't ask for a better resource!" --Lindsey D.

The free placement test can assist you in identifying learning gaps and finding the lesson workbooks that address those skills. Download a free placement test.

Each workbook can be used individually as a stand-alone intervention for that skill or they can be used together, taking students from the basics of addition and place value in first grade all the way to dividing fractions in fifth grade.

These materials can also be used with older students to help fill the gaps in their learning. No grade levels are printed on workbook pages.

Hi! I’m a Special Education (K-12 Mild/Moderate) and Title 1 (Intervention) teacher with 12 years of experience teaching in elementary schools in Wyoming and Idaho.

I’ve taught at data-driven schools with high expectations for achievement. It was a leap of faith for me to abandon the district-purchased math curriculum that was not working for my students and create my own lessons based on what I had learned in my college courses. It paid off, though, as my students started to like math and became confident and willing to do more and more.

My students on IEPs consistently performed well on the standardized math tests with scores comparable to their non-IEP peers. My wonderful paraeducator enjoyed teaching with these workbooks because of the organization, clarity, and predictable routine.

I am happy for the opportunity to share my work with you. I sincerely hope these resources will benefit you and your students.

I love to hear about your experiences teaching with these resources. Please feel free to email me or write a review!

--Angela Dansie

• First Grade Math Curriculum

• Second Grade Math Curriculum

• Third Grade Math Curriculum

• Fourth Grade Math Curriculum

• Fifth Grade Math Curriculum

• Complete Math Curriculum for Grades 1-5

View a List of Resources by Grade Level (pdf)

• Place Value & Number Sense

• Addition & Subtraction

• Multi-Digit Addition & Subtraction

• Basic Multiplication & Division

• Advanced Multiplication & Division

• Fractions

• Time & Money

• Supplemental Packets

Printed Consumable Workbooks

For students who struggle with math, I recommend teaching new material using paper and pencil rather than a screen if possible. Print a workbook (or a portion of a workbook) for each student to work on at home. These workbooks are step-by-step and easy for parents to use with their children. No teacher manual or scripted lesson plan is needed (also, no logins or software to worry about).

Digital, paperless resources can be helpful when reviewing and practicing previously learned skills. You can find my digital resources here on TPT.

Resources can be puchased individually or in discounted bundles.

You can also create your own bundle and save!

★ Use Discount Code: MYBUNDLE to get 20% off orders of 4 items or more

(Discounts are for PDF downloads only. Printed materials are excluded.)

By purchasing, you receive a limited individual license for personal and single classroom use. If someone else wishes to use part of a resource, please direct them to this site.

You May: Print and use this product in your classroom or home; Allow paraeducators to use these materials with your students; Share my store link with others if they wish to acquire this product.

You May Not: Share or sell any part of this product; Edit or use any part of this product to create products for sharing or selling; Post any portion of these materials on the internet or shared drives.

No part of any resource may be uploaded to the internet in any form, including classroom websites or shared drives. I do make an exception in the case of school closures that necessitate distance learning. In that case, you may make the resource available to your students only. Be sure that the method of delivery is password protected.

Copyright by Angela Dansie, All Rights Reserved. Your integrity is essential to copyright protection. Thank you for following these terms of use.

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Printed Workbooks:

Printed workbooks sold through this site are print-on-demand. They are shipped directly from the printer. I do not have a place to store returned books. Therefore, there are no returns or refunds on printed goods.

If you have questions before purchasing, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at steps2mastery@gmail.com

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Printed Workbooks:

Printed workbooks sold through this site are print-on-demand. They are shipped directly from the printer: Lulu Publishing. Buyers receive an email with tracking information.