You might be asking yourself what the difference is between my independent work and my work tasks. Independent work is completed at my student’s desks. All of the tasks are laid out for them, they just have to open drawer #1 to get started. For students who are still learning to work independently, I prefer to just use the system at their desk. You can read more about it over here!
Work tasks are a separate part of my classroom. While the actual work is the same, the set up is different. With work tasks, my students have icons that match the tasks I want them to complete and they have to locate them on the shelves. This in and of itself is a difficult task. This system gives my students more freedom to move around, has them work on processing skills and helps them generalize the tasks they already know to new spaces and settings.
Look how beautiful this is! Below I have the 3 basics steps I used to get this system running in my classroom. This blog will show you how I store the tasks and what tasks I use, but if you want more information check out Melissa’s blog on Autism Adventures and Jenn’s blog on Teach Love Autism. I relied on both of these heavily when setting up my own work center. See below for my 3 basic steps!
Get all of the set-up supplies ready!
I used 3 pieces of furniture to store my work task system. I am lucky to have a large classroom and I can fit everything in there. I use Sterilite shoebox container and book bins to store the tasks and I use labels from Melissa and Jenn for the bins.
This is a Sterlite shelving unit that I bought at Home Depot. If you have a small space or you are just starting out, this is my recommendation. It is very lightweight and easy to move, which is perfect if you periodically change your classroom set-up. I also like that it is skinny and tall, making it easy to fit in different spaces.
This cubby set-up is by far my favorite way to store tasks. I love how each cubby fits a shoebox perfectly and keeps the whole system organized. The only bad part is that the cubbies are expensive! I do have a set linked here on Amazon, but I recommend showing a picture to your admin and asking them to see if they can find one in district storage for you (that’s how I got mine, fingers crossed!)
My last set up is a piece of furniture from IKEA. The starting price isn’t terrible, but I actually grabbed mine from the discount section of furniture because it has scratches on it. I always recommend checking this part of IKEA to get cheap classroom furniture. Corey added wheels to the bottom and we were good to go!
Assemble the Tasks
I use a lot of similar items that I use in my centers in my classroom, but see below for photos and links to some of my favorites!
Erin from You-Aut-a-Know has a lot of great options! This set is from her laminate, velcro and go sorting set.
I love using Michaela from Especially Education’s task boxes in this system. While I recommend buying every task box set she has, if you are on a budget start with this set. It is the perfect base.
Lecha from Reaching Exceptional Learners also has awesome options! the top photo is from her basic skills grab bags and the bottom photo is from her sorting binders!
This is from the Everyday Functional Sort from Mrs P Special Education Classroom.
These two come from my store. You can grab the alphabet centers here and the number centers here!
I love grabbing sturdy educational materials from Amazon and HomeGoods and putting them in my work task system. Check some of my favorites out in my amazon store front!
My last recommendation are put in tasks! These are easy and cheap to put together and perfect for Errorless Learners. Read more about put in tasks in my blog here and on Jenn’s blog here.
Teach the System
Before you can send your students to this center, you need to teach them how to do it. I did not start science and social studies content in my classroom until the last week of September. We spent that first month learning how to use work tasks during the content time. In the beginning, we would already have the 3 tasks set on a table. We worked on opening the lid, completing the task, putting it back in the bin and putting the lid on.
Once students got that part down, we started walking them over to the shelf to help them find the task. This was a teacher-led, hand over hand teaching portion. As students got better at finding their tasks, we started to fade that teacher support away. Now some of my students can complete the entire system independently. Other students still need support, but we are always working towards independence.
I hope this blog was helpful in giving you more ways to incorporate work tasks into your classroom!