Bringing Vocational Opportunities into the Classroom

Unique & Meaningful Activities All Students Will Enjoy

At the secondary level, providing students with opportunities to acquire and build vocational skills is a vital part of our role as special educators. Not many areas are of more importance to students' futures than vocational skills they will need at any day program or job they would like to have once they are 22. However, when working with students who have challenging behaviors, getting out into the community to job sites can be difficult.

That is why practicing these key skills in the classroom or on the school campus is so great! Students can "go to work" and build the skills they will need for future employment right inside our classrooms if given the right environment and tools!

Take a look at some of my favorite vocational activities for students middle school and up!

1. Putting together furniture

Depending on if students are able to be trusted with tools and their ability to read simple instructions, this activity is super fun! Whenever I get new furniture for my classroom, I had a few students I would have help me put it together. Students always had fun and were proud of the final product! You could also keep 1-2 stools or other small furniture items for students to assemble and disassemble over and over again.

Skills worked on:

• reading directions

• following steps in order

• working collaboratively with a peer or adult

• patience/work tolerance

• building

2. Drill Patterns

This drill from Lakeshore is AMAZING and a favorite for many of my students! Pick from 20 plus different patterns that students can copy by using the sheet as a model, or scaffold the activity by using the sheet as a guide underneath the drilling surface for students to match!

Skills worked on:

• copying a pattern from a model

• fine motor/dexterity

• use of tools

• self-monitoring and self-correcting

  
  

3. Trash Pickup "CBI"

I started this CBI with my students that were having a tougher time getting out into the community and working at restaurants or other locations that were often crowded and filled with breakable items. It's been a massive success. Students can walk around the school campus or even the nearby neighborhoods and pick up as few as 3 pieces of trash, but still participate in a job that helps the school and the community!

Find everything you need to frontload students for the activity --------------------->

Skills worked on:

• staying with a group outside of the classroom

• following adult directions

• campus beautification

• custodial work

• use of tools

• wearing a uniform

• work tolerance

4. School Grocery Store- Taking Inventory

Setting up a school grocery store will take collaboration with other teachers and site administrators, but you could also link this activity to a class snack cart or class grocery store as well! Designate a time of day and students can put on a special shirt and clock in before getting to work!

Make your own inventory sheet like this one here ------->

Skills worked on:

• counting/simple math

• self-monitoring

• recording and reporting information

• taking inventory

• wearing a uniform

• clocking in and out

5. Restocking Shelves

Easily set up a restocking area in your classroom by using pegboards that mount to the wall. For a less permanent option, try using cardboard!

Skills worked on:

• matching

• sorting

• restocking

• task initiation

• cleaning up after themselves

• letting a teacher or supervisor know when a task is complete

Try the restocking activity seen here

6. Class Snack Cart

A snack cart is one of the easiest schoolwide vocational activities to get buy-in on! Use a purchase order to purchase some snacks from a local grocery store or even have students make some snacks or treats themselves. Park the cart in one designated location on campus or push it around to different classrooms and I can promise you some hungry students and staff will give your kiddos lots of opportunities to practice selling and money handling!

Skills worked on:

• customer service interactions

• memorizing and using a script

• money math- calculating and giving change

• reading a menu

• counting money

• wearing a uniform

• clocking in and out

• working collaboratively with a peer or adult