Looking for a structured way to teach functional life skills in your special education classroom? Sign of the Week is a ready-to-use functional skills curriculum designed to teach 72 essential community and safety signs. This engaging life skills resource helps students develop real-world awareness while meeting IEP goals through adapted books, task cards, worksheets, and digital components.
Try the First Two Weeks for Free!
Looking for a way to start teaching functional skills in your special education classroom? Sign of the Week is perfect for you!
Sign of the Week is one of our favorite parts of the day! It’s been so fun to watch this come to life in my classroom and now to see so many special education teachers adding it to their daily routine.
If you're looking for a functional skills curriculum that is...
Quick & Easy: Sign of the Week only takes about 10 minutes, making it an easy way to incorporate functional skills into your morning meeting or circle time.
Differentiated: It includes 4 levels of worksheets so all students can participate without extra modifications.
More than Identification: Students not only learn to identify the sign but also understand what it means, where it can be found, and how to describe it.
What are you waiting for? Try the first 2 weeks free by signing up below!
How I Use Sign of the Week in My Classroom
I incorporate Sign of the Week as a whole-class instructional activity during whole class instruction. This is also when we focus on community-based instruction (CBI) units, reinforcing real-world readiness skills, so it fits in perfectly!
Weekly Lesson Plan for Teaching Signs
Day 1: Introduce the Sign
We start the week by introducing the Sign of the Week using the included Google Slides presentation. I display the first few slides and introduce the word, definition, and visuals. To provide extra support, I also use Sign of the Week adapted books. If you don’t want to prep the books in advance, use the screen snip tool to copy pages into your daily slides. For students needing hands-on engagement, the physical books work well. After introducing the sign, students complete the Write It/Trace It section of the workbook. Monday takes the longest, but the rest of the week moves quickly.
Day 2: Define the Sign
The next step is understanding what the sign means. We use the presentation to read the definition, and I provide examples and non-examples. Whenever possible, we incorporate movement-based learning. For instance, if we're learning about the "Stop" sign, I set up a practice activity where students walk and stop when they see the sign. This builds comprehension through real-world application. To reinforce learning, we write the definition in our Sign of the Week workbooks.
★ There are 4 levels of workbooks included in Sign of the Week, so you can use it with all your students!
Level 1: Write & Draw
Level 2: Write & Color
Level 3: Trace, Cut & Paste & Color
Level 4: Trace or Cut and Paste & Color
Day 3: Describe the Sign
On Wednesday, we focus on the physical characteristics of the sign, including color, shape, and design. The presentation includes a variety of images to help students generalize sign recognition. We complete the Color It/Draw It section of the Sign of the Week workbook to solidify learning.
Day 4: Find the Sign
Students learn where the sign is commonly found in the community. If possible, we go on a sign hunt around the school. For example, if we’re learning about the Exit sign, we walk to different exits to find real-life examples. Students then complete the Find It section of the Sign of the Week workbook.
Day 5: Review
If you have time on Friday, this is a great day for review and reinforcement. I use a variety of materials from my store, such as:
Reading in Real Life Signs Puzzles & Task Cards – Engaging ways to practice real-world sign recognition.
Tips for Success
Assign a student or para to update the interactive board weekly to maintain consistency.
Review often to reinforce learning and prevent regression. I like to include a review day each week because it ensures that I don't go too long without reviewing.
Identify signs in real life whenever possible. We do this whenever we go out into the community. I also have signs posted in my classroom, like an exit sign over the door and an on & off sign on my light switch.
Prep materials at the start of the year so they’re ready to go each week. How nice will it be to be ready to go from day 1?!
Encourage students to lead sign instruction once they’re familiar with the routine. This builds confidence and independence.
Why Sign of the Week is a Must-Have for Special Education
Saves planning time with a structured functional skills curriculum.
Builds real-world independence through differentiated instruction.
Includes digital components (Google Slides & Google Forms) for flexible, paperless learning.
Engages students with hands-on learning activities.
Supports IEP progress monitoring with quizzes and structured lessons.
Get Started with Sign of the Week!
You can grab Volume 1 or Volume 2 (or both!) from my store today. If you're looking for Extended School Year (ESY) resources, I also offer a Sign of the Week Bonus Pack with six additional signs—perfect for summer learning or trial use.
Still not sure? Try the first 2 weeks FREE and see how easy it is to incorporate functional skills into your daily routine!
Equip your students with the skills they need to navigate their community safely and confidently with Sign of the Week!
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