IEP Warm-Up

Time: 5 minutes
Purpose: Get students comfortable sharing how they feel about their current IEP supports and set a positive, inclusive tone.
Materials: Whiteboard or chart paper, markers, sticky notes (optional)

Activity Steps:

1. Welcome and Overview (1 minute)

   • Greet each student by name as they arrive.
   • Briefly explain: “Today we’ll begin by sharing how we feel about our IEP supports so we can use those feelings to guide our discussion.”

2. One-Word Check-In (2 minutes)

   • Ask each student to think of one word that describes how they feel about the supports and accommodations in their IEP right now.
   • Option A: Students call out their word while you write them on the board to create a quick “word cloud.”
   • Option B: Distribute sticky notes and have students write their word and stick it on the chart paper.

3. Sentence Share (2 minutes)

   • Invite students to choose one of the words shared and write a short sentence explaining why they picked it.

   Example prompt: “I chose ‘supported’ because my teacher checks in with me every day.”

   Write your sentence here:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Debrief (Optional if time allows)

   • Read aloud 2–3 student sentences (volunteers) and affirm their honesty.
   • Highlight common themes (e.g., “Several of us feel supported—that’s great!” or “I notice some words like confused are showing up, too. We’ll talk about that.”)

This quick warm-up helps everyone get in the right mindset for open discussion and lets you, as the teacher, gauge the group’s starting point on self-advocacy and supports.

IEP Voices Discussion

Time: 15 minutes
Purpose: Guide students in sharing their IEP goal reviews, offering peer feedback, and identifying recurring themes to inform additional supports.
Materials: IEP Goal Review Worksheet, whiteboard or chart paper, markers

Discussion Guidelines

• Speak from your own experience using “I” statements.
• Listen respectfully—no interrupting.
• Be positive and constructive when offering feedback.
• Honor confidentiality: what’s shared here stays here.

Round-Table Sharing

Prompt 1: Share Your Goal & Support Status

1. State one IEP goal you reviewed.
2. Describe whether the current support is helping.
   • What makes it work well?
   • If it’s not working, what feels challenging?

Your Response:
Goal: ________________________________________


Support Status & Why: __________________________

Follow-Up Questions (for classmates):

• Can you say more about what part of the support feels most helpful/challenging?
• Have you seen a classmate use a similar support differently?

Peer Feedback

After each share, classmates can:

• Offer one positive observation:
  • “I noticed you said… That seems to help because…”
• Ask one clarifying question:
  • “When you said ____, what did that look like in the classroom?”

Identifying Common Themes

As students share, the teacher will record recurring points on the board under two headings:

1. What’s Working
2. Challenges/Needs

At the end of the round-table, review the board:

• Which supports appeared most often under “What’s Working”?
• Which needs or challenges were mentioned by multiple students?

Transition to Brainstorming

Explain: “Now that we’ve heard what’s helpful and what’s hard, we’ll brainstorm new ideas for how the school can support these needs.”
Refer students to the Self-Advocacy Brainstorm Chart for the next activity.

Note for Teacher:
• Keep the conversation on track by gently redirecting off-topic remarks.
• Encourage quieter students with a direct invitation: “I’d love to hear your thoughts, ___. ”
• Emphasize that every idea helps us build a stronger support plan.

End of Discussion Guide