Adapted Books for the Special Ed Classroom

Adapted Books are one of my new, absolute favorite things to have in the classroom. You can find them on almost any topic and I promise you that your students will love them too.

Maybe you are unsure of what an adapted book is, so here's a brief description:

Okay, so now that you know what an adapted book is, let me show you how to put one together. First hand. For free.

You'll want to grab this How to Make a Valentine Adapted Book FREEBIE before we go any further. Okay, now we are all on the same page...

I mean, literally... we're on the same page now. This is what you'll see on the second page of what you just downloaded (since the first page is the cover). You'll want to print pages 2-17.

I use white card stock for all of my adapted books.

Level one of the two adapted readers included looks like this. You'll see all of the book pages, then 2 question pages (1 page for a total of 2 questions), and a half page of answer squares.

Level two of the two adapted readers looks like this. You'll see all of the book pages, then 4 question pages (2 pages for a total of 4 questions), and a page of answer squares.

After you print all of the pages, you'll want to laminate them for longeivity.

Laminate your little heart away with these babies. Then cut the extra lamination off around each page.

The ONLY cut you need to make on each page is on that dotted line (just like in the picture above).

When you've finished cutting out the level 1 book, this is what you should see. The best part of these books is that if you keep them in order as you're laminating and cutting, your books will be in reading order when you put them together.

Notice I only cut on the dotted line, and I included the question pages at the end of the story.

Before I go any further, I hole punch each page. There are little gray dots on each page to guide you, but I like to hole punch 2 pages at a time to ensure that they're ever more lined up. Hello, OCD.

Now onto the Velcro coins and binder rings! (Note: you only need 2 binder rings. I prefer the 1" size.)

Add or insert your 1" binder ring to keep all of the pages together.

I like to do this before cutting out the answer squares and before adding the Velcro coins because then I don't have to worry about my page order getting mixed up.

Now it's time to cut out the answer squares. You'll notice on the level 1 answer squares that there is a dotted line and half the page is empty?! I did that on purpose, for you. I save these laminated half sheets of paper. You never know when you'll need it as a stand in white board or something!

 Naturally, the next step is to cut out the answer squares.

Add a piece of Velcro to the back of each answer piece...

...and each square inside of the book...

...and to the two circles and square on each answer page.

I like using Velcro coins because I don't have anything to cut. It makes the whole process a lot quicker and less messier (because, you know, the scissors get lots of gunk on them!)

Now let's move on to see how I use these books in the classroom.

The actual paper/pencil comprehension test is my favorite part of each adapted book. Each book, no matter the level, comes with its own set of questions and a "matching" test. I use these quick assessments to collect data on comprehension for many of my students.

THAT'S IT! Congratulations, you just made an adapted book set for your classroom. How easy was it? I hope that you and your students benefit from this free adapted book. I've found that once we do the books together once, I can put them in centers for students to work on independently.

If you still want to see more about adapted books, follow me on Instagram. I sometimes post pictures and videos of my students completing their adapted book work in the classroom :)

What questions do you still have about creating, using, or putting together adapted books?