Beth Smith Studio

I was a Special Education Teacher for 7 years at a residential School for the Blind. I am now a homeschooling mom of 4. My kids range in age from 7 to 12. I have been homeschooling for 8 years. I also teach piano lessons and run a homeschool music class. My content consists of my three loves - music, homeschool, and special education. - functional academics - assessments for special education - exposure to Braille - preschool curriculum - piano: running a studio, games - a composer based curriculum that combines music, science, art, literature, and history My piano studio currently has 20 students and my homeschool music class has expanded to three classes. I have been teaching music lessons for over 15 years now.

Special Ed - I taught high school aged students who ranged from pre-K to 8th grade cognitive levels. I often used multi-modal, multi-intelligence, and multi-sensory object lessons. I broke down a lot of basic concepts (in content and life skills areas) into concrete steps/lesson plans/task anaylsis. I used a lot of focused repetition for skill attainment. My materials will be useful for - special educators looking to teach high school age students at a functional level (usually elementary level) - special educators who would like to see task analysis of skills and concepts (often aids in future lesson planning) - students who need high levels of repetition to learn a concept (i.e. lots of worksheets focused on 1 specific skill) - elementary teachers who desire creative, multi-sensory approaches to basic concepts Homeschool - I have homeschooled since my oldest was in preschool (so 8 years now). In preschool, I created my own scope and sequence based around monthly themes and included some fine motor skills as well as academic basics. In early elementary, I dipped my toe into classical education. I fell in love with the use of literature and memorization (for a good purpose). During and post pandemic, I found my footing in a blend of Charlotte Mason and classical as well as unit study. I created a curriculum that uses composers as the spine for the timeline and we connected them to scientists, artists, authors, and historical figures and events that occurred during their lifetime. Besides using music and beautiful living book read alouds, I love to incorporate narrations, book of centuries, and desserts to help students build connections and have a robust view of history. I have a heart to support other teachers and parents. If my materials and resources can help out and fill a need of another teacher, then I am truly happy!

Nominated twice for the national President of the Schools for the Blind Award (2007 & 2009). Won Award for Promoting Student Independence and Responsibility (2011)

Grove City College - B.A. Psychology (2004) University of Pittsburgh - Masters of Education (dual certification in Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility) (2005)

For more articles and resources, check out my website www.bethsmithstudio.com