Ms. Meg's Clever Corner

🍎 Welcome to Ms. Meg’s Clever Corner — where structured instruction meets high-interest learning. I’m a K-8th Special Education teacher and middle school reading intervention specialist who designs resources for real classrooms — especially for students who need clear, explicit instruction to succeed. All of the items in my store were created with my real students in mind. In fact, some products were designed per real student requests. Check out the Ancient Animals Bundle, created for a younger, struggling reader who requested to read about cats in Ancient Egypt. Resources such as this were also designed to meet my own needs as a SPED teacher tracking fluency, decoding, comprehension, and writing mechanics goals. Other products designed for my real students, which brought REAL success 🎉, are executive functioning resources such as self-monitoring behavior trackers and the Locked In Lesson Plan. I sincerely hope these items serve the needs of you and your students as well! 😊 ✨💛✨ Everything in this store is: • Classroom-tested • Created with my REAL students in mind • Designed for elementary & middle school • Structured for struggling learners • Aligned with the Science of Reading • Created for use in IEP goal progress monitoring Every resource is designed with clarity, structure, and dignity in mind. My students are below grade level — but they are not below intelligence. They deserve materials that are age-appropriate, engaging, and thoughtfully scaffolded. If you teach 3rd–8th grade ELA, SPED, RTI, intervention, or resource classes, you’ll find practical tools here that actually support growth. No fluff. No filler. Just practical, effective tools that work. Low prep at a low cost. Classroom tested. Student approved.

My teaching style is direct, explicit, and student-centered. I work primarily with students who: • Have IEPs • Struggle with reading comprehension • Need direct grammar and writing mechanics instruction • Benefit from clear formatting and chunked directions • Are below grade level but deserve high-interest content • Lack general background knowledge I believe: ✔ Literacy is a civil right ✔ Early intervention matters ✔ The Science of Reading methodology is crucial ✔ Skills should be taught explicitly ✔ Background knowledge matters ✔ Struggling older learners need dignity, not babyish worksheets ✔ Confidence grows when instruction is clear You’ll see this reflected in my Fix-It series, structured editing practice, history passages, and scaffolded writing supports. My formula is always the same: Structured Supports = Confidence = Independence.

🌟 Some of my most meaningful teaching moments include: • Watching my students jump grade levels in their reading abilities via structured intervention and supports. • Helping students master multi-paragraph writing with graphic organizers and scaffolds. • Hearing a reluctant reader read fluently at grade level for the first time. • Building confidence in my students and celebrating their successes. • Starting my school's first History Club, based on the principles of UDL, and becoming surprisingly overjoyed when so many of my students joined! 💗 But honestly, the best shining teacher moments are the little ones. The ones done in silent celebration. Like when a third grader who struggled so hard with reading and writing finally starts seeing wins, and you receive a hand-drawn card in which she thanks you and calls you her "best friend." I design resources the way I teach — practical, strategic, and grounded in real student needs.

🎓 I hold a degree in Art History from the University of California, Berkeley, with a minor in Religious Studies. I bring an extensive academic background in historical studies and the humanities — including university-level training in art history — to ensure these materials maintain academic rigor while remaining accessible for struggling learners. My academic training emphasized analytical reading, research, critical thinking, and precise written communication — skills that now shape every reading passage, grammar activity, and structured writing support I design. Before entering the classroom, I worked in journalism, public relations, and nonprofit art administration. That professional experience strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, write with clarity and structure, and design engaging educational materials — all of which directly inform my curriculum development today. I became a teacher later in life and have primarily worked in public independent charter schools, supporting students in Special Education, RTI, resource, and co-taught settings. I serve students in underserved rural communities and understand the unique learning needs and barriers many of these students face. My classroom experience centers on elementary and middle school learners with IEP goals, learning challenges, and significant reading gaps. I am passionate about creating structured, accessible resources that help struggling students build confidence and become inspired to learn. I am certified and trained in: • Orton-Gillingham Morphology instruction through IMSE (Institute for Multi-Sensory Education) • Science of Reading through Los Angeles County Office of Education (Getting Reading Right) • Handwriting Without Tears® approach to handwriting instruction • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) • CharacterStrong® Tier 2 Certified – Social Emotional Learning (SEL) • Restorative Justice Circles & restorative classroom practices My instructional approach integrates structured literacy, explicit grammar instruction, morphology-based word study, scaffolded reading comprehension, and systematic writing supports. Every resource in my store reflects both academic rigor and real-world classroom experience — designed to build background knowledge, strengthen reading comprehension, and support measurable student growth.

Nerdy fun facts: I listen to The Rest is History podcast nonstop, and have seen the show live on tour! My favorite Greek goddess is Eris. I love black licorice, and I have two Bengal cats. 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛