Laundry Care Labels + Washer Settings | Functional Reading SPED

Laundry Labels + Washer Settings: a functional reading and math set for high school life skills, special education, and transition programs. Read the care symbols, pick the right settings, and keep your clothes in good shape.

Why I made this: A lot of students leave school without ever reading the tag inside a shirt, and the first shrunken sweater is an expensive way to learn. The symbols are a small picture language with a few simple rules: dots mean heat, and an X means do not. Once students know the rules, the washer knobs make sense too. I added a laundromat sign because many young adults start out without a washer at home.

How it is different from my other resources: nothing else in my store covers laundry. It sits next to my Community + Workplace Safety Signs Task Cards as another kind of picture reading, but the symbols, labels, and washer settings here are all new.

What's included:

• A teacher page: why I made it, how to use both levels, and the skills covered

• Words to know: 10 key words, each with a picture

• 3 pages of practice documents: a care symbol chart, four clothing labels with fabric and care symbols, and a washer guide with laundromat prices and laundry safety rules. All businesses, names, and numbers are made up.

• 12 Level A questions, each with a picture and three answer choices

• The same 12 questions at Level B, with open answers and room to show the math

• A real-life task: choose wash and dry settings for four labels, then read a label from real clothing

• An answer key that shows where to find each answer

How I use it: Read through the practice documents together, then give each student the level that fits. Both levels ask the same questions, so the whole class can check answers together. I use the real-life task as a wrap-up or right before a community outing.

Skills covered: reading care symbols for washing, bleach, drying, ironing, and dry cleaning; knowing that dots mean heat and an X means do not; reading a clothing label: fabric and care words; matching a label to a washer cycle, water temperature, and dryer setting; reading detergent cap lines; figuring laundromat costs; laundry safety: bleach, detergent, and the lint screen.

Part of the Functional Life Skills series: every set uses the same layout (words, real-looking documents, two levels of the same questions, and a real-life task), so students know the routine when you move to the next set.

Pairs well with:

• Community + Workplace Safety Signs Task Cards (more symbol and sign reading)

• Task Analysis Data Sheets (for the laundry routine itself)

Who it is for: high school life skills and special education classes, transition programs for ages 18 to 21, and adult education. Grades 9 to 12 and adult transition.

What you download: one printable PDF, 11 pages, US Letter. Answer key included.

From the author of The Transition Map (Jeremy D. Gooch), available in paperback and Kindle.

Written by Jeremy D. Gooch, a teacher with 20+ years in education. All businesses, names, and numbers are made up.