Welcome Back to School Unit Introduction - Teaching ... Back to School! 3 Hands-On Units by Carmen...

Welcome Back to School!

1 Hands-On Units by Carmen Willings Teaching Students with Visual Impairments teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

Welcome Back to School This Curriculum is designed for students in elementary school who are Blind or Visually Impaired with additional disabilities who are not following the standard course of study.

Unit Introduction It is important to start the school year with an introduction or review of the classroom and school campus and also to introduce or reintroduce school personnel. An additional goal of this unit is to introduce, teach, and reinforce the daily routine of the classroom and orient the students to the classroom (find cubbies/lockers, work stations, locations in the school building). This is also a good time to introduce authority figures and rules at your school. Assure students that this is a place where they are welcome, and where they can make new friends. Discuss the importance of playing and working safely so everyone can have fun and learn. Unit Objectives:

As a result of touring the classroom, students will become familiar with the classroom and understand where to locate stations and materials within the classroom.

As a result of touring the school campus, students will understand the school layout and where the office, nurse’s office, main exits, cafeteria, playground, gym and any other regular visited areas are within the school.

As a result of meeting school personnel, the students will understand that workers in the school have different responsibilities. Students will identify classmates, teachers, school personnel the students may have contact with and related service staff.

Following discussion and role playing, the students will be able to identify classroom rules.

Students will identify ways they can help contribute to the classroom organization and cleanliness by assisting in chores.

Welcome students to the new school year! Assure students that you have planned many fun and exciting activities for the school year and are looking forward to a great school year together. Lead the students in a discussion about coming back to school. Are they excited about the new school year? Are they nervous? Discuss how it is normal to have mixed emotions about the new school year. You may share some of your own feelings as a model. Introduce the unit by presenting materials related to the unit on a tray to keep materials from rolling away and to provide a defined space for exploration. Encourage students to explore the materials visually and tactually. Ask the students to either verbally identify the objects or to obtain objects upon request. Present print/braille labels of each object presented. Encourage the students to read the words by using strategies to sound out the words. Discuss what each object is used for. Challenge students to predict the topic based on the objects presented. For students with low vision, encourage the student to use their magnifying glass or provide various powered magnifying glasses and if available, an electronic magnifier. For students who do not have usable vision, encourage them to tactually explore the materials and provide them with



additional descriptions of the materials. Some possible materials include, but are not limited to: colored pencils colored pens crayons erasers

highlighters index cards lunch bags lunchboxes

notebooks pencils rulers various markers

Vocabulary Building (Introduce Vocabulary Words) Present students with pre-printed cards (Use a simple, bold font such as Arial and in a large enough font for comfortable distance viewing. Add braille as needed.) with vocabulary words related to the unit. Present each word and assist as needed in sounding out the word. When possible, pair objects or pictures with each vocabulary word (e.g., slide show, PowerPoint, photo, etc.). Provide a brief verbal description of each word. Possible Vocabulary Words for this unit include but are not limited to: abacus art book computer crayon

gym janitor library lunch menu

music nurse paint pencil principal

secretary snack teacher therapist

Vocabulary Web Inform the students that these words have things in common and can be grouped together by what they share in common. Present a simple web with headings of categories. Have students take turns coming to the front, reading the word and placing in the category where it may belong. If the student has difficulty, encourage them to request help (differentiated learning: “I need help” programmed on a switch” or allow the student to select a peer to help them). Sometimes a word could belong in more than one category. When this happens, allow students to select where they would like it to go, or write the word on two cards and place it in both categories. Possible Web Categories include:

Locations in the school: art, bathroom, bus drop off, cafeteria, computer lab, elevator, office, nurses station, gym, hallway, library

People at School: teacher, speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, teacher of students with visual impairments, cafeteria workers, janitor, nurse, principal, secretary

Locations in the classroom: art, writing, circle/meeting, math, science, computer, bathroom, desk, sink

School Supplies: books, crayons, notepads, pencil, eraser, markers, tape, glue, ruler Food related: lunch, snack, lunch bag, menu

During this activity, students may generate words that are not printed on the cards. If the words are related to the topic, write the word on a card and place it in the correct category on the web. If the students think of additional categories, add those categories as appropriate, or encourage the student to use those ideas for further study and research.



Riddles Help students develop familiarity and understanding of the materials and vocabulary by presenting the students with riddles and encouraging students to touch or tell the object:

By name (ex. Find the box of crayons.) By description (ex. Find the one that is a large rectangle) By function (ex. Find the object that is used to wipe your face when you eat.) By texture (ex. Find the one that feels round with a point on one end.)

School Riddles Following classroom discussions about areas within the school and people who work at the school, encourage students to determine the person or place based on the description. Make the riddles more challenging for some and easier for others. Ex.

1. This vehicle takes people to school. (school bus) 2. This is where you go to eat at school. (cafeteria) 3. This is where you go if you get sick at school (nurses station). 4. This is who is the leader of the school (principal). 5. This is the area of the school where you can find many books (library).

Feely Bag Encourage students to reach inside a bag and try to identify objects related to school. Once the students have identified the objects, extend the activity by encouraging the students to match the item to the printed word. Encourage students to have more time exploring the details of the materials. Additionally you may consider providing two of each item and encourage the students to locate the matching object. Fill-in-the-Blank Present students with simple sentences about the objects. Omit the object words from the sentence and encourage the students to collaboratively or independently complete the sentences by selecting the word paired with the object that would complete the sentence. Adjust the complexity of the sentence to challenge but ensure success.

1. An (eraser) is a tool you use when you make a mistake when you are writing. 2. You can carry your lunch to school in a (lunchbag). 3. You can wipe your hands and face with a (napkin) when you eat. 4. You can color pictures with (crayons/markers). 5. You can use a (ruler) to measure how long something is. 6. You can take notes or write in a (notebook).

Name Match Prior to this activity, record greetings by key school employees and specialists. Also be sure to take a picture of each person. If you are able to obtain recordable buttons (or use a recordable photo album), have a button or recording attached to each person's picture. Display the pictures of peers, key school employees, and therapists/specialists on the board or in a photo album. Prepare print/braille labels of each person's name as they are known to the students (some staff may go by first name while others go by their last names). Be sure to laminate the cards to ensure durability and attach Velcro for repeated matching opportunities. Present cards with the school employees/therapists names printed/brailled on them. Play the recorded greetings from the staff one at a time. Encourage students to identify the person in the audio recordings and the picture (if the student has usable vision). Next, pronounce the person’s



name. Encourage the students to locate the printed name. Stress the beginning sound of the person’s name to assist students in identifying the beginning letter of their name. Then locate names that begin with that letter. If there is more than one name that begins with that letter, continue by determining the next sound/letter combination in their name. Once the student has found the printed/brailled name, place it by the picture. Continue until all names are matched. Build Connections Once the students have had time to discuss the topic, have the students discuss their experiences related to the topic. Write the students ideas and experiences on a board or poster. Reflection & Further Study Have students reflect on what they have learned during unit discussions and activities. Encourage the students to share or write one thing they have learned. How can what they learned be used in real life? Is there anything they want to learn more about? Encourage students to gather more information about an area related to school that interests them. Allow the students to individually choose an area of study, or provide a choice of pre-selected areas. Encourage the students to form questions about the topic. Assist the student in writing or dictate the questions for them. Assist the student in using resources (online, newspaper, menu, etc.) to locate the answers to questions and recording the answers. Have the students reconvene and present their topic, questions, and findings to their peers.



Reading Foundations These activities, accessible to students who are blind and visually impaired and their sighted peers, are designed to build students' phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, understanding and knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions of the English writing system. Developing a strong reading foundation is a necessary part of reading program in order to develop proficient readers. Choose from the following activities, with the Welcome Back to School! unit, to meet your students unique learning needs.

Activities to Develop Listening Habits What's That Sound? To prepare for this activity, record sounds throughout the school: drinking fountain, toilet flushing, water running in sink, door shutting, sounds of kids playing on playground, ball dribbling, sound of kids playing in gym, sounds from the cafeteria, etc. Talk to the students about the importance of sounds and how they give us information. Listen to prerecorded sounds of places within the school building or sounds you may hear at school. Have students locate the object or printed word to match the activity. Ask students to name the sounds that they hear. End the activity by summarizing the importance of sounds and how they convey meaning. Voice Match Record students, teachers, therapists, and other school employee voices using your iphone, ipad or other recording device. Play the recordings for the students and encourage them to identify the voices. Sequencing Sounds Take the students on a tour of the school to refresh their memories or simply to greet those they haven't seen since the previous school year. Bring along a set of recordable buttons such as these from Learning resources. Record the voices of people you meet or sounds from locations you visit on each button. Upon returning to the classroom, have the students listen to recordings from activity/experience. Encourage the students to place the buttons in the order in which they heard the sound. Extend the activity by removing one of the buttons. Have the students listen to the remaining buttons and determine what button is missing. "Teacher" Says Listening Students practice directional and body concepts by playing Teacher Says (ex. Teacher Says, put your fingers on your ears, etc). Begin by having the students face the leader. Have the leader give one-step directions for the students to follow. If the leader says “teacher says" first, then the students should follow the direction. If the leader doesn’t say “teacher says", then the students should NOT follow the directions. If the leader doesn’t say “teacher says" but a student do the direction, he/she has to sit down. The last student standing wins. Have the leader request that the students move body in relation to objects (ex. Teacher says put the pencil on



your shoulder). You may choose to use your name instead of "teacher" (ex. “Mrs. Johnson (or other name) Says”). Have students place their fingers on: ears, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, hair, hand, feet, brain, heart, stomach, shoulders, knees, elbows, ankles, wrist, etc. Make the activity more challenging by having the student put hand on foot, elbow on knee, nose on knee, etc. "I'm Going to School" Sitting together as a group, have the students take an imaginary trip to school. The first student will share an item to bring on the trip (e.g., "I'm going to school and I'm going to bring a notebook'). The second student will repeat the last student's item and then share their own (e.g., "I'm going to school and I'm going to bring a notebook and a book bag). Continue around the circle until someone forgets a previously mentioned item. You can then choose to end the game, or start a new trip. Extend the activity having each item be named in alphabetical order (ex. Apple, bookbag, cookie, dice, etc.)! Modification: If students are unable to recall items, adapt the activity by presenting items and encourage the student to select or touch the items in the correct order or provide hand under hand assistance to touch the items in the correct sequence. Musical Patterns Have students clap or use musical instruments or mini lunchboxes to tap out the rhythm in songs related to the unit. Alternatively, clap a pattern for the students and have them imitate the pattern. Possible songs related to the unit: Children's Songs: Good Morning – Greg & Steve Vol.. 2 So Happy You’re Here – Hap Palmer – So Big The More We Get Together – Raffi, Silly Songs We’re All Together Again – Greg & Steve Vol 5 Pop Culture Songs: Be True to Your School - Beach Boys Welcome Back (from Welcome Back Kotter) - John Sebastian

Rhyming Awareness Activities Rhyming Identify words that rhyme with words related to school. Make a chart with a few of these words at the top. List words that rhyme. Ex. School: Cool, drool, fool, rule, mule, tool, fuel, pool, spool, rule, preschool, footstool, molecule, ridicule, whirlpool Bell: cell, dell, fell, gel, sell, tell, well, yell, swell, spell, shell Bus: fuss, plus, thus, discuss Car: are, bar, char, far, jar, par, star



It Rhymes With... Place school related materials in a lunchbox. Give rhyming riddle clues to students. Have them guess what is in the lunchbox based on the rhyming clue. I have something that rhymes with "_____". Ex.

I have something that rhymes with stencil. (pencil) I have something that rhymes with ran. (crayon) I have something that rhymes with darker. (marker) I have something that rhymes with chaser. (eraser) I have something that rhymes with took. (book) I have something that rhymes with cooler. (ruler) I have something that rhymes with vapor. (paper)

The Rhyming Game You may remember this song like game from your childhood, typically sung using people's names. Replace the names with school related words. Pencil, pencil, bo-bencil, banana-nana fo fencil, me my mo mencil, PENCIL! Eraser, eraser bo-racer banana-nana fo racer, me my mo macer, ERASER! Marker, marker bo-barker banana-nana fo farcer, me my mo marker, MARKER! Book, book bo-book, banana-nana fo fook, me my mo mook, BOOK!

Phonemic Awareness Activities Hot Potato Have the students sit in a circle. Provide them with a lunchbox with objects from the unit. Begin passing the lunchbox around when music starts playing. After a few seconds, stop the music. Have the student who is holding the lunchbox reach in and pull out an object. The student say the name of the object and then say the beginning sound of that word. Continue until all the students have had a chance to name an object. School Blending Guess Have students blend and identify a school related word that is stretched out into its basic component sounds. Provide words from the unit (bus, car, van, bell, class, etc). Tell the students that you are going to say a word using "snail talk", a slow way of saying words (e.g., /bbbbeeeellllll/ for bell). Encourage the students to determine what word is being said. School Syllable Count Prepare cards with the classroom centers/stations, materials, and/or school locations written on them or use the vocabulary cards from the unit. Have students clap out the syllables in the words. Sort the words by the number of syllables in the word. Have the students compare and determine which syllable count they has the most words. Cafeteria (5), gym (1), computer (3), manipulatives (5), art (1), library (3), etc. Game Board Fun Locate a game board with spaces to move and pawns. Create “playing cards” that are phrases or sentences related to the unit. Have the students take turns reading the phrases and sentences. Once the student has read the phrase or sentence, have him count how many words



their phrase or sentence had. This number is the number of spaces they can move on the game board. If a student is unable or needs help reading their card, they are only able to move the number of spaces as words they could read. The game continues until someone reaches the end. Scrambled Fact Sentences Present students with pre-written fact sentences related to going to school. Read the sentences together in choral reading several times to improve fluency and word recognition. Assist the students in cutting the sentence(s) into individual words, or provide pre-written/cut sentences. Mix the words up (but ensure they are all still oriented correctly) and encourage the students or groups of students to put the sentence together into the original order. Vary the complexity of the sentences to challenge each student, but ensure success. Encourage students to generate their own simple sentences related to the topic. Support them in forming a variety of sentence types: declarative, interrogatory, exclamatory, or imperative. Provide assistance in generating new sentences as needed. Some possible sentences include: Declarative

1. We ride a bus to school. 2. We follow the classroom rules. 3. We eat lunch in the cafeteria.

Interrogatory

1. Where is the bathroom? 2. When do we go home? 3. What is for lunch?

Exclamatory 1. I love school! 2. School is fun! 3. Don’t run in the hall!

Imperative

1. Please, help me. 2. Wash your hands. 3. Be kind to everyone.

Phonics & Word Recognition Activities Case Match Using bus shaped die cuts, print/braille the uppercase alphabet on one set of die cuts and the lowercase alphabet on a matching set of buses or other school related die cut shape. Encourage the students to match the uppercase to the lowercase letters. Adaptation: Encourage student to match objects or pictures with the same beginning letter. A-Z at School Provide a stack of school related words written in print/braille. Challenge the students to sound out the words and place the word in alphabetical order. Go around the school and place print/braille labels at the correct locations with the students. A=art room, b=bus stop, c=cafeteria, d=desk, e=elevator, f=floor, g=gym, h=hallway, j=janitor, l=library, m=music room, n=nurse, p=principal, r=restroom, s=secretary, t=teacher's lounge, x=exit signs, etc. Adaptation: Locate objects/pictures of theme related items and present these to the students paired with an auditory description. This is a lunchbox. Lunchbox starts with the letter "l". "L" says "lllll". Can you touch the lunchbox ? Encourage student to touch the picture of the lunchbox in order to advance to the next picture (may be presented on iPad). Classroom Alphabet Hunt



Have students search the room for materials and places that begin with the letters of the alphabet. Create labels for the items/places, accentuating the beginning letter. Door, Clock, Paper, Table, Build-a-Word Provide the students with vocabulary words from the unit along with needed letter tiles in print/braille. Encourage the students to create the word(s) using their letter tiles. Alternatively, present a choice of three letters for the student to choose from as a letter is requested in order to build the word. Enhance the activity by discussing the letter sounds each letter makes and words that begin with that letter. Adaptation. Provide students with objects or pictures of unit related items. Discuss the sound the initial letter makes and compare to other words that begin with the same sound. Word Family Sort (rimes) Attach word family cards (-ag -ack,-ell, -ill) to the outside of containers/boxes/bags. Pair the containers with an object/picture that can represent that word family (Objects can represent the word even if they are representations, just be sure to explain the connection.). Provide students with a collection of related word family word cards to sort into the corresponding containers. Schoolb-ag. Bag, brag, flag, gag, hag, lag, rag, sag, snag, stag, swag, tag, wag, zag, beanbag, dishrag, handbag, mailbag, sandbag, schoolbag, washrag, zigzag, litterbag Sn-ack. Back, black, crack, jack, lack, pack, quack, rack, sack, shack, slack, snack, stack, tack, track, attack, backpack, backtrack, callback, comeback, feedback, payback, setback, thumbtack, unpack B-ell. Cell, dell, fell, hell, sell, shell, smell, spell, swell, tell, well, yell, barbell, doorbell, eggshell, farewell, inkwell, lampshell, nutshell, retell, stairwell, unwell Sn-ip. Chip, clip, dip, drip, flip, grip, hip, lip, ship, sip, skip, slip, snip, strip, tip, trip, whip, zip, courtship, filmstrip, friendship, hardship, nonslip, township, fingertip Word Jumbles Provide students with letter tiles forming various vocabulary words. Encourage students to rearrange the tiles to form as many new words as possible. Cafeteria café, ate, tear, tar, cat, tea, tee, eat, fat, rat, fit, far Computer cut, cot, rut, put, more, come Notebook note, book, bet, net, not, too, ton, bone, boot Onset-Rime Partner Up Create a set of cards with school related words and pictures/objects/tactile graphics. Leave off the first letter or letter blend at the beginning of each word and replace it with a Velcro dot. Provide students with letters and blends to match that will create the correct word. Ex. Sch-ool, p-en, stu-dent, mar-ker, pa-per, mu-sic, pen-cil, b-ag, l-unch Sort by onset



Provide students with lunchboxes labeled with onsets to focus on. (Choose onsets that your students need to practice.) Provide students with words written on cut outs that use these onsets. Encourage students to read the word and use it in a sentence before placing it in the correct lunchbox. If students need help, allow them to ask peers for assistance or assist them in using strategies to sound out the word(s). Words we know Present students with vocabulary words they know from the unit. Prepare cards ahead of time that allow the initial consonant or initial consonant blend to be removed. Have students use consonants and consonant blends printed on cards to create new words. Provide shakers or musical instruments for each student. Encourage students to take turns selecting consonants and blends from the draw pile. If they created a real word, have the students shake the shakers signifying it's a real word. Encourage students to use the word in a sentence. Write/braille the new word and place the words on the word wall. Ex. Sn-ack. Back, black, crack, jack, lack, pack, quack, rack, sack, shack, slack, snack, stack, tack, track, B-ell. Cell, dell, fell, hell, sell, shell, smell, spell, swell, tell, well, yell L-unch. Bunch, crunch, hunch, munch, punch Compound School Words Discuss with students how compound words are made when two words are put together to form a new word. Inform students that they are going to play a game with compound words. Provide each student with part of a compound word. Have each student read their word out loud prior to the activity. Next have students find a peer that has a word that can be added to the beginning or end of their word to create a new word. Select known or common words. After students make a match, provide them with new cards. Ex. back-pack book-bag book-case book-shelf hand-book lower-case

lunch-box note-book play-ground play-things school-book school-bus

school-house school-work side-walk upper-case waste-basket

Prepositional Shake Prepare a lunchbox for each student. Fill each lunchbox with unique materials that sound fun when they are shaken. Encourage students to chant or sing songs that direct them to shake present in relation to their bodies. Ex. Sing to the tune of "Shake Your Sillies Out": We're gonna shake, shake, shake Our lunchboxes, Shake, shake, shake Our lunchboxes, Shake, shake, shake Our lunchboxes, Shake them (preposition)our (body part) (behind our backs, over our heads, between our legs, etc.



Parts Of Speech School Mad Lib Prior to the activity, prepare a print out of the Mad Lib using print and braille if there are any current or future braille readers. leave enough space to fill in the blanks. Consider preparing it in a way that it can be used multiple times (e.g. laminate and attach Velcro). Tell the students that you are going to make a silly story about school. To do this, you will ask them to provide a part of speech. Go through the Mad Lib and ask students to provide you with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, exclamations, etc. Use an existing school related Mad Lib or create your own. Ex. I was very (emotion) about going back to (place). I wondered what I would do and if I would have any (plural noun). I (past tense verb) to (place) on the school (noun). I sat next to my friend (name). We (verb) the whole way to school. When we got there, the teacher was waiting in the (noun). She seemed very (emotion) to see me. I think my first day is going to be (adjective)! Parts of Speech Sort Provide a collection of adjectives, adverbs, verbs and adverbs related to the unit. Create a chart and encourage students to read the words and place each word in the correct column. Ex. Noun (A noun is a type of word that represents a person, thing, or place.) straw, napkin, lunchbox, chalk, crayon, marker, paper, etc. Verbs (A verb is a type of word that describes an action or a state of being.): ride, work, study, write, read, learn, etc. Pronoun (A pronoun is a substitute for a noun.) I, me, she, hers, he, him, it, you, they, them, etc. Adjectives (An adjective is a word that describes a noun.) all, every, good, best, worried, far, close, straight, yellow, etc. Adverbs (An adverb is a word that tells “how,” “when,” “where,” or “how much”.): after, awful, carefully, daily, hourly, often, today, tomorrow, tonight, etc. Prepositions (A preposition shows how something is related to another word. It shows the space, time, or logical relationship of an object to the rest of the sentence.) above, side, beside, by, down, inside, like, next, outside, etc. Conjunction (A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases, clauses or sentences.) and, as, because, but, or, since, so, until, while Interjection (An interjection is a word that expresses emotion oh, wow, ugh, hurray, eh, and ah



Language Arts

Literature Related To School: Stories If You Take a Mouse to School – Laura Numeroff My Teacher Sleeps in School – Leatie Weiss The Kissing Hand – Audrey Penn Will I have a friend? – Miriam Cohen The First Day Jitters – Julie Danneberg Poetry Arithmetic – Carl Sandburg Songs Children's Songs: Good Morning – Greg & Steve Vol.. 2 So Happy You’re Here – Hap Palmer – So Big The More We Get Together – Raffi, Silly Songs We’re All Together Again – Greg & Steve Vol 5 Pop Culture Songs: Be True to Your School - Beach Boys Welcome Back (from Welcome Back Kotter) - John Sebastian Informative Text Related To Unit School Alma Matter School Menus Student Handbooks Yearbooks from previous years

Writing & Communicating Activities

Weekly Newsletter Help students create a weekly newsletter. Tell students that a newsletter is a way to communicate with their families and tell them about what happens at school. Encourage students to include the weeks highlights, upcoming events, and any requests. Journal Encourage students to begin a journal that they can add to each day. Some students will have more success writing about their day and what is familiar to them. For others, provide possible topic starters such as: activities they did in school or preferred/non-preferred activities. Modify the activity for students who are non-verbal and unable to write. Take pictures of their day using an ipad and group the photos using an app such as Pictello.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pictello/id397858008?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D8



Summer Reflection Have students write about their favorite summer activities or vacations. Provide assistance in dictating and summarizing when needed. Encourage students to bring in objects and/or pictures from vacations or that depict activities. Allow students to present their writing to their peers along with the pictures and objects. Encourage students to ask the presenter questions about their activities. Station Signs Have students help create signs for each classroom station. Provide posters/boards for each classroom station with names printed/brailled on each one. Have the students help determine which objects best represent the center to attach to the sign that will help them identify them. Going to School Experience Encourage students to share with the class their experience of coming to school. Prompt students as needed to include what they packed in their backpacks and how they arrived at school (bus, van, car, truck). Students may enhance their presentation by sharing personal items or may use pictures/videos/sounds of what they heard. Allow students to use pictures or objects representing various stages of going to school, have the students verbally tell or arrange the pictures/objects in the correct order. For example: put on shoes/coat, put on backpack, ride in vehicle (tire for object), hang up coat (hook). Identify transportation that students use to get to and from school.

Literature Connection Students develop strong reading skills when they are exposed to a range of quality literature and also read informative text that is relevant to their world. I have provided a possible book, If you Take a Mouse to School, that can be used with the Welcome Back to School! topic. Some other possible books are provided at the end. Be sure to select a book that is appropriate for your student(s). Book: If you Take a Mouse to School Author: by Laura Numeroff Introduce the book to the students. Ask if any of the students are familiar with the book. Discuss why you chose to read this book. Make Story Predictions Show the students the front and back cover of the book and read the title with them. Present students with pictures and objects from the story. Verbally describe the pictures for those with low vision. Ask students what they might read about in this book. Discuss why you chose to read this book. Predict the content, events and outcome using title, headings, illustrations, and objects. Explain that making predictions can help people make decisions, solve problems, and learn new information. Predictions may change as you read and gather more information. Model asking questions you may have about the book/topic. Write the questions you or students may have about the text. Discuss the fact sentences presented earlier. Will any of the information we learned be in the story? A Picture (or object) Tells a Thousand Words… Present students with pictures and objects from the story. Verbally describe the pictures for students who have low vision or are blind. Encourage the students to predict the content, events and outcome using title, headings, illustrations/objects. Read the story with enthusiasm and



inflection. Materials: a lunchbox, sandwich, pencils, backpack, chalk, eye dropper, a bar of soap, block, clay, paper, soccer ball, basketball, and a skateboard. Main Ideas & Details After reading the story, encourage students to ask questions they may have about the story. Encourage peers to try to answer the questions. Ask the students questions to demonstrate understanding of the text. Encourage students to describe the characters and setting:

What did the mouse act like? The boy? Would you like to be the boy in the story? Why? Is the story fiction or non-fiction? How do you know? Do you think you are similar or different to the character (boy or mouse) in the story? Did the character(s) change over the course of the story? What was the intent of the author? Was it to inform, provide directions, or to entertain?

Recall items or key points of story Provide students with the materials from the story along with those not related to the story. Challenge the students to identify objects from the story and those not from the story. Extend the activity by asking the students to recall what the mouse did with the items. Emotions Discuss any emotions experienced when reading the story. Did you think it was funny or were you bothered by the events? What was the most (exciting, scary, boring, sad, funny) part of the story? Do you have a pet you would like to bring to school? How would it make you feel if your pet caused trouble? Similarities & Differences Discuss similarities and differences between other books by Laura Numeroff. Discuss how Laura Numeroff has written a number of books with the mouse as one of the characters. One of the more popular books she has written is the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". Read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" to the students and discuss the similarities in the books. Readers Theater Using the objects related to the story, have the students take turns acting out the story. Story sequence Encourage students to place the objects from the story in the order in which they appeared in the story. Once the majority of students agree, reread the story and check the accuracy. If the items were in the wrong order, have the students correct them. Build a Book and Reenact the story Assign a page to each student. Have the students copy the words from the page or change the words to their color and then illustrate their page. Gather the students together and reread the story, have each student act out their page. Finally, assemble the pages together to create a class book to be placed in the book area.

Language Development



New Words & Phrases Where there any unfamiliar words and phrases used in the story (this will be unique to your students)? Can you figure out what the author meant by how it was used in the story or by other words in the story? Show the students how you can look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary or on the computer. Sight Word Search Reread the story and have the students identify sight words and/or vocabulary words in the story. As you read the story, stop when you come to a sight word and encourage the students to read the word. Word Identification Hand out word cards (in print and/or braille) and/or objects from the story to the students. Assist the students in pairing cards with print/braille words to the objects. Read the story again and this time stop as you come to each item in the story. Ask for the person who has that word/object to come place it on the word wall for the book.

Informative Text: Yearbooks

Yearbook Introduction Present the student's with the previous year's yearbook. For students who have minimal or no vision, describe the information that is found in yearbooks. Discuss or show: what information is provided, the purpose of the yearbook, how it is laid out, and what types of pictures are shown. Help students identify unknown words and identify pictures. Identify illustrations including maps, charts and photographs. Point out the different sections in the yearbook as well as teachers, and peers. Possible Questions:

Who: Who do you recognize in the yearbook? Who's pictures are in the yearbook? What: What section(s) of the yearbook were your favorite? What clubs are listed? What

special activities are shown? What sports teams are listed? What areas of the school are shown?

Where: Where were the pictures taken? When: When were the pictures taken? Why: Why would you want to buy a yearbook?

Additional Informative Text: School Alma Matter School Menus Student Handbooks Yearbooks from previous years



Mathematics The activities identified here are designed to help students gain a thorough understanding of concepts through hands on experiences with materials related to Back to School. All students need to begin math understanding with real materials. Exploration of materials is beneficial in supporting all student’s understanding in mathematical and logical thinking. This will also reinforce concepts being taught throughout the unit and variety of materials to complete math problems will add variety and help students transfer their skills. Select activities based on each students unique learning needs.

Numbers & Counting

Object Count Provide students with a collection of crayons, erasers, or other objects related to school. Encourage the students to count various sets. Have the students compare sets to determine which set is greater than, less than or the same as the objects in another group. Count by… Present groups of crayons to students. Encourage the students to group the crayons together by 2’s to determine if the amount is odd or even. Have students group and count crayons by 5s and 10s to 20, 50, or 100 as able. Bus Stops On My Way to School Create a poster or file folder titled "On My Way to School". Draw or create a tactual house in the top left corner of the poster and a school at the lower right corner. Draw or create a tactual road leading from home to the school. Place 10 "bus stops" using Velcro, along the road. Provide the students with Velcro numbers 1-10 and encourage the students to label the stops to school in sequential order. How Many School Supplies? Have students determine “how many” in created sets of objects (pencils, erasers, spoons, paper clips, etc.).. Encourage students to write the number that corresponds to the amount in a set on cards labeled with object name. Arrange the cards from least to most. Have the students determine if the amounts are odd or even.

Patterns Lunch Assembly patterns Provide students with sandwich parts using tactually and visually different materials to represent meats, cheese, pickles, lettuce, mustard, bread, etc. as well as empty milk and juice containers, and chip snack bags. Create sandwich assembly cards that depict what goes on certain kinds of sandwiches. Provide lunch trays along with mock lunch order requests. Have students fill orders. For added fun, have the worker ring a bell and announce "order up!" when each order is complete and accurate. For an added challenge use a timer and challenge students to complete a certain number of orders within a specified time.



Operations & Algebraic Thinking

Addition & Subtraction Problems Ask students addition and subtraction questions using school materials. Ask questions involving situations where one is “added to,” taken from,” “put together” and “taken apart”. Add and subtract up to a sum of 5, 10, or 20 as able. Possible questions include, but are not limited to: If you have 4 pencils and 3 erasers, how many school supplies do you have in all? (change the numbers to challenge students within their abilities) If you have 8 crayons and give 4 to a friend, how many crayons do you have left? Number Lines Place crayons along a bold line and/or tactual number line from 0 to 10 to determine whether the number is closer to 0 or 10. Compare to base ten models to help students make the connection. Use these models to count larger amounts with ease. Addition/Subtraction Equation Comparison Using school supplies to create sets, encourage students to compare different equations to determine if equations are true or false. 2 (pencils) + 3 (erasers) = 4(pencils) + 1 (eraser) Multiplication & Division Ask students multiplication and division questions using crayons, pencils or other school supplies. For example: If you have 10 pencils and have to put the same amount in 5 classmates pencil boxes, how many pencils will each student get? If you want to give 5 classmates 3 crayons each, how many crayons will you need? Encourage students to either use the objects or base ten models to solve multiplication and division problems. Place Value Using number tiles or cards, encourage students to put together or take apart three digit numbers into hundreds, tens and ones. Consider using crayon boxes that are labeled “hundreds”, “tens”, and “ones”. Use crayons to represent numbers.

Measurement

The Length Of Materials Provide students with pieces of chalk, various size pencils, markers, scissors and crayons. Encourage students to measure the length using a ruler, yardstick, meter stick or measuring tape. Encourage other students to identify tools used to measure with. Provide assistance to students as needed to determine how much longer one object is than another. Create a graph to represent the data and determine which items are the longest



How many Crayons Tall are You? Encourage students to lay on the ground and have peers measure how tall/long they are in crayons. Encourage other students to identify other standard/non-standard tools that can be used to measure with. Smallest to largest Compare the materials and arrange from smallest to largest. Encourage students to estimate length using inches, feet, centimeters or meters (or nonstandard units). Provide assistance to students as needed to determine how much longer one object is than another. Create a graph to represent the data and determine which items are the longest. The Weight Of Materials Provide students with school supplies. Encourage students to weigh the objects. Compare the materials and arrange from lightest to heaviest. Encourage students to estimate the weights. Encourage other students to identify tools used to measure with. Provide assistance to students as needed to determine how much heavier one object is than another. Create a graph to represent the data and determine which items are the heaviest. The Volume Of Materials Have students determine how many crayons, markers, scissors, pencils, or erasers it takes to fill a lunchbox. Have students determine which materials it takes more of to fill the lunchbox.

Data Collection

Taste Test Provide the students with a variety of cookies (following reading, “If you give a Mouse a Cookie”) and encourage the students to taste each item. PLEASE BE AWARE OF ANY ALLERGIES & SUBSTITUTE ACCORDINGLY!! Ensure there are enough "safe" foods for all students to be able to participate. Complete a chart depicting each item. Have students identify which items they liked and place a smile/frown (or other indicator) on the chart. Keep in mind that tactual smile/frown stickers are available through quota funds from the American Printing House for the Blind. Engage the students in a discussion about the different tastes and textures (salty, sour, sweet, bland, crunchy, soft, etc.). Discuss how results may vary if other classes or family members completed the graph. Encourage the students to read the completed graph and develop a summary sheet. What was the most popular item? What was the least popular? Possible cookies include: Chocolate chip, M&M, No Bakes, Oatmeal, Nutter Butter, Oreo's, Peanut Butter, Snicker Doodle, Vanilla Wafers How did you come to school? Students will complete a graph on how they came to school. Bus? Car? Van? Walk? If all students use the same form of transportation, vary the activity by bus number, color of car, etc.

Geometry

School Supply to Shadow Match Encourage students to match real school related objects to shadows, thermoforms or raised line drawings of the object.

https://shop.aph.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_Feel%20%27n%20Peel%20Stickers:%20Smiley-Frowny%20Faces%20%28over%20200%20stickers%29_1057078P_10001_11051



Determine the area and perimeter Assist students in determining the area of objects using materials presented in the unit. Find the area of a table, desk, etc. using nonstandard measurement tools such as crayons and unsharpened pencils. Why are the results different when using different materials? What standard tool can be used to determine the area and perimeter? The Shape of it Identify what shapes objects from the unit are similar to. Create shapes using the objects. Are the objects similar in shape to cubes, rectangular prisms, cones, cylinders or spheres. Provide models for comparison. Classify two dimensional shapes by their attributes (quadrilaterals, triangles, number of sides and angles)

Fractions

Crayon Box Fractions Provide the number of empty crayon boxes to match the denominator to demonstrate fractions. Use crayons to represent the numerator. Provide a variety of sets in order to help students compare greater than and less than. Add and subtract fractions using the models.



Science & Social Studies

Social studies and science is best taught when students can role-play or go on community outings to have hands on experiences with environments in the community specific to the current topic. Incorporating concrete experiences within the natural environment can provide students with a greater understanding of their world. These science and social studies activities naturally provides students with the opportunities to develop their tactual exploration and fine motor skills through the exploration and manipulation of real materials.

Visual Awareness Activities

The following activities are designed to encourage students to visually attend to lights or reflective materials and to interact with materials or activate switches to activate materials. Lightbox Activities Depending on the students abilities, present the following activities for the student.

Display gel forms on board in school colors. Fill Ziploc bags with hair gel or other clear gel substance. Add food coloring and/or

metallic shapes in school colors. Be sure to secure bag with strong tape! Present Plexiglas shapes in school colors for students to sort into bowls (clear or of

same color) Decorate Mobile/Stand Decorate the mobile or stand by wrapping miniature lights along the bars in the school colors. Alternate colors depending on students ability to tolerate complexity. Consider attaching a fan to a switch and encourage student to push the switch to blow the materials, play a school related song or turn on the mini lights. Possible Materials to Suspend

pom-poms in school colors old CDs with striped or checkerboard patterns in school colors string of metallic beads in school colors other materials in school colors that encourage student to reach (consider qualities that

student will attend to) Metallic balloons in school colors.

Pat Mat Obtain metallic balloons in the school colors. Deflate them and fill with plastic grocery bags. Retape to create a pat-mat. Mascot Play Obtain a switch activated toy that is similar to the school mascot or place school colors on a stuffed animal that is switch activated (ex. Red/white scarf, sweater, hat, etc). Encourage student to activate switch to make "mascot" move.



Science

School Pride Wet Exploration Fill the wet sensory table/container with water and add food coloring in your school color (or combined colors to create the color). Sprinkle confetti in the school colors. Provide a variety of scoops, sponges (in school colors), eye droppers and basters for the students to use to transfer water to a bucket or other container. School Pride Dry Exploration Fill the dry sensory table with shredded papers in the school colors. Hide miniature mascots within the paper for the students to find or other materials in the school colors. Lunchbox Dry Transfer Provide students with 2 lunchboxes. Fill one with pencil top erasers (or other item related to the topic). Encourage students to transfer the items by hand or make it more challenging by having them use a variety of tools such as tongs or strawberry pluckers. Crayon Roll In this activity, encourage students to roll or otherwise move crayons (or other school related objects) in a given direction on a textured path. Provide various surfaces on the path and have students determine what surface is easier/harder to roll the object along. Color Concepts & Color Associations Discuss the colors of various school supplies. Are they always that color or can they be different colors? What other materials are the same colors? Sound Match Fill crayon boxes (or other container) with objects that create grossly different sounds (bells, rice, blocks, etc.) Have students match boxes that produce the same sound.

Social Studies

Classroom Orientation: Take the students on a tour of the classroom. Point out what is available in each area of the classroom. Point out labels (print/Braille/object) that will help students identify stations and locations within the room and will help them in putting things away properly. After the orientation, play a game to challenge students to locate areas (ex. "If I have to go to the bathroom." "If my hands are dirty." "If I need to hang up my coat.", etc.). Place a variety of school related objects and materials stored in various locations throughout the room on a tray and present it to the students. Encourage students to identify the objects. Discuss the objects and how they relate to school. Encourage students to individually or in pairs, bring the items to their correct location. This will be individualized to the materials available in your room, but may include: pencils, crayons, glue sticks, manipulatives, books, paper, etc. Play classroom “I Spy” (Or alternatively, I'm thinking of something that...) with objects/materials/toys found in various centers or common to school. Describe by function. Ex. I



Spy something that is used to cut; I Spy something that we hang our coat on. School Orientation: Take the students on a tour of the school campus, even if they are returning students to orient or re-orient them to the building. Prior to the orientation, remind students to ask pre-selected staff members what their names are and what their job is at the school. Introduce students to the principal and other school personnel they may meet. Record the staff greeting the students. (ex. "Hello, my name is Mrs. Johnson, the school nurse."). Identify authority figures in the school and their roles. Also take pictures of each staff member. Consider purchasing a recordable photo album. Place staff photos in the book along with a recording of them saying their name and their job title and brief description of what they do. Place printed labels of each staff members name on the sleeve (pair with Braille if there are any current or future braille readers). Place the photo album in the book area for students to look at, listen to and enjoy. During the orientation, be sure to systematically show the students where the playground, cafeteria, library, music room, gym, art room, principal’s office, nurses office and front office. Also orient them to the other rooms/areas and to locations they will need to find within the rooms/areas. As you are walking through the building, identify physical land and water forms around the school campus. Discuss cardinal directions and left and right as you orient students to the school building. Identify transportation that students use to get to and from school. Meet Principal, Therapists & Specialists Invite the principal and related service personnel to come to the class and introduce or reintroduce themselves to all the students, tell them what their job is. This would be a good time to take updated pictures of staff for student schedules. For students with limited or no vision who use an object schedule, encourage staff to choose an object to represent themselves if they will be a part of the student's regular schedule. Encourage students to listen attentively to teachers/therapists/staff as they discuss their school jobs, ask questions. Encourage them to use active listening skills (body/facial expressions, eye contact, asking or responding to questions) While therapists and/or specialists are discussing their jobs, encourage students to listen for information and obtain information from them. Encourage them to display courtesy and respect during the presentation. Identify similarities and differences in school personnel. Incorporate staff pictures and/or representative objects into daily schedules. Share with students that just as it is important for everyone to know where things are located and how to get around throughout the school building, it is also important to know teachers, classmates and therapists’ names. Have students answer riddles about therapists, school personnel, stations, etc. "This person comes to help some students write their name, etc." Discussion Following School Tour Following the tour of the school, encourage students to discuss what they saw, heard, touched and experienced during the tour. Encourage students to provide details and describe people, places and events during the experience. Play back the audio recording and as you listen, pause it to have the students identify the sounds. Encourage them to communicate feelings or ideas related to the experience.



Tactile Map Following the school orientation, help students as a whole group create a tactile map of the classroom and/or school building. Recall with students, the locations within the school that they visited and need to be depicted on the map. Determine appropriate textures/objects to depict hall/walkways, rooms that they students will go to, and exits. On a poster board or large board, create a map of the school. Class Rules Discussion In order to help everyone get along and for the class to move smoothly, there are classroom rules that need to be followed. Discuss the need for classroom rules and discuss the consequences in violating the rules. Possible classroom rules include:

Keep hands to self Share Use appropriate ways to express wants/needs Walk/move safely Take turns Be good listeners Be honest Don’t say bad things about others Work hard and follow directions

Rule Charades Have a set of cards depicting classroom rules. Have students take turns acting out action depicted on the card (provide verbal description of activity for students who have significant visual impairments). Have peers try to guess classroom rule that is being acted out. Personal Responsibility Discussion Discuss that every day we have to make choices. When we make choices, we are responsible for our own actions. We must respect those in authority and respect the rights of others. Describe the importance of personal responsibility (doing your best in school). Build on citizenship traits (fairness, reliability, honesty). Consider introducing a "caught showing good character chart" to reward responsibility and good character. If your school doesn’t already participate in the Core Essential Values program, talk to someone about funding to set up this program. The goal of the program is to create a values culture. The program partners with your local Chick-fil-a. Downloads are available for teachers, counselors, principals, and bus drivers to allow the value of the month to be interwoven throughout the school day. There is also information for home. You will receive redeemable Value-Able cards to reward kids that display the value! Important beginning of the year concepts are:

Treat other right Make smart decisions Maximize your potential

Have teachers and/or students take turns demonstrating examples of these values!

http://www.coreessentials.org/

Welcome Back to School Unit Introduction - Teaching ... Back to School! 3 Hands-On Units by Carmen...

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