Teaching Pre-Braille Remotely
Teaching Pre-Braille Remotely
Teaching a 4-year old Pre-Braille remotely has had its challenges. Shouldn't they be learning through play? How am I going to teach a tactual concept through the computer? How am I going to remotely expand their concept development? Suddenly, 10 years into my career, I felt like a first year teacher again
Now, 10 months into remote learning, I feel like we are finally in a groove. Each week we explore a new theme. Needed materials for that themes are sent to the student in the mail via "Free Matters of the Blind" Some of our favorite themes have been:
1.) Meet the Chef
2.) Meet the Building
3.) A Visit to the Doctor
4.) A Fishing We Will Go
During each theme, we explore the objects identified with the theme. A list of the needed objects is sent to the parent/guardian in advance, so that they can collect them and have them ready. If it is an object that they would not have easily accessible, it is sent to them with their weekly materials. At the beginning of each theme, the student learns about those objects and how they are used. Throughout the remainder of the week, the student has an opportunity to practice using the objects throughout organized Pre-Braille lessons. Some days, the student even gets into character and dresses up. See some example of activities below.
Quick Tips:
1.) Send parents a list in advance of which activities will be done each day and what material will be needed. This will allow them to plan.
2.) Have a virtual meeting with parent once a week to pre-teach skills so that they can assist during lesson.
Meet the Chef
Day 1:
Explore/learn how to use kitchen tools
Day 2:
Pancake Flip
Materials: (sent to student in advance)
Frying Pan
Spatula
Pancakes each labeled with tactile sticker
Small toy plates each labeled with tactile sticker
Set Up:
Put pretend pancakes upside down on a frying pan. Set plates next to frying pan.
Activity:
1.) Student uses spatula to flip over a pancake onto table. (They are sure not to touch the frying pan because it could be hot!)
2.) Student explores the tactile sticker on the pancake.
3.) Student puts the pancake on the plate with the matching sticker.
4.) Student repeats steps 1-3 until all pancakes are gone.
Picture Description: 2 lime green plates with tactile stickers on them to the left of a gray frying pan. The plate closedt to the frying pan has a paper pancake on it. The pancake has a tactile sticker. The sticker is the same as the one on the plate. The frying pan has a spatula and 2 pancakes in it. Both of those pancakes also have tactile stickers on them.
Day 3:
Track to Cook
Materials:
Tracking sheet (sent to student in advance)
bowl
spoon
cereal
marshmallows
Set Up:
Put one item from the materials list at the end of each tactile design on the tracking sheet. The items should be in the following order. (bowl, cereal, marshmallows, spoon)
Activity:
1.) Student should track tactile design until they find a material.
2.) Each time they find a material, they should add it to the others.
3.) At the end, they should put mixture in microwave to make Rice Krispies Treat.
Day 4:
Orientation & Mobility
Build cognitive map of kitchen. Learn where all kitchen items belong. Practice putting items away. O&M instructor teaches the parents/guardian how to work on this with the student. The parents/guardian practices with their child each day.
Day 5:
Track to Cook 2
Materials:
tracking sheet (sent to student in advance)
small paper cups
Popsicle sticks
juice
Set Up:
parents should look at tactile stickers on tracking sheet and put one identical sticker on each recipe ingredient. They should then put all ingredients next to tracking sheet.
Activity:
1.) Student should track tactile design until they find a tactile sticker
2.) Student should find the ingredient with the matching sticker
3.) Repeat steps 1-2 until all ingredients are collected
4.) Use ingredients to make ice pops
Meet the Builder
Day 1: (Parent must be present for this lesson)
Explore/learn how to use different household tools
Day 2:
Tower Sort
Materials: (sent to student in advance)
Blocks with tactile stickers on them
Set Up:
Put all towers in a bag or container.
Activity:
1.) Students picks out blocks 1 by sorts blocks into towers by tactile stickers
2.) Once all blocks are sorted, student counts how many blocks are in each tower.
3.) Student tells teacher which tower has the most and least amount of blocks, etc.
4.) At the end, the student has time to build freely with blocks.
Picture Description: 3 block towers. Each tower is made up of 5 multi-color, interlocking blocks containing the same tactile sticker.
Day 3: (Parent must be present for this lesson)
Hammer/Screw a Braille Cell
Materials: (sent to student in advance)
screws
hammer
screw driver
Styrofoam
Set Up:
Set 6 screws up in the shape of a Braille cell
Activity:
1.) Have students practice using screw driver and hammer to screw/hammer assigned dot combination into Styrofoam.
Day 4:
Orientation & Mobility (Parent must be present for this lesson)
Build cognitive map of tool box. Learn where all tools belong. Practice putting tools in tool box. O&M instructor teaches the parents/guardian how to work on this with the student. The parents/guardian practices with their child each day.
Day 5:
Track to Build
Materials: (sent to student in advance)
tracking sheet
block designs
extra blocks
Set Up:
Put one block design at the end of each tracking line.
Activity:
1.) Student should track Braille line until the find block design
2.) Student should try to create block design
3.) Repeat steps 1-2 until all block designs have been created
A Visit to the Doctor
Day 1:
Explore/learn how to use items from toy doctors kit.
Day 2:
Fix the Boo-Boo
Materials:
5 band-aids each with a different tactile stickers on them
doll or stuffed animal
Set Up:
Put the same tactile stickers that are on the the band-aids on the following body parts of the the doll/stuffed animal.
1.) knee
2.) elbow
3.) chin
4.) hand
5.) nose
Activity:
1.) Student picks a a band-aid, feels the tactile sticker and matches it to the body part that has the same sticker on it. He or she then fixes the doll or animal's boo-boo with the band-aid.
2.) Repeat step 1 with each band-aid
Day 3:
Track to Check Up
Materials
tracking sheet (sent to student in advance)
doctor's Kit
doll or Stuffed Animal
tactile Stickers
Set Up:
Put a different tactile sticker at the end of each Braille line. Put matching stickers to each of those on each piece of doctors kit.
Activity:
1.) Student should track tactile design until they find tactile sticker.
2.) Find the piece of doctor's kit with the matching sticker.
3.) Use that piece of equipment to check patient.
4.) Repeat steps 1-3 student has tracked each line of Braille.
Day 4:
Orientation & Mobility
Build cognitive map of toy room. Learn where all toys belong. Practice putting items away. O&M instructor teaches the parents/guardian how to work on this with the student. The parents/guardian practices with their child each day.
A Fishing We Will Go
Day 1:
Explore/learn how to use items that may be used on a fishing trip
Day 2:
Schools of Fish
Materials: (Sent to student in advance)
magnetic toy fish with Braille symbol on them ( I use Lakeshore Magnetic Fishing Set, but you could easily make you own with some laminated paper fish and magnets. A "full cell" and an "a" were used because it is my student's first time matching Braille symbols. The symbols were Brailled on contact paper so they would stick to the fish)
magnetic Toy Fishing Pole
containers with Braille symbol on them
Set Up:
Put all fish out on ground, table or in a container of water. Put containers with Braille stickers next to them
Activity:
1.) Student should fish.
2.) When student catches fish, they feel the Braille and put it in the container with the matching symbol. That is the "school."
3.) Repeat step 1-2 until all fish have been caught.
Day 3:
Throw That FIsh Back!
Materials (Sent to student in advance)
tacking Sheet
toy fish with Braille symbol on them ( I used a "full cell" and an "A" because it is my student's first time matching Braille symbols . I Brailled the symbols on contact paper so they would stick to the fish)
container
Activity:
1.) Student should track line of Braille and find the symbol that is different.
2.) When they find the symbol that is different, they should find a fish with that same symbol on it.
3.) They should then set that fish free into container.
4.) Repeat steps 1-3 until student has tracked each line of Braille.
Comments
Post a Comment