CONVENTIONAL
READING/ PRINT
AWARENESS
xxiv
T.E.K.S. (2.5) The student uses a variety of word identification strategies.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
1. The student will decode simple words using Decoding
skills
for
students
with
letter-sound knowledge.
developmental delays may appear very
different from decoding skills for typical learners.
For these students the goal may be to
discriminate between words that have subtle
differences, such as “cup” and “cut.” Rather
than breaking the word down sound by sound,
these students may focus only on beginning and
ending sounds.
Learning to decode may
encompass the total experience of the word and
what the word represents. To decode “cut” will
mean discriminating “cut” from “cup” by sight
and through the experience of what it means to
“cut” whenever the word is used.
1. Provide each student plastic letters, cards
with
word
family
endings
and
corresponding pictures. Assist students in
building word families. For example, give
students the letters s, m, c, b, f, h, and the
ending -at. Provide corresponding pictures
of sat, mat, bat, fat, hat, and cat.
Demonstrate for students how “c” can be
combined with -at to make “cat.” Ask the
students to make the word with you and
then to find the appropriate picture that
matches the word.
Remove the “c” and add “h” to the -at to
make “hat.” Ask students to do this with
you and to find the corresponding picture.
Continue adding letters to the -at by asking
students to what the word will be if they
add “b” to the –at. Repeat this process with
other word families (“ug,” “an,” “it,” etc.).
Conventional E-1
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
2. Compose a variety of booklets using word
family vocabulary. Introduce the words in
the booklets by having students build the
words in each word family, using plastic
letters and the ending of the word family
(-an, -at, etc). Read each page of the
booklet aloud to the students before asking
the students to read independently. As
books are completed, add them to the
classroom library. Encourage students to
take the books home to read to family
members. Refer to Teaching Reading to
Children with Down Syndrome (Patricia
Oelwein) for stories using word families.
Sample story: from Teaching Reading to
Children with Down Syndrome, (pg. 333338).
The At Family
Pat, the Fat Cat
Pat, the fat cat, sat on the mat.
Nat, the rat, ran under the hat.
Pat, the fat cat, sat on the mat.
Nat, the rat, jumped onto the bat.
Pat, the fat cat, sat on the mat.
Nat, the rat, jumped into the vat.
Pat, the fat cat, left the mat.
Nat, the rat, sat on the mat.
Pat, the fat cat, sat on the rat on the mat.
Now Nat, the rat, is flat on the mat.
Conventional E-1
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Make self-checking books to reinforce
decoding of words from word families.
Lunch sack books may be used as self
checking books (The Book Shoppe, Jean
Feldman):
a) Take 5-6 lunch sacks and fold over
the bottom of each sack.
b) Write a different word from the same
word family on each sack in the
empty space before the fold.
c) Place a picture representing each
word under the fold of each sack.
d) Place sacks on top of each other and
fasten together with brads or rings.
e) Have students identify each word,
then lift fold to self check.
4. Simon Sounds It Out (Don Johnston,
Inc.) is a software program that targets
decoding skills and word recognition.
Students learn sounds, build words,
practice, discriminate and recall words.
Students read words into a microphone
and hear them read back. Switch access
is also built into the program.
5. After students are familiar with words in
a specific word family, create a crossword puzzle using the words from the
word family. Take sentences from the
word family books, leaving out the target
words. Students fill in the appropriate
section of the puzzle using the words
from the word family.
Conventional E-1
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Simon Sounds It Out software (Don Johnston)
Plastic letters
Word family cards
Picture symbols
Lunch sacks
Glue
Brad fasteners, rings
Teaching Reading to Children with Down
Syndrome (Olewein, 1995)
•
•
OverlayMaker
and
IntelliKeys
(IntelliTools) may be used to make
overlays for making words in Activity 1.
Provide picture symbol displays for
students to indicate the words he/she reads.
Use Dial Scan (Crestwood) to allow
students to indicate words to be used in
crossword activity.
Conventional E-1
T.E.K.S. (K.7) The student develops an extensive vocabulary.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
2. The student will learn new vocabulary 1. Allow students to choose a book to read.
Read the story aloud with the students,
words through selections read aloud.
showing them the pictures and talking with
them about the pictures on each page.
After reading the story, help the students to
identify the main character, places and
things. Using these words and action
words in the story, make flashcards with
the word and the picture symbol. Assist
students in reading each word and putting it
in the correct category on a bulletin board
(see Reading/Print Awareness E-24).
2. Provide students the opportunity to read
and use new vocabulary words learned
through selected stories. Incorporate the
new words into a classroom center to
encourage practice and repetition in an
enjoyable activity. For example, after
reading the story Stone Soup (Marcia
Brown), a house or grocery center may be
created. A variety of food containers with
labels on them, plus enlarged recipe cards
are posted at eye level. Provide additional
materials for student creativity and
participation such as paper and markers for
lists, dry erase boards, stamps, newspapers
with food coupon sections, adapted
scissors, etc.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Storybooks
Word and picture flashcards
Materials for classroom center
Paper, markers, adapted scissors
Newspaper advertisements
Dry erase boards
Adaptations:
•
•
•
Battery operated/adapted scissors (AbleNet).
Adapted stamps.
Step-by-Step
(AbleNet)
for
giving
directions/making requests.
Conventional E-2
T.E.K.S. (1.10) The student reads widely for different purposes in varied sources.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
3. Use graphs, charts, signs and captions to
acquire information.
1. Call attention to and assist students in using
information in the classroom. Examples of
information found in the classroom to be
used by students include:
• classroom rules with picture cues;
• labels on student lockers and cubbies;
• labels on areas where materials are
kept;
• information on bulletin boards (lunch
menu, dates, special occasions, etc.);
• organizational
information
about
classroom centers and students who
will work in them;
• areas and information for individual
classrooms that can be labeled with
print and picture cues/object cues and
used by students frequently each day.
2. Calendar or schedule systems help students
organize their days, understand sequence
and time concepts, and give them valuable
information.
Assist students in using
calendar/schedule systems to know:
• the sequence of daily activities;
• when special events will occur;
• when to bring things to school or take
things home;
• time sequence such as before, after,
tomorrow, yesterday, today.
Conventional E-3
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Graphing information is an excellent way
for students to collect and organize
information as well as to compare
information. Graphs can also reinforce
vocabulary words, if appropriate.
Assist students in completing various
surveys with classmates, other groups of
students, staff members, etc. Examples of
information that can be collected and
graphed include:
• favorite colors;
• favorite pets;
• number of boys, girls, men, women;
• months of birthdays;
• colors of eyes;
• food and/or beverage preference;
• weather and/or temperature;
• preference of Girl Scout cookies.
Information collected can be put on the
graph by using written words, stickers,
construction paper squares, etc. When the
graph is complete, assist students in
completing a written summary to display in
the classroom or hall.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Classroom rules
Classroom labels
Calendar/schedule systems
Materials for making graphs/charts
Picture symbols associated with text may
be used in each of the above activities.
Picture symbols may be used by students
who do not speak, and may also be used by
all students to assist with recall of
information.
Conventional E-3
T.E.K.S. (K.11) The student generates questions and conducts research about topics
introduced through selections read aloud and from a variety of other sources.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
4. The student will ask relevant questions and
use a variety of resources (with assistance)
to gather information.
1. Using a recipe for cooking activity, assist
students in identifying the ingredients
needed, the sequence of the preparation
steps, and who will be responsible for each
step. After reading the recipe as a group,
make a chart listing ingredients, a chart
listing the steps, and a chart with job
responsibilities. (See illustration below.)
Read the charts as the class prepares the
recipe.
Ingredients
Steps
Who
Milk 1 cup
2 eggs
….
…..
1. ….
2…..
3…..
4…..
Stir – John
Pour – Max
Grease--Sue
2. Using the weekly or monthly calendar kept
by the students, review each week or month
as it is completed. Have students generate
questions about the calendar for others to
answer. The teacher can model a question
such as, “On what day did our class go to
the library?” The student answers by
saying, “On Tuesday, March 13”. Once the
students understand the concept, they can
take turns asking questions for other
students to answer.
Conventional E-4
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
VARIATION: Keep a timeline around the room
showing a linear representation of the calendar
with actual photos of class activities. Question
students as described in Activity 2.
March
Monday
1
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Wednesday
3
Thursday
4
Adaptations:
•
Simple adapted recipes and cooking
supplies
Chart paper and markers
Word and picture symbols
Classroom calendar
Picture symbols for class activities and
months of the year
Tuesday
2
Use a speech output device with multiple
locations to allow students to answer/ask
questions related to each of the activities.
Conventional E-4
T.E.K.S. (1.15) The student generates and conducts research about topics using information
from a variety of sources including sections read aloud.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
5. Draw conclusions from
gathered, with assistance.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
information 1. Use the calendar at circle time to review
days of the week, words that describe
weather, and names of students. Using the
calendar, have a student point to and read
the current day. On the board write and
complete the statement, “Today is Friday.”
Read the completed statement with the
students.
Go through the same process for previous
day and the next day. Have the students
look at the calendar to identify when
specific events will happen (i.e. Judy’s
birthday, class trip, etc.).
2. In connection with holidays or other special
events and topics, assist students in
researching the topic, the symbols
associated with the holidays, the season, or
other important facts. Read a variety of
books to the students, but do not initially
show the pictures on each page to the
students. At the conclusion of each page,
leave out one important fact and ask the
students to draw a conclusion to fill in the
portion that is left out or to answer a
question.
For example, as a part of
learning about Christmas, read Shhh! (Julie
Sykes, Tim Warnes, 1996). One page of
this book tells about Santa falling on a
patch of ice and crashing to the ground.
After reading most of the page, ask students
to draw a conclusion as to what made Santa
fall.
Use literature regularly to help students
draw conclusions on a small, manageable
scale.
Conventional E-5
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Make a game using a bingo format for
students to listen to a clue and answer by
putting a marker on the appropriate answer.
Concepts that can be used include color
words, number words, names of students
and teachers, days of the week, and other
vocabulary words that have a common
focus. Student cards will have the words
that are the answers; teacher cards will have
the clues. An example of clues for colors
might include:
• I’m the color of your blood if you
scrape your knee. When you eat an
apple, its skin might look like me.
• I’m the color of the sun and bananas,
too. Lemons and daffodils are covered
with me, too.
• I am the color of grape juice. Plums
have my shading, too. When in art
class, mix red and blue to make my
color true.
Student cards would contain the color words to
answer the clues.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Classroom calendar
Storybooks
Word bingo games
•
Provide vocabulary words and/or picture
symbols placed on communication overlays
or an eye-gaze frame so that students who
do not speak can participate in activities.
Program vocabulary words into multilocation voice output devices.
Conventional E-5
T.E.K.S. (1.9) The student reads with fluency and understands in texts at appropriate difficulty levels.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
6. Self-select from a variety of texts based on 1. In an effort to create a print-rich
personal interests (e.g. magazines, books,
environment, create an “Authors Center” or
poems, etc.)
a “Reading Center”. Have a variety of
library books and student-made books in
the center. Provide time each day for
students to go to the center in small groups
or individually to either look at picture
books, to read a book or to ask an adult to
read to them.
2. If the school as a whole does not participate
in Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.),
establish a time for D.E.A.R. in the
classroom.
Provide comfortable areas
where students can go to read (beanbag
chairs, pillow buddies, carpet, etc.). Allow
students to read individually some days and
to have selections read aloud other days.
Provide a variety of forms of literature
(poems, student generated books, library
books, magazines).
If the school has a D.E.A.R. time set aside
daily, participate in that as part of the
classroom routine. Adopt the school’s
D.E.A.R. slogan. If the school does not
have a slogan and mascot for D.E.A.R., or
if the school does not set aside a D.E.A.R.
time, create a slogan and mascot as a
reference point for the students.
Conventional E-6
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Participate in as many activities as possible
to provide the students access to the printed
word and to encourage interest in books
and reading. Set up a regular time to go to
the school library each week. Ask the
librarian to share a story with the students.
Have each student check out a library book
to take to the reading enter in the classroom
or to take home.
As school wide opportunities arise,
actively participate in them. Encourage the
school as a whole to have an author’s day
where every student in the school shares a
book that he/she has written with an adult.
As part of this day, help with plans or
suggestions for local authors to share their
books with students.
Help set up, plan and prepare a reading
night for the campus, inviting parents to
come to school and read with their children.
Activities like the ones described above can
instill a love for literature in all student, can
help family establish an expectation for
their child, and can provide a way for
students to participate with their peers as a
member of the school community.
Conventional E-6
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
4. There are numerous books, stories and
articles available in electronic text format (i.e.
software, audio tapes, internet, etc.). Provide
opportunities for students to read and to listen
to stories and books using a variety of forms
of electronic texts. Some suggested software
resources include:
• Living Books (Broderbund);
• UkanDu Little Books (Don Johnston);
• Circletime Tales (Don Johnston);
• Multimedia Nursery Rhymes (Beachware).
Suggested software resources for making
your own electronic books include:
• IntelliPics Studio (IntelliTools);
• Build/Ability (Don Johnston);
• Power Point (Microsoft);
• Kid Pix (Broderbund).
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Age-appropriate books, magazines, poems
Student generated books
Electronic text such as audio tapes, internet
software, electronic books.
•
Authoring software such as IntelliPics and
BuildAbility may be used to create electronic
books accessed by mouse, alternate
keyboard, or switch.
A PowerLink (AbleNet) may be used with a
tape recorder for a student to listen to an
audio book by using a switch.
Conventional E-6
T.E.K.S. (2.6) The student reads with fluency and understands in texts at appropriate difficulty levels.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
7. Use adapted forms of literature
independently for increasing periods of
time.
1. Sources for adapted literature include
materials that are commercially available.
Some resources include:
•
Creative Communicating
o Story Time Books and Software
o RAPS (Reading Activities Projects
for Older Students)
•
Linda Burkhart
o Variety of books and software
•
Don Johnston, Inc.
o UkanDu Little Books
o Circle Time Tales
•
Mayer Johnson, Inc.
o Variety of symbol-aided books
o News-2-You (adapted newspaper)
•
Riverdeep Interactive Learning
o Edmark
o Let’s Go Read Series
o Stories and More Series
•
o
Conventional E-7
IntelliTools, Inc.
Balanced Literacy
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
2. Software can assist the classroom teacher in
creating digital books/stories. These books
and stories may contain graphics and
pictures, text and sound. Authoring tools
include:
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Variety of adapted literature
•
IntelliTools, Inc.
o IntelliPics Studio
•
Crick Software, Inc.
o Clicker 4
•
Don Johnston, Inc.
o BuildAbility
•
Broderbund
o KidPix
•
Microsoft Corp.
o PowerPoint
Adaptations:
•
•
See adapted literature suggestions above.
Software listed above can be accessed with
alternate keyboards, adapted mouse,
adapted switch, touch screen.
Conventional E-7
T.E.K.S. (2.9) The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend selections read aloud
and selections read independently.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
8. Make and explain important inferences in a
text, with assistance as needed.
NOTE: Inferences differ from conclusions in
that they rely on information that is expressed
indirectly, or suggested, rather than stated
plainly in the text. A good synonym for
“inference” is “to imply.”
1. Social stories may be used to help students
make an inference about situations they
encounter. Social stories assist students to
interpret and respond effectively to their
social world. Teachers/staff can write
social stories appropriate for a student of
group of students or use stories from
numerous
commercially
available
resources. For example, “sharing” is a
topic that is appropriate for a social story.
Sharing
I may try to share with people.
Sometimes people will share with me.
Sometimes if I share with someone, they
may be my friend.
Sharing with people makes them feel good.
Sharing with people makes me feel good.
2. Share classic children’s stories with
students. When students are familiar with
the story and have completed a variety of
activities associated with the stories, assist
them in recalling events in the stories and
making appropriate inferences. As an
example, read Goldilocks and the Three
Bears to the students. Help the students to
understand from the story that the bears
should have locked their house so that a
stranger could not wander in.
Conventional E-8
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
Assist students to make applications to
themselves, such as the importance of
locking the door when parents are not
home, always putting their supplies away
so that others cannot get into them, etc.
VARIATION: Assist students in making
inferences with stories where it is
appropriate to make an inference and after
they are familiar with the stories.
3.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Regularly (at least daily) read aloud to
students. After students have become
familiar with the story and the characters
in the story, assist them in drawing
inferences about the characters and display
those inferences on a chart. The Arthur
series provides an example. As a book
from the series is read to students, assist
them in listing each character on a chart.
Once the book is completed and characters
are listed in one column, have students list
a one-word character trait (lonely, kind,
unfriendly, etc.) associated with each
character and what helped them to make
the inference (how the character shows the
trait).
Adaptations:
•
Social Skills Stories (Johnson, 1995)
More Social Skills Stories (Johnson, 1998)
The New Social Story Book (Gray 1994, 2000)
Classic children’s literature books
Chart paper/poster board
•
Supplement written text with picture
symbols to increase comprehension.
Writing with Symbols 2000 (MayerJohnson) is a software program that
produces picture symbols as words are
typed.
Short social stories may be programmed
into voice output devices.
Conventional E-8
T.E.K.S. (2.5) The student uses a variety of word identification strategies.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
1. The student will decode simple words using Decoding
skills
for
students
with
letter-sound knowledge.
developmental delays may appear very
different from decoding skills for typical
learners. For these students the goal may be to
discriminate between words that have subtle
differences, such as “cup” and “cut.” Rather
than breaking the word down sound by sound,
these students may focus only on beginning and
ending sounds.
Learning to decode may
encompass the total experience of the word and
what the word represents. To decode “cut” will
mean discriminating “cut” from “cup” by sight
and through the experience of what it means to
“cut” whenever the word is used.
1.
Make a self-correcting word wheel to
reinforce words from specific word
families. To make the word wheel cut two
circles, one slightly smaller than the other,
with the larger wheel being approximately
8 inches in diameter. Divide both wheels
into sections by drawing lines across the
diameter of each wheel. On the larger
wheel put the initial consonant for each
word at the center and a picture toward the
edge. On the smaller wheel cut out a small
window in one section at the center. Write
the end of the word (-an, -at, -ig, etc.)
toward the edge. Cut a larger window
(attached on one side to make a flap) on
the opposite side. Attach the smaller
wheel to the top of the larger wheel with a
brad so that the top wheel can turn.
To use the wheel the student will move the
top wheel so that the consonant lines up
with the ending. After reading the word,
the student checks for correctness by lifting
the flap to see the picture.
Conventional M-1
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
2. Introduce Prest-O, Change-O to the class.
Write a three-letter word on the board and
read it aloud. Explain that you, as the
teacher, are magic and can make the word
disappear and another word appear. To do
so, erase one letter. With great fanfare,
replace it with another letter to make a new
word, and read the word aloud. Invite
students to take turns making a word
disappear and another word appear in its
place.
Repeat this activity several times to allow
students to understand and practice the
activity.
3.
Refer to Conventional Reading/Print
Awareness E-1, Activity 4 and 5.
4.
Reinforce word families by allowing
students to play Word Family Lotto. Give
each student a lotto card with a different
word family, such
as the -at family,
the -an
family, etc.
Provide a
corresponding deck with pictures.
Students take turns drawing a card from
the deck, identifying the picture and
locating the word. If the student does not
have the word on his/her card, it is
returned to the deck and the next student
draws a card from the deck.
NOTE: Rules may be adapted to the
group playing.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
OverlayMaker and IntelliKeys may be
used to make overlay for making words in
the “Presto-O, Change-O” activity.
• An All-Turn-It Spinner (AbleNet) may be
used to adapt the word wheel activity. The
word family or rime can be written on the
small overlay and the initial sound or onset
can be written on the large, outer overlay.
After spinning, the student points or gazes
to the picture representing the word.
Conventional M-1
Crossword puzzles with word families
Simon Sounds It Out software (Don Johnston)
Word wheels
Word family lotto
T.E.K.S. (K.7) The student develops an extensive vocabulary.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
2.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
The student will learn new vocabulary 1. The teacher should select a new theme or
words through selections read aloud.
unit to focus on (e.g. China, Christmas,
eating out, etc.). The new unit can be
initially presented to students by reading a
variety of short stories from books,
magazines, newspapers or the internet
which relate to the unit. The teacher
identifies a brief list of new vocabulary
words found in the reading selections. New
vocabulary words maybe listed on
individual flashcards or on a poster board
along with associated picture symbols in
order to facilitate discussion.
2. Using vocabulary that is currently used
with the word wall in Reading/Print
Awareness M-24, develop an experience
story around a theme, such as cooking
lunch. Add five new words that will be
used when cooking lunch: lunch, spaghetti,
lettuce, cashier, green.
After cooking
lunch, write a short story illustrated with
photos of the students. The story might
say: (Pg1) We cooked lunch today. (Pg2)
We had to buy groceries at the grocery
store on Tuesday. (Pg3) Jim bought green
lettuce. (Pg4) Jane bought three tomatoes.
(Pg6)
(Pg5) Bryon bought spaghetti.
Alonzo carried the money to pay the
cashier. (Pg7) Lunch was very good! After
the pages are written and laminated, they
can be bound together to make a book for
the classroom library.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Short stories from books, newspapers,
magazines, etc.
Flashcards
Poster board
Picture symbols
Adaptations:
•
An All-Turn-It Spinner (AbleNet) may be
used to allow students with physical
disabilities to select vocabulary words.
Conventional M-2
T.E.KS. (1.10) The student reads widely for different purposes in varied sources.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
3. The student will use graphs, charts, signs,
and captions to acquire information.
1. Graphing information is an excellent way
for students to collect and organize
information, as well as to compare
information. Graphs can be also used to
reinforce vocabulary words as information
is collected and summarized.
Assist students in collecting and graphing a
variety of information. Some ideas of
information to graph might include:
• amounts of money or number of items
sold during various fundraising
projects;
• scores of football or basketball games;
• preference of movies, CD’s, movie
stars, vocal artists or bands;
• job preference;
• favorite foods or beverages;
• favorite stores for purchasing clothing
or cosmetics;
Assist students in summarizing information
from the graph and drawing conclusions
from the information that has been
collected.
2.
By the time students at the conventional
literacy level are in Middle School/Junior
High, they should be moving toward using
calendar or personal schedule systems
which focus primarily on text, rather than
on pictures.
Conventional M-3
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
Calendar or personal schedule systems help
students organize their lives, understand
sequence and time concepts, and give them
valuable information. Assist students in
using calendar/schedule systems to know:
• the sequence of daily, weekly, monthly
activities;
• when special events will occur;
• when to bring items to school or take
items home;
• about time sequence vocabulary such
as before, after, today, tomorrow,
yesterday, next, first, last.
3.
Choose the classroom or a portion of the
classroom for this activity. Draw a simple
map of the area that has been selected.
Label locations on the map and have
students use the map to complete an
activity. For example, if a small group of
students is baking brownies for a mix,
make a map of the kitchen area in the
classroom. Depending on the skill level of
the students, one map may have all
locations labeled on it or separate maps
can be copied and labeled with only one
location. If using several copies of the
map, label the location of the brownie mix
and have one student use the map to locate
the brownie mix. Label another copy of
the map with the location of the eggs and
have one student use the map to find the
eggs. On another copy of the map label
the location of the vegetable oil and have a
student get it.
Continue until all
ingredients and utensils have been brought
to the area where the brownie mix will be
prepared.
Conventional M-3
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
This is a skill that can be adapted to many
locations for a variety of activities. For
students to learn to successfully use maps,
it will be necessary for them to practice
regularly throughout the year.
4.
While visiting an ice cream store on
Community Based Instruction or after
purchasing a variety of flavors of ice
cream at the grocery store while on
Community Based Instruction, students
sample various flavors of ice cream that
are listed on a chart. After tasting one
flavor of ice cream, student takes a drink
of water and gets a clean (disposable)
spoon. After the final flavor is taste, the
student tapes a clean spoon next to his/her
favorite flavor.
Students use the
information from the pictograph to
determine the most popular and the least
popular flavor of ice cream. Use the graph
to solve simple addition and subtraction
word problems, as appropriate.
Variation: Create similar graphs when
tasting fruits or vegetables, smelling
flavored lotion, using soap with a
fragrance, trying out perfume samples, etc.
Students can mark their favorite choice
with an appropriate symbol.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Materials for making charts, maps, graphs
Calendar/personal schedule systems
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist
•
Personal schedule systems may be
presented in a variety of formats, such as
on tag board with holes punched for 3-ring
binders, wallets, on a large ring, on
folders, etc.
Picture symbols may be added to assist
with recall and understanding as needed.
Conventional M-3
T.E.K.S. (K.11) The student generates questions and conducts research about topics
introduced through selections read aloud and from a variety of other sources.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
4. The student will ask relevant questions and
use a variety of resources (with assistance)
to gather information.
1. To develop problem solving skills, use
books that present situations or discuss dayto-day opportunities that require gathering
information. Organize information as it is
collected in a K-W-L chart.
K
What Do You
Know?
W
What You Want
to Know? Who
Can Help?
L
What You Learn.
Guide students to ask relevant questions to
gain needed information.
After all
information has been gathered and put on
the chart, help students to draw conclusions
as to what they have learned and what
should be done. Two resources are What
Would You Do (Schwartz, 1990) and What
Do You Think (Schwartz, 1993).
2. An ongoing activity to reinforce gathering
information and asking relevant questions
may involve selecting and reading aloud to
the group a series of easy chapter books
that are appropriate for young adolescents.
As each chapter is read, guide the students
to answer questions such as who was the
chapter about, what happened, and what
will happen next. Post this in chart form
for each chapter of the book.
On
subsequent days, refer to the chart to
review information gathered and the
prediction made.
Suggestions for
appropriate easy chapter series include:
• Thoroughbred series (Cambell)
• Little House series (Wilder)
Conventional M-4
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
•
•
•
•
•
•
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Problem solving books
Easy chapter books
K-W-L charts
The Boxcar Children (Warner)
Clue Jr. series (Scholastic Books)
The Secrets of Droon (Scholastic
Books)
Hank the Cowdog (Erickson)
Encyclopedia Brown (Sobol)
Goosebumps (Stine)
•
Program a multi-location voice output
device with K-W-L questions to gather
information for activity 1.
Picture symbols may be paired with ideas
written to answer K-W-L questions.
Conventional M-4
T.E.K.S. (1.15) The student generates and conducts research about topics using information from
a variety of sources including selections read aloud.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
5. The student will draw conclusions from 1. Refer to Reading/Print Awareness E-3.
Use the bingo game to reinforce vocabulary
information gathered, with assistance.
words such as foods, store names, time
words, months, holidays, money words, and
signs that are seen in the community.
Student cards have the word; teacher cards
have the clue. An example of holiday clues
for teacher cards might include:
• February fourteenth is my day to shine.
You send cards to your sweetheart and
ask, “Will you be mine?”
• Trees are dressed up with lights galore.
See a fat little man with presents
galore.
• To honor our past presidents we have a
day each year. Both Washington and
Lincoln we raise our voices to cheer.
Student cards would have the names of the
holidays, including Valentine’s Day,
President’s Day and Christmas.
2. To reinforce the concepts of “fantasy” (or
make believe) and “reality” (or what is
real), read a variety of books to students
over a length of time. Ask students to
recall the events and the characters in the
book and decide whether or not they are
real or make believe. Provide an area in the
classroom, such as a bulletin board, to
display the words “Fantasy” and “Reality.”
If using the book as a whole, have students
place a small copy of the book cover on the
appropriate section of the area provided. If
using characters in a book, add the picture
of the character to the title of the book.
Place characters in the appropriate space.
Conventional M-5
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Assist students in collecting information
about the weather and understanding the
upcoming forecast.
One internet site that is easy to use and has
many
learning
activities
is:
This site features a
www.wxdude.com.
person know as “The Weather Dude.” The
“Weather Dude” site has songs using
weather terms, weather games, forecasts,
etc.
Another easy-to-use site is the
“Schoolday
Forecast”
at
www.weather.com/activities/homeand
garden/schoolday/?from=footer
4. Sort a variety of coupons by category
(food, personal care, cleaning products,
etc.). Assist students in reading expiration
dates in order to determine which coupons
can still be used and which coupons have
expired. Maintaining the coupon file may
be used as an ongoing activity in order to
use the coupons while shopping on
Community Based Instruction.
5. Students compare different versions of a
familiar story, such as “The Three Little
Pigs.” Read several versions of the story to
the students over a period of several days.
Provide students with a story-mapping
format to assist in gathering information
and drawing conclusions.
Conventional M-5
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
Start the project by reading the standard
version of the story to students. (It may be
necessary to read each version several
times to gather information.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Story Map 1
Who is in the story?
Where does the story take place?
When does the story take place?
What is the problem?
What happened first…next?
How was the problem solved?
Story Map 2
Title of the story:
Main characters:
Other characters:
Setting-time and place:
Problem or problems:
Resolving the problem—
Beginning:
Middle:
End:
Students map each version of the story and
talk about the implications of character,
setting and plot in each version. Questions
that may assist students to draw
conclusions include:
• Why do you think there are so
many versions of the story?
• Which parts of the story vary?
• Why do they vary?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conventional M-5
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
•
•
Do you like the way this version
ends?
Do you have other ideas for the
ending of this version?
VARIATIONS:
• Students write another version of the
story.
• Students dramatize each version by
using puppets.
• Students vote on favorite versions and
graph results.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Shopping coupons and file
Internet weather sites
Word bingo games
A variety of age appropriate factual and •
fiction books
Xerox copy of book covers
Bulletin boards
•
Provide vocabulary words and/or picture
symbols on communication overlays or an
eye-gaze frame so that students who are
non-verbal may participate in activities.
Program voice output devices with
vocabulary messages needed to participate
in activities.
To access the computer and internet sites,
use an adapted mouse, touch screen, or
IntelliKeys.
Conventional M-5
T.E.K.S. (1.9) The student reads with fluency and understanding in texts at appropriate difficulty levels.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
6. The student will self-select from a variety 1. If the school participates in
Drop
of texts based on personal interests (e.g.
Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) as a
magazines, books, poems, etc.).
campus, or if D.E.A.R. is set up only in the
classroom, set aside time every day for
students to choose literature to have read
aloud to them either as a small group or
individually. Move away from storybooks
for young children to simple chapter books
for young adolescents. Several series that
target young adolescents are Hank the
Cowdog series, the Boxcar Kids series,
Babysitters Club series, Goosebumps
series, or any other series that targets sports
heroes, or other topics of interest to the
individual student. Once the student or
small group of students has chosen a book,
read one chapter per day. Take time to ask
questions while reading to check for
comprehension. Review each day the
information that was read the previous day.
2. Plan a time each week for students to go to
the school library to check out books, to
download News-2-You, to look at current
magazines and newspapers.
Plan Community Based Instruction to the
community library on a regular basis.
Assist students to become familiar with the
resources provided by the community
library. Help each student obtain a library
card so that books, tapes, recordings, etc.
can be checked out. Explain to students
how they may get assistance when it is
needed.
Conventional M-6
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
Help them to locate the librarian as
questions arise to ask for assistance
appropriately.
In the classroom provide a variety of
current magazines for the students and
place them in an area set aside for reading
appreciation and enjoyment.
Provide
magazines that target teenagers, sports
magazines, car magazines, etc. As students
look at the magazines, offer to read an
article to them and to discuss the pictures in
the magazine.
3. Books and stories in electronic text format
can be an excellent resource for students to
self-select reading material.
Provide
opportunities for students to read and listen
to stories and books presented through this
format. Some resources for digital books
include:
• Selected titles from Start-to-Finish
series (Don Johnston)
• Edmark Reading Program (Riverdeep)
Resources for making your own digital
books include:
• BuildAbility (Don Johnston)
• IntelliPics Studio (IntelliTools)
• Clicker 4 (Crick Software)
• PowerPoint (Microsoft)
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Library resources
Digital books (software)
Age appropriate chapter books
Periodicals
News-2-You (Clark, 1997)
Adaptations:
• A PowerLink (AbleNet) may be used to
allow a student to use a switch to operate a
tape recorder for listening to an audio book.
• Digital books may be accessed on the
computer by using an adapted mouse, touch
screen, alternate keyboard, switch, etc.
Conventional M-6
T.E.K.S. (2.6) The student reads with fluency and understands in texts at appropriate difficulty levels.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
7. The student will use adapted forms of 2. Sources for adapted literature include
literature independently for increasing
materials that are commercially available.
periods of time.
Some resources include:
•
Creative Communicating
o Story Time Books and Software
o RAPS (Reading Activities Projects
for Older Students)
•
Linda Burkhart
o Variety of books and software
•
Don Johnston, Inc.
o UkanDu Little Books
o Circle Time Tales
•
Mayer Johnson, Inc.
o Variety of symbol-aided books
o News-2-You (adapted newspaper)
•
Riverdeep Interactive Learning
o Edmark
o Let’s Go Read Series
o Stories and More Series
•
o
Conventional M-7
IntelliTools, Inc.
Balanced Literacy
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Software can assist the classroom teacher in
creating digital books/stories. These books
and stories may contain graphics and
pictures, text and sound. Authoring tools
include:
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Variety of adapted literature
•
IntelliTools, Inc.
o IntelliPics Studio
•
Crick Software, Inc.
o Clicker 4
•
Don Johnston, Inc.
o BuildAbility
•
Broderbund
o KidPix
•
Microsoft Corp.
o PowerPoint
Adaptations:
•
•
See adapted literature suggestions above.
Software listed above can be accessed with
alternate keyboards, adapted mouse,
adapted switch, touch screen.
Conventional M-7
T.E.K.S. (2.9) The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend selections read aloud
and selections read independently.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
8. Make and explain important inferences in a
text, with assistance as needed.
NOTE: Inferences differ from conclusions
because they rely on information that is
expressed indirectly, or suggested, rather than
stated plainly in the text. A good synonym for
“inference” is “to imply.”
1. Social stories may be used to help
students make inferences about
situations they encounter.
Social
stories assist students to interpret and
respond effectively to their social
world. You can write your own social
stories or use stories from the numerous
commercially available resources. An
example of a simple social story is one
about sharing.
Sharing
I may try to share with people.
Sometimes people will share with me.
Sometimes if I share with someone, they
may be my friend.
Sharing with people makes them feel good.
Sharing with people makes me feel good.
2. Read chapter books to students, reading
at least one chapter per day. (Chapter
books appropriate for this age include:
Boxcar Kids, Babysitter’s Club, Hank
the Cowdog, etc.). At the end of each
chapter have students make or add to a
list of characters posted on a chart.
Beside each character’s name have
students list a one-word trait exhibited
by the character (lonely, kind,
unfriendly, etc.) and what led them to
make the inference (how the character
shows the trait in the story).
Conventional M-8
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
An example of this activity is reading
Charlotte’s Web to the students. Post a
chart and label it with the title of the book.
Have students assist with identifying the
main characters by name and using
information in the story to make an
inference about each character.
Charlotte’s Web
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Character
Trait
Wilbur
Lonely
Charlotte
Kind
Templeton
Unfriendly
How character
shows the trait
•
Complains
about having no
friends
•
Cries
•
Offers to
be Wilbur’s
friend
•
Tries to
save him
•
Refuses to
play with
Wilbur
•
Only
thinks about
himself
Adaptations:
•
Social Skills Stories (Johnson, 1995)
More Social Skills Stories (Johnson, 1998)
The New Social Story Book (Gray, 1994, 2000)
Age-appropriate classic literature books
Chart paper/poster board
•
Supplement written text with picture
symbols to increase comprehension.
Writing with Symbols 2000 (MayerJohnson) is a software program that
produces picture symbols as words are
typed.
Short social stories may be programmed
into voice output devices.
Conventional M-8
T.E.K.S. (2.5) The student uses a variety of word identification strategies.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
1. The student will decode simple words using Decoding
skills
for
students
with
letter-sound knowledge.
developmental delays may appear very
different from decoding skills for typical
learners. For these students the goal may be to
discriminate between words that have subtle
differences, such as “cup” and “cut.” Rather
than breaking the word down sound by sound,
these students may focus only on beginning and
ending sounds.
Learning to decode may
encompass the total experience of the word and
what the word represents. To decode “cut” will
mean discriminating “cut” from “cup” by sight
and through the experience of what it means to
“cut” whenever the word is used.
1. Refer to activities listed at Reading/Print
Awareness E-1 and M-1.
2. Reinforce decoding skills by allowing
students to play “Word Family Bingo.”
Each player has a card with words from a
specific word family, such as the -an
family, the -ug family, etc. Caller cards
have pictures from the word families. The
caller names the picture that he has chosen;
the players check their cards and mark the
words as they are called.
VARIATIONS: a) Caller cards have words
instead of pictures. The caller reads the
word that is chosen; the players mark the
corresponding word on their cards. b)
Instead of player cards having only one
word family per card, each player card has
a mixture of words from the word families.
(Other words may be added as decoding
skills increase.) As the caller chooses a
picture (or a word), the player marks the
corresponding word on his/her card.
Conventional H-1
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Assuming that a foundation of decoding
skills has been provided at Elementary and
Middle School/Junior High, encourage
students to apply these skills as they
encounter familiar and new words in
community locations, job sites, and home.
Decoding skills can be applied to shopping
lists, recipes, instructions, cleaning
supplies, etc.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Word family bingo game
Picture symbols
•
An All-Turn-It Spinner (AbleNet) may be
used to allow a student with a physical
disability to be the “caller” for the bingo
game.
A picture symbol display maybe used by a
student who is non-verbal to indicate which
space on the bingo card to cover.
Conventional H-1
T.E.K.S. (K.7) The student develops an extensive vocabulary.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
2. The student will learn new vocabulary
words through selections read aloud.
1. Have students download News-2-You (an
on-line adapted newspaper) each week. In
small groups read the newspaper articles
together and discuss any vocabulary that
may be unfamiliar to the students. Allow
students to complete comprehension pages
of the newspaper to reinforce vocabulary or
concepts that have been discussed during
the week.
To further reinforce new vocabulary, add
words to the class word wall, individual
word books or a class dictionary made by
the students.
VARIATION: Allow students to select and
use articles from the local newspaper for
the above activity.
2. Encourage students to select a chapter book
to be read to small groups or to the class.
As unfamiliar words are encountered,
discuss them and the concept represented
by the word. Add words to the class word
wall or dictionary.
3. Ask Jeeves Kids (www.ajkids.com) is a
website that has a variety of resource
activities. Demonstrate how to use the
student dictionary section of the website.
Help students enter an unfamiliar
vocabulary word into the text box and click
on the “Find” button. Read and discuss the
definition of the word.
Conventional H-2
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
Other sections of the student dictionary to
explore with students include the “Daily
Buzzword” and the “Verse Composer”.
The “Daily Buzzword” can be added to the
daily calendar that is kept by the students.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
News-2-You (www.new-2-you.com)
Ask Jeeves Kids (www.ajkids.com)
Students may access web sites using a
touch screen or IntelliKeys (IntelliTools).
The IntelliKeys will also provide a way to
enter text when navigating web sites.
Conventional H-2
T.E.K.S. (1.10) The student reads widely for different purposes in varied sources.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
3. The student will use graphs, charts, signs,
and captions to acquire information.
1. Refer to Reading/Print Awareness M-3
Activity 3 for the process of developing
basic map skills in a small area.
As students move into community and job
sites, using a map becomes a very
important skill that should be practiced
regularly in a variety of locations, such as a
grocery store, the mall, the public library,
the post office, a large discount store, etc.
It will be imperative for the teacher to visit
the location before taking students in order
to map the store, know where specific items
are located, and to inform the management
of the activity and purpose of activities
planned for students.
The grocery store provides an excellent
opportunity for using a map. Prepare
copies of the store map so that each student
has a map. Put specific items such as
vegetables, fruit, meat, various canned
goods, dairy items, frozen foods, health and
beauty products and seasonal items on the
map. Ask individual students to use the
map to locate a specific item. If desired,
the student can carry a checklist to note the
aisle number where the item is located.
This process can be applied to a variety of
locations with the goal being to
successfully use of the map rather than the
skill of purchasing items.
Conventional H-3
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
2. Assist students in using a personal calendar
or day planner to acquire information about
upcoming events, as well as plan their
schedule.
If students are not familiar with using
calendar/schedule systems, refer to Activity
2 in Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
E-3 and M-3.
Students should learn to use calendars to
recognize and plan for events such as:
• which days are school/work days;
• when special events will occur;
• when someone is coming/going;
• appointments such as doctor, haircut;
• when to bring things to school/work;
• when to pay for items/services;
• shopping for special events such as
family birthdays;
• when daily responsibilities are due.
Teach students how to write in information
(or symbolize information) to help them
remember
responsibilities/assignments.
Teach students a daily routine for checking
their calendars to access information. It is
popular in the business world to carry some
type of daily planner. Teach students to use
some type of planning system.
Conventional H-3
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
3. Assist students to use a schedule for public
transportation as they go out on
Community Basic Instruction and to work
sites. Visit the main public transportation
office to get a bus schedule, obtain
information about fares and routes, and to
ask about discounts.
As students set up their daily (or weekly)
calendars, assist them in using the bus
schedule to identify the location where they
are going, the bus that goes to that location,
the time to catch the bus, the place to catch
the bus, and what transfers, if any, are
required to get to the location.
After students have used the bus schedule
to plan the route to a specific location,
assist them in the same type of planning to
get back to school. Regular practice,
moving from assistance to partial
independence, is essential for student
success.
4. As students perform jobs at school and at a
job site away from the campus, assist them
in setting up a routine of tasks to be done to
complete the job, being sure to note any
change in the job from day to day. By
setting up a routine (either written or using
picture cues), the student can be
independent in completing the job.
Conventional H-3
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
If the student’s job requires specific
supplies to complete the job, such as
cleaning supplies, tools, equipment, have
the student set up a checklist or other
system to ensure that he/she has supplies
for completing the job successfully. Care
should be taken to provide a way, either by
the student writing or using picture prompt
cards, for the student to indicate when more
of a specific item is needed.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist
Variety of simple maps
Variety of simple daily planners
Transportation schedules
Job lists
A Talking Mini Memo from Royal
National
Institute
for
the
Blind
(www.rnib.org.uk/), or a Hip Talk
Communicator (Enabling Devices) may be
used for speech output in order to “remind”
students about an activity sequence, needed
supplies, or schedule.
Conventional H-3
T.E.K.S. (K.11) The student generates questions and conducts research about topics
introduced through selections read aloud and from a variety of other sources.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
4. The student will ask relevant questions and
use a variety of resources (with assistance)
to gather information.
1. Assist students with reading the articles
Discuss
each week in News-2-You.
unfamiliar topics and new vocabulary in
the issue. Encourage students to ask
questions related to what has been read and
discussed. Assist students in completing
the issue’s quiz pages in order to reinforce
newly learned information.
2. There are several “kid-friendly” internet
sites where students can ask simple
questions and search for answers or
additional information. Some suggested
sites are:
www.ajkids.com
www.yahooligans.com
www.yahooligans.com/content/ask_earl/
www.sikids.com
www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
3. As students prepare to interview someone
who has knowledge of a special topic (see
Activity 4), assist them in preparing a
formal invitation or request for an
interview. On the request, let the person
know that the students would like to set up
an interview. Propose a specific date and
time, a place to interview the person and a
place for the person to respond (RSVP).
Include a photograph of the group who
wants to interview the person.
Conventional H-4
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
4. One way to gather information about a
topic is by interviewing people in the
community who have knowledge about a
topic of interest.
Assist students in
contacting the individual and making an
appointment for the person to come to the
class or for the class to meet with the
person at a place of employment, etc.
Before the interview assist students in
developing with a list of questions. Have
each student choose a question to ask.
Supply picture prompts/written prompts, as
needed. Ask the person being interviewed
to pose for a photograph. Take any
additional photographs that will assist with
the project.
After the interview is completed, have
students summarize information gathered
as a group. On the summary include the
photograph of the person and information
such as:
• the person’s name;
• the person’s occupation;
• if the person likes his/her job;
• the person’s hobbies;
• where the person lives;
• how many people are in the person’s
family;
• what one wish the person would like to
have come true.
Conventional H-4
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
5. Assist students gather information by using
the Yellow Pages from a telephone
directory.
Students may look for
information about specific topics such as:
• contact information for doctors;
• information about restaurants;
• beauty salons/barber shops.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Question/answer sheet for interviews
Internet sites
News-2-You book (Clark, 1996)
Telephone directory
News-2-You internet
www.news-2-you.com
•
•
Students may use an adapted mouse or
IntelliKeys for accessing internet sites on
the computer.
Attach large paperclips, clothes pins, or
page fluffers to telephone directory pages
to assist with turning the pages.
A sequencing voice output device may be
used to ask questions during interview
activity.
Conventional H-4
T.E.K.S. (1.15) The student generates questions and conducts research about topics using information from
a variety of sources including selections read aloud.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
5. The student will draw conclusions from 1. Allow students to select a chapter book for
information gathered, with assistance.
an adult to read to them. At the end of each
chapter, have students complete a simple
page as a group on chart paper to
summarize the chapter. Have students
answer questions such as:
• the chapter number and name;
• what the chapter was about;
• what happened in the chapter;
• who were the characters in the chapter.
At the conclusion of the book, summarize
the book as a group in the same way:
• the name of the book;
• the author;
• what the book was about;
• was the book a good one (a great
survey to include);
• where the class got the book.
With the book summary include a
duplicated picture of the cover of the book.
This process can evolve into a book of
book reviews that is kept in the class
library, into a book report or into a bulletin
board.
2. As students discuss current movies and
videos, as students go to a movie on
Community Based Instruction, or as
students rent movies, assist the group in
completing a review of the movie. With
the students discuss the movie. Answer
questions as a group such as:
• the movie byline;
• the title of the movie;
Conventional H-5
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
•
•
•
•
•
•
what the movie was about;
who was in the movie;
was the movie good, great, boring or
bad;
would you recommend the movie to a
friend;
where you saw the movie;
if it was a video or DVD, where did
you get it.
Be sure to include a duplicated picture of
the movie cover or a character in the movie.
Information collected from these reviews
can become a book to keep in the class
library or a bulletin board posted to share
the information with other students.
VARIATION: Review restaurants in the
same way, answering questions relevant to
eating at the restaurant.
3. Refer to Activity 3 in Conventional
Reading/Print Awareness M-5.
• The “Weather Dude”
www.wxdude.com
• Schoolday Forecast
www.weather.com/activities/home
andgarden/schoolday/?from=footer
Conventional H-5
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
4. Encourage students to use the local
newspaper as a resource for information.
Times that might be appropriate for
students to use the newspaper would
include:
• using advertisements from local
grocery stores to look for items on sale
and compare prices at stores for the
lowest price;
• information about apartments (what
specific apartments offer, cost of the
apartment, etc.) in order to compare
features and costs;
• locating information about movies and
comparing cost of movies at various
locations and cost at various times of
the day.
Help students generalize the concept of
using the newspaper not just to gather
information, but also to draw conclusions
by comparing the information.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Simple age-appropriate chapter books
Review sheets for books, movies, restaurants
Weather forecasting internet sites
News-2-You book (Clarke, 1996)
Newspaper advertisements
•
•
Review sheets may be created using
OverlayMaker
and
IntelliKeys
(IntelliTools).
To access the computer and internet sites,
use an adapted mouse, touch screen, or
IntelliKeys.
Program voice output devices using
messages which ask questions about
information found in newspaper ads (i.e.,
“How much is it?”, “Which is cheaper?”,
etc.)
Conventional H-5
T.E.K.S. (1.9) The student reads with fluency and understanding in texts at appropriate difficulty levels.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
6. The student will self-select from a variety 1. Refer to Reading/Print Awareness M-6, all
of texts based on personal interests (e.g.,
activities.
magazines, books, poems, etc.).
2. Extend Community Based Instruction to
stores that sell literature and/or magazines.
Assist students to locate the topic of
interest, browse through the books or
magazines, determine the cost of specific
books or magazines, and make a purchase,
if appropriate. Assist students in locating
audio books, browsing through titles and
making a purchase for classroom use. As
students need assistance or have questions,
help them to locate a store clerk and either
make a request or ask for assistance
appropriately.
Adaptations:
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
•
Library resources
Digital books (software)
High interest/low vocabulary chapter books
Periodicals
News-2-You internet
www.news-2-you.com
Program voice output devices with
messages which can be used to ask for
assistance, to make comments, etc.
Conventional H-6
T.E.K.S. (2.6) The student reads with fluency and understands in texts at appropriate difficulty levels.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
8. The student will use adapted forms of 3. Sources for adapted literature include
literature independently for increasing
materials that are commercially available.
periods of time.
Some resources include:
•
Creative Communicating
o Story Time Books and Software
o RAPS (Reading Activities Projects
for Older Students)
•
Linda Burkhart
o Variety of books and software
•
Don Johnston, Inc.
o UkanDu Little Books
o Circle Time Tales
•
Mayer Johnson, Inc.
o Variety of symbol-aided books
o News-2-You (adapted newspaper)
•
Riverdeep Interactive Learning
o Edmark
o Let’s Go Read Series
o Stories and More Series
•
o
Conventional H-7
IntelliTools, Inc.
Balanced Literacy
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
4. Software can assist the classroom teacher in
creating digital books/stories. These books
and stories may contain graphics and
pictures, text and sound. Authoring tools
include:
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Variety of adapted literature
•
IntelliTools, Inc.
o IntelliPics Studio
•
Crick Software, Inc.
o Clicker 4
•
Don Johnston, Inc.
o BuildAbility
•
Broderbund
o KidPix
•
Microsoft Corp.
o PowerPoint
Adaptations:
•
•
See adapted literature suggested above.
Software listed above can be accessed with
alternate keyboards, adapted mouse,
adapted switch, touch screen.
Conventional H-7
T.E.K.S. (2.9) The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend selections read aloud and selections
read independently.
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
8. The student will make and explain NOTE: Inferences differ from conclusions
important inferences in a text, with because they rely on information that is
assistance as needed.
expressed indirectly, or suggested, rather than
stated plainly in the text. A good synonym for
“inference” is “to imply.”
1. Social stories may be used to help students
make inferences about situations they
encounter. Social stories assist students to
interpret and to respond effectively to their
social world. Write your own social stories
or use stories from the numerous
commercially available resources.
A
simple social story about complying with a
request is given as an example:
Complying with a Request.
______asks me to help.
I listen.
I say, “Okay!”
I help.
______is happy with me.
I am happy when I help.
2. Assist students in investigating various
occupations and is dividing them into
categories, such as restaurants and food
service,
trades
and
manufacturing,
janitorial, office and clerical, child care,
etc. In small groups set up opportunities
for students to visit job sites to observe
employees in various capacities, as
appropriate. Provide time for students to
ask questions that have been prepared and
Conventional H-8
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
practiced ahead of time. Document each
visit to a job site with photographs and
descriptions of jobs observed. After all
identified job sites have been visited and
photos have been labeled with an appropriate
description, place photographs in the
appropriate category and display in chart
form. On the chart list the job site and job
that would be appropriate for consideration.
Job Category
Job Location
Office/Clerical
Mangrove
Library
Appropriate
Job
•
•
Childcare
Mother’s Love
Care Center
•
•
•
Shelve
books
Collect
books from
return bin
Snack
preparation
Laundry
Assist with
babies
Assist each student to identify one job of
interest to the individual. Have the student
identify qualifications required for the job
that he/she has chosen and give examples of
ways he/she meets the job requirements.
Conventional H-8
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
One example of ways an individual can
meet the requirements of a job might look
like Samuel’s:
• I want to work in food service.
• I would like to work at McDonald’s.
• I want to clean tables.
• I need to be organized. I need to wait
for people to finish eating.
• I can be a good employee at
McDonald’s because:
o I can use my picture cards to
complete a job.
o I do a good job of cleaning tables.
o I like people.
o I have a big smile.
3. Product advertisements may be used to
teach students about the power of
suggestion. Assist students in reading,
understanding, and comparing information
presented in advertisements. Discuss the
concepts of fact and opinion and how these
terms relate to a company’s claims about
their product. When using advertisements,
students need to be able to make inferences
such as:
• Is it appropriate for me?
• Do I need it?
• Do I have enough money to pay for it?
Students also need to learn to ask another
person about their opinion of the product.
Conventional H-8
Area: Conventional Reading/Print Awareness
OBJECTIVE
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
(Continued)
4. As students learn to use public
transportation, assist them in making
inferences that will help with their success.
Once a student has identified the location
where they are going, inferences to be
drawn include:
• route that goes to the specific location;
• closest place where the student can
catch the bus (or other form of public
transportation);
• if it will be necessary to make a transfer
to get to the location;
• if the student has enough money for the
fare;
• how much time the student will need to
allow to get to the location, if time is a
factor;
• how long it will take to get to the
location where the student will catch
the bus (or other means of
transportation).
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Adaptations:
•
Social Skills Stories (Johnson, 1995)
More Social Skills Stories (Johnson, 1998)
The New Social Skills Stories book (Gray,
1994)
Product advertisements
Photographs of job sites
Poster board
Transportation schedules
•
Supplement written text with picture
symbols to increase comprehension. Writing
with Symbols 2000(Mayer-Johnson) is a
software program that produces picture
symbols as words are typed.
Program voice output devices with
questions related to job sites the student
visits.
Conventional H-8