EARLY LITERACY FOR BRAILLE READERS 1 Braille-Specific Commercial Reading Programs Building on Patterns (APH): Grades K-2 // controlled vocabulary & contraction introduction Mangold Developmental Program of Tactile Perception and Braille Letter Recognition: Designed to develop tactile discrimination, efficient hand & finger movement, and letter recognition. Braille FUNdamentals (TSBVI): Braille curriculum designed to teach the code; not a complete literacy curriculum 2 Thoughts on Teaching … MOTIVATION is the key to success. MEANING is the catalyst for motivation. INDIVIDUALIZATION ensures meaningful literacy instruction. 3 Goals for Young Readers Identify the letters of the alphabet quickly and accurately Develop a voice-to-braille match Recognize common words in contracted form instantly Use a variety of strategies to figure out or “solve” unknown words Understand what is read Read fluently Enjoy reading 4 Andrew, Andrew, what do you hear? 1. What are the objectives of this lesson? 2. What teaching strategies enhance the effectiveness of the instruction? 3. How would the lesson have been different if Andrew had been doing the writing? 5 Tracking Patterns (SB 1) Parallel: Two hands across, back, and down Split: Two hands across until near the end; left hand moves diagonally to beginning of next line, right hand reads last few words before joining left. “Scissors” 6 Braille Illustrations (SB 2) 7 Jake swims across the pool (SB 3) 8 School Bus p. 1 (SB 4) 9 School Bus p. 2 10 School Bus p. 3 11 School Bus p. 4 12 School Bus p. 5 13 School Bus p. 6 14 School Bus p. 7 15 School Bus p. 8 16 School Bus p. 9 17 A Suggested Approach to Teaching Braille STEP 1 (Controlled, contracted text) • Tactile “sight words”, including easy contractions (Handout) • Familiar names and motivating words STEP 2 • Letters of the alphabet • Numbers • Beginning decoding skills (CVC words) STEP 3 (Uncontrolled, fully contracted text – Guided Reading) • Contractions taught as they appear in reading materials • More complex decoding skills 18 STEP 1: Tactile Sight Words (Electronic Handout) 19 Balancing Reading Instruction WORD STUDY Focus on isolated units of language, such as letters, contractions, and words. CONNECTED TEXT Focus on meaningful phrases, sentences, stories, and non-fiction text. 20 Word Study Activities (Letters, contractions, words, & sounds used for decoding and spelling) Letter / Sound Manipulation Worksheets Flashcard Sorting & Matching 21 What about the dots of the braille cell? “Sadie and I talked about how the Y has a head, a body and feet. Then she said, ‘but it doesn't have a belly’. I loved that, and of course I went on about what a smart observation that was!” 22 Character Identification Worksheet Step 1 or 2 (SB 5) 23 24 Name Identification Sheet (Step 1) (SB 6) 25 Reversals Helper Sheet (modified from a post by Sheila Amato on AERNET) Friendly Dogs Jump High Whee down the slide! Right or Wrong? And You can do it! 26 Flashcards * 27 Flashcard Sorting Options Simple Sort Category Sort • the the the vs. and and and • Color vs. number words • Good and silly sentences Word Study Sort • Rhyming words • Suffixes (“ed” words vs. “ing” words • Spelling patterns (CVC words vs. long vowel silent e words) FAST FLASH! 28 Ally Sorts Ice Cream Scoops Created by Kelli Braff, TVI, Fairfax County Public Schools 29 Flash Strips slide ride bike hide 30 Multi-Purpose Activity Folder (Created by Mary Kate Harris, FCPS) MATCHING • Rhyming words • Number words & numerals • Words with like contractions SORTING • Names of people at home and at school • Words with “ed” and “ing” suffixes SEQUENCING • Alphabetical order • Number words 31 Balancing Instruction with Connected Text Word Study STEP 1 • Tactile “sight words”, including easy contractions • Familiar names STEP 2 • Letters of the alphabet • Numbers • Beginning decoding skills STEP 3 • Contractions taught as they appear in reading materials • More complex decoding skills Connected Text • Very simple teacher-made stories with highly controlled vocabulary • Longer teacher-made or studentauthored stories, as well as simple commercial trade books with some uncontrolled vocabulary • Fully contracted commercial trade books and classroom materials 32 Reading Connected Text (Teacher-made and commercial) Provides practice with decoding strategies Develops sight word recognition Provides practice using phonetic, meaning, and syntax clues together Develops tracking skills & fluency through rereading Provides meaningful and motivating reading experiences 33 Writing Teacher-Made Stories Motivating topic; include picture or prop Spacing Repetition Punctuation Tactile sight words, including alphabet letter contractions CVC and high frequency words (Dolch) 34 Teacher-Made Story (Early Step 1) The Slide Book 1. go Ana 2. go Ana go 3. go go Ana 4. go go Andrew 5. go Ana go go go 35 Teacher-Made Story (Early Step 2) SB 8) 36 What about students with additional needs? Who’s a candidate for braille instruction? (learning, cognitive, physical disabilities?) What would the student’s literacy needs be if he/she were sighted? What about prerequisite skills for braille instruction? Should the student learn contracted or uncontracted braille? How much instructional time is needed? What curriculum do I use? 37 Early Books 38 I-M-ABLE (Diane Wormsley) Individualized Meaning-centered Approach to Braille Literacy Education Student-centered: Totally individualized and highly motivating Appropriate for wide range of learners Key words of interest to the learner = basis for instruction (i.e., phonics, spelling, reading connected text all taught with key words) Whole word approach: “Language of Touch” Contractions taught from the beginning Resources: Book and articles 39 Key Words 40 Benefits of Literacy Instruction for Children with Additional Needs Oral language, vocabulary, communication skills development Spoken and written word connection Functional uses, e.g. Labeling belongings or items used in pre-vocational tasks Development of independent work skills Socialization: e.g., games / sharing books General knowledge of gen. ed curriculum Stepping stone to formal academic instruction 41
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