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