By Megan Mogan
This student LOVES pianos and keyboards. His peers LOVE silly words and sounds. The two of them got together and pretended the piano could talk, and the rest was history.
Goals:
- Correspond tactile symbols with the sentences they represent using spoken language (ie Reading);
- Use features of tactile symbols to demonstrate understanding of concepts such as long/short, high/low, etc.;
- Get exposure to the corresponding braille label and use strategies such as initial letter identification, word shape, and using context cues (tactile “picture”)
Reflection
This activity put the student in a position where he would be able to share this story independently with peers during their read-aloud time. It allowed for cooperative play as the students shared and released roles as “passer or feeder of symbols,” “reader,” and “piano player.” This activity could easily be used as a performance or theatre activity as well with students taking their individual roles.
