Modelling the Adaptation of Mainstream Literacy Lessons

By Gwyn McCormack

Positive Eye delivers a two day “Teaching Braille Course” to provide a practical toolkit to support professionals. Here I share a mainstream literacy lesson which I use during the course. I use it as a model to demonstrate to the class teacher how to adapt the lesson content to meet the need of the child with a visual impairment.

This is an example and specific and further adjustments would be necessary according to the need of the child.  The download sets this out in a table to map across the simple changes that need to be made. I think it is important to demonstrate to the mainstream teacher that often a few simple adjustments can make their lesson accessible, even when it is being accessed by tactile methods.  Download the lesson.

Original mainstream Lesson Plan 1: What’s in the box?

Resources

• Set of word cards (e.g. words containing sets of 1 and 2 letters – it, in, am, at, is, an
• Set of objects or pictures corresponding to the word cards, hidden in a box
• Soft toy (optional)

Procedure

• Display a word card (e.g. map).
• Go through the letter recognition and blending process appropriate to the children’s development.
• Ask the toy or a child to find the object or picture in the box, e.g. map, pan, tap, tin, mat.

Variation 1 (to additionally develop vocabulary)

• Attach some pictures to the whiteboard using reusable sticky pads or magnets or display some objects.
• Display a word card.
• Go through the letter recognition and blending process appropriate to the children’s development.
• Ask a child to place the word card next to the corresponding picture or object.
• Adapted lesson plan to enable access by braille.

Resources

• Set of word cards presented in braille (e.g. words containing sets of 1 and 2 letters)
• Set of objects corresponding to the word cards hidden in a box – make a  Lucky Dip Box
• Word board to Velcro word cards too
• Soft toy

Procedure

• Display a word card (e.g. map).
• Place the single word card in front of the child
• Give time for the child to read the word
• Go through the letter recognition and blending process appropriate to the child’s development
• Ask the child to find the object in the box and to place alongside the correct word on their tray

Variation 1

• Display some objects on the child’s tray in front of them.
• Display a single word card on their word board
• Go through the letter recognition and blending process appropriate to the child’s development.
• Ask the child to place the word card next to the corresponding object

Variation 2

You could use a variety of resources to support this activity including all the children in the class.

Here are some from the Positive Eye range that would lend themselves well to this activity: (See separate posts on each of these already posted on Paths to Literacy)

• The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
• The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly
• Matching Bucket