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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC

This guide includes more than 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC).

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Chances are that you’ve seen the amazing website Teaching Students with Visual Impairments.  The creative energy behind this impressive site is TVI Carmen Willings, who works as an itinerant teacher in Georgia.  She has worked in early intervention, and taught children through high school age, in all different settings, ranging from public schools to a school for the blind.  Her wide range of experience and tireless efforts have resulted in not just an extensive website, but now in several publications as well.

The Second Edition TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students with Visual Impairments was specifically written for itinerant teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs). This book consists of more than 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level.

Core Activities

The core activities listed in the Activity section can be adapted to each thematic unit. These include:

  • Object Characteristic Activities
  • Quantity & Number Concepts
  • Time Concept Activities
  • Environment & Job Awareness Activities
  • Listening Skills Activities
  • Reading Foundation Activities
  • Reading Fluency Activities
  • Braille Basics Activities
  • Writing Activities
  • Tactual Efficiency Activities
Clock
  • Developing Skillful Hands Activities
  • Visual Efficiency Activities
  • Optical Device Instruction Activities
  • Recipe Activities
Braille word jumble

Thematic Units

In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children’s songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.

Unique Concepts within the Units include:

  • Self Advocacy Activities (e.g. advocating for safe classroom, presenting to class on visual impairment, requesting help and more)
  • Social Skills Activities (e.g. Being bullied or teased, giving and receiving compliments, body language, “I” messages when upset and more)
  • Recreation & Leisure Activities (e.g. exploring interest areas, getting involved in clubs and sports, playing games, and more)
  • O&M Support Activities (e.g. Suggestions for community based experiences, dog guide information, locations in the school, bioptics, ride sharing, traffic signs, and more)
  • Independent Living Skill Activities (e.g. chores, being responsible, using tools, recipe suggestions, hygiene, staying healthy, labeling foods and products, and more)
  • Sensory Efficiency Activities (e.g. unique sensory experiences related to the unit, unique optical device activities, and more)
  • Compensatory Activities (e.g. organizing materials, study habits, and many unique concepts related to the unit)
  • Career & Vocational Activities (e.g. job awareness, completing applications, job task suggestions, and more)

Although the intended audience of this resource is fellow Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments, special education teachers may find these activities beneficial to the students in their classrooms as the activities are multisensory and include life skills and concepts needed by all students. This resource, however, is not intended to take the place of a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI). Readers are advised to consult their own TVI’s regarding instruction in the ECC and the unique visual needs of the student’s served in their programs.

Product details

  • Digital pdf download: 364 pages (11 pt font)
  • Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
  • Author: Carmen Willings
  • Language: English
  • Price: $50

Note: This curriculum is a digital pdf download. Once you make your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page where you will find the download link. This download will also be included on the receipt sent to the email address you provide. The pdf download can be found directly under the order number.

Each download is intended for single instructor use per copyright. Thank you for helping me preserve the content and not distributing copies to third parties.