Teaching Blindness

Lots of activities in all subject areas for students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities or deafblindness. Interactive site with hands-on activities, information and resources for anyone interested in all aspects of literacy, including for children with additional disabilities or deafblindness. Paths to Technology is designed to assist educators, families and students in learning and staying current on ever-changing technology for students with visual impairments and blindness.

Explore ideas to promote independence as students prepare to leave school and prepare for the world of work. A practical resource for teachers, rehabilitation workers and parents interested in transition for youth in Asia who are blind or visually impaired with additional disabilities.

Teaching Resources

Includes functional activities and case studies. Many of the Perkins microsites listed above have activities and teaching strategies that are designed to provide hands-on learning experiences for students who are blind or visually impaired, including those who are deafblind or have multiple disabilities. These strategies are set up in a lesson plan format and include a brief description, a list of necessary materials, recommended procedure and variations.

We encourage you to contribute your own ideas and lesson plans. If you're a teacher, you can earn continuing education credits for submitting strategies on these sites. Contact us with questions or to learn more. Teaching Resources Print Share: Battling boredom in Civil War days; a Venn diagram activity.

Parachute Drop Follow directions to create parachutes that safely carry paperclip passengers. Use an online Braille translator. Where Are They Today? Explore the history of native peoples of the United States. Taking Stock in the Stock Market Track the ups and downs of the stock market -- and the reasons for those fluctuations too. Hands-on activities teach about origami, an Asian paper-folding art form.

What Is Your B-estimate? Making Best Estimates Estimate the number of kernels on an ear of corn.

LESSON PLAN THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WITH ME!

Plus more estimating challenges! Going Batty Use maps to find the answers to questions about bat habitats in the United States. Capital Ideas for Teaching State Capitals Ideas and resources for teaching state capital names and locations. Autumn Colors Shine Through Let autumn shine through with colorful window decorations. Math on the Move Reinforce any math skill. Get kids moving with this math active-ity. Facing Fire Facts Read graphs about fire safety statistics; answer questions about them.

Parts of Speech Game Students win this game by matching words on the teachers list. Read-a-Thon Read books to raise funds for the school library. Think Twice for Rice: A Grammar and Vocabulary Game This game offers fun and learning as it helps to feed hungry people around the world. More than 20 activities for spicing up your weekly spelling lessons. Nouns Around the World Use online translators to explore nouns and foreign languages. The Week That Was A weekly writing assignment results in a year-end volume of work that documents students' writing progress.

Then and Now Compare, contrast current and historical maps of your community. Sum of the Square Practice adding a column of numbers. Read a Fall Foliage Map Use a color key to read a fall foliage map. Printable work sheet included. Applesauce Taste Test Make three kinds of applesauce, hold an applesauce taste test. Fall-Leaf Sun Catchers Use pipe cleaners and tissue paper to make eye-catching fall leaf sun catchers.

Take a true-false quiz about Hispanic history. Teach valuable lessons about listening and following directions. Tracking Falls Falling Temperatures Reinforce many skills by tracking falling temperatures this fall. Lesson of the Day Five quick games build reading skills. Lesson of the Day Use tiny pieces of state maps as clues to figuring out the state. Where Do Words Come From?

Discover the foreign-language roots of English words. Heads Up for Headlines! Write headlines that express the main ideas of news stories. Students compare their "typical day" to a grandparent's childhood. Experiencing Slavery and Imagining Freedom Read slaves personal accounts of slavery; write a slave's account of freed. Guess-timating Fun Fun activity reinforces estimation, number lines, mean, median, more. Create a Word Have fun making up new words, writing definitions for them. Getting-to-Know-You Crossword Puzzle A class crossword puzzle makes a great back-to-school activity or bulletin board.

Math Word Problems Word problems put students' time-telling skills to practical use. Kudos by Kiddos Students design and award medals for their favorite children's books. Simon Says "Who Are You? Copy-Paper Scrap Projects Turn scrap paper into a lesson in following directions. Rockin' Rhythm Band Create rhythms from ordinary objects. Graphing Greenery Plot on graph paper the coordinates for the shape of a leaf. Puzzles With Partners A fun reward activity involves puzzles and cooperative groups. Headline News Create simple stories using words cut from newspaper headlines.

Be on the Lookout! Create Wanted posters for destructive bugs. Honor Your School and Community Heroes Students create special event or award to honor a community hero. Magic Sum Learn a "magic" trick as you practice two-digit addition. The Mail Race Students write friendly letters to random schools; track responses on a map.

Five Spelling Games Spice up spelling routines with these five activities. Working on the Slant Learn about slant by comparing how several newspapers cover a story.

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Globe Game Challenging Globe Game develops geography skills. How Long Does Trash Last? A Cooperative Learning Activity In this cooperative activity, learn how long trash lasts.

Popcorn Math Use popcorn to teach a wide range of math concepts. Around-the-Room Review The around the room review game engages everyone. Locate famous landmarks around the world; develop research skills. The Presidential Campaign Game Experience the presidential campaign process. Editorial Cartoons Study editorial cartoons; create your own. This activity helps students put one minute in perspective. Money Math Match Hunt for the classmate who holds a bag of coins of equal value to yours. Write captions for amusing photos.

Create self-portraits in the style of her art. Proverbs of One World Create a book of proverbs that offer lessons of tolerance and respect. Popcorn Science Five simple science experiments explain what makes popcorn pop. Student Learning-Strengths Inventory Take an inventory of your students learning strengths. A Graphing Activity Create a graph to show the holidays that account for the most greeting-card sales.

Folktale Writing Author helps students write folktales of their own. You Can Count on Spelling Scrabble spelling offers spelling and math practice. Twenty PE activities any student will enjoy. Soccer Spelling Capitalize on World Cup excitement. Combine spelling and soccer in this fun game. Roman Numeral Math Solve simple math problems using Roman numerals. Hang a Flag Mural Greet school visitors with a student-created flag mural. Pet Pellets Create an advertising campaign for a new pet food. Round-Robin Reading Quiz A cooperative reading strategy that works.

Mysteries in the Bag Build a mystery story around a bag of evidence. A Simple Activity Explore where in the world things we use come from. Make a Music Video Create a short music video for a familiar children's song. Mapping the Most Common U. City Names Map locations of the most common U. Five-O Use logic and deductive reasoning to guess a vocab word in this team game. Wind and Wings Experiments help students understand the principles of flight. The Grapefruit Activity Hands-on activity teaches about different map projections.

Figuring the Mean, Median, and Mode Count candies by color; then calculate mean, median, and mode. Rock My World Hands-on activity demonstrates how continents, oceans formed. A Review Game Multiple-choice questions are center stage in this review activity. Spelling Takes a Hit! This game puts the active in spelling active-ity! Compare prices of goods today and years ago.

A Game for Small Groups Adapt this active game for any math skill you are teaching. Earth at Night Identify 10 cities on an Earth at Night map. A 'Teacher Appreciation Week' Card For the Teacher A nice project for art class; every student creates a different card for the teacher. Investigate some crazy laws on Law Day, May 1. Using Graphic Organizers to Generate Genre Definitions Use a graphic organizer to form definitions of a variety of literary genres.

Draw Like an Egyptian Learn how to draw like an Egyptian. Create a Graph Online Students create beautiful graphs with an easy-to-use online tool. The San Francisco Earthquake of Recognize the anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake April 18 with this comprehension activity. Water Use Around the World Compare your water use with water use in other places around the world. You Be the Editor Student-editors work in teams to correct errors in this fast-paced activity.

Collect postmarks; track them on a classroom map. Overflowing the Banks Hands-on activity teaches how floods happen. Vegetable Rock Garden Grow vegetable sections without soil. Kids Bullying Kids Survey, discuss data about bullying in your school. Create and solve codes based on the numerical values of spelling list words.

Up-to-Date Aesop Rewrite an Aesop fable in modern language and a modern setting. Perfect for April Fools day fun. Let Your Fingers Do the Estimating Estimate the number of phone listings in you local telephone directory. Stage a classroom debate of the question Are athletes heroes? Bug Me While I'm Eating! Its Nutrition Month -- compare the nutritional values of insects and your favorite foods. Art Imitating Life Explore role of women by examining art through history.

Blindness – Tim's Free English Lesson Plans

Egg Hunt Reinforces Math, Language Skills Do it indoors, or take kids outdoors for a fun learning activity and a little exercise. String Eggs Decorate the classroom with beautiful string eggs for Easter, which is April 4. Explore legends surrounding volcanoes, write your own legend. Word-zles Wordzle puzzles make fun thinking activities. Grow a Great Spring Bulletin Board: Eggshell Flowers Create a colorful spring bulletin board using this fun art project. Women's Words of Wisdom Create a bulletin board of inspiring quotes by famous women. Multiple Meanings Game Hunt for the classmate whose definition card leads to the same word as yours.

During Nutrition Month March , use this fun food quiz to test students knowledge of vegetables, fruits. Visual Fractions Game Create a classroom fractions competition using a Web-based game. Students have fun identifying which classmate wrote each response to a writing prompt. Follow the Drinking Gourd Create an art project based on a song used to guide slaves to freedom. Secrets of the Presidents Learn secrets of the presidents with this printable activity. Graph the Presidents At Inauguration: How Old Were They? For Presidents Day, graph the presidents' ages at inauguration.

Candy Heart Stories Use the text on candy hearts to write a story. Graph results of a survey about attitudes and tolerance in your school. How about the Recycle Games? A Lesson in Respect for Others Art activity teaches about respect for others unique qualities. The Magician's Apprentice Performing magic tricks teaches the importance of following directions.

Pictures Tell a Story: A Lesson in Sequencing Students illustrate sequential events in a story or in history.

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Dictionary Detective Build students' dictionary skills with this fun activity. Anticipation Guides Improve Reading Comprehension Use anticipation guides to help your students focus on content-area reading assignments. How Do Clouds Form? A hands-on experiment illustrates how clouds form. Teach cold-season manners with a read-aloud story, art project. Power Problem Calculate losses caused by a snowstorm.

Guides for Teachers and Transition Specialists Working with Students with Visual Impairments

Snow Paintings Use food-coloring mixtures to paint on snow. Fun winter art activity. Martin Luther King Jr.: Speedy Spelling Bee Teams of students work together in this spelling bee with a twist. Following Directions This lesson proves that frequent practice can improve skills. Use Literature to Teach Tolerance Use popular literature to teach tolerance. It's Not Greek to Me! Use hieroglyphic characters, an online hieroglyphic translator too.

The Betsy Ross Story: Just in time for Betsy Ross Day January 1: H2O to Go Sponge relay race offers a fun way to learn math measurement skills. Practice math facts with this game of skill and chance. Quickly Go the Days Why does Alaska have less daylight than your state has? Holiday Wreath Ornament Fun holiday project: Seasonal Notepad Gift In this simple technology lesson, students create a seasonal notepad gift.

Planet X Celebrate the Bill of Rights anniversary December 15 by writing a Bill of Rights for a colony you are founding on a distant planet. Teaching Students to Tell Time: Three Resources for Busy Teachers Three activity sheets develop, reinforce time-telling skills. Geography Twister Students exercise while they play this fun geography game based on Twister. Bowling Math Keeping score of a bowling match is a fun way to learn math.

A Sequencing Activity Adapt this "sequencing" reading lesson to all subjects. Graphing the Annual Food Drive Graph the amount of food that comes in during the annual food drive. Drafting the Gettysburg Address Recognize the anniversary of Lincolns Gettysburg Address November 19 by comparing its draft to the final version. Wacky Word Play Combine students' love of word games and drawing. Stage a Poetry Slam! Stage a classroom or school-wide poetry slam.

President of the United States Learn about the Presidents responsibilities; write a want ad for the position. The Wall Inspires Letters to Veterans Inspire students to write letters to veterans at local hospitals. Bueno Brothers' Bean Dip How many words can be formed from a scoop of lima bean letters? Tabloid Tales Write a story for one of these unbelievable tabloid news headlines. Report on a Reporter Invite a news reporter to visit class; write news reports about the visit.

The Alphabet Game Use alphabet cards to play a small-group spelling game. Celebrate Red Ribbon Week October by presenting plays about saying no to drugs. Students' Favorite Reading Topics Students survey their classmates reading preferences. Where Did Foods Originate? Space Tourism Brochure Create travel brochures to sell tourists on the concept of space travel. Create a Globe Make globes from balloons and a paper-paste mixture.

Catchy Captions A lesson in newspaper photo captions and caption writing. The Great Chicago Fire: Investigate the cause of the Great Chicago Fire October 8, An Immigration Graph Create a graph to show the number of immigrants by country of origin. Use latitude and longitude to identify volcano locations. Geography Bee Hold a classroom Geography Bee.

Work in groups to propose a new amendment to the Constitution. This game combines spelling words and chance. Who Are Your Heroes? Work sheet helps students organize their Who is my hero? Memorable Maps Memorable maps lesson shows a year of geography skill growth. What's in a Name? Use clues to identify U. Cutting Costs With Coupons Clip newspaper food coupons, add up the savings.

Lesson Plans for Teachers of Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Germs Experiment 2 Use glitter to demonstrate how germs travel. Understanding Needs and Feelings Complete this story to show how different people deal with needs, feelings. Germs Experiment Observe the growth of germs on three germ-covered potato slices. Guide Word Sentences Creative writing: Triangles Are Not Bad!

Perform a play about prejudice, tolerance. The Anger Suit An old suit helps students explore the feeling of anger. Yellow Pages Ad-dition Real math: Figure out how much those Yellow Pages ads cost. My Own Picture Dictionary Students create personal picture dictionaries. Map a World of Facts On a map mark ten places associated with these fun facts. Around the World A simple and fun game for reviewing math facts. Popcorn Nutrition How nutritious are the snack foods you eat?

Bubble Blast Bubbles inspire learning, fun -- and they clean desks too.


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  • What If #2 (The What If Series).

Incredible Shrinking Notes A fun 3-step process helps students "boil down" note taking. Friendly Feud Play the Friendly Feud game when reviewing for a test. Leaf Weight-Loss Plan Weigh a container of leaves daily; how quickly does it grow lighter? Detective Spellcheck Game Hunt for spelling errors in this game of skill and quick reaction. Peanut Plants, Peanut Timeline, and Peanut-s-timation! Peanuts spur activities across the curriculum and across the grades.

Reporting Live from the 20th Century Report live from one of the top news stories of the 20th century. A Unique Drawing Experience With one set of directions, everyone creates a unique work of art. Invent a Great New Game! Given four items of equipment, students invent a game that can be played.

Write a Round-Robin Story In groups of five, every student takes part in writing a round-robin story. Math Magic Students impress others by calculating a persons age. Flag Collage For Fourth of July, make a flag collage from cut-up magazine photos. Build an Oxygen Plant Understand the human circulatory system. Put a Woman on a Stamp Nominate a woman to be honored on a new commemorative stamp. Eggshell People Create eggshell people; write eggshell people diaries, poems. Reproduce a work of art by following oral directions.

Boomerang Fun Learn about boomerangs, create them in different styles. Sound It Out Introduce phonetic spellings with this activity. Passport to Stories Around the World Students fill out a passport as they read tales from each continent. What's Inside My Computer? Draw a picture of what a computer might look like inside. Design a Coin Design and mint a quarter for your state or another one. Pet Perspective Explore the world from the point of view of a favorite pet.

Fingered Felons Analyze fingerprint evidence to solve a classroom crime. The Following-Directions Follies A challenging following directions activity for all ages. Step and Spell This spelling "active-ity" reinforces students' awareness of the computer keyboard. An Estimating Activity How many blades of grass on a football field? Team Up for Telling Time Use a fun online tool for a class telling-time competition. Charting Historical Gas Prices Does gasoline eat up more of a person's paycheck today than it did years ago?

A Lesson in "Comma Sense" Have fun with this lesson in comma sense. Creating Energy From Water Learn about hydroelectricity, make a model water turbine. If the World Were a Village A popular picture book leads to lessons in multicultural awareness, graph-making, more. Compare the cost of a gallon of gas to a gallon of other liquids.