Theme-Based Lessons: Positive Eye Introduction

1. Tutorial: Theme Based Lessons Gwyn McCormack – Positive Eye

2. Introduction • During their first few years of life the sighted child is exposed to a vast range of visual symbols that convey meaning. • They perceive shape, size, colour, distance, and spatial location ‑ all in one glance. • They are constantly exposed to rich array of incidental learning opportunities which supports their understanding of the world • This opportunity for incidental learning and understanding of the world does not occur naturally for the child with visual impairment.

3. Introduction • They lack the opportunities to engage in incidental learning • and to participate in new and different literacy experiences which others are constantly exposed to. • Curiosity, understanding, exploration are also not stimulated by the other senses as well as they are by vision • The child with vision VI requires direct exposure to a rich variety of concrete experiences involving many objects, shapes, people, places, activities, cause and effect relationships

4. Introduction Building a solid foundation of reading readiness skills and fun experiences from infancy is critical To achieve this our goal is to expose the child as early as possible and often as possible to a rich variety of concrete experiences, involving many objects, people, places, and activities. Using a theme-based approach during the emergent stages of literacy development enables us to offer a multitude of rich literacy learning opportunities

5. Introduction • Through developing and maximising each child’s additional skills • (e.g. Use of vision, tactile discrimination, auditory, fine motor) • and by putting real holistic experiences at the heart of educational interventions in a structured manner • We can enable children’s enjoyment and participation in meaningful literacy experiences

6. Emerging literacy skills • The following areas are an important part of early literacy development • Auditory and Language development – listening, attention and expression. • Concept building • Fine motor skills • Tactile discrimination skills- • Reading awareness – book and story skills • Use of functional vision and visual perception

7. Three ideas to share with you • Post Office • Frozen • Fire Service

8. Post Office • This resource provides a wealth of rich learning opportunities and a theme based approach. • You could use this same approach with any topic such as a day at the beach, working in a cafe (preparing them for future work) • Although initially you may be thinking of a younger child for this resource, it also offers many learning opportunities for older children.

9. Post Office • It is important for the child to visit the Post Office • Offers a rich concrete learning experience • A multitude of learning experiences are created through doing this

10. Tactile access • Feel textures of wrapping papers – Bubble wrap, tissue paper, brown paper, string, sellotape, elastic bands, jiffy bags • Explore the objects in the Post Office – letter guide, stamps, PAID stamp, pen in stand, mat, money, leaflets, paper clips, stapler, till, damp sponge • Explore the Post office van. Postman/woman model, post bag, post box • Match, categorise letters, parcels of different shapes and sizes

11. Tactile access • Categorise letters and place in the post box and place parcels in the post box/parcel sack • Place different textures (packaging materials) on outside of different shaped parcels - explore • Create fans using different packaging materials – tissues, bubble wrap, brown paper, cardboard • Explore the steering wheel of the mail van • (Place a steering wheel on a Lazy Sue with a light in the middle of the wheel, spin round to simulate the idea of the turning wheel)

12. Using vision • Shine lights on fluorescent strip (on postman’s bag) • Scan and search post office shop for specific articles and items • Visual skill development activities: Wrap parcels in bright shiny paper and shine light on them, add sounds to parcels to gain attention in first instance • Place 3 objects from the Post Office on a black background and encourage child to scan, fixate, visual direct reaching.

13. Auditory access • Make musical instruments with parcels • Listen to sound of post van engine setting off • Listen to sound of ‘Paid’ stamp being used • Rustle and make sound with wrapping papers • – tissue, brown paper, bubble wrap etc.

14. Taste • Make surprise tasting parcels, fill with different foods to open and taste

15. Smell • Make sensory parcels - fill parcels with different scents. • Smell the inside of a post van

16. Component parts of the Post Office • It is essential that labels are made to go with each component part of the resource, encouraging the child to match initial letter sounds, whole words or Braille contractions (dependent on learning stage) before they play with or use the resource.

17. Ideasfor literacy development • Write a letter, wrap a parcel and take to the Post Office to post. • Role play visiting the Post Office, • Play the role of Post Office Clerk or the customer use this opportunity to • Develop speaking and listening skills • Develop body language, facial expression and voice tone • Make up a story about the Postman/woman and the funny • happenings in the Post Office • Read the story of ‘Postman Pat’

18. Ideas for literacy • Make up a poem about the Post Office, using the letters of the word to form the poem • Develop simple sequencing activities - 1 or more actions depending on child’s needs • E.g. Place letter in an envelope – put stamp on –– post • Develop language (open, closed, stamp, post, parcel, envelope, string, money) • Make audio birthday card to post to family member • Make a Christmas post box for the classroom • Play the Post Office game

19. Ideas for numeracy • Count, match and sort the paper clips, rubber bands, thimblettes in the desk tidy • Count the money in the till • Create activities to support addition, subtraction, multiplication etc • Weigh the parcels, order by weight/size • Measure the length and width of the parcels • Measure the length and width of the letters • Order letters by size and weight • Role play paying for parcels and letters to be posted.

20. Post Office Game • Layout the game and describe how it is played

21. Frozen • Creating a holistic approach based on a theme or story enables children who are visually impaired to access and enjoy literacy and numeracy activities in a meaningful way. • The film ‘Frozen’ has been tremendously popular with many children.

22. Frozen • The following are accessible, creative, fun ideas and suggestions to bring the story alive and to make it meaningful for children with visual impairments. • The ideas offer a starting point and can all be adapted to suit the individual visual needs of the child you are working with.

23. Multi sensory tray - Frozen • Play some ‘Frozen’ music and enjoy exploring the sensory tray • feel the objects, textures, shapes, the coldness of the ice cubes, the softness of the feathers, the silkiness of the ribbons.

24. Frozen story bucket • Read the story of ‘Frozen’ to the child • Play the songs from Frozen, dress up and role play some of the scenes. • Have the child find, hold and explore the items from each pocket of the bucket • Talk about each item, use descriptive words whilst the child explores • Re-tell the story, sequencing events, place the characters in order of appearance in the story • Make key word books about each character

25. Model making • Model making: • Model making and role play is an important and enjoyable part of literacy • Whenever there is an opportunity it is good to make a model with the child, ensuring they fully participate in the process and choose the construction materials. • Describe the Ice Palace and Marshmallow monster

26. Frozen based games • Describe the character naming game • Describe the Olaf counting game

27. Fire Service • This is a simple idea which is not dissimilar to the idea of story bags. • It is really important to use real objects whenever possible • Offer more meaning than plastic toys, however sometimes using a plastic toy is the only option in place of the real object, e.g. the fire engine!

28. Fire Service • Try and find a good model with some working parts to add to the child’s exploration and enjoyment during the story. • Fireman Sam is used here for the story bucket idea, but the story could be changed and items and labels associated with each new story added.

29. Ideas for Literacy • Read a story about ’Fireman Sam’ or the Fire Service, child to feel the objects whilst reading the story • Place the objects back in the correct pocket, read the initial letter sound, (listen to the recordable peg to aid location) • Mix the objects up and place in the wrong pockets for the child to replace correctly

30. Ideas for literacy activities • Detach the labels from the pockets and ask the child to place the objects in the pockets with their corresponding label • Dress up and role play working in the fire service. Use the objects from the bucket • Make a model of a fire engine from cardboard • Fill the bucket with objects beginning with F for Fireman from around the environment

31. Ideas for literacy activities • Repeat filling the bucket with objects beginning with S for Sam, H for hosepipe, G for gloves etc • Make up a poem using each letter of Fireman Sam. Read the poem onto recordable pegs and attach to each pocket of the bucket apron

32. Ideas for numeracy • Count the buttons, find six objects from around the environment that begin with B and place in the bucket, (count out 5 buttons and find 5 objects, count 4 buttons and find 4 objects etc, using a different letter e.g. 5 objects beginning with F, 4 objects beginning with S) • Use the hosepipe as a unit of measurement to measure the width, length of the room, the length of the table, etc. • Order the objects in the bucket by size, largest to smallest

33. Ideas for numeracy • Order the objects in the bucket by weight, lightest to heaviest • Categorise the objects by shape, material made of and items worn • Compare a collapsible bucket with a normal bucket, • Use small bucket models and compare with full size bucket. • Cut out card shapes of buckets 2D shapes to match to 3D objects

34. Ideas for tactile/multi-sensory approach • Feel water (warm, cold, cool.) • Use water spray to spray tepid, warm water on child’s hands and feet • Feel hose pipe, unwind, wind up on reel, use hose pipe attached to water supply to spray grass outside school • Represent the hose pipe by feeling rubber piping • Use cardboard tube and paint to look like a hose pipe, cover with textured paper or bright coloured, fluorescent shapes

35. Ideas for tactile/multi-sensory approach • Use plastic drain pipe and pour water down the pipe • Make spiral patterns to represent the hose pipe in its wound up state using string (different thicknesses) or wikkistix. Make a collage of different sized reels or spiral patterns using string, rope, cord, wikkistix etc. • Play with yo-yo’s, (yo-yo’s with lights, sounds.) • Feel heat from fire