By: Carmen Willings teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Updated October 30, 2017
The ability to perform classroom chores or jobs will prepare the student for being a contributing member of the classroom, homes, and community. It also lays a foundation for job related skills and employment later in life. It does take more time, and generally takes a lot of patience when instructing a student in these goals, but it will payoff over time and can lead to a self-confident, organized adult.
An added benefit to having classroom jobs is that the student will gain plenty of experiences with real objects. This will help a student that is visually impaired develop an awareness of shape, size, texture, softness, temperature, weight, and other features of objects. Some chores typically considered household chores can be taught and practiced within the classroom or school. Everyone should be expected to participate in basic chores on a daily basis such as hanging coat on hook or on a hanger, putting toys, materials and belongings away, placing trash in the trash can, sorting recycling. Create a classroom chore chart with a variety of chores that students can have turns being responsible for. Typically students will look forward to having classroom responsibilities.
Some Possible Classroom Jobs...
Cafeteria Helper
The school cafeteria presents a perfect area for students to practice job and career readiness skills. The student can refill salt/pepper shakers, condiments, and napkin dispenser in addition to cleaning tables, sweeping floors, emptying trash and any other job related tasks that need to be completed.
Coffee Maker
Have the student make or assist in making coffee for the teacher work room and restock the area with sugar packets, napkins and stir sticks. Alternatively, the student can assist the teacher in preparing individual cups of coffee with the classroom Kurig.
Door Holder
The door holder job is often as sought after as the line leader position in many preschool and elementary classrooms! The student can hold doors open for classmates as they enter/leave school or as they enter/leave the classroom.
First Aid Kits
At the beginning of the school year, most schools pass out baggies containing small amounts of first aid supplies. The student(s) can be a part of creating this initial set for each classroom or they can assist in restocking these baggies throughout the school year and delivering the fist aid kits to classrooms and offices.
Green Team
Many schools these days have Green Teams. A weekly or bi-weekly chore of the Green Team is to collect and sort recyclable objects from throughout the school and bring them to the school recycling bin.
Housekeeper
Although most schools have custodians, rooms are not always thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis. Create a classroom housekeeper position for students. The student can use a cordless mini-vacuum or a full size vacuum to clean the floor and dust counters and shelves, clean door knobs and faucet handles. Additionally, if the floor is tiled or laminate, they can use a Swifter Wet Jet or similar tool to clean the floor.
Kitchen Helper
Have the student put spoons away in the silverware drawer; sort silverware into utensil tray; help carry purchased snack, etc. into the class; help make grocery list; set table for meals; put napkins in the napkin holder; read/follow recipes; snack drawer to retrieve snacks between meals; opening various types of containers (bread bags, twist ties, can openers, box lids; doughnut box; cereal box; Pringles cans; boa of cookies; pop top cans; freezer sleeves for microwave; wipe down table. Placing ingredients for upcoming recipes in the proper place.
Laundry Helper
Have the student put dirty art smocks in the hamper; carry laundry basket to the washing machine; put clean smocks away; help load the washing machine; load the dryer; put in fabric softener sheets, and fold laundry or kitchen cloths.
Line Leader
As stated earlier, this is probably the most coveted job in the preschool and elementary classroom! The line leader can lead the class from class to specials and back. This student's role can also be to ensure classmates remain in line and quiet in the hall.
Mail Deliverer
Have the student bring messages or attendance to the office, help put items in the mailbox to mail and raise the flag. The student can also retrieve mail from the mailbox and deliver to teachers throughout the school.
Office Assistant
Have the student be responsible for delivering information to the office, helping to shred any papers, help to make copies of worksheets or reports or deliver mail to other classrooms. Additionally, the student can sort and staple or clip papers together and hole punch as needed.
Pet Sitter
The student can feed the classroom pets; carry in cat/dog food; pour pet food into airtight container. They can also assist in cleaning cages and tanks. Cleaning food and water bowls is another job of the pet sitter.
Plant Sitter
The student can water and care for classroom or school plants including weeding the class or school garden.
Scuff Mark Spotter
Attach a tennis ball to the end of a pole. Have the student walk along the hall or in the gym scanning for shoe marks to rub out. This is a great activity for visual scanning and eye hand coordination!
Table Setter
The student can wipe down the table, and give each peer a plate, napkin, cup, spoon, and fork. Teach students to clean the table in a systematic pattern, wiping up and down and back and forth.
Trash Collector
Students can empty little trash cans into larger trash can; help pull out trash bag and tie it up take the trash bag out to the larger container; take trash bag to the curb.
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TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
$50.00
Written specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), this book consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. 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.
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
Developing Skillful Hands Activities
Visual Efficiency Activities
Optical Device Instruction Activities
Recipe Activities
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.
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.
Product details
Digital pdf download: 364 pages (11 pt font)
Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
Visual Efficiency & Magnifier Fluency Grab & Go ECC Supplements
$20.00
This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a supplement to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.
Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
Digital pdf download: 210 pages
Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
