Social Studies Adaptations

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

Social studies for younger children and those with multiple disabilities are best taught when students can role-play or go on community outings to have hands-on experiences with environments in the community specific to the current topic.

During discussions of social studies units, younger students can role-play jobs such as waiter, banker, police officer, sales associate, fireman, etc. Role-playing by dressing in the clothing of a different culture, playing the music unique to that culture, and using tools and sampling foods of the culture can help students make connections with some of the more abstract concepts and topics required by the Standards. Incorporating the use of real objects and materials when studying units can make the concepts more concrete and interesting for all students. Be sure to use sturdy objects and materials, paying attention to the size and nature of the object to allow for tactile exploration.

As students get older, and particularly for those following the standard course of study, the school work will become increasingly complicated and abstract. Students will quickly move beyond the scope of their school, neighborhoods, and cities and learn about neighboring states and countries. Students will need to be able to read symbols, graphs, and charts.

It is essential for classroom teachers and the Teacher of the Visually Impaired to collaborate and work together closely for the TVI to have time to create accessible maps and materials. Materials need to be ready promptly so they will be ready when classmates are presented with similar materials.  The TVI may also need to provide models (ex., a model of a volcano, historical objects, etc.), depending on the topic.

It is important that students first receive instruction in reading maps and other materials such as pie charts, bar graphs, and timelines. Also keep in mind that if videos are shown (as frequently occurs in Social Studies classes), audio descriptions will need to be provided if the audio description is not available.

Adaptations in Presentation

Tables  and Charts

• Leave space between groups of information, but keep the data in the correct columns.

Graphs

• Separate bars with spaces.
• When filling in bars, use diagonal lines as horizontal and vertical lines can be confused with the bar shape.
• If filling in graphs with textures, be careful to not create visual clutter.
• When using a line graph, be sure to use lines that vary significantly and are easy to follow.

Maps

• Keep the information presented on the map as simple as possible.
• Solid textures are easier to discriminate than just outlining shapes.
• Use materials that are tactually different when creating map bases (cardboard, corkboard, ceiling tiles, styrofoam), lines (twine, plastic coated wire, yarn), points (hole-punched circles, nail heads, or small beads), secondary information (felt, soft fabric), and significant information (sandpaper or textured paper and fabric).

​Classroom Visitors

If it is not possible for your class to go off campus, consider inviting a guest speaker/visitor to talk about their job and bring objects for the students to explore.  Invite a guest related to the unit to come in and discuss information related to the topic and provide hands-on experiences for students. Encourage students to listen attentively to the speaker. Encourage students to use active listening skills. Encourage students to relate what they heard with prior knowledge.

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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and 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. 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.


In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included:
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist


For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page.


TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details
·      Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font)
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements
The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. 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 companion 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.  


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Product Page.


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 210 pages
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement
The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement
The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. 


Additional Use:
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


BONUS!
Lotto Cards
The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC.


On My Way File Folder Cards
Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27.

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