By: Carmen Willings teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Updated October 29, 2017
The Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments can work with a student to help them develop efficient use of their vision for shifting their gaze between materials presented and visual tracking objects and people. These skills will help prepare a student for learning as well as prepare them for safe and efficient travel.
Visually Track Slow Moving Lights, Objects, and Faces
Track slowly moving lights, objects, and faces horizontally to mid line and vertically. Rather than practicing this skill for extended periods of time or outside of the context of an activity, select toys/materials with lights. When presenting the item to the student, encourage the student to visually fix on the item and then slowly track it before giving it to them.
Track horizontally across mid line, and diagonally. This can be worked on in a similar way. Move the item slowly, if the student loses their visual fix, return the item to where the student lost the fix and wiggle it, if necessary, to gain their attention.
Visual Track the Movement of Pets
Track the movement of pets within the immediate environment. Some students may be more motivated to watch the playful movements of pets instead of people. If this is the case, encourage them to develop the skill with pets and then transfer the skill to observing and tracking peers and adults.
Visually Track Movement of Adults and Peers
Describe gross and fine motor movements of adults and peers in an indoor settings. Ask the student to observe and comment on the actions of people in their near, midrange and distance environments.
Visually Track Movement of Toys
Encourage students to visually track the following items.
Balls rolling,
wind up cars,
train sets,
racetracks,
create "roads" and encourage the student to drive matchbox cars on the road;
marble run activities;
and watch floating balloon and catch.
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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
