YOUNG READER BOOKS
By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com The following books center on characters that are blind or visually impaired or are impacted by those with visual impairments. If there are other books you would like to see here, please let me know so I can add them. |
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Do You Remember the Color Blue
Alexander, Sally Hobart. Do You Remember the Color Blue: And Other Questions Kids Ask About Blindness. East Rutherford, N.J.: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 2002. Grades 4-7. This book provides honest and informative answers to the questions that children ask about blindness. Addresses guide dogs, why people who are blind wear dark glasses, relationships, the attitudes of others, and more.
Teacher's Pet 
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Teacher's Pet (Vet Volunteers, Name: Maggie). Maggie is adjusting to middle school and it becomes easier when she find that her biology teacher, who is blind, can learn a few things from her about working with his guide dog.
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
Auxier, Jonathan. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. This is a story of a ten-year-old thief who is also an orphan who is blind. He steals a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes and the adventure begins.
Things Not Seen
Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. East Rutherford, N.J.: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 2002. Grades 5-9. Fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up invisible one day. His parents don’t deal with this development well, so Bobby sets off for the library to find his own solution. He befriends Alicia, a girl who is blind, who becomes a partner in the adventure, and helps him find a way to deal with his dilemma.
Water at the Blue Earth
Creel, Ann H. Water at the Blue Earth. Boulder: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1998. Grades 5-9. "Wren Taylor, the daughter of an 1850s pioneer family in New Mexico territory, befriends Luther, a Ute boy who is blind. When war breaks out between the settlers and the Ute, Wren must decide where her loyalties lie."
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan
Denenberg, Barry. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan. Dear America Series. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2002. Grades 4-9. In 1932, Bess is blinded in a sledding accident at the age of twelve. She becomes a student at Perkins School for the Blind, where she finds new friendship, independence, and self-confidence.
Annerton Pit
Dickinson, Peter. Annerton Pit. When Martin and Jake's grandfather fails to return from a ghost-hunting expedition, the boys set off for Newcastle in search of him. Their investigations take them to Annerton Pit. Told from the point of view of the main character, who is blind.
Blind Spot
Ellen, Laura. Blind Spot. HMH Books for Young Readers. Blind Spot is a realistic portrayal of a girl, Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration. This book is written in the first-person voice of a legally blind teen who just wants to be like everyone else
Seeing Lessons
Hermann, Spring. Seeing Lessons: The Story of Abigail Carter and America’s First School for Blind People. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1998. Grades 4-7. "Ten-year-old Abigail Carter’s life changes forever when she and her sister go to Boston to be the first students at Perkins, the first school for the blind in America. She is determined to prove that people who are blind can live fulfilling, independent lives."
The Heart of Applebutter Hill
Hill, Donna W. The Heart of Applebutter Hill. The heroine of The Heart of Applebutter Hill is a 14-year-old, shy songwriter, who is losing her sight. Abigail has a guide dog named Curly Connor, and she is just starting to learn about Braille and assistive technology. The reader witnesses her struggles and triumphs as the story unfolds.
The Window
Ingold, Jeanette. The Window. Orlando: Harcourt Trade Publishers, 2003. Grades 6-9. "Fifteen years old and blinded by the accident that killed her mother, Mandy has just moved to Texas to live with relatives she has never met. She explores the mystery of her family history and learns about her own strengths and resilience as she makes a new life for herself."
A Different Kind of Beauty
McNicoll, Sylvia. A Different Kind of Beauty. A story of Kyle, a 16 year old who is recently blinded due to diabetes and struggling with the adjustments and Elizabeth who is raising a future guide dog.
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller
Miller, Sarah. Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller. This is the story, told in first person, of Annie Sullivan, an orphan who is partially blind who takes the job of teaching Helen Keller.
Blind Sighted
Moore, Peter G. Blind Sighted. A story of fifteen year old Kirk who is a loner who struggles making friends and with school. He takes a job reading to a young woman who is blind who makes him feel good about himself.
The World at His Fingertips
O'Connor, Barbara. The World at His Fingertips. Carolrhoda Books, 1997. In this book the author goes into simple details about how Louis Braille came to invent the braille alphabet.
Wild Horse Summer
Ryden, Hope. Wild Horse Summer. Boston: Clarion Books, 1997. Grades 4-6. Alison, a twelve-year-old from Chicago, is nervous about spending the summer on a ranch in Wyoming. She learns to ride, and her cousin Kelly, who is blind, helps her to overcome her fears and anxieties.
Who Was Helen Keller
Thompson, Gare. Who Was Helen Keller. Grosset & Dunlap, 2003. This book tells the story of Helen Keller. This illustrated biography is perfect for young middle-grade readers. It includes line drawings and sidebars on related topics such as Louis Braille.
Being Blind
White, Peter. Being Blind. Think About Series. North Mankato, Minn.: Smart Apple Media, 1999. Grades 2-5. Peter White, who is blind, explains what blindness is, how it is caused, and ways in which some vision problems can be helped.
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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. NEW! Access to TVI's Guide Bonus Membership Pages Note: All products are digital pdf downloads. 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. If you encounter any difficulty, please let me know and I can assist you. |
