Perkins School for the Blind
Tactile quilts that tell a story
Learners with multiple disabilities need to engage in projects that push them to know their full potential. They need to be able to express themselves in a variety of ways, and this very thoughtful lesson plan does just that. They make a...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Phonics: High Frequency Words, Sand Paper Words
Learners use a stack of words embellished with tactile elements, such as sandpaper, to practice high-frequency words. Pupils trace the tactile surface of each letter in the word, write it on their paper, then find and glue that word from...
Perkins School for the Blind
Counting in Tactile Journals
This is one of those great ideas I totally love. Youngsters with visual impairments practice counting and left-to -right sequencing by counting out a set number of edible objects from the left and putting them in a bag on the right. They...
Texas Woman’s University
Patterns, Patterns Everywhere!
Not only is pattern recognition an essential skill for young children to develop, it's also a lot of fun to teach! Over the course of this lesson, class members participate in shared readings, perform small group activities, and complete...
Curated OER
Four Learning Styles
Students play a game where they insert the states of the United States onto a map, and discuss the four learning styles as they play. In this learning styles lesson plan, students discuss how each learning style would play and think...
Curated OER
Learning How to Send Messages in Code
Learning about the use of secret codes can help students practice important skills.
Perkins School for the Blind
Memory
When you are blind, your hands become your eyes, so learning how to discriminate between various objects through touch is a very important skill. Make a memory game by gluing common items onto cardstock. The kids feel, identify, and then...
Curated OER
Developing Tactile Skills
Students use their tactile abilities to determine items. In this tactile lesson, the teacher gathers small, recognizable items and places them in a box. The teacher reviews the items with the class. The students take turns reaching in...
Curated OER
Reflective Journaling
Students write to influence positive change. In this service learning lesson, students reflect on their service learning experiences as they journal about sharing their time, talent, and treasures. Students share their journals with...
Bright Hub Education
Math Lesson for Visually Impaired Early Learners: A 3 Way Counting Activity
A unique lesson that's designed for visually impaired early learners, but can be adapted for anyone, is here for you. Pupils use brightly colored foam letters, beads, checkers, and an abacus, in order to gain practice in identifying the...
Perkins School for the Blind
The Printing Process
The printing process was a technological innovation that revolutionized the modern world. Your learners with visual impairments can experience this process by creating a print by using letterpress printing. They use cardboard, glue, and...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Natural Twig Journals
Connect science, art, and language arts with a nature-themed bookmaking project. Kids craft book covers, cut paper for pages, and learn how to bind their creations.
Curated OER
Colors of Winter-Body Parts/Senses
Fun is in the air as learners with special needs engage in sensory-filled activities. They discuss color, snow, cold, winter, and body parts while touching and smelling various objects. They discuss the parts of the body with relation to...
Pyro Innovations
Beach Exploration
Little ones will absolutely love this lesson. It's all about the beach and what they can find while sifting through the sand. A large bucket of sand filled with hidden items is brought into the classroom. Learners will discuss what kinds...
Perkins School for the Blind
Design and Problem Solving
What if you had a design problem you wanted to solve, but were unable to draw because you were unable to see? Teach your learners with visual impairments that they can use Wikki Stix®, a braille ruler, Legos®, and Constructo Straws to...
Curated OER
Tactile Maps
Students make a map of an assigned area (state, country, etc.) using a 3-D pictorial-tactile representation of the features to be included. They also learn to create a pictorial- tactile representation of their knowledge of a region, and...
Curated OER
Getting to Know You
Students participate in tactile and visual exploration. In this tactile and visual exploration lesson, students listen to John Archambault's, Grandmother's Garden, and sing the song, "Friends Are Like Flowers." They participate in ice...
Perkins School for the Blind
Beginning Map Skills
Maps can be so much fun, they help you understand spatial relationships, distance between objects, and can foster direction skills. Budding cartographers with visual impairments use the Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit to create their...
University of New Mexico
Visual Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Because autism manifests in so many different ways it is referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). No one approach is appropriate for learners with autism. The idea of this packet if to provide a variety of approaches and materials...
Curated OER
Soil Testing
Earth science learners experiment with the water-holding properties of sand, pebbles, and clay. They apply their findings to the building of a well. This activity is engaging and tactile, and it demonstrates the importance of considering...
CK-12 Foundation
Basic Visual Patterns: Train Cars
An interactive comprised of five questions challenges young scholars to complete a simple pattern. After examining a train with colored carts, learners arrange a green, blue, and yellow block into their corresponding space. Questions are...
Berkshire Museum
Camouflage!: Collecting Data and Concealing Color
Help young scholars see the important role camouflage plays in the survival of animals with a fun science lesson. Starting with an outdoor activity, children take on the role of hungry birds as they search for worms represented by...
Perkins School for the Blind
Timeline for Anne
It is key to the learning process to make everything a child with visual impairments does as tactile as possible. After reading Anne of Green Gables, the class discusses her life events in order to make a tactile time line. They choose...
Space Awareness
Meet Our Home: Earth
Earth is a complex structure. Learners explore their home, the earth, using a fun hands-on activity. They create tactile models of the earth using ordinary household materials that represent some common features: land, polar caps,...