Perkins School for the Blind
Baseball
Baseball is an American pastime, super fun to play, and can be made accessible to learners with visual impairments. Instead of taking to the ball field, your class can learn the rules of the game by playing a small three-dimensional...
Perkins School for the Blind
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry
Every great scientist knows that the process of inquiry is a very important skill. Provide your learners with visual impairments with an opportunity to explore objects scientifically. They examine several pieces of fruit and generate...
Perkins School for the Blind
The Three Basic States (Phases) of Matter
There are three basic states of matter: Solid, liquid, and gas. Help your learners with visual impairments to understand the chemical nature of each state of matter with tactile elements. Marbles are used to model the particles in each...
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...
Perkins School for the Blind
Safety Crash Testing
Everyone knows that cars have safety features, but wouldn't it be fun to design your own? Learners with visual impairments build a ramp and then attempt to use the material provided to design a safety system to protect a raw egg from a...
Perkins School for the Blind
Conservation of Mass
How do you teach a student with visual impairments about the conservation of mass? You use tactile models that represent the theoretical concept. Baking soda and vinegar are used to add gas to a deflated balloon. Learners will feel the...
Perkins School for the Blind
Please Call Me Names!
Teaching students who are blind means teaching them skills a sighted person may take for granted. To practice calling people and objects by name, learners engage in a cueing activity. The child calls for an adult by name, and then uses a...
Perkins School for the Blind
Friction
Friction is a force that can be felt, which means that learners with visual impairments can experiment to feel and understand the concept of friction. They slide a rock along a smooth table, and then they slide a rock across sandpaper,...
Perkins School for the Blind
Polyatomic Ion Bingo
If your class is learning about polyatomic ions and needs a fun way to study those chemicals, then a bingo game might be right up your alley. This bingo game is intended to boost memorization skills, specifically the names of tricky...
Perkins School for the Blind
Testing the Strength of a Column
Columns have been used throughout the world because they are good load-bearing structures. Learners with visual impairments conduct an experiment to work through the design process as well as to understand this engineering phenomenon....
Perkins School for the Blind
Mixtures and Solutions
Mixtures and solutions are different; one can be separated fairly easily and the other cannot. This hands-on experiment was written specifically for learners with visual impairments or blindness. They will use lemonade and trail mix to...
Perkins School for the Blind
Name That Frequency
How cool! This plan uses old cassette tapes to show frequency from traveling vibrations. To prepare for the lesson, tactile frequency diagrams are made and then placed near the video tapes or dominoes that are already set up. When they...
Perkins School for the Blind
Casting with Plaster
What a fun lesson! Your class can experience the design and construction process by creating a mold and a duplicate for an engraved image. The lesson is specifically written for learners with visual impairments and allows them to create...
Perkins School for the Blind
Identifying and Using Tools
How can you teach a person about technology and engineering if he has never been exposed to the tools and devices used to create and construct? Learners with visual impairments examine a number of common tools, such as hammers, wrenches,...
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...
Perkins School for the Blind
Momentum
The laws of momentum can lead to fun! Learners with visual impairments use bowling pins and a bowling ball to model the law of conservation of momentum. They take turns bowling with differing degrees of force to explore how energy is...
Weebly
Disability Awareness Activity
Class members gain awareness of the challenges people with disabilities face, such as those with vision impairments, autism, or speech and language disabilities, as they progress through a series of engaging and informative learning...