This activity has been revised and was originally created by Mary Jane Clark and published in the Perkins Activity and Resource Guide (1st edition, 1992). The second edition is available for purchase.
This hands-on activity has students keep a daily log of activities, special events, emotions and thoughts. For students who are unable to braille, you can have them set up the log or diary using a digital recorder. Lessons include English Language Arts, Concepts, and Independent Living.
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Brailler or braille note-taker
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Digital recorder (if necessary)
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Pen or pencil and paper or notebook (if necessary)
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Set aside time every day for students to write or record important or memorable daily events.
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Have students braille or write the date on the top of each entry page in the proper format (month, day, year). For students using a digital recorder, have them verbally date every entry using the same format.
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Have students write activities in sequence. Help them develop this skill by writing one thing that happened in the morning, one thing that happened in the afternoon, and one thing that happened in the evening.
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Review the sequence of activities by asking, “What did you do first, eat breakfast or lunch?” or “What did you do last, go to the park or go shopping?” (Use actual activities from the student’s week.) Start by sequencing activities in one day, and move to sequencing items that occurred in a week.
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Have students review their work, share any items with the group, and make corrections.
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Have students read through specific weeks. For example, “Find October 4; tell me one thing you did on that day.”
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Have students share an activity that happened on the same day (everyone shares what they wrote or did on June 5). Next, ask specific questions such as:
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“Who went to the store on June 5th?” or
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“What did Joe do on June 5th?”
This can be expanded by having one student read a week’s account, then asking questions such as, “Who can tell me what Tom did on Tuesday?”
For other ideas to teach writing, see Paths to Literacy.