Activity
Exploring Themes with Students with Visual Impairments
Given three reading samples, blind and visually impaired students will be able to successfully determine the theme of each story.
Given three reading samples, students will be able to successfully determine the theme of each story, and support these claims with examples for 2 out of 3 stories. The lesson will also help students develop:
- Familiarity with the conventions of standard English
- Well developed reading skills
- Demonstrate strong reading comprehension skills
- Ability to draw inferences from texts that vary in complexity
- Classroom work packet in multi-medium format: Uploaded digital file or braille.
- Independent practice work packet # 1: Three Aesops Fables stories in multi-medium format: Modified print, or braille.
- Independent practice work packet # 2: A choice of four morals with three that match the Aesops fables stories provided in multi-medium format: Modified print, or braille.
Mini-Lesson (15 min):
- The teacher introduces the lesson and tells the student that they will be exploring theme.
- The teacher hands out braille copies, and posts digital version of the classroom work packet to Google classroom for the students to download to their iPads.
- The teacher defines theme, discusses the difference between theme and subject, and allows the students to attempt to create their own themes from a collection of subjects chosen by the teacher. The teacher models the first subject and then encourages the students to try to create a theme from the list of topics.
Independent Practice (25 min):
- Students are broken up into two groups and provided Independent Practice Worksheets 1 and 2 in the appropriate medium format (Modified print or braille).
- The teacher has a student read the first fable and then presents the choices to the students on the smart board. Once the students choose a theme they will then be asked to support their choice with an example from the reading.
Check in (5 min):
- Teacher samples student work to recap the lesson, sharing successful student work samples with class to reemphasis lesson points.
Recap (5 min):
- Students take the last 5 minute of class to express concerns or share ideas.
Extension:
- Students will study the story The Three Little Pigs and work in groups to determine a theme for the story. Then, in a properly constructed paragraph, they will provide at least three examples from the story that supports their theme choice.
ELA Standard:
- 6.RL.1 – Key Ideas and Details – Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- 6.RL.2 – Key Ideas and Details – Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
- 6.RL.4 – Craft and Structure – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
By Tom Wall
