Socials Studies
As the elementary classroom teacher, it is your responsibility to teach the social studies curriculum to all of your students, including your braille-reading student. By teaching concepts and ideas from the social studies curriculum, you provide a way for your students to gain insight in important areas such as history, culture, values, place, geography, environment and citizenship. Your students learn to make connections between disciplines, identify problems and issues within their immediate and extended environments, and gather and analyze information about the world around them. You will be able to provide the same rich learning experiences to your braille-reading student. Your student’s TVI will help you in developing tools and strategies to help you along the way.
Considerations in Planning for Instruction in Social Studies:
When planning for your social studies lesson, begin by reminding yourself about the unique learning processes of your braille-reading student. If you are teaching a unit about Canada’s geography, you will likely need to give your class a map to review. Consider the ease in learning about the features of Canada’s landscape simply by looking at this map. You probably have a map of Canada hanging up on your classroom wall. Consider the extent of incidentally learning that is happening every time your students look at that map. The learning process of your braille-reading student will be a little different. Your braille-reading student will need to explore the map in sequential pieces to develop the same holistic understanding of it, similar to putting pieces of a puzzle together to view a whole picture.
It is important that your take a proactive approach when creating your social studies lessons. While planning your lesson, ask yourself, “How will my braille-reading student access the concepts learned in today’s lessons?” Make sure that you have an answer to this question before you teach your lesson.
The following information will provide you with strategies to teach and include your braille-reading student in your inclusive social studies class.
Strategies for Learning:
The following strategies will help your braille-reading student access you social studies curriculum:
- Use a discovery approach in your learning. Encourage your braille-reading student find answers to questions and problems.
- Use a hands-on approach to teaching social studies. Provide your braille-reading students with real objects to explore.
- Relate the real life experiences of your braille-reading student to concepts being learned in your social studies class.
- Encourage lots of dialogue during the learning process. Pair your braille-reading student with a peer to discuss issues and problems.
- Verbalize all information that is written on the board or on posters. Pair your braille-reading student with a peer who can read notes from the board for your student to braille.
- Provide an electronic copy of your notes to your braille-reading student if they use high-tech devices, such as a braille notetaker or computer.
- Speak with your braille-reading student about topics of upcoming social studies units. Be a detective and try to look for any gaps in your student’s understanding.
- Frequently touch base with your braille-reading student during your class to make sure that he or she is actively participating in your lesson activities.
- Prepare your braille-reading student for any upcoming fieldtrips. It may be necessary for him or her to be orientated to the the fieldtrip site ahead of time.
Social Studies Tools for Learning:
Your braille-reading student will likely use specific tools to access your science curriculum. Your student’s TVI will help you understand how these tools are used. The following is a list of possible tools that may be used by your braille-reading student in the social studies class.
- Slate and Stylus, Perkins Brailler or other electronic braille notetaker for reading and writing.
- Computer with Jaws or other speech program.
- Social Studies textbooks or informational books available in braille.
- Tactile maps, charts or graphs.
Additional Resources:
It is likely that you will continue to have questions about strategies and methods of teaching social studies to your braille-reading student. Although you may feel a little hesitant in your skills, remember that you are not alone. Your TVI will provide you with as many resources as you need. You can also find a list of rich resources on-line.