Lisha Yochimowitz's blog

As we count down the days until summer break, we busily wrap up our school year, reflect, tie up loose ends, look towards next year, and CELEBRATE our hard work.

Expanded Core Curriculum in the Summer

When asking parents what they want their children to learn over the summer, many say daily living skills and social skills.

Here are some great posts about summer, expanded core curriculum, and working on those daily living skills to create independence.

What is Expanded Core Curriculum?

Just Maria is the story of Maria Romero, a blind sixth-grader who is trying her hardest to be normal. Not amazing. Not inspiring. Not helpless. Not weird. Just normal.

With Mother's Day approaching, here are a few fun ideas for students to make that incorporate literacy, creativity, and fine motor skills.

Start with a Card

All moms want a heart felt card at the very least on Mother's Day.  Make sure the cards are high contrast for our students who are visually impaired and incorporate braille for our students who use braille for reading. Textured cards involve a more multisensory approach and a handprint is always a fun idea. Use sand in the paint when making the handprints for extra texture.

Paths to Literacy wants student success in the summer months too. Summertime is a perfect opportunity to create meaningful memories that carry over to all areas of development.

Questions often asked by families when the summer months approach:

• What can we do this summer to help our child reach their goals?
• Are there camps that are a good fit for them? 
• How can they create relationships with their peers outside of school? 

Picture Books for Children Who are Blind by the National Braille Press

The Great Expectations program was created to help parents and teachers bring picture books to life for blind children. Each book is chosen for its unique theme and is supplemented with picture descriptions and free online activities to further explore concepts found within the stories.

The National Center on Improving Literacy and Idaho's Department of Education have created a short, two and a half minute video to highlight the importance of playing with sounds and spoken words to develop strong listening and reading skills.

The Video States:

These 26 Braille letter songs include the braille dot numbers and alphabetic word sign contractions for each letter of the English alphabet. Dot numbers are linked to consistent musical pitches to ensure that each song has a unique melody and to assist with the memorization of each letter’s braille formation.

Christine Casey and Steve Sparrow's voices can be heard. Steve, Christine, and Rikki Chaplin also played the instruments.

As the new content manager for Paths to Literacy, I am continually amazed at the amount of wonderful ideas, knowledge, and strategies collected throughout the years.  It is a goal of mine to highlight some past posts each season so they are continually used and recognized by our community. 

Added update by Daphne Hitchcock

Bill Martin was born on March 20, 1916 and has created many beloved books that have been a favorite for many of our children. Here are some great activities and resources you can use with children who are visually impaired.