All About Me!

Submitted by Charlotte Cushman on Sep 25, 2012

Making an "All About Me" book is a wonderful early literacy experience.  This example shows some of the basic elements, such as photos of the child, family members, and friends, textures, with print and braille text throughout.

 

 

 

Letter I for Ivan
 Make a page with the first letter of the child's name.
My name is Ivan

Note that text is in large print and braille.  Bells are Ivan's name symbol and are attached with velcro, so that he can remove them and look at them.

Choose a personal symbol for the child, which can be used to mark his chair, locker, cubby and other belongings, along with braille and large print.  The symbol should be something he likes and responds to. 
Page about being 5 years old In addition to the print and braille text, attach some type of textured object with the number that corresponds to the child's age so that he can practice counting.
I live in Watertown, MA Include print and braille, a description of who the child lives with, and a photo of the family.
Page about child's friends Include photos of the child's friends (cropped here, but they are included in the original version), along with the personal identifers of the children.
Page about what the child likes Include information about what the child likes, along with some kind of textured representation.
Photo of page about pets Include information about the child's pets.  A photo, swatch of fur, or other representation can also be added.

 

Materials: 
  • thick or heavy paper
  • photos of the child, child's family and friends
  • textured fabric
  • small objects
  • glue
  • velcro
  • braillewriter or slate and stylus
  • spiral binding, notebook, metal rings or some way to hold the book together

The book can be laminated, which will make it more durable.  Lamination also causes glare, however, and also changes the feel of the pages.

 

Procedure: 

Encourage the child to be as active as possible in the creation of the book.  If he is able, have him answer the questions himself.  If needed, contact the family to get the information needed to create the book. All pages should have print, braille and textures or objects to make them accessible to the child.

Include the pages about the following:

  1. What is your name?
  2. How do you spell your name? (or what letter does your name start with?)
  3. What is your object symbol or personal identifier? (This should be something the child likes and responds to.)
  4. How old are you?
  5. Where do you live? 
  6. Who do you live with?
  7. Who are your friends?
  8. What do you like to do?
  9. Do you have any pets?

Send the book home when it is finished, so that the child can share it with family and friends.  If possible, keep a copy in the classroom as well, so that the child can read it and share with classmates, visitors, and new staff.

 

Variations: 

This project can be done individually, in small groups, or with the whole class.

 

all about me collage

 

Common Core and Braille Standards
Writing: 
W.K.1  Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...).
W.K.2  Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
W.K.3  Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
W.K.5  With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
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