A Big Apple Lesson
Tara McCarthy, TVI/COMS
taragriffis@aol.com
Common Core Curriculum is an overwhelming phrase on its own. Coupled with Expanded
Core Curriculum, it can make any teacher of the
visually impaired feel demoralized and defeated.
This year, in speaking with several itinerant
teachers across the country, I heard the same
question over and over: "With the Expanded Core
Curriculum taking precedence, how can I build
time into my lessons to address the Expanded
Core Curriculum with low vision students?" In
writing this article, I hope to alleviate some stress
and provide some creative ways for teachers of
the visually impaired to utilize applications on the
iPad with low vision students in a way that focuses on Expanded Core Curriculum domains
while building on the Common Core Curriculum
taught by classroom teachers.
This school year, my second grade students
are reading Charlotte's Web as part of the Common Core Curriculum for ELA. I immediately determined, as their TVI, that in order to address
their IEP goals, I needed to find a way to integrate several Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC)
areas into their curriculum. The iPad, along with
several applications, has proven to be a fabulous
bridge between the Core Curriculum and ECC for
my students.
These are three actual lessons that were
used during English Language Arts for second
grade students with visual impairments whose
IEP mandates were three weekly, forty-five minute sessions.
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