Functional Academics - A Curriculum for Students with Visual Impairments

by Susan Hauser, Nancy Levack, & Lauren Newton (Eds.)
© TSBVI 1999 - 708 pages Order # 59434FAP
Note: This curriculum is sold unbound and printed on 3-hole punched 8 1/2 x 11 paper ready for a ring binder.

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Table of Contents of this book

The Functional Academics Curriculum is designed for teachers and instructors who work with a very special group of adolescents, age 12 years and older, for whom the developmental or academic approach is no longer effective, and have basic academic skills at a kindergarten through second grade level.
This guide addresses the major components of instruction. It addresses what to teach by describing curriculum content and assess, as well as how to teach by discussing strategies, adaptations, and procedures for planning, teaching, and documenting progress. The areas addressed include:

• Communication Skills
• Social Skills
• Cognitive and Thinking Skills
• Orientation and Mobility Skills
• English/Language Arts
• Math
• Career Education
• Social Studies
• Science
• Home Economics/Management
• Recreation and Leisure

This curriculum is primarily an activity-based program. The students' learning day is structured around daily life activities that are age-appropriate and that prepare students for productive adult lives, blending traditional academic work with real life tasks. Instructors may choose from assessment forms and sample units included.
The curriculum is sold unbound and printed on 3-hole punched 8 1/2 x 11 paper ready for a ring binder. Forms included are permitted to copy.

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Contents of Functional Academics: A Curriculum for Students with Visual Impairments

by Susan Hauser, Nancy Levack, & Lauren Newton (Eds.)

Part 1 Establishing a Framework for Instruction

Overview

• Intended Population
• Philosophy
• Student Outcomes
• Curriculum Content
• The Continuum of Programming at TSBVI
• The Exit Program

Assessing and Program Planning

• Forms:
  • Teacher's Report of Present Competencies
  • Residential Report of Present Competencies
  • Parent IEP Considerations
  • Individual Transition Plan Summary
• Why and When to Assess
• How to Use the Curriculum Assessments
• Functional Academics Assessments Included in this Curriculum
• Who Assesses
• Assessment and Program Planning Process
• Individual Education Plans
• Planning for Graduation
• Individual Transition Planning
• ARD Meetings
• Documenting and Reporting Progress

General Teaching Strategies

• Forms:
  • Daily Schedule (Quarter Hours)
  • Daily Schedule (Bell Schedule)
  • Activity Plan " Community
  • Activity Plan " Cooking
  • Unit (Planning)
• Scheduling and Self-Contained Classes
• Layering
• Weekly Schedule of Classes or Activities
• The Team Approach to Programming
• The Role of Community-Based Instruction
• Planning Instruction Based on Individualized Transition Plans
• Lesson/Activity Plans
• Incidental Learning
• Planning Useful Activities
• Teaching Through Units of Study

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Part 2 The Curriculum Content: Infused Skills

Communication Skills

• Forms:
  • Oral Communication Assessment
  • Functional Literacy Assessment
  • Telephone Assessment
• What to Teach
• Assessment
• Teaching Strategies
• Resources

Social Skills

• Forms:
  • Knowledge of Personal Information Assessment
  • Knowledge of Visual and Other Impairments Assessment
  • Self-Advocacy Assessment
  • Knowledge of Human Sexuality Assessment
• What to Teach
• Assessment
• Teaching Strategies
• Resources

Cognitive/Thinking Skills

• What to Teach
• Teaching Strategies

Orientation and Mobility Skills

• What to Teach
• Assessment
• Teaching Strategies
• Resources

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Part 3 The Curriculum Content: Subject Areas

English / Language Arts

• Forms:
  • Braille Assessment
  • Operating a Braillewriter Assessment
  • Functional Word Attack Assessment
  • Vocabulary and Reading Assessment
  • Self-Advocacy for Large Print Readers Assessment
  • Composition Writing Assessment
• What to Teach
• Assessment
• Teaching Strategies

Math

• Forms:
  • Basic Math Assessment
  • Calculator Assessment
  • Abacus and Fingermath Assessment
  • Money Assessment
  • Time Assessment
  • Measurement Assessment
• What to Teach
• Assessment
• Teaching Strategies
• Resources

Career Education

• Forms:
  • Parent Survey on Student Preferences for Work
  • Work Related Activities Assessment
  • Student Interview
  • Career Portfolio (Large Print)
  • Career Portfolio (Regular Print)
  • Resume of Work Training Experience
• What to Teach
• Work Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Advocacy
• Work Concepts
• Job Seeking
• Job Maintenance
• Work Skills, Behaviors, and Attitudes
• Employment
• Strategies for Prompt Reduction
• Assessment
• Documentation
• About the Units and Their Lessons

Social Studies

• What to Teach
• Teaching Strategies

Science

• What to Teach
• Teaching Strategies

Home Economics and Management

• Forms:
  • Dressing Assessment
  • Eating Assessment
  • Food Preparation Assessment
  • Grocery Store Assessment
  • Clothing Care Assessment
  • Household Management Assessment
• What to Teach
• Assessment
• Teaching Strategies
• Resources

Personal Fitness & Use of Free Time

• Forms:
  • Recreation/Leisure Assessment
  • Leisure Survey for Parents
  • Leisure Survey for Staff
  • Leisure Time Activities Plan
  • Restaurant Assessment
• What to Teach
• Assessment
• Documentation
• Teaching Strategies
• Resources

Part 4 Teaching in a Residential School

Part 5 Units