Calendar Practice

Lesson Plan For Teaching/Learning And Practicing Using
The American English Braille and/or Large Print Calendar

Created by
Robby Barnes, Sylvie Kashdan and Kaizen students

MS Word Doc version (67 kb)

Day 1, Level 1

Competency Objectives

Understand and say the months of the year and the days of the week in English

Be able to write in braille and/or in large print and say dates in English

Vocabulary (to be introduced and practiced in the context of sentences and activities)

Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Adverbs of time: this, next, last, before, after, etc.

Nouns: date, birth date, birthday, holiday, day, week, month, year

Conventional English usage of cardinal and ordinal numbers for dates, days, months and years

Grammar (to be introduced and practiced in the context of sentences and activities)

Wh- questions (What month is it? What month was it last month? What month will it be next month? What is the month after …January, etc.? What month is before … December, etc.? What’s your favorite month? What month were you born in? What is your birth date?

Suggested Materials: braille paper, braillewriters and/or slates and styli, regular hard copy braille calendars for the current year (uncontracted and double-spaced braille layout with one month per braille page is best for beginning English and braille learners; if uncontracted double-spaced calendars for the current year cannot be made or obtained, contracted braille calendars from the Braille Institute can be used with beginning English and braillle learners), and/or bold-line paper and blank sheets of computer printer paper for writing large print, 20-20 pens or other Black felt-tipped pens and markers, large print calendars for the current year (layout with one month per page is best for beginning English and large print learners), (calendars incorporating both braille and large print are also appropriate).

1. Greeting/Warm-up

Round-robin

While passing the ball or soft toy to encourage turn taking and indicate clearly when each one’s turn has come:
Teacher supports students who have difficulty speaking the English by modeling what is to be said as many times as necessary. Teacher and student repeat each question and response a number of times, taking turns speaking a number of times, until speaking the English comes easily to the student.

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: Hello, my name is … What’s your name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: Hello, my name is … What’s your name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: (if present) Student 2 or other participant: Hello, my name is … What’s your name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: I am from … Where are you from?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: I am from … Where are you from?

Pass the ball or soft toy: (if present) Student 2 or other participant: I am from … Where are you from?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: I have been in Seattle (or Washington State) … (number of years). How long have you been here?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: I have been in Seattle (or Washington State) … (number of years). How long have you been here?

Pass the ball or soft toy: (if present) Student 2 or other participant: I have been in Seattle (or Washington State) … (number of years). How long have you been here?

Teacher writes each name in braille and/or in large print, where each person is from, and how long the person has been here.

Teacher reads aloud what has been written, then supports student in reading by saying words that student is struggling with. The student needs to hear the English many times in conjunction with the experience of reading with minimal tension and anxiety in order to learn to fully associate the oral and written English as quickly as possible.

2. Using The Braille and/or Large Print Calendar

Activity A: Exploring the braille and/or large print calendar

Teacher shows the student the current month on the braillle and/or large print calendar. Teacher says the name of the month.

Student reads the month in braille and/or large print and repeats after the teacher until comfortable.

Teacher shows the student the other months on the braille and/or large print calendar and says the English names of the other months.

Student reads the braille and/or large print and repeats until comfortable.

Activity B: Reading and writing

Teacher helps student to begin to read the months, and the abbreviations for the days of the week, and the numbers for the dates on the braille and/or large print calendar.

Teacher and student say the days of the week together until student is comfortable; then teacher models writing in braille and/or large print the days of the week and the abbreviations for the days of the week that are used on the calendar; student writes in braille and/or large print following model.

Then, teacher uses the different pages of the braille and/or large print calendar to demonstrate this month, last month, next month. Asks questions about this month, last month, next month, pretending that today is different dates in different months.

Student answers, with teacher supporting by modeling speaking if and when necessary.

Then, student uses the different pages of the braille and/or large print calendar to demonstrate this month, last month, next month, with teacher supporting by modeling speaking if and when necessary. Student asks questions about this month, last month, next month, pretending that today is different dates in different months.

Teacher answers student’s questions.

Teacher asks student questions with date answers. (Ex. What date is it? What’s your birth date? In what month did you come to Seattle? Etc.)

Student answers, with teacher supporting by modeling speaking if and when necessary.

As the student answers, the teacher writes the answers in braille and/or large print.

Student reads the dates in braille and/or large print, with support modeling of English pronunciation from teacher if and when necessary.

Teacher helps student to try asking questions that go along with the dates: What is today’s date? What’s your birth date? In what month did you come to Seattle? Etc.

Teacher and student take turns asking questions about the months: Wh- questions (What month is it? What month was it last month? What month will it be next month? What is the month after …January, etc.? What month is before … December, etc.? What’s your favorite month? When is your birth date?)

Activity C: Learning the numbers of the months

Teacher writes the numbers 1 through 12 in braille and/or large print on a piece of paper and ask students: What month is number 1. How do you spell it? What month is number 2? How do you spell it?

Students (whether or not they can read the braille and/or large print calendar) say the months and spell them out loud.

3. Closing

Teacher and students take turns saying the months in order while leafing through the braille and/or large print calendar. As a somewhat greater challenge, they can also try saying the months backwards, in reverse order.

Lesson Plan For Teaching/Learning And Practicing Using The American English Braille and/or Large Print Calendar

Day 2, Level 1

Competency Objectives

Understand and be able to say the days of the week and some dates in English

Be able to express ideas about an event using the present progressive. i.e. He is working)

Vocabulary (to be introduced and practiced in the context of sentences and activities)

Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday; today, yesterday, tomorrow; this week, last week, next week; before, next, after,

Grammar (to be introduced and practiced in the context of sentences and activities)

Wh- questions: (What date is it? What day is it today? What day was it yesterday? What day will it be tomorrow? What is the day after … Friday, etc.? What day is before … Saturday, etc.? What’s your birth date? What date did you come to Seattle? Etc.)

Suggested Materials: braille paper, braillewriters and/or slates and styli, regular hard copy braille calendars for the current year (uncontracted and double-spaced braille layout with one month per braille page is best for beginning English and braille learners; if uncontracted double-spaced calendars for the current year cannot be made or obtained, contracted braille calendars from the Braille Institute can be used with beginning English and braillle learners), and/or bold-line paper and blank sheets of computer printer paper for writing large print, 20-20 pens or other Black felt-tipped pens and markers, large print calendars for the current year (layout with one month per page is best for beginning English and large print learners), (calendars incorporating both braille and large print are also appropriate).

1. Greeting/Warm-up

Round-robin

While passing the ball or soft toy to encourage turn taking and indicate clearly when each one’s turn has come: Teacher and student repeat each question and response a number of times, taking turns speaking a number of times, until the spoken English comes easily to the student.

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: Hello, my name is … What’s your name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: Hello, my name is … What’s your name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student 2 or other participant: Hello, my name is … What’s your name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: My name is … Your name is … What’s my name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: My name is … Your name is … What’s my name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: (if present) Student 2 or other participant: My name is … Your name is … What’s my name?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: I am from … Where are you from?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: I am from … Where are you from?

Pass the ball or soft toy: (if present) Student 2 or other participant: I am from … Where are you from?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: I have been in Seattle (or Washington State) … (number of years). How long have you been here?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: I have been in Seattle (or Washington State) … (number of years). How long have you been here?

Pass the ball or soft toy: (if present) Student 2 or other participant: I have been in Seattle (or Washington State) … (number of years). How long have you been here?

2. Review:

Teacher reviews the months of the year and Days of the week orally.

Teacher: This month is … What month is it?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: This month is … What month is it? etc.

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: This month is … What month is after this month? The month after this month is …

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: This month is … What month is after this month? The month after this month is …Etc.

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: This month is … What month is before this month? The month before this month is …

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: This month is … What month is before this month? The month before this month is …Etc.

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: Today is … What day is it?

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: Today is …What day is it? etc.

Pass the ball or soft toy: Teacher: What day is tomorrow? Tomorrow is …

Pass the ball or soft toy: Student: What day is tomorrow? Tomorrow is … Etc.

3. Using The Braille and/or Large Print Calendar

Activity A: Reviewing braille and/or large print calendar

Teacher and student review exploring the braille and/or large print calendar for the current month, the days of the week, the numbers of the days and dates, spellings, etc. until student is comfortable; then teacher models writing in braille and/or large print the days of the week and the abbreviations for the days of the week that are used on the braille and/or large print calendar; student writes in braille and/or large print following the model.

Activity B: Matching game

When the student is comfortable with the information, the teacher reviews the spellings of the words: the months of the year, the days of the week, the time reference words, etc.

Student says the spellings in English, with support modeling from teacher if necessary.

Student spells and the teacher or another student says the month or day spelled.

Activity C: Round-Robin

Teacher and student repeat each question and response a number of times, taking turns speaking a number of times, until speaking the English comes easily to the student.

Pass the ball: Teacher: I am going to the park on Sunday. What are you doing on Sunday?

Pass the ball: Student: I am going shopping on Sunday. What are you doing on Sunday? etc.

Pass the ball: Teacher: I am going to the park on Monday. What are you doing on Friday? Etc.

Pass the ball: Student: I am going to the park on Monday. What are you doing on Wednesday? Etc.

Teacher and students continue with questions and answers about days and activities…

Activity D: Dictated Story

Teacher and Student speak sentences and teacher writes story in braille and/or large print about what they do during each day of the week, using the days of the week.

Teacher says in a short sentence what she or he does on each day of the week. Then teacher writes the short sentence about what she or he does on that day of the week in braille and/or large print.

Then Teacher supports student in saying in a short sentence what student does on each day of the week. Then teacher writes in braillle the short sentence about what the student does on that day of the week.

Closing

Teacher first reads the story out loud so that the student can hear the rhythm and pronunciation of the language; then teacher and student read back the story in braille and/or large print together. Teacher supports students who have difficulty speaking the English by modeling what is to be said as many times as necessary.

Kaizen Program
for New English Learners with Visual Limitations
email: kaizen ( at ) quixotes.org
web: https://www.quixotes.org/kaizen//