Course 3: Instructional Strategies

Tar Heel Reader (THR)

Tar Heel Reader (THR) is a free library of accessible books for students who are beginning readers. Developed by educators, students, and families, it has books for students at all grade levels. These books are speech enabled with highlighted text.

THR also has the option for you as the educator to create books with your students and then upload them to share on their website. THR books are switch accessible and can be accessed on a computer or linked to an iPad.

Ways to use THR so students can be involved in a literacy activity:

• Touch the screen or switch to turn a page
• Listen and look at a book
• Share a book with a classmate in buddy reading
• Look at a book on a curriculum topic (e.g., volcanoes or Picasso)
• Answer a question about a book

Visual Scenes

Visual Scenes apps (GoVisual, SnapScene) turn photos and videos into literacy and communication opportunities for students. You upload photos of people or places, or of the pages of a book into the app, and then you can create “hot spots” on the photos, like a button on a touchscreen. Touching the “hot spots” activates the words to appear on the screen and be spoken out loud.

Videos can also be uploaded and used to support learning a sequence of steps in an activity, such as tying shoelaces or re-shelving library books. This feature can also teach students appropriate social interactions by modelling expectations, such as navigating new social settings. Embedding real or computerized speech means students have a voice.

Ways for students to use Visual Scenes in their literacy activities:

• Take turns activating “hot spots” with a classmate
• Follow the steps in a routine using video, speech, and text prompts
• Read a book to a classmate or group
• Document a topic of interest and make a presentation
• Take a self-portrait photo and embed some words you’d like to share
• Use photos from home to share with classmates

Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) Reading Program

The Accessible Literacy Learning Reading Program (ALL) was designed by Tobii Dynavox to make basic literacy accessible for students with a range of disabilities and who use AAC for their communication needs. Students do not have to make spoken responses to participate in the program. This program combines direct instruction on skills students need to read, spell, and recognize sight words within meaningful literacy activities.

This program is available digitally as an app and in hard copy binders. These materials use the picture symbols from Boardmaker software, which are often already familiar for many students who use AAC. This program is accessible through touch, eye-gaze and switch-based scanning methods of access.

Ways to include ALL alongside literacy lessons:

• Work on literacy alongside classmates
• Use their individual AAC to interact while using ALL
• Make responses on the screen

Watch this introduction to ALL (4:11).

Clicker

Clicker and the Clicker apps support students to participate by using digital writing skills to interact with text. Using Clicker, the student can see the words on the screen and move them around to make phrases and sentences which tell a story about the pictures. Students can then play back their work using the speech generated voices and review and edit from this feedback. Word prediction helps students use more complex grammar and explore new vocabulary.

Clicker includes pre-made books and accessible book-making tools so students can create their own sentences or stories. Clicker has a wide variety of customizable topics related to the curriculum, and it is accessible through a touch screen, eye-gaze, or an assistive keyboard.

Ways to support the student’s active learning with Clicker:

• Manipulate the words on the screen
• Identify named words from a selection
• Listen to feedback and make changes
• Link literacy to curriculum topics (e.g., animals of B.C.)
• Produce projects for their portfolio
• Produce work that can be graded

Watch a video demonstration of how to use Clicker (3:50).

Pictello

Pictello is an app that allows you to create digital stories using photos, videos, and text with added computerized speech. This app has multiple uses, such as creating social stories and schedules, supporting home to school communication, reinforcing routines and developing personal stories to share with friends and family. Books can be created easily and the app guides you through each step with the added option to record your own voice or use the computerized voice.

The Pictello Convertor is a web-based tool that enables the download of books from Tar Heel Reader to be read offline. Pictello can be accessed via Bluetooth and linked switches or direct access on the screen.

Ways to use Pictello to include students in literacy lessons:

• Share a book they wrote with a classmate at buddy reading
• Create a book that reflects a grade level curriculum topic
• Write a book using a genre appropriate for their chronological age
• Take photos when researching a curriculum topic
• Make a choice of what photos to use in a story
• Present a project or book report to the class

Watch this video of a Speech Pathologist demonstrating Pictello with a student who interacts using his AAC. (9:12)

Accessible Chef

Accessible Chef is a website featuring visual recipes to support students to be more actively involved in the kitchen. Photos of each step guides students through assembling the tools and ingredients and then assists them to follow the recipe. You can also create your own visual recipes using the templates provided. Accessible Chef also has some useful resources, such as adaptive tools for the kitchen and videos explaining why cooking skills are so important for all students.

Ways for students to use Accessible Chef in an inclusive classroom:

• Choose a recipe from the Accessible Chef
• Make a shopping list of ingredients
• Gather the tools needed for an Accessible Chef recipe
• Print off a recipe to check off steps once completed
• Choose photos to upload into a template to make a new recipe in Accessible Chef
• Share a recipe with a classmate
• Use the recipe guide to talk about the steps used to make the food