April Lesson1

Easter

Lesson Plan: Level 1:

Background:

The modern celebration of Easter, like many other holidays around the world, combines several traditions. In ancient, pre-Christian days, the coming of spring was celebrated with festivals associated with both the vernal equinox and the lunar calendar. Christians celebrated Easter during the same season and incorporated some aspects of the pagan festivals and traditions into their own observances. Christians celebrate Easter as a commemoration of when they believe Jesus Christ arose from the dead. The theme of rebirth and new life in non-Christian spring festivals has over time, combined with Christian themes to form the Easter holiday as we know it today. The Easter Bunny, another symbol of new life, was most likely originated in Germany in the 1500s. The egg, an ancient symbol of fertility, may have been paired with the Easter Bunny as part of an ad campaign by European candy makers. Decoration of eggs predates Christianity but the egg, like the rabbit, was a symbol of new life and renewal and so dovetailed nicely with Christian tradition. Easter baskets originated from an early Christian custom of taking the food for the Easter dinner to church to be blessed. The basket also was seen as the “rabbit’s nest” where the Easter Bunny would naturally hide his treasures!

Purpose/Objective:

The purpose of this lesson is to teach students who have severe and/or multiple disabilities about Easter and to allow them to access an interactive activity, at first with help from the teaching staff, ultimately, on their own. The objectives a teacher chooses for individual or group outcomes will vary depending upon the students in the class. In most cases, the teacher will be looking for the level of attention/engagement of the students as well as measuring the level of competence the individual students show in accessing the interactive lesson with adaptive equipment such as a microswitch or an adaptive keyboard. The teacher may also check for understanding after the lesson is completed. Since individual students will have unique objectives, the teacher will tailor his/her instruction to reinforce those individual benchmarks. This lesson is meant to be adaptable for a range of ages and skill levels. This lesson is aligned with state standards and benchmarks and the SEACO ( Special Education Administrators of County Offices) History/Social Science Curriculum Guide.
Standard Four (A Child’s Place in Time and Place): The Student knows that there is cultural diversity
Goal Stem One ( Knowledge and Cultural Understanding/Cultural Literacy):
The Student will understand the rich, complex nature of a given culture.

Note:

This lesson works best with an Intellikeys alternate Keyboard and Intellipics software but can be done without either one if you have a computer with student access and are able to download the Intellipics player and activity and overlay files from this web site. If students can move or click the mouse they can access the lesson without equipment. If your computer does not have the Intellipics software but you have a switch port for student use, you can also use the lesson after downloading the player but you may have to move the mouse to each picture item in turn before the student can access it by pressing the switch. Test the activity before teaching to see how it works with your particular computer and adaptive device configuration. Sometimes if the activity does not work the first time, it may be necessary to quit, shut down the computer, make sure all the connections are in place and reboot.

Materials Needed:

1. Two printed copies of the level one Easter lesson overlay. One left in one piece as the teacher’s master copy or as an Intellikeys Overlay, the other cut into individual pieces showing one of each picture/symbol. (Recommend laminating the picture cards for durability and reuse)

2. For optional follow-up activity: Easter Egg dye kit (available in grocery and discount stores); water, vinegar, or other ingredients required to mix the dye (check your kit package); adaptive equipment your students need to pour water or stir eggs (such as a switch-operated pouring cup, or spoons with built-up handles; At least one hard-boiled egg per student ; color choice cards (squares of construction paper about 4”x4” corresponding to the colors of dye you will be using); if using the IntelliTalk Easter Egg colors overlay, you might want to just print two of them and cut one of the overlays into individual squares. Optional: IntelliTalk Easter Egg colors overlay (available on this web site on the April activities page) This overlay will allow the student to use the Intellikeys to tell the class which color dye he/she wants to use.

Procedure:

1. Gather the students around the computer. If you have video mirroring equipment that allows the students to see the interactive lesson on a larger screen, this is an ideal time to use it. The Intellipics activity should be open and visible on the monitor.(If using an Intellikeys keyboard, it should be connected with the overlay in place and switch (if used) plugged into the switch port. Make sure the overlay has been sent to the Intellikeys before you start, test first). For best results, use the mouse to move the cursor to the first picture item in the left hand column on the monitor, but do not click the mouse so that when students activate the activity it will begin with the first picture in the sequence. With each click or switch activation, the students will be able to move through the presentation in order, seeing the visual display, animation and hearing the voice output. ( Depending upon the quality of the voice, it may be necessary for the teacher to clarify some phrases.)

2. Distribute the individual cut pieces of the overlay with pictures on them to the students. You may want to shuffle the cards and “deal “ them out, or use another random method to determine which student gets which card. If there are more students than picture cards assure the students that they will all get a chance to participate even if they didn’t get a picture card on the first round.

3. Tell the students that they will be learning about Easter

4. Show the master overlay and point to the first picture. Ask: “Who has this one?” You may want to have augmentative communication users respond with “I do!” or “It’s my turn!” programmed on voice output devices to add to interactivity. Assist the students to identify who has the first picture symbol. . Ask the other students to listen and watch as the student who has the card comes to the computer and accesses the Intellipics activity to begin the Easter lesson presentation. (Access can be through various means such as touching the matching picture on the overlay in place on the Intellikeys, using a head or hand switch plugged into a switch port, or clicking the standard mouse). If you have the Intellipics software installed, make sure and use the option menu to choose the appropriate male or female voice for the student .

5. Repeat with each student until all the picture cards have been used and the presentation has been completed. Stop between items to give students more information or to emphasize the meaning of the picture item in the lesson. If not all students have had an opportunity to participate, redistribute the picture cards and begin again so that all will have had a turn and the presentation will be repeated for better comprehension.

6. Praise your students throughout the activity for attention to task, good work and effort.

Optional Activity: Dyeing eggs

1. Tell the students that they will be participating in an old Easter tradition, dyeing eggs.

2. Have all the ingredients and equipment you need set up in the work area before you begin.

3. Gather the students in the work area and solicit participation in preparing the egg dye:

Suggestions: having students choose with eye gaze which colors they will mix first; using a switch -activated pouring cup to add vinegar or water t o the dye; assisting the students hand-over-hand to grip a spoon and stir ingredients together or using an adaptive spoon or strap to hold the spoon firmly. With each step, reinforce attention, effort, and quality of work. Depending on your group, you may want to use pictures or picture symbols to sequence the steps in making the dye.

4. Once the dye is mixed and all students have an undyed egg, ask each student in turn to pick a color to use. If using the IntelliTalk activity, have the overlay in place on the Intellikeys keyboard before you begin and choose the gender/age appropriate voice for the student. If necessary, have the student indicate his/her choice of color by using the color cards and looking for his/her mode of response. Confirm the choice by assisting the student to touch the matching color square on the Intellikeys. The voice output on the computer should say:
“I want to dye my egg _________” (student’s choice of color).

5. Assist the student with the actual dyeing process, if necessary.

6. When all have dyed their eggs, praise the students for their efforts, review the project by calling up each student to show their egg and touch the color square on the Intellikeys, so that all can see and hear what each student did with his/her egg.

	April Lesson Plan Level 1
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	Easter Lesson Plan: Level 1: Background: The modern celebration of Easter, like many other holidays around the world, combines several traditions. In ancient, pre-Christian days, the coming of spring was celebrated with festivals associated with both the vernal equinox and the lunar calendar. Christians celebrated Easter during the same season and incorporated some aspects of the pagan festivals and traditions into their own observances. Christians celebrate Easter as a commemoration of when they believe Jesus Christ arose from the dead. The theme of rebirth and new life in non-Christian spring festivals has over time, combined with Christian themes to form the Easter holiday as we know it today. The Easter Bunny, another symbol of new life, was most likely originated in Germany in the 1500s. The egg, an ancient symbol of fertility, may have been paired with the Easter Bunny as part of an ad campaign by European candy makers. Decoration of eggs predates Christianity but the egg, like the rabbit, was a symbol of new life and renewal and so dovetailed nicely with Christian tradition. Easter baskets originated from an early Christian custom of taking the food for the Easter dinner to church to be blessed. The basket also was seen as the “rabbit’s nest” where the Easter Bunny would naturally hide his treasures! Purpose/Objective: The purpose of this lesson is to teach students who have severe and/or multiple disabilities about Easter and to allow them to access an interactive activity, at first with help from the teaching staff, ultimately, on their own. The objectives a teacher chooses for individual or group outcomes will vary depending upon the students in the class. In most cases, the teacher will be looking for the level of attention/engagement of the students as well as measuring the level of competence the individual students show in accessing the interactive lesson with adaptive equipment such as a microswitch or an adaptive keyboard. The teacher may also check for understanding after the lesson is completed. Since individual students will have unique objectives, the teacher will tailor his/her instruction to reinforce those individual benchmarks. This lesson is meant to be adaptable for a range of ages and skill levels. This lesson is aligned with state standards and benchmarks and the SEACO ( Special Education Administrators of County Offices) History/Social Science Curriculum Guide. Standard Four (A Child’s Place in Time and Place): The Student knows that there is cultural diversity Goal Stem One ( Knowledge and Cultural Understanding/Cultural Literacy): The Student will understand the rich, complex nature of a given culture. Note: This lesson works best with an Intellikeys alternate Keyboard and Intellipics software but can be done without either one if you have a computer with student access and are able to download the Intellipics player and activity and overlay files from this web site. If students can move or click the mouse they can access the lesson without equipment. If your computer does not have the Intellipics software but you have a switch port for student use, you can also use the lesson after downloading the player but you may have to move the mouse to each picture item in turn before the student can access it by pressing the switch. Test the activity before teaching to see how it works with your particular computer and adaptive device configuration. Sometimes if the activity does not work the first time, it may be necessary to quit, shut down the computer, make sure all the connections are in place and reboot. Materials Needed: 1. Two printed copies of the level one Easter lesson overlay. One left in one piece as the teacher’s master copy or as an Intellikeys Overlay, the other cut into individual pieces showing one of each picture/symbol. (Recommend laminating the picture cards for durability and reuse) 2. For optional follow-up activity: Easter Egg dye kit (available in grocery and discount stores); water, vinegar, or other ingredients required to mix the dye (check your kit package); adaptive equipment your students need to pour water or stir eggs (such as a switch-operated pouring cup, or spoons with built-up handles; At least one hard-boiled egg per student ; color choice cards (squares of construction paper about 4”x4” corresponding to the colors of dye you will be using); if using the IntelliTalk Easter Egg colors overlay, you might want to just print two of them and cut one of the overlays into individual squares. Optional: IntelliTalk Easter Egg colors overlay (available on this web site on the April activities page) This overlay will allow the student to use the Intellikeys to tell the class which color dye he/she wants to use. Procedure: 1. Gather the students around the computer. If you have video mirroring equipment that allows the students to see the interactive lesson on a larger screen, this is an ideal time to use it. The Intellipics activity should be open and visible on the monitor.(If using an Intellikeys keyboard, it should be connected with the overlay in place and switch (if used) plugged into the switch port. Make sure the overlay has been sent to the Intellikeys before you start, test first). For best results, use the mouse to move the cursor to the first picture item in the left hand column on the monitor, but do not click the mouse so that when students activate the activity it will begin with the first picture in the sequence. With each click or switch activation, the students will be able to move through the presentation in order, seeing the visual display, animation and hearing the voice output. ( Depending upon the quality of the voice, it may be necessary for the teacher to clarify some phrases.) 2. Distribute the individual cut pieces of the overlay with pictures on them to the students. You may want to shuffle the cards and “deal “ them out, or use another random method to determine which student gets which card. If there are more students than picture cards assure the students that they will all get a chance to participate even if they didn’t get a picture card on the first round. 3. Tell the students that they will be learning about Easter 4. Show the master overlay and point to the first picture. Ask: “Who has this one?” You may want to have augmentative communication users respond with “I do!” or “It’s my turn!” programmed on voice output devices to add to interactivity. Assist the students to identify who has the first picture symbol. . Ask the other students to listen and watch as the student who has the card comes to the computer and accesses the Intellipics activity to begin the Easter lesson presentation. (Access can be through various means such as touching the matching picture on the overlay in place on the Intellikeys, using a head or hand switch plugged into a switch port, or clicking the standard mouse). If you have the Intellipics software installed, make sure and use the option menu to choose the appropriate male or female voice for the student . 5. Repeat with each student until all the picture cards have been used and the presentation has been completed. Stop between items to give students more information or to emphasize the meaning of the picture item in the lesson. If not all students have had an opportunity to participate, redistribute the picture cards and begin again so that all will have had a turn and the presentation will be repeated for better comprehension. 6. Praise your students throughout the activity for attention to task, good work and effort. Optional Activity: Dyeing eggs 1. Tell the students that they will be participating in an old Easter tradition, dyeing eggs. 2. Have all the ingredients and equipment you need set up in the work area before you begin. 3. Gather the students in the work area and solicit participation in preparing the egg dye: Suggestions: having students choose with eye gaze which colors they will mix first; using a switch -activated pouring cup to add vinegar or water t o the dye; assisting the students hand-over-hand to grip a spoon and stir ingredients together or using an adaptive spoon or strap to hold the spoon firmly. With each step, reinforce attention, effort, and quality of work. Depending on your group, you may want to use pictures or picture symbols to sequence the steps in making the dye. 4. Once the dye is mixed and all students have an undyed egg, ask each student in turn to pick a color to use. If using the IntelliTalk activity, have the overlay in place on the Intellikeys keyboard before you begin and choose the gender/age appropriate voice for the student. If necessary, have the student indicate his/her choice of color by using the color cards and looking for his/her mode of response. Confirm the choice by assisting the student to touch the matching color square on the Intellikeys. The voice output on the computer should say: “I want to dye my egg _________” (student’s choice of color). 5. Assist the student with the actual dyeing process, if necessary. 6. When all have dyed their eggs, praise the students for their efforts, review the project by calling up each student to show their egg and touch the color square on the Intellikeys, so that all can see and hear what each student did with his/her egg.



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