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St. Patrick’s Day

Level 1 Lesson Plan:

Background:

In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day began as a purely religious observance of the feast day of St. Patrick, a Roman Catholic Missionary and patron saint of Ireland. Many legends are connected with St. Patrick, one of the most famous being the story of St. Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland. Another story tells of St. Patrick using a shamrock as a symbol to explain the Christian trinity.

The shamrock has also become a symbol of Ireland. In America, St. Patrick’s Day has come to be a celebration of all things Irish, including Irish folklore (leprechauns and “little people”), wearing of the green, and parades and celebrations.

Purpose/Objective:
The purpose of this lesson is to teach students who have severe and/or multiple disabilities about St. Patrick’s Day 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 St. Patrick’s Day 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 the planting activity:
Grass or clover/shamrock seeds
potting soil
plastic flowerpot or container for each student
adaptive devices to aid in pouring water and soil (if needed)
spoon

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 a celebration from Ireland that is also celebrated in other places, including the USA. If you have access to a globe, show the students where Ireland is in relation to where they live.

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 St. Patrick’s Day 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 follow-up activity: Growing something green

Distribute a planting container to each student and tell them that they will be planting something that will grow into a green plant to remind them of the color of St. Patrick’s Day. Assist the students to do as much of the planting activity as they can. With students who do not have good muscular control of their hands, an adaptive switch-operated pouring cup will enable the students to do more of this themselves. (E-mail me (Joanne L.) if you want some sources for this type of equipment-see the home page)

Help students fill the containers with soil. Add some water to moisten the soil before mixing the grass or clover seed into the top 1/4 “ of the soil. Water again until water drains from the bottom of the container. Keep moist, but not soaked, until the seeds sprout. Connect to Science and Mathematics subject areas by talking to students about how seeds germinate and graphing how long it takes the seeds to sprout.

Make the interactive Intellipics lesson available as a free time activity choice to reinforce what the students have already learned.

	March Lesson Plan Level 1
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	St. Patrick’s Day Level 1 Lesson Plan: Background: In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day began as a purely religious observance of the feast day of St. Patrick, a Roman Catholic Missionary and patron saint of Ireland. Many legends are connected with St. Patrick, one of the most famous being the story of St. Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland. Another story tells of St. Patrick using a shamrock as a symbol to explain the Christian trinity. The shamrock has also become a symbol of Ireland. In America, St. Patrick’s Day has come to be a celebration of all things Irish, including Irish folklore (leprechauns and “little people”), wearing of the green, and parades and celebrations. Purpose/Objective: The purpose of this lesson is to teach students who have severe and/or multiple disabilities about St. Patrick’s Day 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 St. Patrick’s Day 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 the planting activity: Grass or clover/shamrock seeds potting soil plastic flowerpot or container for each student adaptive devices to aid in pouring water and soil (if needed) spoon 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 a celebration from Ireland that is also celebrated in other places, including the USA. If you have access to a globe, show the students where Ireland is in relation to where they live. 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 St. Patrick’s Day 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 follow-up activity: Growing something green Distribute a planting container to each student and tell them that they will be planting something that will grow into a green plant to remind them of the color of St. Patrick’s Day. Assist the students to do as much of the planting activity as they can. With students who do not have good muscular control of their hands, an adaptive switch-operated pouring cup will enable the students to do more of this themselves. (E-mail me (Joanne L.) if you want some sources for this type of equipment-see the home page) Help students fill the containers with soil. Add some water to moisten the soil before mixing the grass or clover seed into the top 1/4 “ of the soil. Water again until water drains from the bottom of the container. Keep moist, but not soaked, until the seeds sprout. Connect to Science and Mathematics subject areas by talking to students about how seeds germinate and graphing how long it takes the seeds to sprout. Make the interactive Intellipics lesson available as a free time activity choice to reinforce what the students have already learned.


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