INTRODUCTION

Your grandmother has requested that your family let your father's sister, Aunt Sophie come to live with you permanently. She is handicapped and is currently living with your grandmother. Grandma is getting older and is moving into a very nice retirement village in Florida. She is unable to take Aunt Sophie with her, and has asked for your family's help. Although you love your aunt very much and have enjoyed visiting with her at Grandma's house, having her live with you all of the time could be a different situation. At first your family is reluctant because your aunt is blind and deaf, but your father says the family must do some research in order to make an informed decision. The research must look at both positive and negative views of visual and hearing impairments. The children decided to break into two teams and study one impairment each. After each team presents their findings to the family the children will make a final recommendation to their parents, and the family will relate their decision to grandma and Aunt Sophie.

TASK

Each member will:

1. Brainstorm some ways that your life might change if Aunt Sophie moves in

2. List the 10 greatest imagined problems

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1. What does it mean to be blind? ------ What does it mean to be deaf?

2. What is braille / How is it used? -------What is sign language? / How is it used?

3. What are some of the causes of blindnesss or deafness?

4. How do the other senses compensate for the loss of vision or hearing?

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5. What was his/her handicap and how did he/she overcome his/her problem?

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6. List the pros and cons of having a blind/deaf person living in your home

using the computer program Inspire.

	Pros	Cons
Blindness
Deafness

7. Create a Kid Pix Slide Show, Power Point, or Hyperstudio presentation for your family to display your findings and give your recommendation to your family and Aunt Sophie.

PROCESS

A. Team 1 will investigate the effects of blindness.

1. As a team you will need to read the book "Through Grandpa's Eyes"

Grandpa is blind. He does things differently than seeing people. List and discuss how Grandpa "sees things". (example: He knows what is for breakfast by smelling)

2. Brainstorm everyday things that would be different for you if you could not see.

3. Use the internet to research Louis Braille. How did he lose his sight?

4. Use the internet to research braille and how is it used?

5. Choose a project and complete.

a. Prepare a braille alphabet. Learn to write and recognize your name in braille.

b. Prepare a slide show report on Louis Braille's life.

c. Investigate and report on guide dogs. How are the dogs chosen and trained. How do people who are visually impaired use them?

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As a team you will need to read: "Dear Mister Bell, Your Friend, Helen Keller".

Helen is blind and deaf. She does things differently than sighted people. List and discuss how Helen does things. (example: She reads by having words spelled in her hand)

1. Use the internet to research Helen Keller. She is blind and deaf. Was she born this way?

2. Brainstorm everyday things that would be different for you if you could not hear.

3. Use the internet to research sign language and how is it used?

4. Choose a project.

a. Investigate how the other senses compensate for the loss of hearing. Example: Lights are used by people with a hearing impairment to indicate a door bell or telephone ringing.

b. Learn to sign the "Pledge of Allegiance" or "This Land is Your Land".

c. Teach someone in your family the manual alphabet and how to say Hi, my name is.... Also learn to sign your name using the manual alphabet.

d. Prepare a slide show report on Helen Keller's life.

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EVALUATION

Print 1 copy of the rubric for each member of your team before the start your project. Use it for a reference to make sure your project is complete, well done, and your team stays on task.

When your project is complete print out a copy of the rubric and evaluate your webquest. Turn this in with your project(s).

Click here for Grading Rubric

Resources

Ask Jeeves Search Engine

Deaf:

http://www.rnid.org.uk/wehelp/leaflets/deafpe.html	http://where.com/scott.net/asl
http://www.rnid.org.uk/wehelp/factsheets/deafstat.html	http://www.igc.apc.org/afb/archives/photographs/photographs.html
http://www.innerspace.be/gebarentaal/index_off_line_en.htm	http://www.teleport.com./~megaines/keller.htm

Deaf Blind:

http://www.deafblind.com/

http://www.rnib.org.uk/wesupply/fctsheet/Keller.htm

 

EXTENSION

Each team member must choose one additional project.

1. Write about a deficit which you feel you have and how you can overcome it to be the best person you can be.

2. Make a photo cube containing an your individual picture, a picture of the manual alphabet, a picture of the braille alphabet, a picture of a famous person with a visual and/or hearing impairment, your name in braille, and your name in sign language.

3. Write a short story using sign language. Perform it for some friends and see if they can understand you.

4. Write a short story in braille with paint. Have a friend try to read your story.

5. Investigate the sense of smell as it is used with a blind impairment and do a seed/flower project. Choose 5 different seeds that will grow a plant with a smell. Then grow the seeds and evaluate the different smells.

6. Create a song that will teach others the manual alphabet.

7. Get a partner and take turns trying to do everyday things like eating while blindfolded and wearing headphones. List your activities and your discoveries.

8. Research sign language gestures and teach 4 members of the class 3 different phrases to use when meeting a deaf person.

9. Create a slide show in Power Point, Kid Pix or Hyperstudio to teach others beginning sign language.

10. Using the internet research the possible causes for blindness and/or deafness and ways to prevent them. Depict them using available technology.

REFLECTION/CONCLUSION

Write a short report answering the following questions?

1. What was your preception of handicapped people before your started this project?

2. How did your preception of handicapped people change after your investigation?

3. What have you learned that you will be able to use in real life situations?

TEACHER RESOURCES

Lesson Title

Life's Challenges

Curricular Area

Intermediate Language Arts

Objective

This unit is intended to incorporate technology to enhance student understanding of individuals who are sensory challenged and how these individuals need not be a burden but an enriching ,valuable member of society.

The students will be able to distinguish blind and deaf characteristics. Students will be able to identity and demonstrate braille and the manual sign language alphabet.

Overview

This unit is to be used in conjuction with the novel "On the Banks of Plum Creek" by Laura Ingalls Wilder and our grandparent celebration at school. Later in the Little House series Laura's sister, Mary loses her sight and Laura becomes Mary's eyes. It is thought that this is where she learns to paint such great pictures with words. Society is finding people living longer and with such statistics more elderly parents are moving in with their children and grandchildren. While some might see this as an inconvience we see this as an opportunity for learning. Our school corporation has special needs children in regular classrooms and with education comes greater understanding and acceptance of all human beings. The lesson uses the internet, various computer programs, and a digital camera. The lesson should take approximately 2 weeks to complete.

Technology Resources

1. Internet search engines, internet web sites

2. Computer programs:

Clarisworks: spreadsheets, word processor

Kid Pix:

Power Point

Hyperstudio

3. Digital camera or scanner

Learning styles covered:

Linguistic (word), Musical ( music), Kinesthetic (Body), Intrapersonal (Self),

Interpersonal (People), Spatial (picture)

Indiana Standards targeted:

Select and apply effective strategies for reading including establishing purposes for reading, drawing conclusions, making comparisons and predictions. .

Comprehend developmentally appropriate materials including reference materials and informational materials.

Select and apply effective strategies for reading including composing collaboratively and writing drafts with emphasis on content.

Writing for different purposes and audiences producing a variety of forms.

Using prior knowledge and content area information to make critical judgements including making inferences from what they read and hear, identifying cause/effect relationships, and distinguishing between fact and opinion.

Communicate orally with people of all ages by collaborating in groups.

Assessment

Projects will be judged by team members and the teacher using the rubric provided.

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