Story Map Anchor Chart

Yet another winning idea from Paula Kluth's Differentiation Daily and Funky in First blog:

Story map anchor chart: a visual strategy to help students organize and expand upon concepts from literature.

http://differentiationdaily.com/2012/02/23/story-map-anchor-chart/

Learning To Love, And Be Loved, With Autism

I have been meaning to post this piece featured on NPR, that you may have already heard/read featuring two teenagers with Asperger's talking about their experience of pursuing a romantic relationship with each other.

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/18/145405658/learning-to-love-and-be-loved-with-autism

Story Synopsis:

It is taking a huge risk to let the New York Times reveal in its pages the minute and most personal details of your love life. And the reason the Times even cares to write about the relationship you're in, it's not because you're running for office or because you're a movie star. It's because you are a teenager who has Asperger's syndrome. And by the way, the other person in your relationship is also a teenager with Asperger's syndrome.

Teenagers Jack Robison, who is 19, and Kirsten Lindsmith, who is 18, took that risk. They told their story to writer Amy Harmon of the New York Times, and the risk was worth taking.

"Inside voice, Outside Voice"...

Big thanks as always to Paula Kluth's awesome blog: Differentiation Daily; chock full of ideas, strategies, materials and more for inclusion of the wide variety of learners we know!

I posted the link to this idea (and thanks to Mrs. Johnson's post with the idea and image) for a visual to pair with what is oh so often heard in the halls of our schools; whether its "Use an indoor voice" or "You can use a 1 voice when writing..."

Enjoy.

http://differentiationdaily.com/2012/02/24/fun-friday-outside-voice-or-inside-voice/

From Another's Perspective

Although this story is not about a person with Autism, it caught my interest and I'm sharing it here as it is about a person who discusses what it is like to be expected to have the same interests as those that he is not part of the community of with in a candid way that deepened my understanding of assumptions that are made about what is important to know about.

http://wpr.net/rueckert/index.cfm?strDirection=Prev&dteShowDate=2012-02-17%2010%3A00%3A00.0

Canadian author and English professor who started going blind in his late teens about what it's like to lose one of your senses.
Guest: Ryan Knighton

Task Boxes

Recently I have had quite a few teams requesting more visual teaching activities, one idea that has really taken off for a lot of these teams is the good ol' task box. Task boxes are simple to make and easy for kids to do because they are visual. Task boxes can be plastic bins or old shoe boxes that contain materials for a certain activity. The activities are typically short and structured, and they may offer a blend of familiarity and challenge. I love task boxes because they: have a definite beginning, middle and end; appeal to the desire for routine and order; address an infinite number of skills; encourage independence; and they break down activities into small steps.

Here are some examples of easy task boxes:



Check out the books Tasks Galore and How Do I Teach This Kid? for more task box ideas.