Pre-Requisite lessons for Classroom Teachers

Lesson Plans for the Classroom Teacher

It is very helpful for the community travel teaching team if students come to lessons with a year of readiness training. For this reason, we offer the following set of lesson guidelines to assist classroom teachers.

Teachers are encouraged to review the role of the mobility specialist for strategies. Walking behind students, for example, is an easy but very important concept. The role of the therapist should also be studied, especially since it contains specific lessons for wheelchair driving, safety, and maintenance, all skills that students will need to become independent in the community. Consult with the therapist before trying these lessons because physically impaired children can be harmed if improperly lifted, moved, or seated wrong.

It is not necessary for each student to perform all the tasks below. The classroom teacher can give students a head start by addressing these issues, but specific and repetitive training occurs during the five year community travel program. An ongoing evaluation of skills is made throughout the five year program. If skills are incomplete, lesson plans are written for addressing these skills while in the community.

Outcomes are arranged into three categories below and throughout this curriculum guide: experiences, knowledge, and competence. See the section called Key Concepts for a detailed explanation of this approach.

In summary, the classroom teacher can work on any, many, few, or all of the lesson suggestions we offer in this section; whatever works within the framework of yearly goals. Overall, these lessons address the following: wheelchair drivers training, wheelchair care, use of the telephone, of a watch, and of a calculator, ADL skills (hygiene, looking good in the community), social appropriateness in public places, money skills, time management skills, reading menus and practice ordering in a restaurant (role playing), making eye contact, learning to lead and to follow, and following directions to locations.

Outcome Objectives

The student will have the following experiences:

01. Practice safe driving skills with wheelchairs (if appropriate)
02. Practice identifying coins/bills; discuss relative values of currencies, make change
03. Practice using a digital or talking watch
04. Practice using a calculator
05. Experience a trip to the mall
06. Practice proper restaurant behaviors
07. Practice using spatial concepts: left/right and cardinal directions
08. Practice using landmarks
09. Practice following route directions
10. Practice giving route directions
11. Practice solving problems as a member of a team
12. Practice making eye contact

The student will attain the following knowledge (be able to repeat back to the teacher):

01. The main reason for taking community travel lessons
02. Basic questions about the program
03. What to take on lessons (how to be prepared)
04. How to call the lift bus; telephone skills
05. How to be safe on the lift bus
06. How to use a restaurant menu
07. How to interact with a waitress or waiter (role play)
08. Why it is important to make eye contact

The student will demonstrate competence in the following:

01. Travel to major areas of their school (demonstrate competence in a school building; understand the layout of a school and travel with efficiency to major areas)
02. Spatial concepts (follow spatial commands accurately)

Lesson One

01. Students enter the classroom and pick up daily checklists. They follow a list in preparation for every lesson on community travel. The list instructs them to pick out and put on digital watches and waist pouches (students need to purchase their own, or Millet can loan these). They go to the bathroom. They get calculators. They report any problems with equipment. They find out the day's lesson plans, etc. Copies of the lists used at Millet are available on request (or teachers can make their own lists). The checklist provides a beginning structure for the day.

02. The first lesson starts with group introductions (names, schools, favorite TV shows, what they like to do for fun, etc.). Staff are also introduced and their role is discussed. The teacher emphasizes that the students are part of a team, so they need to know about each other and look out for each other. This is an opportunity to discuss what it means "to look out for your friends."

03. Students are given a tour of the school the first lesson. They are told that they will have to eventually demonstrate how to get from their classroom to major places in the school (lunch room, principal's office, bathrooms, etc.) and back again.

04. Students gather around a table for problem solving. Problem solving involves:

01. Practice grouping (circling up)
02. Communication and socialization skills (eye contact)
03. Working together as a team
04. Leading a discussion or listening
Problem solving is a part of every community travel lesson. This is a student run activity. In the beginning, students have to be guided through the process. They sit in a circle facing each other. The teacher demonstrates how to make eye contact and discusses the importance of looking at the person you are talking to. One student is selected to be the leader. The leader is the person who presents the question to the other students. The leader also reports to the teacher the responses that the team has given to the problem. After the students understand the basic idea, and after a leader is ready to make eye contact and present the problem, then the teacher gets up and leaves the circle, leaving the students alone to problem solve. The students call the teacher back when they are ready to tell their answers to the problem. Problems that the teacher presents for solution are usually relevant issues for community travel and quite often are specific to the day's lesson. On the very first lesson the problem to be solved is:

Problem: What does it mean "to be independent" (What does that big word mean?)

This is a very important first problem. The teacher tells the students that community travel is all about learning to be independent; learning to do things for yourself (without help from adults). Guide the students through some examples. Does your mother brush your hair every morning? Does she brush your teeth? Does she feed you? Discuss examples of being dependent and independent.

At the beginning of every lesson from now on (after the discussion about independence on day one) the teacher starts each lesson day by asking "Why will you be going on community travel lessons next year?" The students will learn to answer "To be independent." To which the teacher replies "And what does that big word mean?" The students reply "Do things by ourselves." The teacher then elicits examples of independence.

05. Students learn reasons for taking community travel:

01. Independence (do things for yourself...examples)
02. Go places you haven't gone before (experiences)
03. Learn new things (gain knowledge)
04. Practice being independent (gain competence)

06. Students answer basic questions about the program:

01. What is the name of the program? (community travel)
02. Why will you be taking these lessons? (to be independent)
03. What are the names of the staff you will work with? (Doug and Debbie)
04. What are the staff jobs (OT/OM)?
05. How often will you go on community travel? (one day a month, all day)
06. What will you remember for each lesson?

A. Charge your chair the night before
B. Go to the bathroom before lessons
C. Money (five dollars minimum, and something to carry money in)
D. A calculator and a digital (or talking) watch
E. Tray for the wheelchair and a urinal for catching
G. Identification card (State ID, if appropriate)
07. Students eat lunch together and talk about good eating skills. The teacher should eat lunch with the students and encourage socialization (students practice talking to each other, asking each other appropriate questions). This is the time to talk about good eating skills; what do we mean by "eating skills;" give examples.

Lesson Two

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: Why should you work together as a team? What is the role of the leader?

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Answer basic questions:

01. Where are all the lessons held the first year? (Fashion Square Mall)
02. How will you get to the mall? (on a special city lift bus called STS)
03. Who arranges for the bus to take us? (Debbie)
04. Can we ride the bus free? (No, but the school will pay while you are learning)
05. Where do we get money to pay the bus driver? (From the secretary at Millet)
06. Where do we take receipts? (To the secretary at Millet at the end of the day)
07. What do we call the bus? (STS; Saginaw Transit System lift service)
08. Will you ride the Lift without supervision the first year? (No, staff will always be with you to help) How about the second year? (You will be independent on the buses after the first year)

05. Learn to use a digital or talking watch:

01. Show the difference between analog, digital and talking watches
02. Which number to read first (left to right); demonstrate use of talking watch
03. Practice reading different kinds of watches
04. Free time (what is free time? You can go wherever you want as long as you behave appropriately, stay indoors, and tell us where you are heading and when you change locations) practice being free for one minute
05. Free time for two minutes, etc.
06. Introduction to the receptionist at the Millet Center (come for a visit to Millet and meet the staff)

01. What is a receptionist?
Third Lesson

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: Why do people wear watches?

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Answer basic questions:

A. Why have good driving skills? What are some good driving skills?

During community based lessons, we have a set of driving rules that must be obeyed. Students cannot drive any faster than pedestrians are walking. If they are passing people they are going too fast. They also are not allowed to back up without permission. Students are taught to go forward (if there is room) and make a turn to change directions. If they must backup, they ask for permission and then are required to look carefully behind them and to move very slowly while backing. While traveling as a team, one student is the leader, the rest follow. No one is allowed to pass other students. They must keep a safe distance from the chair in front of them and be ready to stop at any time. When coming to intersections, they must stop and look in all directions and proceed only when it is safe to do so (safe for others usually). If students violate these rules, we take their keys and park them until they can repeat what they did wrong and promise to be more careful. Students also are fined freetime minutes when they fail to comply with the rules. We usually fine them a minute for each discretion (for bumping the chair ahead of them, for example).

B. Why do you need to go to the bathroom before the trip?

Students sometimes (in the community) use the strategy of going to the bathroom to avoid work. We allow the kids to go, but they are fined freetime minutes and they must do the part of the lesson they missed. We require that students go to the bathroom at the start of the day before lessons begin so that they don't have to go when we are teaching in the community.

C. What is free time?

We have found that handicapped children (young children especially) get exhausted after a demanding morning of lessons. They cannot function normally either physically or cognitively. For this reason, we started having free time after lunch. This turned out to be a very important piece of the teaching puzzle. Kids are very motivated to be free at the mall (for example). Many of the lessons of the day have to be applied during freetime if students are to get successfully where they want to go. We do not take the students anywhere for freetime. We walk behind them. We answer questions with our own questions (Student: "How do I get to the arcade?" Teacher: "I don't know, how do you get to the arcade?" Student: I don't know, will you show me? Teacher: "No, I want you to be independent. Who can you ask for help at the mall?" Student: "Customer service?" Teacher: "Okay, that sounds like a good idea, why don't you ask for help there." )

D. How will you keep track of time? What times will you need to keep track of?

Students need to keep track of when the STS bus picks them to take them to their destination, when they eat lunch, and when the bus is returning to pick them up for the return home. At school, the students need to practice saying when it is time for routine activities. Digital talking watches with large faces are excellent for teaching time skills to children with perceptual problems (and of course are necessary for children with sensory deficits).

05. Digital watch review: How do we read them? Free time for two minutes

We do the following exercise with watches. We give kids various minutes of free time, often starting with only a minute. This solidly makes the point that a minute is not very long. We have them (one at a time) look at their watches until it just turns over a new minute, then we write down what the watch will say after the allotted time has passed. Sometimes we have the kids hold their breath for a minute, or close their eyes for a minute to make the point about the shortness of a minutes worth of time.

06. Finding places at your school using the receptionist (office secretary)

01. Find the secretary's office (why is this place important? Because you can ask for directions). Have the students ask for directions if (and whenever) they cannot demonstrate how to find a location)
02. Find the main door of the school?
03. Find the following: gym, lunch room, library, bathrooms, water fountains, trash cans, playground, other specialized or important rooms.
The directions that are given to the students can be as complex (or as simple) as the children can handle. Include, when appropriate, left and right instructions, landmarks that will be passed on the route, side of the hall to look for the locations, landmarks that tell the student they have arrived. Also, discuss what to do if they forget the instructions (go back and ask the secretary).

Fourth Lesson

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: What is personal space/ why is it important to respect it?

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Answer basic questions:

01. Why do you need to be careful about how much money you spend at lunch?
02. Why do we eat at the Greenery instead of Taco Bell the first year? Where will you eat next year?

We require that students demonstrate competence in a sit down restaurant where they have to interact with a waitress. They have to use a menu, order food, get a check, pay their bill, understand about tax, and leave a tip. They also practice good eating skills and proper behavior in a public restaurant. These activities can be simulated in the classroom.

05. Ask the secretary:

01. Where is the library
02. Where is the cafeteria?
03. Where is room number X ?
04. Where is the music room?
05. Where are the bathrooms, water fountains, trash cans, exits, etc.?

06. Demonstrate good driving skills:

01. Going forward to turn around
02. Looking around before backing up (asking for permission to back up)
03. Watching out so the feet, or the wheelchair don't knock things (off shelves, for example)
04. Adjusting speed to conditions
05. Safety at doorways and entrances
Fifth lesson

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: Why should we learn to use a calculator? What can it do for us? (figure our bill in the restaurant or grocery store, help us budget, help us if we have trouble with math)

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Using a (large print, talking, if possible) calculator:

01. Turn it on and off
02. Clear
03. Push the numbers
04. Add
05. Subtract
06. Practice figuring the cost of meals and amounts remaining for free time purchases

05. Review driving skills from last lesson:

01. Going forward to turn around
02. Looking around before backing up
03. Watching out so feet, chair don't knock things
04. Adjusting speed to conditions
05. Safety at doorways and entrances

06. Demonstrate good driving skills:

01. Safety on ramps
02. Driving on the right side (or in the middle)
03. Providing clearance at corners
04. Following and passing safely
05. How fast should you go?
06. Defensive driving (it's not the other guys responsibility to look out for you); look ahead

07. Lunch: Practice role playing with the waiter:

01. Be polite
02. Make eye contact (tell why this is important, other times when it is appropriate, practice)
03. Be ready to order
04. Talk in a loud enough voice to be heard
05. Remember to ask for special help if you need it (napkins, cut meat, what to leave out, etc.)

Sixth Lesson

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: Why is it important to know the value of money; to make change?

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Money concepts:

01. Identify coins
02. Identify bills
03. Make change (change for a quarter, dollar, five dollars)
04. Where to keep your money while you are driving
05. How much to bring on lessons (five dollars)
05. Basic positional concepts review:

01. Face (the water fountain, ie. a landmark)
02. Park between (the doorways)
03. Park across (the hall from the computer room)
04. Drive down the middle of the hall (drill)
05. Drive on the right side of the hall (drill)
06. Drive on the left side of the hall (drill)
07. While stopped, student turns the head right & left
08. Park so the landmark (water fountain) is to your right
09. Park so the water fountain is to your left
10. Park so the water fountain is behind you
11. Park so the water fountain is in front of you
12. Find the first (classroom, store, etc.) on your left
13. Find the second classroom on your right
14. Find the last door on your left
15. Go to the end of the hall
16. Put your back to the classroom door (return to the start)
17. What is on your left? right? across the hall?

Seventh Lesson

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: When your team is out in the community (at the mall, in a restaurant, etc.) we want you to be on your best behavior. What do we mean "to use best behavior?" How do we want you to act in public?

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Understand left/right and cardinal directions:

01. Drill: center of hall, left/right
02. In gym differentiate Left/Right and NEW

This is a lesson in understanding that the concepts "left/right" depend upon the position of the body in space, while the cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) are independent of body position . Have the students face a landmark (the classroom door, for example) and point at it. Rotate the student 90 degrees to the left and point out that the door is no longer in front. Instead it is to the right. Rotate in 90 degree turns pointing out that positional concepts change with the body (what is to the left or right, depend on how you turn your body.

Now, use a compass and show students that north is always in the same place no matter how they turn. have them turn round and round and point out that north stayed in the same place. These concepts become important when we teach children how to get, give, and follow spatial directions .

05. Understand landmarks and how they are used:

01. Give examples of landmarks and clues

A landmark is some object or sensation that has a message for the traveler. For example, a water fountain is at a fixed place on a wall, so we cam use it as a landmark. The motor running (the sound) is a clue (since it is not always on, but when it is we can use it as a landmark). The message of a landmark is different depending on where we are going. Messages that landmarks might give are: "turn right (north) here," or "you are half way there," etc.

02. Practice selective attention

Students are told that their brain is like a TV tuner. You can tune to channel one which might be the sound of a fan, or channel two which might be the words on the chalkboard, or channel three, the feeling of their watch on their wrist, or channel four eye contact with the teacher (etc.). The teacher points out different sensations that the students tune to. We relate selective attention to concentration, which is prolonged selective attention. We also practice sequencing; first we attend to this, and then we attend to that, etc.

Eighth Lesson

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: What does it mean to follow directions; ie. when you ask for directions to a store, for example

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Learn to call the lift bus:

01. Call at least one week in advance
02. Identify yourself after you say hello
03. Say you are from the community travel program
04. Say where you would like to go
05. Say where you want to be picked up
06. Say what time to pick you up
07. Say when and where to pick up for return trip
08. Say how many are going (in chairs and out)
09. Ask how much the charge is if they don't say
10. Say thank you and goodbye
11. Discuss appropriate use of the telephone: be polite, not too loud or soft, peak into the mouth piece, identify yourself, etc.

05. Practice giving route directions: Disengage power chair. The student is pushed through the building. At relevant landmarks and corners, the student must tell the teacher what to do (turn left, right, go straight). Go to these destinations (whatever):

01. Cafeteria
02. Library
03. Office
This is the time to use positional concepts, left and right, cardinal directions, selective attention, and landmarks.

Ninth Lesson

01. Fill out the checklist as soon as you arrive

02. Problem Solve: What should you do if you get lost or confused? (don't panic, stop, relax so you can problem solve, look around for landmarks, move around to see if anything is familiar, ask for help from a receptionist, store clerk)

03. Why are you taking community travel? What does it mean to be independent?

04. Review calling on the telephone

05. Decide who will call for the first community lesson

06. Review what to bring for the lesson

07. Review what to do the night before

01. Charge the chair
02. Set out the things you need
03. Remember good hygiene
08. Review driving skills from last lessons:

01. Going forward to turn around
02. Looking around before backing up
03. Watching out so feet, chair don't knock things
04. Adjusting speed to conditions
05. Safety at doorways and entrances
06. Safety on ramps
07. Driving on the right side
08. Providing clearance at corners
09. Following and passing safely
10. How fast should you go?
11. Defensive driving (it's not the other guys responsibility to look out for you); look ahead

09. Demonstrate good driving skills:

01. Practice driving on sidewalks
02. Practice driving in the street; handling intersections, obeying signs and lights, handling curb cuts (obviously, this is for advanced students).

Tenth lesson (Final Exam)

01. Experience a trip to the mall:

01. Students arrange transportation
02. Students take home memos
03. Students travel to Fashion Square Mall
04. Students experience "fun day"; visit: Aladdin's, Kay Bee Toys, Bathrooms, Drinking Fountain, Ride elevator to Hudson's for lunch, Cookie Factory, Elevator in Penneys (whatever motivates the kids)

Prerequisite Lesson to the Mall

01. At school, review the "getting ready" routine (checklist)

01. Go to the bathroom
02. Make sure you have everything:
A. Watches
B. Pouches
C. Money
D. Calculators
03. Go to the school secretary and get the money for the bus
04. Go to the door at the appropriate time and wait for the bus
02. Safety on the bus routine:

01. Driving onto the lift (backing up on the lift)
02. Brakes on when on the lift
03. Chair secure to the bus, brakes on
04. Seat belts around chair, not around student
05. Transfer if possible out of the chair to a bus seat (seat belts on)
06. Pay the driver, get a receipt
07. Reverse routine for getting off the bus
08. Learn the drivers name, say thank you when helped and when leaving

03. Arrival at the mall routine

01. Gather by the front door of the mall to review the days lesson plans (how to have fun at the mall is today's)
02. Travel on the right side of the hall with a travel leader (learn to lead and follow)
03. Go to the lockers (review how they are used). Learn about team work and asking for assistance if needed. How to use landmarks to remember your locker
04. Go to customer service and meet the receptionist.
A. Discuss the purpose for Customer Service and its
B. Location
05. Find a place to sit down (park) and do the problem of the day
06. Review problem solving procedure (eye contact, leader and reporter).

Today's problem: When your team is out in public we want you to be on your best behavior. What do we mean when we say that? (good driving skills, no buzzing, be polite, be helpful, be cooperative, be attentive, use your "restaurant voice", etc.)

04. How to have fun at the mall:

01. Play a video game
02. Buy yourself something
03. Find fun places to eat
04. Practice on elevators (students not in wheelchairs can practice using escalators)
05. Window-shop (what does this mean?)
05. Lunch routine:

01. Eat early (11:30)
02. Order a table for correct number of people and chairs
03. Drive carefully between tables
04. Read menu and use calculators
05. Order on your own (be polite)
06. Socialize with other teammates
07. Eat in a civilized manner (mouth closed, use napkin, sit up, restaurant voice, etc.)
08. Leave a tip
09. Pay your own bill
06. Free time routine:

01. Practice on the escalator (if appropriate)
02. Practice on the elevator
03. Find your locker
04. Free time (students choice)
07. Return on the bus: Same routine as above