Image 15: An example of a Google Slides sentence frame activity as part of music class.
EMERGENT LITERACY 13. Remnant Books: Remnant Books are a way for emer- gent literacy learners to record their experiences. Typically these books are visual/tactile items that the student has selected. Stu- dents can use the contents of their remnant book to support memory and understanding, establish context for communi- cation, share information, and select topics for writing. Google Slides is a multimedia way that teams can create Remnant Books to record important events by inserting images or videos. These books can be shared with the team so that experiences can be added from both home and school. (See Image 14) 14. Sentence Frames: Sentence frames are a consistent, multi-step shared writing activity that teaches emergent litera- cy skills such as early vocabulary, early word reading, and print concepts. By setting the sentence frame as the background in your Google Slides your students can add their part on top of the sentence frame. Students can complete the sentence frame using shapes with text to drag and drop. Sentence frames can be used to share information about a particular topic, talk about something that happened, or give reasons for their opinions and preferences. (See Image 15) How to add text to a shape: Once you have added your shape, simply double click on the shape to reveal the cursor. You can also format your text within the shape using the alignment tools in the toolbar. On the fly, we have found that it is easier to format the text within a shape versus a text box. 15. Captioning Photos: Captions can provide struggling readers with additional print exposure while engaging in a pic- ture viewing activity. Google Slides can be used to add these im- ages and then caption bubbles using the Shape icon. Students can caption these photos themselves by typing into the caption bubbles using the keyboard or their AAC device. Students can use screenshots and caption bubbles to create graphic novels to
Image 14: An example of a Google Slides remnant book.
The student relies on their understanding of the vocabulary to formulate a response using “yes/no” indicators. The step- through nature of a Google Slides presentation provides an ex- cellent way to present visual and auditory information for this purpose. Charlotte is a student with a complex physical and senso- ry profile. We first introduced this communication strategy remotely using a Google Slideshow with choices including Charlotte’s favorite music artists and dress-up items present- ed over Zoom. We then gathered an inventory of vocabulary and created a shared Google Slideshow with her Mom and her team. Mom was able to add images of people, activities, and positioning equipment at home. Charlotte’s teacher of the vi- sually impaired was able to review the photos and provide in- put regarding size, contrast, and background color. We used a website called remove.bg to reduce the visual complexity of the images and take out the backgrounds. We organized the items by category/context (ex. people, places, activities I do, etc.). By putting the slideshow in present mode, her Mom used her iPad to read aloud her choices as she tapped each slide. When Char- lotte looked up for “yes” we acknowledged her choice and start- ed that activity. This Google Slideshow was only the start of our AAC intervention, but it helped us teach a strategy and develop Charlotte’s “yes” response.
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