Image 3: AAC icon sequences added to Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan. Visuals created using the PASS software from Prentke-Romich Company.
tles. We tend to shy away from text that is too long or too com- plicated, and we like to include books that have repeated lines or phrases throughout the story. Repeated lines of text work well with single hit communication devices so that all students can “read” the book aloud. We frequently refer back to the com- mon core standards when creating our kits so that all students have access to grade level material that is accommodated in a way that meets their learning styles and needs. The learning materials for our literacy kits are often low cost or free. Just like our teachers, we also struggle with limited re-
sources when trying to meet everyone’s needs. We have be- come “junk collectors” in the sense that we are pros at reusing common household materials and recyclables. Additionally, we are frequent Dollar Store shoppers! We also spend many hours scouring various education blogs, websites and Pinterest to find freebies offered by other educators and parents. Every- thing we gather is assembled to create supplemental activities and supports for our literacy kits. By incorporating extension activities with the books, the adapted literacy kits encourage development of core academics, language and literacy skills, social skills and fine or gross motor skills. Adapted literacy kits can be used by general education teachers, special education teachers, parents and therapists and accessed by children with emerging literacy or language skills, typically developing children, and children with disabili- ties. The adapted books can be used by themselves, or with assistive technology ranging from low-tech/no-tech tools to specialized software and hardware, high-tech AAC, braille and more. Our adapted books and literacy kits are used to help bridge the gap between student performance and grade level expectations. Check it out at the Lending Library In order to share our adapted literacy kits with our staff and students more efficiently, we created a district-wide lending library where teachers and therapists can borrow the instruc- tional materials. This provided a needed solution for the issues of limited time and resources while ensuring that all students
Image 4: Example of an adapted literacy kit.
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