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Cross Curricular Planning: Seaside

Theme-based cross-curricular lessons for children who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities

Many skills and concepts can be taught through a single activity or series of theme-based activities.  In this post I share ideas on how to teach young children who are blind or visually impaired or students with multiple disabilities about numeracy, literacy, geography, science and history.
 
For other cross-curricular theme-based approach activities, see some of my other posts: http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/users/gwyn52
 

Numeracy

  • Collect pebbles & shells, and sort by similar and different, large and small. 
  • Estimate capacity of different sized buckets to hold sand, water. 
  • Make shapes with sand using different buckets and moulds. 
  • Count number of shovels of sand to fill bucket. 
  • Make patterns with shells.
  • Count on and back, in 2’s, 5’s 10’s etc
 

Literacy

  • Find sounds that remind us of the seaside.
  • Write a story about a day out at the seaside.
  • Have a picnic on the beach!
  • Make a list and taste foods that you might eat at the beach.
  • Assemble the things you might take for a day out on the beach. Use for role play. 
  • Listen to songs about the seaside.
 
 

seagull on beachGeography

  • Animals, birds  and fish that live near or in the sea
  • Location of seaside on map in relation to where child lives
  • Distance to seaside from school, from home, from town
  • Type of natural materials found on the beach
  • Type of activities that take place at the seaside
  • Frisbee, cricket, football, swimming, sailing
 
 

Science

  • sand toys

    Experiment with sand and water: Talk about and use language to describe what is happening.
  • Mix sand with water.
  • Make hole in sand and fill with water.
  • Make channel for water to flow through sand.
  • Use sand to make models and to mould shapes.
  • Make patterns in sand.
  • Experiment with sand wheel.
  • Talk about the type of weather at seaside.
  • Discuss clothes suitable for the beach, clothes to protect from the sun.
  • Play with model boats and float on water.
  • Sort items for the beach into textures that feel similar and different.
 
 

History

  • How did the seaside look 100 years ago?
  • What type of clothes did people wear on the beaches back then?
  • Find pictures of seaside from 100 years ago.
 
seaside collage

There are more shared ideas at www.positiveeye.co.uk.

 

 

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