I work with a young child who is learning braille. He enjoys the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and asked to read this book when we learned the last letter in the APH Building on Patterns curriculum.
Materials
- Book: Chicka Chick Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
- Large magnetic letters with braille letters attached
- Paper with drawing of coconut tree
- “Coconut tree“ made by covering a potato chip can with brown foam and adding green “palm fronds”
- Braillewriter
- Swing cell
Procedure
The magnetic/braille letters were placed in the coconut tree. The student uses a VisioBook in his classroom and this was used as we read the book together. Letters were removed from the “tree” as we read. After reading the story, I placed specific letters in the tree that I wanted to review with my student. He removed each letter, identified the letter, made the letter using the swing cell and then on the braille writer.
Variations
- Students can concentrate on letters in their name.
- Ask students to give the alphabet word contraction for the letter.
- Match or sort letters.
- Read Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, and introduce or review numerals and counting.
