I recently helped host a Multisensory Literacy Activities training that included a make and take session for attendees. The audience included vision professionals, and each one was given the opportunity to make several things that they could take home and use with their students. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email a few days after the training from Kathy Neighbors, a TVI in Texas working with a 6th grade student receiving homebound instruction. She was elated to tell us that she’d had a wonderful experience recreating one of our activities with her student. I hope you can enjoy this activity with one of your students as well!
Materials
- 8×10 Picture Frame Matting – You can find these in all different colors and sizes. We chose black, for contrast, and the total size is 11×14, with an 8×10 cutout. You could also cut your own cardboard frames, but we purchased these to save time.
- 9×12 Self-Laminating Sheets – You can find these in different sizes as well. We chose this size to fit the matting we were using.
- Items from nature – You can collect these with your students, or you can bring items in for them to choose from.
The Activity
To prepare for this activity, we asked participants to peel the backing off of the laminating sheet and lay it flat on a table. They were then given their matte frame to place on top of the sticky side of the laminating sheet. Some teachers tried to place the matte frame on the table and then stick the laminating sheet to it, but it was much more difficult this way. This part is one that you might want to do for your students because it can be difficult to see the laminating sheet once it’s flat on the table surface. After this step, you will have a frame with a sticky surface to work with.
In small groups, attendees went outside on a nature walk around the building. They were asked to collect artifacts that they found interesting and stick them to their frames. Some items that were collected included leaves, sticks, grass, flowers, small stones, and dirt.
Kathy shared some information with me about her lesson that I thought would be an awesome testament to how someone might engage a student in this lesson.
I have a student receiving homebound instruction who just had major cranial surgery and is wearing a halo. The student, parent, and I sat at the kitchen table yesterday during my instructional time. The student is unable to go outside right now, so I brought a box with several small sticks, pine straw, a variety of leaves (different shapes & colors), and other items I found in the environment.
I asked the student to make up a story about going on a walk through the woods. The student created the best story about him and his dog and their adventure in the woods. As he told the story, I asked what they were seeing, feeling, or might be hearing. As the student described their adventure, he would take things out of the box to add to the sticky matte frame. He was super proud of his finished product!
Later, Mom shared that the student’s speech and language pathologist was also working on storytelling, but that her son was able to engage much more meaningfully with these materials than without. During our lesson, the student used 5 + words in each sentence, adding details, sounds, smells, colors, shapes, and textures. The student enjoyed it, but Mom loved it more!
Extensions and adaptations
- Students can write a story about their product in their preferred literacy medium.
- Students can go to different environments to make a sticky frame and compare what they find.
- Students can practice public speaking by sharing about what they’ve chosen to place on their sticky frame.
- Place the frame on a light box for a different way to explore.
- Ask students to count how many items they put on their sticky frame.
