What is Disability?

Activity: Introduce Vocabulary

Link to Definitions: Disabilty Vocab 

SlideShow with Definitions and Pics: Flash cards 

• Disability

• Accessibility

• Accommodation

• Assistive Technology

• Physical Disability

• Blind

• Braille

• Cane

• Seeing Eye Dog

• Deaf

• Hearing Aid

• Sign Language

• Captioning

• Amputee

• Prosthetic

• Wheelchair

• Ramp

• Elevator

• Handrail

Activity: POP!

Time: 15 minutes 

Materials: Paper bags, pieces of paper or popsicle sticks

Before Activity: 

• Each group will need a paper bag with slips of paper or popsicle sticks in it that have vocabulary words written on it.

• Each bag also needs 2-3 papers with ‘POP!’ written on them mixed in

• Depending on the size of the class, the entire class or smaller groups can play this game and each group will need its own bag with words in it.

  • Each group should have 5-10 students

• Have students sit in a circle in their group

Activity:

• Starting with one student in the circle, they pick a word out of the bag. They read the word out loud and then define it. If the definition is correct, they keep the word but if not correct, they put it back in the bag. 

  • The teacher can scaffold wrong answers by telling the students what the correct definition is or by asking other students if they know the answer before the word goes back in the bag.

• However, if the student picks a ‘POP’, they put all of their words back in the bag and pass it. 

• This activity should last 10 minutes and a timer is necessary because the game won’t end on its own.

• The student with the most words at the end of the time wins

CCQ's: 

• What's in the bag? Vocabulary words

• What do you do when you pick out a word? Define it

• What if you pick out a POP! card? Put all of your words back in the bag and skip your turn

Discussion: People We Know

Time: 15 minutes

• In a full group discussion, ask students if they know anyone who has a disability.

• If students do know someone, ask them follow-up questions like: 

  • What kind of disability do they have? 

  • What kind of person are they? 

  • What do they like to do for fun?

  • Do they have any accommodations that help them with their disability?

• Allow other students to ask questions about the person with a disability

Activity: Fly Swatter Syllables 

Time: 30 minutes

Materials: White board/ black board, two fly swatters

Before Activity: 

• The activity that the students will be doing is a fly swatter game with syllables 

• Students should already have been taught how to figure out the number of syllables in words using clapping or another method

• If needed, the teacher can review how to find the number of syllables before the activity starts

• First, the teacher needs to write different numbers on the board ranging from 1- 8. This does not need to be in chronological order 

• These numbers will represent the number of syllables in the vocabulary the teacher will give the student. 

• Next separate students into two even groups and get them to stand in two lines. 

• The two groups should be standing in front of the whiteboard with the numbers on it. 

• The first student in each line holds the fly swatter

Activity:

• This game is a race. Each team will have one person at a time race to figure out how many syllables are in the new vocabulary word.

• The teacher will say one word from the list provided in Appendix A 

• The students then figure out how many syllables are in the word and then hit and with the fly swatter hit the number correlated to that.

• The first one to hit the correct amount of syllables the team gets a point and then they hand the fly swatter to the person standing behind them and the game repeats. 

• Once all vocabulary is said count the points up and declare a winner

• Optional: In between rounds, have all students clap out the syllables in the given word.

CCQs

• How many teams? Two teams

• What will we be figuring out about our vocabulary words? The number of syllables

• Is this a race? Yes

1. Reflection on POP! Activity: 

   1. Have students respond verbally either in whole groups or in pairs about the following questions:

      1. Can you share a word that you found interesting or important to learn about today?

      2. How did it feel when you had to start over with the ‘POP’? Do you think it’s fair or challenging? 

2. Discussion on People We Know:

   1. Promote understanding and empathy with these questions in pairs:

      1. Did you learn something new or surprising about your classmates today?

      2. What did you learn about people with disabilities, and how do you think we can support them?