Categorized Braille Resource Cards

 Categorized Braille Resource Cards©

American English Braille code cards categorized for instructional use

CB Resource Cards is a compilation and categorization of the Braille code to be used by teachers who are introducing and teaching braille reading and writing. It is a resource of the code listed by categories and compiled onto word cards that can be laminated and brailled for teacher and student use. Its purpose is to be able to present, reference, and teach the code easily for use in reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, and language study. These cards help present a comprehensive listing of the braille code in many different formats and perspectives.    

            The English Braille American list has been used as the basis for this database. The various categories were included to help facilitate different learning tasks. This listing is categorized by what the author considers the groupings within the code. “Families” are grouped by usage of the same letter within some part of the word or contractions. “Formation” lists the dot numbers and letters used to make the word or contractions. The Literary word or letters is listed. The Types and Placements utilize a simple “picture” for easier sorting of cards. The basic punctuation signs that use a single cell “lowered letter” (“”.,;:-!?) are also included so that the reader can learn to identify the “lowered letters” based on their placement.

 What can I do with the cards?

            Type sorting makes it easier to pull out the short forms or the contractions and work on them in groups. The word cards can be used to introduce: all of the letter words or all of a certain contraction grouping (be- words or 46 contractions).

            It can help when trying to tell the difference between similar forms such as be- words and 56 contractions (“beyond” versus “ity”).

            You can also show how letters drop down into the bottom of the cell and become different things depending upon their placement. (j, just, was, by, and closing quote)

            Formation sorting can help with grouping the dot families, such as all of the dot 5 words. You can also see that 45 contractions are words, versus 56 contractions are suffixes or part of words.

            Placement is very helpful in knowing when you can and when you cannot use certain contractions. This is always a challenge for students, so practice of placement groups can be very helpful.

Card and List Column Explanations

1. Dot numbers or letters

2. Literary word or gram

3. Pictogram representing Types

            The types include:

            ><        Short forms

            n’t        Contractions

            Gg or other similar lettering are Letter Words

            []         Wordlets

            Dot …  Dot groups

            LL        Lower letters

            ^          Stand Alones (have unique dot pattern)

            !           Punctuation

4. Simulated braille

 5. Placement

            __         Alone only      (example: have)

            *          are only contained within a word   (example: ff)

            {           must precede a word with no spaces (ex.: to)

            {_         Preceeding only (ex: dis)

            _}         within a word, but cannot start a word (similar to a suffix, ex.: …ally)

            ~         a word and can be used anywhere within a word (ex.: the)

            ~W      Anywhere within a word (ex.: ch)

            WD      word, may be able to have endings as long as spelling is unchanged (ex.: braille [brl] can be used in brailled)

How do I know how to sort them?

Using the included lists will help you plan your instruction and help students who are struggling to tell the difference between similar forms. Included are the following lists:

            Alphabetical Literary

            Type

            Placement

            Family

            Formation

            Lowered Letters

            Punctuation

            Stand Alones

Included is a comprehensive list of each category and related symbols. These include: Short Forms, Short Form Families, Alphabetic contractions, and Contractions by Families (dot families, letter, placement, and suffix by letter ends with).

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