Where Do I Live?

Embedding Functional Skills into a Social Studies Class

This task focuses on teaching students to identify and practice writing personal information related to who they are and where they live.

Materials needed:

• • 6 pieces of thick coloured paper, each a different colour
  • Laminator
  • White board markers
  • Binder ring or ribbon/string

Preparation:

• • 1. Cut each piece of paper into a square; be sure that each square is a different size.
    2. Laminate each square piece of paper.
    3. Stack the pieces of paper from smallest to biggest and punch a hole into one corner of the pile.
    4. Fasten all papers with a binder ring or piece of string or ribbon.
    5. Label each square to represent a different piece of demographic or geographical information about the student. Ensure that the information on the smallest card is the most specific to that student (i.e., the student’s name) and gets broader as the cards get bigger, as demonstrated in the example below.

Preparation:

Have the student fill in the information indicated on each coloured paper. Be sure to adapt the way in which the student is expected to do so according to his or her needs. For example, if the student is a struggling writer, you may have preprinted options from which he or she can choose and stick on each square. You may also wish to adapt the categories indicated on each sheet so that they target the learning objectives specific to your student. For some students “continent” may be too broad and not relevant to their learning needs. For others, you may choose to include more detail, such as the student’s phone number and gender, in addition to the student’s name.
This activity is best completed during Social Studies blocks, as it targets similar skills to those taught through the general education curriculum.

This task was adapted from http://www.pinterest.com/drchrisreeve/autism-work-tasks/. Check out the link for more great ideas!