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Halloween Suduko Part 2: Tactile Graphics

Tactile graphics can be spooky and spectacular!

In the original (and very popular!) post, Halloween Suduko Puzzle: Grids and Tables, we learned how to create an accessible Suduko table for the iPad and how students can complete the puzzle. The digital Suduko can be used with a tablet or computer and is a wonderful way for students to practice the keyboard commands to navigate a grid/table. Remember, you can create accessible Suduko puzzles for any device; we used an iPad as an example, as it is a touch screen device, making it easy for students to drag their finger across the row or down a column and use their location to better understand the spatial concepts. You can also create different puzzle layouts with the same Halloween theme or use other characters/objects.

This spooky 4×4 Suduko puzzle can be used to reinforce rows and columns, grids, logical thinking, math, and tactile graphics. One of the main goals of this activity is to build spatial awareness (mental mapping) when using digital tools. As always, best practice states introduce a new concept with tactile graphics before transferring the skill to a digital format. Many of the same principles apply when exploring a tactile graphic Suduko puzzle by rows and columns and exploring a digital Suduko puzzle (dragging a finger on a touch screen device or using navigation commands). However, many students learn best when tactile graphics are initially used. For this activity, a digital Suduko worksheet has been created for you to print on capsule paper and run through a tactile graphics machine (which will raise the black ink). Some students prefer to explore a full page graphic of each object first, before being introduced to smaller graphics of the four characters. (See below for the full page graphics.) The attached tactile graphics are designed so that students can tactually discriminate between the outlined ghost (with wide open eyes and mouth) and the solid flying bat. There is one round, solid pumpkin which is easily distinguished from the four small gum drops.

Note: These basic images are good for students with low vision or CVI, or they can be run through a tactile graphics machine  such as a PIAF or Swell machine to create tactile images.

Matching

Discuss what each image is. Ask the student to identify the main characteristic of each image. If appropriate, compare the image to the real object. Ask the student to draw a crayon line between the object in the left column to it’s match in the right column.  

Image of the Halloween matching worksheet with ghost, bat, pumpkin and gum drops in random order in two columns.

Download the Halloween Matching Worksheet here.

Suduko

Cut apart the images in the Matching worksheet. These images can be used to fill in the blank squares in the Suduko puzzle. Remember, each object can only be used one time in a row or column. Can your student use logic to determine what object goes in each blank square?

Photo of print Halloween Suduko puzzle for tactile graphics machine. Bat, ghost, pumpkin and gum drops each appear 3 times in a 4x4 grid.

Hint: When creating the Suduko puzzle in Word, make the table lines thicker (this worksheet has 3 point lines).

Download the Halloween Suduko worksheet here.

Creating Additional Halloween Worksheets or Suduko Puzzles

You can create your own Halloween-themed worksheets using these images or create a variety of Suduko puzzles for students to practice their skills. Save the original, full-sized images on your computer. Copy and paste them into a Word document and resize them as desired.

Note: The full-size ghost, bat, pumpkin and gum drops worksheets are also available for your convenience. 

Fall-Themed Resources

 

Attached File(s)

https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/Bat.pdf https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/Ghost.pdf https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/gum%20drops.pdf https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/pumpkin%20solid%20large_0.pdf https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/Suduko%20Puzzle%202.docx https://www.perkins.org/sites/elearning.perkinsdev1.org/files/Matching2.docx
By Diane Brauner

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