In the 21st century classroom, general education teachers have numerous digital lessons, curriculums and educational applications at their fingertips. When COVID-19 pandemic caused school building closures, educators began to rely even heavier on online and digital educational resources. TVIs and COMS have been – and continue to be – challenged by the lack of accessible mainstream digital materials. Many TVIs and COMS are creating remote instruction, hybrid and face-to-face lessons for both Core Curriculum subjects and for Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). In addition, many of lessons are designed to teach specific skills unique to students who are visually impaired. What if there is a place where educators and family members can browse through and find lessons that can be used with students who are visually impaired?
The Lesson Library is one central place to find lessons and ideas to help educators and family members teach students with visual impairments. Paths to Technology has a multitude of lessons covering a variety of subjects and topics appropriate for students with visual impairments ranging from preschool thru college. In an effort to make it easier for educators to browse through the available lessons, the Lesson Library is organized into categories. The current categories include:
More categories may be added as the Lesson Library grows!
Note: Individual lessons may fit into more than one category. Posts in the Lesson Library may overlap with resources in the Book Library or Map Library. Content is being added daily, so be sure to check back frequently.
Lessons can be original ideas or modifications of a general education lesson. (Please be aware of copyrighted mainstream materials.) Lessons can be in any format, including written lessons, video, auditory, presentations (PowerPoints), and tactile formats. Lessons can be on any topic and for any preschool – college age group.
The Lesson Library contains lessons created by TVIs, COMS, educators, family members and students. As you create and teach lessons for your students, please consider sharing the lessons here on Paths to Technology. As a community, we can pool our creativity and resources by sharing lesson plans with each other, saving everyone time and providing quality and fun lessons for our students! Please share your lessons to [email protected]. Thank YOU for sharing your lessons!
Ballyland Stay Still Squeaky App: Following Directions and Indpendence (tap, swipe, drag gestures; systematic search, indpendence vs. learned helplessness and more)
Elf Activities: Image Descriptions (Includes how to add image description to an iOS or Android phone/tablet)
Getting Started on the iPad in Preschool
Gingerbread Man: Sequence, copy and paste activities
Kids Listen Podcast: Practicing Tech Skills (two-finger double tap)
More Braille Display Chords for the Young Student: Layla (O, H, and D chords)
Navigating by Headings or Lists: iPad, Google Docs, and VoiceOver
Navigating Websites: Reader Feature
Peakaboo Presents App Review (Teaching 1-finger tap and 1-finger double tap)
Pumpkin Life Cycle Lesson: Presentation (PowerPoint)
Refreshable Braille Display Commands for an Emerging Braille Read: R Chord and P Chord
Screen Reader Tech Activities: Thanksgiving Lesson Plans (read & pause, screen reader speed, copy and paste, navigating & editing)
Simple Tactile Representations of iPad Features (home Screen & rotor)
Snow Globe Shake-Up: Tech Skills (Cut and Paste) Language Arts lesson with squencing the story plot and tech commands for navigating, selecting, copy/cut and paste)
Spatial Tech Standards 1: Directional Terms (top, bottom, left, right, under, over, and more!)
Spatial Tech Standards 2: Rows
Students: How to PRESENT a presentation
Practicing Gestures: Synchronized Swimming Activity (practice physical gestures and what the gesture does)
Tactile to Digital Part 1: Math Robot
Tactile to Digital Part 2: Math Melodies
Absolution Position base and advanced pdf for PIAF/Swell graphics machine
Spatial Tech Standards 1: Directional Terms
Teaching VoiceOver Gestures with I Hear Ewe App: Activity
Tech Standards: Accessing Keynote Presentations with VoiceOver (Geared for young students using emerging reader books)
Tech Standards: Adding Image Descriptions to iOS Photos
Tech Standards: Keynote Presentations with VoiceOver Activity Part 1 (Activities designed for early elementary students)
Tech Standards: Creating Keynote Presentations Part 2 (Tech savvy high school student shares her tips and a video tutorial on creating Keynote presentations)
VoiceOver Teaching Strategies: Spatial Concepts (has a variety of teaching strategies including how to introduce a new app and strategies to increase student independence with technology)
Writing and editing with an iPad and braille display: Intro part 1
Writing with a braille display: Scribbling part 2
Writing with a braille display: Lists part 3
Writing and editing with a braille display: Editing part 4
Writing and editing with a braille display: Proofreading part 5
Computer Numpad Part 1: Learning the Numpad
Introducing the Keyboard – CVI Lesson and Tips
Learning Numeric Keypad Layout: Activities
Keyboard Yoga (hand exercises to learn spatial relationships prior to keyboarding)
Accessible Digital Advent Calendar (Webpage navigation and table navigation)
Accessing Bold, Underline and Italics on a Mac with VoiceOver: Activity
April Fool’s Day Lessons (note taking from a video about three potential origins for April Fool’s Day, research, writing and donut prank)
3 Steps to becoming a Tech Power User (Using the Rotor and Single Letter keyboard Commands)
Browsing the Web: Video Tutorials
Butterflies part 3: Note taking from videos
Butterflies part 4: Books and writing activities
CandyStore.com: Spreadsheet Activities
Candy Heart Math: Estimating, Measuring and Graphing
Concept Development ThroughTactile Graphics: Duck Example
Creating Headings for a Screen Reader: Lesson Plan
Easter Egg Estimating (Estimating, 10-frame, nonstandard measurement, & tech skills)
Efficiently navigating a document or textbook for class
Egg Idioms: Tech Activities (Writing, vocabulary, navigation commands, tables)
Five Little . . . Repetitive Text for Emerging Readers and Beyond!
My Gingerbread House: Days of the Week (making simple gingerbread houses, sequencing, cut, and paste)
Gingerbread Man: Sequence, copy and paste activities
Google Classroom Using NVDA/JAWS Part 1 (6-part video tutorial series)
Halloween Jokes: Presentation Lesson
Holiday I Spy: Tactile Graphics (includes rows, columns, grids and systematic scanning techniques)
How to Check for App Accessibility?
I Have a Dream: High school literature activities (includes digital note taking skills)
The JAWS Song by Spinrockers (learn JAWS commands thru this song!)
Lollipop Garden Activities (Grow lollipops from jellybean seeds, parts of a flower, slide presentation or digital book)
Mother’s Day Activity: Presentation Tech Activity with Self-Advocacy Skills
Microsoft Word Keyboard Commands Activities: Quiz and BINGO
Navigating Google Sheets with JAWS Lesson: Artic Animals
Navigating Google Slides with JAWS
Online Holiday Shopping: Tech Activity
PowerPoint Lesson Plan for Elementary Students
Snowman Activities (includes reading commands, comprehension activities, and tech skills)
Spatial Tech Standards 1: Directional Terms
The Mitten: Comparing, writing and tech skills (tables and spreadsheets)
The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Note Taking
Tech Power User: JAWS Quick Keys
Tips for Young Students Learning to use a Screen Reader (screen reader concepts)
Tech Recipe: Listen to your Writing (listening skills activity for students with low vision)
Teaching a Virtual Class: Zoom Etiquette
Train Gen Ed Teachers: Creating Accessible Documents Activity (For students too!)
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: Teaching Comprehension (tech skills and language arts)
Using and Editing a Microsoft Word Document (video tutorial)
Using Celebrations to Teach JAWS (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and Frosty the Snowman)
Using Tech to Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Sugar Cookie Recipe: Read by Lines Tech Skills
Valentine’s Day Tech Activities
Wacky Text Field Lessons: Understanding Quick Nav Commands (and Tab command!)
Watermelon-Related Activities (includes navigating a book in Book Creator)
When you have low vision and are the conference presenter: What works for me
Where in the World is My Cursor? (concept activity)
April Fool’s Day Lessons (note taking from a video about three potential origins for April Fool’s Day, research, writing and donut prank)
Attention Grabbers Lesson Plans (spelling, keyboarding, tech commands, writing activities)
Back to School Activity: Autograph Scavenger Hunt
Beginning Readers – Sight Words: Lesson, Activities, Tips (CVI)
Bird song book and bird-related activities
Braille Alphabet Coloring Pages
Braille Alphabet: Student-created YouTube Video
Braille Boom Cards (3 braille-related decks for people with vision interested in learning braille)
Braille Boom Cards: Braille learning Series 2 (Perkins Braille Writer deck)
Braille Reading Activity: Pizza!
Build a Monster online game: Low vision (Match CVC words to pictures)
Butterflies part 1: Caterpillars
Butterflies part 2: Butterfly life cycle
Butterflies part 3: Note taking from videos
Butterflies part 4: Books and writing activities
Color-by-Number, Color-by-Shape, Color-by-letter Coconut Tree (The post contains additional color-by-shape worksheets.)
Creating Tactile Graphics Images Part 4: Maze Worksheets Discusses the importance of daily classroom worksheets to develop tactile graphics skills, concepts about objects/animals, and logical thinking with these Finger Maze Activities. Downloadable mazes for tactile graphics machine are included!
Digital Transitions #3: Editing Tech Skills & Activities
Elf Activities: Bringing People Together! (Includes Elf poem and writing prompts)
Elf Activities: Image Descriptions (Includes how to add image description to an iOS or Android phone/tablet)
Firefly Activities: Science and Literacy
First Day of Preschool ePub Book post
Five Little . . . repetitive text for emerging readers and beyond!
Google Docs Table Activity: Warm/Cold-Blooded Animals
The Grinch and Max: Emerging Reader Digital Book (Alphabet Word Signs: Not, Like and But)
Gus the Ghost and Thanksgiving Poem: Reading Comprehension Activities
I Have a Dream: High school literature activities (includes note taking skills)
Labeling Images: Part of a Bat Lesson
Lucky Leprechaun Lessons for Littles (includes tactile graphics)
Kindergarten and First Grade Sight Words Lesson
International Monkey Day: December 14th
Make your own monster: Play dough activity and storytelling
Monster: Note Taking Skills Part 2
Pumpkin Writing Prompts Lesson: Creative Writing
Reading Fluency Activities: Elementary Students
Reading Remotely (includes video story)
Remote Instruction: Emerging Reader Who is Deaf-Blind (signed video books, digital books)
Remote Instruction using SeeSaw for Dual Media Learner (Dragons Love Tacos and Cat-themed stories)
Safari Animal Sounds: ePub and Tactile Graphic Activities
Snow Globe Shake-Up: Tech Skills (Cut and Paste) Language Arts lesson with squencing the story plot and tech commands for navigating, selecting, copy/cut and paste)
Snowman Activities (includes reading commands, comprehension activities, and tech skills)
Snowman, Snowman, What Do You See?
Spatial Concepts/prepositions Procreate App 2: Activities, Worksheets and Books post
The Mitten: Comparing, writing and tech skills (tables and spreadsheets)
The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Note Taking
Tactile Descriptions: Building Language and Concepts
Ten on the Sled: Action Verbs and ‘ed’ Contractions
Transportation Sound Book: ePub and Tactile Graphics Activities
Turkey Activities: Front and Side View Tactile Graphics post (Includes turkey coloring worksheet, color-by-numbers worksheet, Label the parts of a turkey worksheet, and activities to teach front and side view tactile graphics.)
Turkey vs. Bald Eagle: Debate Writing (and Note Taking)
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: Teaching Comprehension (tech skills and language arts)
Valentine’s Day Tech Activities post
Vermont Farm Lesson: Elementary Student (includes two books, farm vocabularly words and non-visual digital map)
What if Santa Suddenly Went Blind? (story, reading, writing and tech activities)
Where Do Commas Belong? Grammar Activity (tech skills: navigation, editing, tables, and more!)
Winter Puns: Comprehension Activity
Word Melodies: Emerging Reading and Writing App
Wordle: 5 Letter Guessing Game
Wordle Part 2: Classroom Activities (Includes CVC game,Velcro modifications and how to make Wordle accessible)
Writing and editing with an iPad and braille display: Intro part 1
Writing with a braille display: Scribbling part 2
Writing with a braille display: Lists part 3
Writing and editing with a braille display: Editing part 4
Writing and editing with a braille display: Proofreading part 5
Zoom-Zoom: How to Magnify Zoom Chat on a Chromebook
Alligator Crunch: Missing Number (100’s chart activity)
Basic Addition: Lesson and Tips (CVI)
Basic Subtraction – CVI Lesson and Tips
Blindfold 3D Tic Tac Toe (teaches grids, spatial concepts and mental mapping)
Blindfold Tic Tac Toe: Digital Math Grid Game
Braille Math Editor: Student Video Tutorial
Candy Heart Math: Estimating, Measuring and Graphing
Charts and Graphs Skills Review (print, tactile and digital chart and graphs activities)
Choosing a Habitable Planet: Data Analysis Activity (accessible charts and graphs, science)
Create Matching Symmetrical Shapes Activity: Popsicle Math
Creating Tactile Graphics Images Part 5: Shapes Directions on how to create accessible shape worksheets for a tactile graphics machine and shape-related teaching activities, positional terms, and concepts such as big/little. Includes numerous downloadable shape worksheets!
Desmos Audio Tracing: Introducing Sonified Graphs
Desmos: Create a scatter plot with JAWS (includes flip the classroom and 4 C’s)
Digital Transitions #2: Math Grid Activities
Digital Transitions #4: Bar Charts (Fall Leaf Activity) (contains tactile and digital bar chart activities; pair with Simple Bar Chart post below)
Activity: Create and Share a Simple Bar Chart (SAS Graphics Accelerator: this post is paired with the Fall Leaf Activity post above)
Gingerbread Man Activities: Tactile Skills (counting & subitizing)
Halloween Suduko Part 2: Tactile Graphics (Fun way to practice rows and columns, logical thinking, tactile graphics skills and more!)
Ice Cube Tray Math Activities: Great than and Graphing
Introducing Accessible Digital Grid and Table
“Ish” book: Drawing, estimating and digital table activities post
Learning Numeric Keypad Layout: Activities
Math Apps Summary Post for Students K-3rd Grade (includes teaching digital math tech skills)
Math by Ear: Add and Subtract Negative Numbers (video lesson)
Math Calendar (Number Corner)
Math Games and Activities for Home for Students with Visual Impairments
Math shapes: Classification and drawing of shapes (Geometry series part 2)
Math shapes: Introducing APH Memory Puzzles (Geometry series Part 3)
Math shapes: Marshmallows and toothpicks activity! (Geometry series part 1)
Math Worksheet: Missing Factor (solve for X) accessible web page
Math Worksheet: Multiply by 10 (accessible web page)
Math Worksheet: Multiple and Divide by 10, 100, and 1,000 (accessible web page)
Math Worksheet: Multiplying Fractions (accessible web page)
Math Worksheet: Add fractions with unlike units (accessible web page)
Math Worksheet: Subtracting Decimals (accessible web page)
Multiplication Super Flashcards and NaviLens Activity
Measuring Tools: Using Traditional and Digital Tools & Activities (blocks, rules, protractors, apps)
Picture Smart AI for JAWS: Making Charts and Graphs Accessible!
Same and Different Worksheets (Creating Tactile Graphics Images Part 8) (Multiple same and different worksheets provided for low vision students or tactile students to be used with a tactile graphics machine)
Subitizing Using Dice Activity
Tactile to Digital Part 1: Math Robot
Tactile to Digital Part 2: Math Melodies
Tactile to Digital Part 4: Positions in a Table
Tactile to Digital Part 5: Addition and Subtraction
Teaching the Number Line – Lesson and Tips (CVI)
Sonification: Sounds with Meaning Activity (auditory charts and graphs)
Teaching CodeQuest App to Students Who Are Visually Impaired (coding concept game which also teaches grids and O&M concepts)
Teaching Number Line Math Skills: Part 1 (basic number line concepts & tactile activities)
Teaching Number Line Math Skills: Part 2 (addition and subtraction using a number line)
Teaching Number Line Math Skills: Part 3 (accessible number line app)
Teaching Number Line Math Skills: Part 4 (applying number line skills)
Understanding Desmos: Sonification Lessons
Valentine’s Day Word Problems and Desmos Scientific Calculator
Watermelon-Related Activities (includes counting to 10)
NY Maps: Union Square and Washington Square Park (history and accessible park maps)
Santa’s Sleigh Ride: Geography and Map Activities
State Capitals Lesson: Non-Visual Digital Maps
Turkey vs. Bald Eagle: Debate Writing (and Note Taking)
Maps of Russia-Ukraine Conflict
John’s O&M Lesson 4: Analyzing Map Data (draw conclusions about city growth)
North Carolina Lighthouse Lesson: Elementary School
13 Colonies Lesson (includes non-visual digital map)
Trail of Tears Lesson (Trail of Tears information and non-visual digital map)
Accessible Astronomy: A Tactile Electromagnetic Spectrum
Butterflies part 1: Caterpillars
Butterflies part 2: Butterfly life cycle
Butterflies part 3: Note taking from videos
Butterflies part 4: Books and writing activities
Choosing a Habitable Planet: Data Analysis Activity (accessible charts and graphs, science)
Code and Go Robot Mouse Activities and APH Tactile Graphics
Coding Club Activity: SAS CodeSnaps and Sphero Robot (CodeSnaps Part 1)
Coding Unplugged: My Robotic Friends Activity
Efficiently navigating a document or textbook for class
Firefly Activities: Science and Literacy
Lollipop Garden Activities (Grow lollipops from jellybean seeds, parts of a flower, slide presentation or digital book)
Measuring Tools: Using Traditional and Digital Tools & Activities (Blocks, rules, protractors, apps)
Musical Fingerprints of Wobbly Stars (astronomy lesson with sonification)
Pysched for STEAM: Coding Activities
Seeing the Unseen: Glas Education (Probes)
Sequencing Coding Concept Activities
Spider Activities (includes Spider Lifecycle, technology activities, spider concepts, tactile graphics, poems, recommended books and spider-related crafts that build concepts)
Teaching CodeQuest App to Students Who Are Visually Impaired (coding concept game which also teaches grids and O&M concepts)
Tech time-Out #3 Accessing Labs: Engineering Camp 2016
Makey Makey: STEM Activities and Lesson Plans
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Blindfold Bowling: iOS Spatial Concepts Apps (spatial concept activities)
Concept Development: Drawing (Sensational Blackboard)
Concept Development: Putting ORIENTATION back into O&M
Creating Tactile Graphics Images Part 4: Maze Worksheets Discusses the importance of daily classroom worksheets to develop tactile graphics skills, concepts about objects/animals, and logical thinking with these Finger Maze Activities. Downloadable mazes for tactile graphics machine are included!
Creating Tactile Graphics Images Part 8: Multiple Pumpkin Worksheets (Concepts include big/little, same/different, matching, counting, color-by-shape, pumpkin concepts and of course building tactile graphics skills!
Gingerbread Man Activities: Tactile Skills (counting & subitizing)
Ocean Animal Sounds Book and Activities
Squigz: Toy to Promote Improvement of Developmental Skills and Independence (Perfect for developing finger strength necessary for the Perkins Brailler and for making touch screen gestures.
Dimple Duo: Toy to Develop Finger Strength
Bird song book and bird-related activities (O&M trip to pet store)
BlindSquare App and Unique Rural Travel Environments
BlindSquare Readiness Lesson: Chalk, Walk and Talk (clock and yards lesson)
Build a Mental Map of Campus (Create customized non-visual digital map of YOUR school for the blind for students attending summer school or events)
Celebrating White Cane Day!
Cody Went to Sheetz: iBook (self-familiarization O&M technique, mapping, book)
Community QR Code Scavenger Hunt
Escape Rooms: How Do I Get Out Of Here? Part 2 (O&M)
Concept Development: Drawing (Sensational Blackboard)
Concept Development: Own Your Own Real Estate
Concept Development: Putting ORIENTATION back into O&M
John’s O&M Lesson 1: Non-Visual Digital Maps for Elementary Student (map software commands, general orientation to downtown area streets and landmarks)
John’s O&M Lesson 2: Learn About Streets (city street layout and numbering/naming systems)
John’s O&M Lesson 3: Whole-to-Part Mental Map (Big picture mental map using boundary roads)
John’s O&M Lesson 4: Analyzing Map Data (draw conclusions about city growth)
John’s O&M Lesson 5: 3 Types of Communities (Urban, suburban and rural)
John’s O&M Lesson 6: Road Numbering Systems (interstates & highways)
Learning About Airport/Airport Travel: O&M Activities
Learning Numeric Keypad Layout: Activities
Map Concept: To Turn or Not To Turn
Map Explore: Sneak Peak at a New O&M Game
Map Explore: Using Customized Maps (Demonstrates using a custom map of a student’s neighborhood and school.)
Map Explore: Using Customized Questions (Demonstrates using the map to answer customized questions about the student’s neighborhood and school.)
Monocular Mac: Free Children’s Book
O&M Activity: The Interstate’s Forgotten Code
O&M Lesson Using BlindSquare with VoiceOver
O&M Lesson: Teaching Distance Estimates using BlindSquare
Online Holiday Shopping: Tech Activity
National Chip and Dip Day: O&M Activity (March 23rd is National Chip and Dip Day!)
Pittsboro Map Lesson: Getting Started
Road Rally: O&M Navigation Activity
Sharing Secret Locations Lesson: BlindSquare Lesson Plan
Teaching CodeQuest App to Students Who Are Visually Impaired (coding concept game which also teaches grids and O&M concepts)
Teaching Echolocation Skills: O&M Activities
Trick-or-Treat Orientation Activity
Using Temple Explorer: A New Directionality O&M Game
Use of BlindSquare to Teach Compass Directions
Using Blindsquare Simulation Mode to Create Tactile/Visual Maps (directions, distance and maps activities)
Using BlindSquare to Develop a Mental Map of Environment
Using Tracing Apps: Part 2 (tracing apps and physical scanning activities for O&M purposes)
Vermont Farm: Drawing Conclusions from an O&M Map (non-visual digital map)
White Cane Day! (white cane poem)
White Cane Day Bulletin Board and Activities
Whittier Falls Housing Development Map and “Circle” Concepts (includes non-visual digital map to teach shapes of various roads)
Adapted Ocean Animal book for Student with CVI (includes video lesson and downloadable books)
Basic Addition: Lesson and Tips (CVI)
Basic Subtraction – CVI Lesson and Tips
Beginning Readers – Sight Words: Lesson, Activities, Tips (CVI)
CVI-Friendly Videos: Resources for Students with CVI
Introducing Abstract Art Lesson: CVI
Introducing the Keyboard – CVI Lesson and Tips
Teaching the Number Line – Lesson and Tips (CVI)
Choice Making Activities with Switch Apps
Cody Learning Life Skills Through Technology
Digital Literacy for Students with Multiple Disabilities
Back to School Activity: Autograph Scavenger Hunt
Battle of the Tools (self-advocacy)
Exploring Forensic Science: Self-Advocacy Activity
Tech Time-Out #1 Accessing PowerPoint Presentations: Engineering Camp 2016 (self-advocacy for accessibility)
Escape Rooms: How Do I Get Out of Here? Part 1
Explaining Hand Washing and Germs to Young Students (videos/songs and activity)
Fingerprinting Forensic Science and Magnifiers: Magnification Activity
Hide and Peep App: Visual Scanning App
Six Cool Games That Can Be Played on Zoom
More Cool Games That Can Be Played On Zoom Part 2: VI Twist
Tactile Stickers for Valentine’s Day Cards Activity
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CVI Presentation for Classroom Teachers (PowerPoint intro to CVI presentation for gen ed staff that can be used and modified to fit your student’s unique needs.)
O&M Forms and Handouts that Make YOUR job easier!
Students Tactile Preferences for PIAF/Swell Machine Graphics