Rationale

Everyone likes getting new shoes! - Especially the 3 and 4 year olds that we have in the early childhood special education class. This is a topic that is of high interest and very motivating for the young student. It also hold personal meaning to the child and will thus hopefully hold their attention a little longer. Early in the year we try to establish topics and tie in information that is very comfortable and 'home-based' for the child to help ease the transition to the new school setting. The basic concepts and goals for each child is individualized and specific to their own individual needs as stated on their IEP. We try to create an environment and establish a topic through which those goals can be targeted and strengthened. I feel this topic will be comfortable and motivating for the child early in the school year so we can begin to expand the child's experiences as they are working toward achieving their individual goals.

Concepts

The specific concepts or objectives will vary depending on the child's cognitive, social, and communication levels. There are, however, certain overall concepts or goals that are targeted throughout the year and throughout the topical units in the child's own individual way. The goals are established to help the child expand their experiences and understanding of themselves and their environment.

1. To understand and follow their individual work system and daily schedule as they develop their prereadiness skills.

Student Activities

Increase their understanding of same and "not" same
work basket activities

Given one sock, they will find the matching one from a displayed set

• based on color attribute

• based on pattern attributes

Given 3 socks, they will remove the one that is "not" same from a bag

Given a shoe, they will find the matching one and place it in the shoe box

Given 3 shoes, they will remove the one that is "not" same from the box

Given a colored sock or shoe pattern, they will color the pattern the same color from a limited set of crayon choices

Increase their number awareness and math concepts
work basket activities

Match the numerals 1 and 2 that are placed under two socks or shoes

Sticking two stickers of socks or 2 socks on designated cards

"Packaging" 2 shoes or 2 socks in designated containers

Placing 1 sock with shoe (1:1) from a given set

Match pennies 1:1 to the dots on the price tags of the socks or shoes

Given a numeral, place the corresponding amounts of toy socks and shoes in the designated container

Match shoes or socks of varying sizes to the corresponding picture jig in appropriate size order

Increase letter/word and book awareness

work basket activities

Match letters from a given set to the name cards attached to the shoes

Match the whole name card of the child with a written model attached to the given socks or shoes

Using books and a velcro activity, match the socks on the presented pages with the appropriate match

Using a board book and velcro activity, match the appropriate word to the corresponding match on the next page

Using a picture dictionary card with targeted color words, color the corresponding socks and shoes

Using a picture dictionary card with targeted basic clothing items, color the corresponding picture of a person

Increase their categorizing/classifying skills
work basket activities

Sort socks and shoes into two groups into designated containers, using varied types of representational items of the concept

Sort socks or shoes by designated colors into 2-3 groups

Sort socks or shoes by designated attribute (opposite concept) into two groups - big/mall, old/new, dirty/clean

Increase their symbolic representation

work basket activities

Match identical objects (clothing items) in a packaging activity

Match identical objects (socks and shoes) using a varied representations of the items in a tray activity

Match object to an identical photographic representation

Match objects to a line drawing or picture jig

Match two identical photographs in an envelope activity

Match a line drawing representation to a photograph in a clipping activity

2. To increase and expand their social and play activities

Student Activities

Play Centers

Participate in the sand table area making footprints/shoe prints in the sand while 'wearing' shoes on their hands

Participate in the water table area wetting and drying socks as they pretend in various 'washing' routines

Participate in the dramatic play area simulating the events within a shoe store

Attending and Recognizing

Remain with the group and participate in the practiced routine as they experience a community visit to the local shoe store

Maintain attention on their partners shoe in order to find the missing one to match in a paired activity

Recognize their friend and appropriately associate the correct name when a missing shoe is pulled from a mystery bag and they are told to "Give the shoe to ______"

Recognize the who is missing a shoe and state the name of that friend verbally or through gesture

Object Permanence

Participate in a Hide-n-Seek game with a sock or other clothing item within the confines of the circle area

Participate in a Hide-n-Seek game with a game within the confines of the classroom

Turn Taking

Using a shared materials placed between them (basket of socks) during a sock folding activity

Passing shared materials (bin of shoes) back and forth in order to match and fill their own sets of shoes in shoe boxes

Cooperatively participating in a shared sequence activity with a partner when one partner unclips a pair of socks and hands them to their friend who then finishes the task by placing the 2 socks in the corresponding two shoes

3. To increase their understanding and use of their communication

Student Activities

Receptive skills

Attend to presented books and stories relating to socks and shoes in a 1:1 or small group presentation

Identify objects using attributes (color and size) in direction following games

Identify/point to appropriate clothing items when presented with the verbal label

Using a shoe prop, place it in the appropriate location when given a verbal direction with basic prepositions/location concepts

Expressive skills

Following the presentation of a finger play, complete the rhyme with the missing word or object presentation (1-2 buckle my ___, 3-4 shut the _____, etc.)

State the appropriate object label verbally or through gesture in a game format (ex.. You went to the store and brought a_______. (as they open the box lid to see what is inside)

Make a choice, verbally or through gesture, in a game format with structured language models- ("I want to buy a ________please" -as they are playing store in a structured group activities and in free play)

4. To expand their experiences of their environment through their sense.

Student Activities

Visual

These tasks are targeted primarily through their work system task at this level and time of year.

Auditory

Determine object from a previously presented set, when a hidden object is placed in a shoe box and shaken

Participate in presented songs

Participate using instruments made with shoes and socks during presented musical activities (bells on laces,two shoes as clappers, sticks hit against shoe bottoms, socks filled with beans for shakers, etc.)

Experience the different sounds that are made when different shoe bottoms are hit upon the floor-also compare loud and quiet

Smell

Smell varied scents that have been placed in 'smelly bags' made from socks tied with shoe strings

Experience and compare/contrast the differences between presented shoes and socks- smelly/ "bad" and fragrant/ "good"

Taste

Participate in the making and eating of "Sock Stew" following the presentation of the song

Participate in the lick of ice cream with our "tongues" after showing the parts of a shoe

Touch-Kinesthetics

Fine Motor

Stringing various sized beads onto given shoe strings

Paint with varied shoe bottoms that have different patterns

Tearing foam and stuffing it into shoe pillows, after looking at different shoe parts and feeling the soft foam

Gluing decorative shapes onto shoe patterns

Cutting a pair of shoes or socks in half separating the two items, following a designated heavy, solid black line

Gross Motor

Participate in actions involving the feet- walking, running, jumping, kicking

Participate in direction following activities using the above stated motor movements

Walk on large pieces of paper with painted shoe bottoms and painted foot bottoms

Touch

Tolerate the feel of varied textures on the bottom of their feet

Walk about the room with various types of shoes, feeling the differences in how the shoe feels on your foot as you walk

Participate and tolerate the feel of wet plaster on their feet as they make casts

Participate in an outside picnic without their shoes, feeling the grass on their feet

5. To participate in functional and daily living activities

Student Activities

Participate in tying/untying activities with varied clothing items

Participate in the closing/opening of varied types of boxes

Given a daily activity, they will associate and find the appropriate "shoe" to help with that activity (ex.. boots-snow, slipper-bedtime)

Participate in the sequence of the dressing routine in varied contexts

• in real-life, natural situations (with a swimming outing)

• in a game format during circle time

• in a work task with 3-4 picture cards placed in appropriate sequence

Resources

A Pair of Socks, Stuart Murphy

A World of Shoes Della Rowland

Let's Get Dressed, Harriet Ziefert

Nice New Shoes, Grosset and Dunlap

Shoes, Elizabeth Winthrop

Two New Sneakers, Nancy Tafui

Two Shoes, New Shoes, Shirley Hughes

Visually Structured Tasks, Division TEACCH, University of North Carolina

What if the Shark Wears Tennis Shoes?, Winifred Morris

Whose Shoes? Margaret Miller

Whose Shoes are These?, Ron Roy