Dad and Me in the Morning Guided Reading Lesson
4th grade, 5th grade Sharon Pennock 4th grade, 5th grade Sharon Pennock

Dad and Me in the Morning Guided Reading Lesson

This lesson revolves around the book Dad and Me in the Morning by Patricia Lakin. The book tells the short story of a boy and his dad getting up early to see the sunrise. The book is unique because the boy in the story is deaf and the book shows the different ways he and his dad communicate. It is a great example of how the disabled perspective can be brought to a story that most children can relate with. In this lesson the teacher will read the book page by page and stop on each page to have students figure out all the different ways the boy and his Dad are communicating. The students will compete to see who can find the most ways. 

Image description: Cover art from “Dad and Me in the Morning” book

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Demystifying Pennhurst State School Lesson
10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock

Demystifying Pennhurst State School Lesson

In this lesson students will compare and contrast 3 videos on Pennhurst State School. Students will delve into two narratives, The “horror” and “historical”. In a class discussion, students will discuss the implications of each narrative on how society views mental illness and intellectual disability. Students will learn about Pennhurst and the historic self-advocacy of the residents and the eventual closing of the PA institution.

Image description: Black and white photograph of Pennhurst

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Disability and Disability Arts - Physical Disability and Accessibility- Coloring Book - “A Day of Questions”
Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade Sharon Pennock Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade Sharon Pennock

Disability and Disability Arts - Physical Disability and Accessibility- Coloring Book - “A Day of Questions”

Disability and Disability Arts - Physical Disability and Accessibility- Coloring Book - “A Day of Questions”

This is a three part lesson to introduce the student to disability and a disabled artist's work. Disability arts is an art form where the context of the art takes on disability as its theme. Disability art is about exploring the various realities of what it's like to be disabled. The theme of disability may be used in a variety of ways in how the artist chooses to represent the theme in their work. This lesson uses a coloring book created by Wendy Elliot Vandivier.

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Disability and Disability Arts Invisible Disabilities/Autism/Poetry/Golden Shovels Poetic Form
9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock

Disability and Disability Arts Invisible Disabilities/Autism/Poetry/Golden Shovels Poetic Form

Lesson title: Disability and Disability Arts - Disability and Disability Arts Invisible Disabilities/ Autism/Poetry/ Golden Shovels Poetic Form

This is a three part lesson to introduce the student to disability and a disabled artist's work. Disability arts is an art form where the context of the art takes on disability as its theme. Disability art is about exploring the various realities of what it's like to be disabled. The theme of disability may be used in a variety of ways in how the artist chooses to represent the theme in their work. This lesson uses poetry created by Ian Fay.

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Disability and Disability Arts - Invisible Disabilities - “See Me; Invisibility” Paintings Lessons
9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock

Disability and Disability Arts - Invisible Disabilities - “See Me; Invisibility” Paintings Lessons

Disability and Disability Arts - Invisible Disabilities - “See Me; Invisibility” Paintings Lessons

This is a three part lesson to introduce the student to disability and a disabled artist's work. Disability arts is an art form where the context of the art takes on disability as its theme. Disability art is about exploring the various realities of what it's like to be disabled. The theme of disability may be used in a variety of ways in how the artist chooses to represent the theme in their work. This lesson uses 3 paintings created by Mali Fenning.

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Disability and Disability Arts Vision Loss - Disability Empowerment “Disability Looks Like You and Me”
6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade Sharon Pennock 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade Sharon Pennock

Disability and Disability Arts Vision Loss - Disability Empowerment “Disability Looks Like You and Me”

Disability and Disability Arts Vision Loss - Disability Empowerment “Disability Looks Like You and Me”

This is a three part lesson to introduce the student to disability and a disabled artist's work. Disability arts is an art form where the context of the art takes on disability as its theme. Disability art is about exploring the various realities of what it's like to be disabled. The theme of disability may be used in a variety of ways in how the artist chooses to represent the theme in their work. This lesson uses art created by Jade Ramos.

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Disability History through Primary Sources

Disability History through Primary Sources

As our friends from Engaging America state, “Primary sources … can provide entry points and deepen exploration into historical events. Primary sources add immediacy, such as the faces in a photograph, the emotional tone of a drawing or song, or the complex look of a handwritten document. Documents from multiple points of view can illuminate conflicting ideas and events. Varied media, including maps, oral histories, published reports, and graphs offer many options for connection and investigation”.

We share these collections or primary sources as tools to continue introducing disability into the conversation from natural perspectives, using disabled people to tell their own stories whenever possible.

Image Description: Article from Dallas Times Herald, Wednesday, January 14, 1986 in section “Community Close-Up” titled “Police on sidewalk wheelchair ramps changed”
Full image description can be found at: https://adaptmuseum.net/gallery/picture.php?/451/category/16

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Disability Justice Lesson Plan - Education Amplifier

Disability Justice Lesson Plan - Education Amplifier

In this lesson plan, you’ll find six modules that you can mix and match, that all teach about different aspects of disability rights and disability justice.

Image Description: Education Amplifier’s illustration of Lydia X.Z. Brown

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Don’t Call Me Special: Reading and Discussion
1st grade Sharon Pennock 1st grade Sharon Pennock

Don’t Call Me Special: Reading and Discussion

This is an introductory lesson on physical disability using the book “Don’t Call Me Special” by Pat Thomas. The educator will read aloud the book and ask questions about the text. Students will learn about making assumptions and what physical disability can look like, as well as how equipment can help students with disabilities access all parts of their life.

Image description: cover art for the book “Don’t Call Me Special”

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Easterseals Short Films Lesson Plan
9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade Sharon Pennock

Easterseals Short Films Lesson Plan

Students will review the social model of disability and then apply it to 4 short films created for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. “The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge gives filmmakers—with and without disabilities—the opportunity to collaborate to tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms (disabilityfilmchallenge.com).” Students will watch the 4 winning films, and then break into groups to focus on analyzing one film as a group.

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Equity is Essential: Working to Achieve Access for All Lesson
3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade Sharon Pennock 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade Sharon Pennock

Equity is Essential: Working to Achieve Access for All Lesson

Students will read Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw and consider what it means to have a disability, what inclusion means and how to create a more accessible world.

Image description: Cover for the book “Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability”

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‘Emmanuel’s Dream’ Lesson Plan
3rd grade Sharon Pennock 3rd grade Sharon Pennock

‘Emmanuel’s Dream’ Lesson Plan

Students will read ‘Emmanuel’s Dream’ by Laurie Ann Thompson, the true story of Emmanuel, a boy from Ghana who could only use one leg. Students will then complete a worksheet with a blank tshirt on it where they will write a word or phrase about how they are different but they are proud of that difference.

Image description: Cover image for “Emmanuel’s Dream”

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FDR Hiding his Disability Lesson

FDR Hiding his Disability Lesson

Students will engage in discussion about the Stigma associated with disability. They will then learn about FDR and how illness made him lose the ability to fully walk. They will then learn about how FDR, the people around him, and the press worked to keep his disability as secret as possible. This will lead to a discussion about the impact of his decision to hide his disability, and how taking a prideful approach to his disability could have changed how people perceived him and others with disabilities.

Image description: photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Hispanic Heritage: Frida Kahlo (Intersectionality of Ableism, Creativity and Feminism) Lesson
6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade Sharon Pennock 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade Sharon Pennock

Hispanic Heritage: Frida Kahlo (Intersectionality of Ableism, Creativity and Feminism) Lesson

Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954) was a Mexican artist who was influenced by the Mexican Revolution. She experienced a disability at two times in her life.  Her determinism helped her cope with the pain of overcoming polio, a difficult marriage and bus-trolley accident.  Frida Kahlo’s curiosity and love for nature were often the subjects of her paintings.  Known as the “mother of the selfie,” Frida also created more than 200 paintings of herself. This unit of lessons is to recognize the creativity and imagination of Frida Kahlo.

Image description: Photograph of Frida Kahlo against a green floral background

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How to be a Kind Helper Lesson
Kindergarten, 1st grade Sharon Pennock Kindergarten, 1st grade Sharon Pennock

How to be a Kind Helper Lesson

This lesson teaches students the qualities of being a Kind helper and how to put them into practice. Students will listen to a person with a disability and their personal assistant about what it means to be a Kind helper. After the talk, students will have a chance to ask questions about helping. Students will learn that open communication is key to a Kind helper relationship. Students will learn that a person with a disability can live full productive lives with the help of their personal attendant.

Image description: 9 raised hands with the words “How to be a Kind Helper”

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Identifying Main Ideas and Central Idea with“College students with disabilities are too often excluded” by CommonLit
11th grade Sharon Pennock 11th grade Sharon Pennock

Identifying Main Ideas and Central Idea with“College students with disabilities are too often excluded” by CommonLit

In this text, students learn about the experiences of people with disabilities in college and the actions that can be taken to create more inclusive campuses. Students practice finding the main ideas of each paragraph or section and then the article’s overall central idea.

Image Description: Logo of CommonLit which looks like an open book

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