Calculating the Distance Lesson by Rick Hansen Foundation
In this lesson, students complete grade-appropriate math problems using facts and figures from Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. Students will examine mathematical problems evolving out of the day-to-day challenges of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. Students will apply multiplication and division skills to real-life math problems. Students will apply conversion skills to real-life math problems.
Image Description: Logo of Rick Hansen Foundation.
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
Drawing your City - the Art of Stephen Wiltshire
In this lesson, students will be exposed to the artwork of Stephen Wiltshire. Wiltshire is from Britain and known for his large-scale detailed drawings of cityscapes. After learning about Wiltshire, who is autistic, students will have the opportunity to draw their own cityscape, inspired by Wiltshire’s art. For an extra geographic element, they can write facts about their city and create a bulletin board display. They will also consider how Wiltshire is often most widely described as a savant/genius, and how these words can create challenging stereotypes, both for the autistic community and for artists. For both, these words set up unrealistic expectations about who autistic people are/can be, and what art is/can be/how much training and practice is required to be an artist.
Image Description: Photo from behind a person wearing a dark jacket and a cap with headphones that is drawing on a large, detailed cityscape illustration. The drawing appears to be a bird's-eye view of a city with numerous buildings and streets.
Everyone Spoke Sign Language - The Chilmark Deaf Community
In this lesson, students consider how people communicate when they do not speak a common language. The Chilmark Deaf Community serves as a case study to engage with the wide variety of languages spoken on the Island (presently and in the past). From 1694 to 1952, Martha’s Vineyard - and specifically the towns of Chilmark and West Tisbury - had an unusually large population of people with hereditary deafness. As a result, the residents of the Island developed a local dialect of sign language, used by hearing and deaf people alike, allowing the Deaf community full and unbiased integration into Island society at large. Scientists and researchers studying the causes of deafness took great interest in Martha’s Vineyard because of deafness’ prevalence there.
Image Description: A mural with 4 simplistic cartoon-style characters drawn in black on a light tan background using sign language, movements are shown with arrows. There is foliage at the bottom and a brick wall at the top of the photograph.
Happy Paintings - The Art of Maud Lewis
In this lesson, students will learn about the art of Maud Lewis, a prolific Canadian folk artist who lived in rural Nova Scotia (Eastern Canada, near the Atlantic Ocean), and worked in the mid-20th century. She is now believed to have been born with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but it was not diagnosed or treated in her lifetime. Students will learn about her artwork, rooted deeply in the place where she lived, and have the opportunity to keep a sketchbook for a week, and create a painting in Maud Lewis’ style that reflects their own local world. Students will also consider the complex intersections between disability, poverty and the arts that are embedded in Maud’s life story.
Image Description: a painted clam shell that features a red birdhouse in the center, surrounded by colorful flowers and two blue birds on either side. The shell is mounted on a wooden background. The artist's name, "Maud Lewis," is visible on the shell.
The New York Times - ‘26.2 Miles Is Easy. Getting Around New York City Is Not.’ - Lesson Plan
In this lesson, students will learn why it’s easier for one athlete to win a marathon in New York than to navigate the city in a wheelchair. Then, students will evaluate the accessibility of public spaces where they live.
Image Description: "The Learning Network Teaching & Learning with the New York Times" Below the text is an illustration of a green chalkboard with a lightning bolt.
One Out of Five - Disability History in Washington State
The purpose of this lesson is to increase awareness of local and state disability history, including discrimination, advocacy, and grassroots movement. This is the fourth in a series of 5 lessons by Washington State’s One Out of Five Disability History and Pride Project.
Image Description: Groups of students sit and stand, talking in clusters. The profiles of the students of different ages, races, and abilities is on a colorful background of yellow, orange, and green. The dominant image is the silhouette of a male student in dark blue reading a book. The title is: One Out of Five: Disability History and Pride Project. “One” and “five” are spelled out in American Sign Language. At the bottom, Braille reads: “pride” and “history.”]
Thukpa for All - Reading Guide and Lesson Plan that Addresses the Social Model of Disability
Students or teachers read Thukpa for All by Praba Ram and Sheela Preuitt and consider how the story relates to the social model of disability.
Image Description: Cover of Thukpa for All is light yellow/orange divided in 7 panels. 3 on left and 3 on right have characters from the book. The top center panel has the title of the book and a bowl of noodle soup with steam rising from it. The bottom center panel has the names of the authors and illustrator.