Disabilities in the Classroom

Young students are often curious about things that seem different to them.  It is very important to talk with children at a young age about the things that make people unique.  One of these topics is people with disabilities. 

There are many books about children with disabilities.  Knots on a Counting Rope, by Bill Martin Jr., is one of my favorite books because there are so many layers to the story.  At the beginning of the book, a little boy is asking his grandfather to tell the story of the night the boy was born.  We learn it was a stormy night and the little boy was sick.  His grandfather names him Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses after the young baby heals once he touches a blue horse.  As the tale progresses, we learn about several Native American traditions, and that the boy is blind.  He asks his grandfather what the color blue is, and the two of them, together, give blue a sensory definition.  While telling the boy his story, the grandfather recounts the time Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses successfully trained a horse, showing readers that his blindness does not hinder his ability to experience life.  Though blind, he is accepted by his family and community members.  The book allows readers to experience the world through the boy’s senses and to experience his joy as his community supports him wholeheartedly.

When teaching a lesson with this book, I would begin with step one of Kiefer and Tyson’s Ten-Point Model for Teaching Controversial Issues (p. 22).  I would ask my second graders what they know about disabilities.  Do they know what it means to have a disability?  Do they know anyone with a disability?  From there, we would create a list of things we want to learn.  As I read Knots on a Counting Rope aloud, students would answer, or begin thinking about, the questions we asked.  This would encourage further conversation about the topic, encouraging more questions to be asked and answered. 

This story lends itself to a writing assignment, having students write their own stories about what their name means or about their family traditions.  Once students have thought about what makes me unique, the class would share with other peers.  This exercise would show students that people with disabilities have something unique about them, just like each person in the classroom has something unique to share.  Completing the exercise as a class would help unite the students and encourage them to celebrate one another’s differences.

The two CCSS I would focus on during this lesson are:

1.     CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3

Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

2.     CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3

Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

References

Kiefer, Barbara Z., and Cynthia A. Tyson. Children's Literature: A Brief Guide. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014. Print.

Martin, Bill, Jr. "Knots on a Counting Rope." Storyline Online. Square Fish, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 July 2016.

"Preparing America's Students for Success." Home | Common Core State Standards Initiative. Department of Education, 2016. Web. 11 July 2016.