Literacy Related to Routines
Routines can provide the content to begin to create experience stories, boxes, or bags. This supports literacy. For example, you can have a routine for breakfast time that might include mom making cereal for your breakfast. First she might gather all the ingredients and put them in a sequence box in the order you will put them together:
- pour the cereal
- add the yogurt
- pour the milk into the bowl
- eat with a spoon
- put the dirty dishes in the finished bin
We could make an experience story about gathering ingredients, pouring cereal, then yogurt, then milk, eating, and finishing breakfast. Initially we might use an empty box of cereal or the pouch in side the box to represent cereal, a yogurt container or perhaps the lid to represent the yogurt, a milk carton for the milk, and a spoon to represent eating. These might be inside a box or glued to pages in a binder. They could also be in a sequence box. We explore the objects with the student, perhaps acting out pouring and eating the cereal and tell the story about having cereal for our breakfast.
Some children who have vision can use photos or drawn pictures when creating an experience book. Others may use tactile symbols.
Instruction Strategies Menu
- Assessment
- Communication Overview
- Calendars
- Time Concepts
- Sequencing
- Using Calendars to Expand Concepts
- Calendars Support Social Interaction
- Anticipation
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Timelines
- Choice-making
- Concept Development & Experiential Learning
- Interaction and Bonding
- Factors to Consider
- Avoid Pitfalls
- Hand Under Hand
- Building Security
- Imitative Play Strategies
- Turn-taking Play Strategies
- Be a Good Playmate
- Use Interaction to Teach
- Additional Resources
- Routines
- Experiencing Routines
- Turn-taking Games
- Level 1 Routines (Sharing the Work)
- Level 2 Routines (Participation with Support)
- Level 3 Routines (Independent)
Use Experience Books to Recall or Preview an Event
Experience books can be thought of as another way to expand on an activity or event. Usually we think of them being used to talk about past events, but it’s a great idea to use them to preview activities as well. To use the Experience book as a preview tool, add it to the daily calendar box. Before beginning the activity spend time looking at the book and talking about it.
Examples of Experience Books
Webinar on Experience Stories
In this webinar from February 2021 Outreach Consultants, Deanna Peterson and Kathy Garza, talk about using experience stories. When we create experience stories with children, we build literacy skills while supporting the development of deeper connections with others and an interest in reading. Experience stories empower children and teach them to find joy in reminisicing. This session focuses on various ways to create and use experience stories in a variety of formats. Examples of students enjoying experience stories are included.