Lesson Plans Added

Sharon Pennock
Tue, 01 Apr 2025 23:27:07 +0000

We’ve been adding lessons regularly and are pleased to announce them now:

Critical Media Analysis: Characters Who Are Autistic Children - 5th - 8th grade

In this lesson, students will look at four different characterizations of autistic children in contemporary media. They will watch excerpts or videos featuring the characters, read about the characters, and study how they were created. They will then fill out an evaluation chart to analyze the different depictions. They will have a group discussion as a class and write a reflective response.

Drawing your City - the Art of Stephen Wiltshire - 4th - 8th grade

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.

Happy Paintings - The Art of Maud Lewis- 4th - 8th grade

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.

Simple Things Count: How Can I Help? - 6th grade

This two-session lesson engages students in exploring ways to be more inclusive of people with disabilities. Through a series of short, accessible disability voice videos, students will recognize diversity within the disability community and learn practical steps to foster inclusion. Using discussion, reflection, and interactive activities, students will examine their own discomfort, identify attitudinal barriers, and explore how small actions can create more accessible and welcoming environments.

Tell YOUR Story - 4th grade

This lesson will teach students how to give an oral presentation of a memory in their lives.

We have also updated our Disability History Timeline.

Now there are printable “tiles” in 2 sizes so that you can hang them in your classroom or hallway, or print them out for students to use at their desks.

Disability History Timeline Lesson - 9th - 12th grade

These are lessons our team of disabled educators have vetted by external organizations we have recently added to our database, making it easier for you to find:

The Day the World Heard: Kent State and Deaf President Now - 7th - 12th grade

Students will be introduced to two important events in US history – the Kent State Massacre and Deaf President Now protest. They will be exposed to the events that occurred on the two college campuses and their outcomes. They will read the First Amendment and be presented with information to assist them in drawing conclusions about whether these were peaceful protests. They will obtain information to assist them in comparing and contrasting the two events. As the culminating activity, students will create a storyboard about May 4, 1970 at Kent State

Deaf President Now Unit - 7th - 12th grade

This unit focuses on the historical event that caused a ripple in the Deaf community, Deaf President Now. The unit includes three lessons, three projects, and a lot of fun!

"Everyone Spoke Sign Language - The Chilmark Deaf Community - 4th - 6th grade

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.

New York Times: ‘26.2 Miles Is Easy. Getting Around New York City Is Not.’ - 8th - 12th grade

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.

New York Times: Learning With: ‘Adaptive Video Game Controllers Open Worlds for Gamers With Disabilities’ - 6th - 12th grade

This lesson explores how adaptive video game controllers are transforming gaming for players with disabilities. Students will first reflect on their own gaming experiences before analyzing a commercial and reading an article about accessibility in gaming. Through discussion questions, they will examine the challenges faced by disabled gamers, how technology has evolved to be more inclusive, and the broader impact of adaptive controllers. The lesson encourages critical thinking about accessibility in technology and invites students to consider how they would design more inclusive gaming experiences.

PBS Learning Media - Renegades - 9th - 12th grade

Renegades is a documentary series from American Masters that showcases the lives and cultural contributions of little-known historical figures with disabilities. These lessons were designed to be used with the videos. They can be used individually or as a unit.

We Will Ride Lesson by Pop Culture Classroom - 3rd - 12th grade

In this lesson students will read a 2-page graphic novel format story about the Gang of 19 and “We Will Ride” action, and how they fought for equal rights for the disabled.