Third Grade Science
Energy and Matter

California State Standard: Students know that all things that move convert stored energy to motion and heat.
Goal(s): Students will know that all things that move use energy.
They will know that all living things move.
They know that machines move.

Population: This lesson contains adaptations for students with mental retardation, aphasia, autism, and visual impairments.
Adaptations: Use of tactile materials, repetition, augmented communication devices, Sign, braille, reinforcers.

Materials: Machine or toy for each student or two students that moves, vibrates,or makes noise and uses batteries.
Reinforcers: Mand Ms, jelly beans, goldfish, etc.
Poster board for word wall
Sharpie or marker

Procedure: Each child is given a machine and shown how to turn it on. Students play with machines for five to ten minutes. Teacher takes each machine, turns it off, and has the student help him/her remove battery (ies). The children look at, touch, and otherwise examine the batteries. They then put them aside and attempt to turn on the machines.
Question: do the machines work?
Answer: no
Question: why?
Answer: we took out the batteries. No batteries.
A few reinforcers are given to children who respond, correctly or incorrectly. Children are encouraged to discuss. Children who do not participate may be encouraged by use of direct address.
Johnny, does your machine work? The teacher has the discretion to accept non verbal answers or Sign or preprogrammed augmentative communication devices. Children who refuse to respond are not given reinforcers, but are given many chances to respond.

Teacher: That's right. The machines needs batteries to work. Why do you think that is? ( The children may have no idea. If there is no response, move on.) Discuss responses including incorrrect ones. The batteries store energy. Everything that moves needs energy. That is a word for our word wall. Write energy on word wall. Do you think machine belongs on our wall, too? Write machine on the word wall. That is why our machines do not work without the batteries. The energy they need to move and make noise is in the batteries. Let's put the batteries back in. Help children replace batteries and turn machines on. You may play with the machines for a few minutes. (Children play with machine for five to ten minutes.)

Assessment: Turn off machines and ask class. What have you been playing with. Answer: machines
Question: What do the machines do?
Answer: Move, make noise
Question: What makes machines move ?
Answer: Energy or batteries.
Question: What do batteries store?
Answer: Energy

Teacher:Good, next time we will talk about where we get energy and how we store it.
You may now experiment with your machines for ten minutes. Here are a few more M&Ms. (or other reinforcer)

Introduction

California law states that all children must be given access to the academic general education curriculum. I have worked for fourteen years in a school for children with serious visual impairments combined with other severe disabilities. Most of our children are blind; some have vision, but cannot work successfully in a general education classroom due to problems with vision. The great majority of our children have mental retardation, and many also have such disabilities as cerebral palsy, autism, aphasia, and conditions so rare the child in question may be the only child in the country with his/ her syndrome. All of these children must have access to the general California education academic curriculum. However, the standard methods for imparting academic knowledge are, at best ,irrelevant to our children. For instance posting standards on the wall for children who cannot read is a waste of time and resources. Every lesson must be adapted to fit the individual needs of our children.
Concurrent with grade level math, reading, social studies, and science, students must be given Daily Living skills and social skill training, as well as access to alternative modes of communication and literacy. In these posts, I intend to adapt lessons at all elementary school grade levels across the curriculum and across grade levels for the benefit of teachers. These lessons may be used as they are or adapted to the needs of students and teachers. They may also be used as starting points for thinking about giving students with disabilities access to the general education curriculum and integrating skills such as communication, daily living skills, and social interaction into daily instruction.
I rely extensively on food , tactile and verbal reinforcers which may be faded and replaced by a token economy. I will discuss token economies in a later post. Children with severe autism and other serious disabilities need very good reasons to participate in lessons. It can be difficult to arouse intrinsic interest in fairly difficult academic material. Reinforcement should be very pleasurable and immediate at first. The reinforcer might be the only reason students participate in lessons. I also keep sessions very short with lots of repetition in order to reinforce material and maintain attention. Reinforcement can be faded and postponed as students become more accustomed to participating. Verbal interaction with the teacher and each other is of the highest importance since children are often developing effective communication skills.
I use word walls which I put into braille and large print for the subject notebooks so that the children can review material, important vocabulary and concepts, as well as practicing literacy skills. I often conclude a unit with a story dictated and illustrated by the students. I also transcribe these stories into braille and large print and send the “books” home for the children to share with parents and family. Again I am integrating literacy and concepts as well as including parents in the children's academic lives. All braille text is also included in text for parents so that the children can share with the parents. I have included these essays in the school newsletter, but the class can also put out a monthly s and interests. newsletter with stories about class activitie