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Language Arts Philosophy
The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI)
wrote two curriculum guides during the summer of 2007. The first guide includes
a curriculum for language arts for students who are blind and visually impaired
from grades Kindergarten through Grade 10. Grades 11 and 12 will be completed
during the 2007-2008 school year. ISVI's curriculum is aligned to the Illinois
State Learning and Emotional Standards. A copy of the over-all philosophy of the
language arts curriculum is listed below. To receive a copy of the complete
curriculum, please send an e-mail to the
Education Department.
Kindergarten - Middle School
Philosophy
ISVI's language arts program strives to
provide instruction so that all students have what they need to learn and grow
as lifelong readers and writers. The comprehensive reading /language arts
program offers tools and strategies to give students success at their personal
level in the medium appropriate to their individual needs, whether through
print, Braille, auditory presentations or a combination of these media.
• The standard curriculum at ISVI includes the essential knowledge and skills
required by the state of Illinois for all students, similar course work found in
public school courses for students who are not disabled. High quality
literature, coupled with explicit instruction and ample practice, insures that
students acquire needed skills. Listening, comprehending and communicating
effectively in life are an integral part of this process.
• The modified curriculum is designed for students who are a minimum of two
grade levels below their chronological level. The knowledge and skills taught
are those determined essential for career education, employability and adult
living in the community.
• The developmental curriculum is intended for students who have visual
impairments combined with other disabilities, such as hearing impairments,
sensory impairments and significant developmental delays. It is designed for
students who learn best in highly structured routines and who may have
difficulty generalizing what they learn to new situations. Social/emotional
development and communication skills are a significant component of this
program. Skills are taught within the context of daily routines with community
based instruction.
Language Arts includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the study of
literature. Reading is essential; it is the process by which people gain
information and ideas from books, newspapers, manuals, letters, contracts,
advertisements and a host of other material. Reading media includes a wide range
of materials for the student who is visually impaired: print, large print,
braille, auditory presentations, tactile symbols, and communication systems.
Literature transmits ideas, reflects societies and eras and expresses the human
imagination. By exploring the techniques authors use to convey messages,
students connect literature to their own lives and daily experiences. Enjoying
literature provides a student with a visual impairment a lifetime of enrichment.
The ability to write clearly is essential to any person’s effective
communication. Clear writing is critical to employment and production in today’s
world. Students with a visual impairment must be able to produce documents that
show planning, organization and effectively convey their intended message.
Students should be able to use word processors and computers to enhance their
writing and improve their career opportunities. Students who are visually
impaired must be up to date on the most current technologies that guarantee
access to their world.
Of all the language arts, listening and speaking are those most often used on a
daily basis at home, school and work in the community. Students with a visual
impairment must be able to listen carefully, and use specific techniques to
clarify what they have heard. Students then must have the skill in communicating
and making their messages understood. Speaking properly, grammar, sentence
structure, tone, expression and emphasis must be part of the students’
repertoires. To be successful in school and in the world of work, students must
be able to use a wide variety of information resources (written, visual and
electronic). Accessing those resources, either conventional resources or the all
encompassing information found on the internet, demands that students who are
visually impaired have the technological skills needed to access these
resources. Assistive and adapted technology gives them that recourse.
ISVI believes that every student learns in an individual way and at an
individual rate; therefore, each language arts curriculum is further
differentiated and adapted through the IEP process to meet those individual
needs. Curriculum is aligned with the Illinois State Learning Standards and
Social Emotional Standards, and includes a documented, diagnostic process that
works within the assessment framework of No Child Left Behind.
Ninth - Twelfth Grade Philosophy
The high school language arts curriculum
for the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI) seeks to provide all
students with the communication skills needed to function as independently as
possible commensurate with their abilities. Students complete studies that
provide opportunities to develop the skills necessary to become lifelong readers
and effective communicators in both oral and written language. The sequentially
developed program offers tools and strategies to enhance the success of students
at their personal level by using a medium or media appropriate to their
individual needs: auditory, Braille, tactile, large print, regular print, or a
combination of these; by incorporating assistive technology as an integral part
of the learning environment; and by reinforcing essential workplace skills.
• The standard curriculum at ISVI includes the essential knowledge and skills
required by the Illinois State Board of Education for all students, similar to
the course work offered in public schools for students who are not disabled. The
adapted curriculum is based on both explicit and implicit instruction which is
integrated into a variety of units, providing students ample opportunities to
acquire needed skills that allow for continuing personal development beyond high
school. The assets of effectively reading, listening, comprehending, and
communicating are essential in life; and as vital components of the educational
experience are developed in the literature, writing, speech, grammar, and
vocabulary units.
• The modified curriculum at ISVI is designed for students who are a minimum of
two grade levels below their chronological level, is designed to include the
essential knowledge and skills required by the Illinois State Board of Education
for all students, and provides educational opportunities similar to those
offered in course work provided in public schools for students who are not
disabled. The knowledge and skills taught in this adapted curriculum are
supportive of career education and employability skills to enhance adult living
within the community. The assets of effectively reading, listening,
comprehending, and communicating are essential in life; and as vital components
of the educational experience are developed in the literature, writing, speech,
grammar, and vocabulary units.
The high school language arts curriculum for the ISVI is based on a progression
of developmental objectives; therefore, placement of students entering the
program is based on their individualized skills and performance rather than
their chronological age or grade placement. This placement also includes
possible enrollment for course work at Jacksonville High School. The curriculum
is aligned with the Illinois State Learning Standards in the areas of English
language arts and social emotional learning. It reflects the mission statement
of the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, incorporates the seventeen
essential workplace skills, and includes a documented diagnostic process that
works within the assessment framework of No Child Left Behind.
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