5th Grade
In this lesson students will learn new vocabulary words and explore important civil rights themes by reading the book “All the Way to the Top” by Annette Bay Pimentel. “All the Way to the Top” tells the childhood story of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, who climbed all the way to the top of the stairs of the US capitol in 1990 to encourage congress to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Jennifer has cerebral palsy and became famous for the photos taken of her while climbing the stairs without a wheelchair at just 8 years old. The book tells the story from her perspective and covers how she felt she was not treated equally in her community and how she and other activist worked to get the ADA passed.
Image description: Cover artwork for “All the Way to the Top”
In this lesson, students will consider what accommodations they can make in order to be more inclusive of their peers with disabilities.
Image description: Photo of cake, birthday hats and Happy Birthday banner
In this lesson, students will be invited to research a famous Black Disabled person, either from history or modern day. Students will work in groups or individually to research their assigned person and create a final project in a creative format. Students will then present their findings to the class.
Image description: Photos of 6 famous Black Disabled people: Harriet Tubman, Tom Wiggans, Fannie Lou Hamer, Maya Angelou, Wilma Rudolph, and Harry Belafonte
On the YouTube page linked you will find a playlist with dozens of read a loud videos of books that we believe will add opportunities to incorporate disability representation in natural, positive ways to your class.
Image description: colorful books on a dark bookcase
In this lesson, students complete grade-appropriate math problems using facts and figures from Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. Students will examine mathematical problems evolving out of the day-to-day challenges of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. Students will apply multiplication and division skills to real-life math problems. Students will apply conversion skills to real-life math problems.
Image Description: Logo of Rick Hansen Foundation.
A calendar of events that recognizes various days (and months) is an easy way to bring the conversation about disability into your classrooms and schools. Including discussion of disabled people throughout the year sends a message to all that disabled students are recognized and valued as a part of the education community.
Image description: calendar page tilted at an angle, reading glasses rest on the bottom corner of the calendar
Including coloring pages and artwork in lessons (some of these allow you to use as clip art) that includes disability representation furthers the goal of regularizing disability by seeing it and offering opportunities to learn and ask questions.
Image Description: small images of the coloring books on a yellow background
This lesson revolves around the book Dad and Me in the Morning by Patricia Lakin. The book tells the short story of a boy and his dad getting up early to see the sunrise. The book is unique because the boy in the story is deaf and the book shows the different ways he and his dad communicate. It is a great example of how the disabled perspective can be brought to a story that most children can relate with. In this lesson the teacher will read the book page by page and stop on each page to have students figure out all the different ways the boy and his Dad are communicating. The students will compete to see who can find the most ways.
Image description: Cover art from “Dad and Me in the Morning” book
As our friends from Engaging America state, “Primary sources … can provide entry points and deepen exploration into historical events. Primary sources add immediacy, such as the faces in a photograph, the emotional tone of a drawing or song, or the complex look of a handwritten document. Documents from multiple points of view can illuminate conflicting ideas and events. Varied media, including maps, oral histories, published reports, and graphs offer many options for connection and investigation”.
We share these collections or primary sources as tools to continue introducing disability into the conversation from natural perspectives, using disabled people to tell their own stories whenever possible.
Image Description: Article from Dallas Times Herald, Wednesday, January 14, 1986 in section “Community Close-Up” titled “Police on sidewalk wheelchair ramps changed”
Full image description can be found at: https://adaptmuseum.net/gallery/picture.php?/451/category/16
Students will read Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw and consider what it means to have a disability, what inclusion means and how to create a more accessible world.
Image description: Cover for the book “Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability”
The students will learn how to use a reading journal to aid their exploration of a biography “The Spy with the Wooden Leg: The Story of Virginia Hall” which will be read as a class and individually. This reading will be slow in order to help support students’ discovering how to read, process, and reflect upon biography in the form of a chapter book and use this information to enrich their study of History. Many aspects of this lesson are flexible and can be adapted to the needs of your students.
Some themes of war may be difficult for some students, it is recommended that no new difficult content be introduced on a Friday or before a long break so that the class can have the support they need as they learn about these difficult themes.
Image Description: cover of the book “The Spy with the Wooden Leg: The Story of Virginia Hall By Nancy Polette”
Out of My Mind is narrated by a girl with cerebral palsy who's very intelligent but unable to express herself by speaking or physically. When Melody is integrated into some general classes at school, many kids are purposely mean; others, including teachers, are cruel through their assumptions that Melody is incapable of understanding them. With the help of her parents and some supportive friends and teachers, Melody acquires a machine that allows her to communicate better than she ever has before (Common Sense Media). At last Melody has a voice… but not everyone around her is ready to hear it (Draper, 2010). This book discussion guide can also be adapted into a full assignment if that is more applicable for your student group.
Image description: Cover from the book “Out of My Mind”
Portrait of the Whole Person is a curriculum for elementary school students designed to teach students how disability rights fit into the broader civil rights movement, to perceive disability as a reflection of societal views of differences, and to treat people with disabilities with respect and dignity. It contains four distinct lesson plans comprised of three in-class instruction lesson plans and one lesson plan governing the research and writing of a biographical sketch and creation of a portrait of a notable person with a disability. It is also complete with a graphic organizer, rubrics, a power point, and a list of references students can use for research.
Image Description: Disability Rights Washington logo with “Portrait of a Whole Person Curriculum Overview” written below and drawings of 3 different people in colored pencil.
Posters with disability representation. Most are free to download, though some can be purchased as well.
Image description: Corkboard wall with many signs of assorted size and colors.
In this 3 part lesson, students will learn how to recognize idioms and explain the difference between literal and figurative language
Students will determine what assumptions are made in certain situations and text using literal and figurative language.
Image description: Graphic showing a cat pulling on a child’s tongue with the text “Cat got your tongue? English Idioms”
Students will read/watch the story of The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss. Students will think about prejudice and bullying. Students will learn that differences are not a bad thing and that no one should have to change to please others.
Image description: Cover art from the book “The Sneetches”
This links to our Social Model of Disability resources page which contains videos and examples of how to introduce and teach the Social Model of Disability.
Image description: Illustration of a person seated in a wheelchair at the bottom of a set of stairs. There is a sign at the bottom of the stairs pointing to the stairs that says “WAY IN Everyone Welcome!”
Students or teachers read Thukpa for All by Praba Ram and Sheela Preuitt and consider how the story relates to the social model of disability.
Image Description: Cover of Thukpa for All is light yellow/orange divided in 7 panels. 3 on left and 3 on right have characters from the book. The top center panel has the title of the book and a bowl of noodle soup with steam rising from it. The bottom center panel has the names of the authors and illustrator.
By experimenting with stenciling, one technique Eref Aramagan uses to create his Art, the student will become aware of a way by which visual art can be created by use of touch.
Image Description: Painting of brightly colored butterflies made using stencils by Eref Aramagan
Using the book "We Want to Go to School," students will learn about the segregation of students with disabilities in the school setting. They will learn about the barriers that prevented students from attending school and the progression and processes to challenge and remove those barriers.
Image Description: Cover of We Want to Go to School! The Fight for Disability Rights by Maryann Cocoa-Leffler & Janine Leffler. The cover artwork shows five children behind a table that has papers and a gavel on it.
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.
Image Description: Graphic Novel cover showing protesters in purple black and off white on a green background with the title “Colorful History Comics #31 We Will Ride” underneath the comic.
Students or teachers read or watch “Winnie the Witch” by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul and consider how the story relates to the social model of disability. Students can apply what they learned about the social model, make connections, and identify events in the story where it was used.
Image Description: cover of the book "Winnie the Witch" which showed Winnie the Witch tripping over a black cat on the stairs.
This lesson is a unit of 9 classes. “El Deafo” is a graphic novel about a young girl, Cece, who becomes deaf in elementary school. The book highlights how she adjusts to her new life as she navigates her new hearing aids, communication, teachers and friendships. In each class students will read the parts of each character like they are reading for a play rehearsal. Encourage students to really embody their characters, gesturing, facial expressions and standing up (if possible). This lesson encourages students to feel empathy because each discussion highlights the feelings of characters. Each class is split up into a discussion and a reading.
Image description: Cover art for the book “El Deafo”