Phonics+ Beta is a flexible new template based on experts' best practice principles for teaching reading to kids with ASD. It allows you to create primary activities that break words down into discrete letter and sound pairings (individually or in combination). “Plus” you can add secondary activities like popups or quizzes to reinforce word comprehension (a concept most of our kids struggle with). You can also choose not to use sound and make engaging spelling lessons and tests.

Phonics+ with Sound

When you create Phonics+ adding your recorded voice, it helps kids learn to associate sounds with letters, and to form words with those sounds and letters. You can sound out single letters, or group letters together to emphasize a specific sound (e.g. the initial letter sound, or the vowel sound, or the final sound, or syllables—you can emphasize it however you wish).

You can also add popups to reinforce the meaning of the word, or use the word in a sentence to ensure greater comprehension. And you can add a quiz to check that the student understands. You can layer phonics, popups and quizzes in whatever way works best for the child you are working with.

Check out these examples:

• Initial ABC's Phonics (A-M) (Phonics+), VizZle ID Number: 147734
  13 primary activities of CVC words stressing the initial sound only, for the first part of the alphabet (A to M), with custom celebration, 13 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Word Family "at" (Phonics+), VizZle ID Number: 136080
  7 primary phonics activities for words ending in /at/ plus secondary image w/ audio TO text comprehension quizzes for each, 14 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Word Family "an" (Phonics+), VizZle ID Number: 136082
  5 primary phonics activities for CVC words ending in /an/, each with 2 secondary activities (one Image w/ audio TO text, one text TO image), 15 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Diphthong "ou" (Phonics+), VizZle ID Number: 136084
  5 primary phonics activities for the /ou/ diphthong, 5 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Short Vowel Sounds (Phonics+), VizZle ID Number: 136087
  5 primary phonics activities for short vowel sounds, each with secondary quiz (letter w/ audio TO image and audio), 10 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)

Spelling with Phonics+

The Phonics+ template is also great for teaching, reinforcing and testing spelling or vocabulary words. You can use any list, from basic CVC words to SAT vocabulary, and set the lessons up to emphasize meaning, spelling or both.

Excellent Examples:

• Spelling 6.1.1 (Phonics+), VizZle ID Number: 147822
  10 secondary activities, popup text w/ audio sentence using the spelling word, and 10 primary spelling activities for sixth grade spelling words (content comparable to 6th grade unit 1, Home Spelling Words)
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Job Words Spelling (Phonics+), VizZle ID Number: 136090
  15 primary spelling activities, for words comparable to Edmark Job Words, 15 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)

Earth Day Ideas and Lessons for All Ages – VTips for Autism

Earth Day (April 22) is a great reason to focus on themes like recycling and conservation that benefit everyone year-round. Here are some excellent examples of lessons shared by educators designed engage students in the learning.

Younger Kids

The best lessons present the information in simple, easy to understand language, with lots of visual support. Including fun songs or videos can both reinforce the learning and heighten the engagement. Good examples are:

• The Three R's of Recycling (Book), VizZle ID Number: 11982
  Images and text w/audio about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, with a video on the last page, 16 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Recycle (Sorting), VizZle ID Number: 137372
  Image and text w/ audio sort directions and image sorts, paper OR glass, metal OR plastic, 2 sorts, custom celebration
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)

Rather than a general theme, you could have fun with a very specific theme, like “Be nice to earthworms!” or you could do a hands-on experiment, like the DIY Greenhouse.

• Earthworms (Book), VizZle ID Number: 35665
  Images and text about earthworms and their importance in the ecosystem, with popup quizzes to check comprehension, with a fun video about a boy whose goal is to find a way to recycle using worms, and an ending video of Wiggly Worm doing the compost rap, 7 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Do It Yourself Greenhouse (Book), VizZle ID Number: 122752:
  Image and text w/ audio outlining the steps to making a greenhouse in a ziplock bag (e.g., “We will place the cotton balls into the ziplock bag.”), includes several popup text questions (e.g., "What is in a greenhouse?") TO image and text label (e.g., "plants"), 16 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)

'Tweens

A good way to make it meaningful to kids that are a bit older is to make it personal. Write the lesson from their point of view, or ask how the theme relates to them and their lives. And no matter what their age, screen-based interactivity makes it more interesting to kids with ASD.

• The Environment and Me (Book), VizZle ID Number: 15069
  Images and text w/audio about the importance of recycling, 8 pages
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Generalize: Recyclable Glass (Matching), VizZle ID Number: 33011
  Image of glass recycling sign and text directive (i.e., "Find recyclable glass.") TO image, field of 3 choices with set distractors, 25 pairs, with custom celebration
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Generalize: Recyclable Paper (Matching), VizZle ID Number: 32990
  Image of paper recycling sign and text directive (i.e., "Find reclyclable paper.") TO image, field of 3 choices with set distractors, 25 pairs, with custom video celebration
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)

Older Kids

Keeping it age-appropriate is important, no matter what the cognition level. Older kids won’t relate as well to younger kids in a video or singing a song, even if they still need well supported and less complex language. Interactivity can help to engage older kids with higher cognition too:

• Earth Day: Recycle (Book), VizZle ID Number: 137315
  Images and text w/ audio about learning the recycling rules where you live, geared to teens and young adults, with video (no sound) about recycling, 15 pages, custom celebration
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Recyclables (Sorting), VizZle ID Number: 137233
  Images and text w/ audio categories and image sorts for recycling and composting, including glass, metal, paper, plastic, mixed, non recyclables, compost and not for compost, 4 sorts
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)
• Earth Day (Matching), VizZle ID Number: 12283
  Text w/audio of fill in the blank questions about Earth Day (e.g. “The United Nations celebrates Earth Day on the first day of___.”) TO text w/ audio, field of 3 choices with set distractors, 5 pairs
  (No access to VizZle? Click here for a browser version—remember to maximize your browser and click play at the bottom.)