Joanne R. Pompano
This curriculum unit was developed to assist students who are blind or visually impaired in their efforts to improve oral and listening skills. It will attempt to help them understand the importance of words and how words are used to convey information and to influence society. Students will learn to appreciate stories, understand how the stories are constructed, and understand the role storytelling and storytellers played in African and African American culture.The curriculum unit will provide students with opportunities to learn about oral traditions by studying storytelling in West African countries whose cultures are primarily oral. They also will study the role oral traditions played in aiding African Americans during their long history of enslavement.
This curriculum will be taught to students who are visually impaired or blind but also should be of interest to their sighted peers. This curriculum will allow students to practice listening, memorizing, organization, researching and oral speaking skills. All of these areas present problems for visually impaired students.
(Developed for Resource for Visually Impaired, Literature, and Speech, grades 9-12;
recommended for Reading and Writing for Blind and Visually Impaired, Writing, Reading,
Speaking, grades 9-12)
