At the Midland School we have an opportunity to assist our students to develop both life skills and career skills. Food shopping can be a daunting experience for a person with disabilities, especially if they struggle with reading. Students in room 220 have been expanding their skills in the Midland grocery store. Students’ role-played customers shopping by following a grocery list. Students used a picture list or a combination picture/word list to shop so they are clear about the items on their list. Lists had anywhere from four to ten items. We always work within a student’s ability level to keep this a positive experience and avoid frustrations. Students are also made aware to move around the store appropriately with their shopping cart or basket. This is done with role playing and having two students simultaneously shop the aisles of the grocery store. For the career component, students practiced being stock clerks. First, we discussed the importance of retuning items to the shelves correctly. It was explained to the students that we want a customer to have a good shopping experience so they will come back and shop again. Next, students stocked another student’s cart of products.
To accompany our unit in the grocery store, we have been reading supermarket/grocery shopping stories aloud in class. Author Anne Rockwell wrote, At the Supermarket, which told about the different departments in the grocery store. Before reading the story, students completed a picture-walk through of the story first. During the picture-walk, students were asked to identify which department of the grocery store was pictured on a particular page. In the book, All about Grocery Store Workers, author Susan B. Katz describes the different jobs people have in the different departments of the grocery store. The bakery department was the favorite with the class!
To further enhance our grocery unit, students counted up the number of groceries they purchased at the checkout. Students were instructed that some stores have a quick checkout line, and you have to have ten items or less. This real-life opportunity was a wonderful example to students, why it is important to learn how to count out our numbers.
Visit our FACEBOOK Page for more Highlights and Information: https://www.facebook.com/TheMidlandSchool