Wednesday, April 27, 2016

May 2016

This month's unit, "Clean and Green," lessons will provide lessons and activities for understanding the basics of laundry care, including activities in the Transition Passport: Daily Living/Clothing. As we assist our young adults in the transition from school to work, it is necessary that they receive training in the steps of doing laundry, from pre-treating stains and sorting, to reading care tags, folding, hanging and putting clothes away. Understanding the differences between laundry products and the importance of making laundry care a part of our daily routines are important concepts. • The unit stories help young adults learn many important things to know when doing the laundry and why daily laundry care is necessary. The first story stresses the importance of sorting clothes before washing, and washing in the right temperature. A young man washes towels at school. When he is asked to help with the laundry at home, he soon realizes that there is much more to know when doing all of the laundry. The second story follows a young man as he tries to get dressed to go out with his friends. He can’t figure out which of his clothes are clean. The emphasis of this story is on putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket and folding, hanging and putting away clean clothes. Three articles offer more information and activities that afford our young adults practice in reading care tags, labeling laundry detergent, sorting, washing, drying, folding, hanging and putting away clothes.

 Regular monthly lessons are provided which offer the opportunity for young adults to use their understanding of laundry care while solving practical math and money skills. Banking and budgeting are addressed. Daily living skills involving cooking are part of a regular monthly lesson, offering five recipes. Social and communication skills are the focus of lessons presenting social trivia and everyday scenarios where laundry care is involved.

Employment continues to be a regular focus for several lessons each month. Lessons include exploring different jobs, reading job ads, completing job applications and practicing interview skills. Simple, realistic scenarios address job skills and interactions at work. Job skills are emphasized as team members take on various tasks.

Monday, April 4, 2016

April 2016

Unit Topic: "What To Do, What To Do"

The unit lessons will provide tools and a process for making effective decisions including activities in the Transition Passport: Personal Life/Making Decisions. As we assist our young adults in the transition from school to work, it is necessary that they receive training in thinking through the good and bad consequences that can happen with the choices they make and the importance of learning from our mistakes. Understanding the things that can affect our decisions as well as reflecting on our decisions are important skills.

The unit stories help young adults learn about the importance of having a process to make good decisions. The first story stresses the importance of thinking about the good and the bad that can happen before making a decision. A young man wants to be a good worker, and has learned that a good worker is always on time. When he realizes that he missed the bus, he makes a quick decision that gets him in trouble. The second story follows a young man as he forgets to buy drinks for the class party and decides to bring wine coolers from home to class. The emphasis of this story is on learning from our mistakes and asking for help when making a decision. Three articles offer more information and practice activities that will assist our young adults in making effective decisions.

Regular monthly lessons are provided which offer the opportunity to practice good decision-making skills while solving practical math and money skills. Banking and budgeting are addressed. Daily living skills involved in cooking, including shopping for ingredients and following a recipe, are also part of a regular monthly lesson, offering five recipes. Social and communication skills are the focus of lessons presenting social trivia and everyday scenarios where using effective decision-making skills is emphasized.

Employment continues to be a regular focus for several lessons each month. Lessons include exploring different jobs, reading job ads, completing job applications and practicing interview skills. Simple, realistic scenarios address job skills and interactions at work. The final lesson highlights volunteering as a way to practice job skills and gain practical work experience.