Building with Stories Curriculum

An early literacy curriculum for students ages 5–10 with moderate-to-severe developmental disabilities including autism. The Building with Stories curriculum is based on the Early Literacy Skills Builder (ELSB) research. It contains ten award winning storybooks commonly read in elementary classrooms, a kit to adapt them for easy student access, and story related manipulatives to encourage student participation.

The Teacher’s Manual is centered on the ten-step framework developed by the ELSB research team. The Teacher Manual is organized by storybook title and includes a list of materials, AT suggestions, adaptation instructions, and scripted lessons. The Student Materials book has illustrated response pages with corresponding teacher scripts. Includes story-related objects to encourage student participation. Lesson plans foster vocabulary understanding, print awareness, listening comprehension, communication independence, and word knowledge.

Incorporating Building with Stories in your classroom has multiple benefits: it aligns with state standards, provides students access to the general education curriculum, and gives you more time for teaching—less time needed for planning and adapting. The curriculum can be used with individual students, with small groups, or in inclusive classroom settings. Use in conjunction with the Early Literacy Skills Builder (ELSB) or as a stand-alone curriculum.

Storybooks included:
» Amazing Grace
» Anansi Does the Impossible
» The Boy of the Three-Year Nap
» Hush!
» Madeline
» Martha Speaks
» Officer Buckle and Gloria
» The Rainbow Fish
» Stellaluna
» Where the Wild Things Are