How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell is the focus of this novel unit for students with autism and special learning needs. Have you ever wanted to read a novel to your special education students but thought, there is no way they will sit and listen? Persevere, it is worth it!! This 180 page unit on the novel How to Eat Fried Worms is designed for students who have significant disabilities and special learning needs. I was always reading a novel to my students, regardless of their learning level. The lesson of learning to sit while someone is talking is an invaluable skill that is worthwhile teaching.
This unit has various activities to accompany Rockwell’s book, How to Eat Fried Worms. The materials were designed to allow students with multiple levels of learning to access and engage in lessons learned through listening to this novel. There are many opportunities for students to engage in repeated information as they listen to the story about a bet 4 boys make. Can Billy eat 15 worms? Fifty dollars and a minibike hang in the balance. This repetition encourages deeper engagement of the book. Finally, many of the activities include more than one version, suggestions for differentiation, and options for presentation. There are 31 different activities to keep students engaged while you read this novel aloud.
There are so many benefits to reading out loud to your students. You will teach them an invaluable skill of learning to sit still while someone else is talking. Your parents will also LOVE you for not only teaching them this skill of sitting but also for exposing them to age-appropriate material. Plus, you never know which students you will touch with each story you read.