This first of three manuals providing a curriculum for students with disabilities focuses on the development of functional daily living skills. An introductory chapter provides an overview of the functional curriculum and offers guidelines for developing instructional plans for the four units of study which follow. Unit 1 is about self-care skills, including toileting, drinking and eating, dressing, undressing, personal cleanliness, and grooming. Unit 2 offers suggested interventions for gross motor skills including the use of assistive devices to aid ambulation, walking independently, and skills that enhance recreation and leisure activities. Unit 3 addresses fine motor skills including those involved in dressing, leisure time activities, vocational/work activities, and the operation of simple appliances. Unit 4 considers household management and living skills, such as planning meals, purchasing and preparing food, purchasing and maintaining clothes, and caring for one's living quarters. Each of the units presents general goals of the unit, sample lesson plans, lists of references and suggested readings, and a list of selected materials and resources. Suggested activities are grouped into teacher interventions and family interventions and then organized into four distinct age/grade levels: infant/toddler/preschool; primary; intermediate; and secondary. Attention is also paid to the alternative settings in which services are provided. (Each chapter contains references and suggested readings.) (DB)