Topic “Level 2”  

Newspaper or children's paper or magazine

Large sheet of paper

Pens

Choose a page of a newspaper or children's paper, or cut out some stories from a newspaper. (You could also do this on line if you have access to a computer. It is very motivating for the children!)

Choose stories that will prompt discussion and are not simple right / wrong issues.

Put the main person in the story in a circle in the middle of a page. Draw lots of lines out of the circle, and think of different things the person could do. Have each child circle the one they think they would suggest . Help the children think about what will happen if the person takes their advice.

Cards to write situations on.

Paper

Pens

Short video clips from children's programmes

Alien puppet or picture.

Cards to write situations on.

Everyday situations at school and home.

LDA what's wrong social sequencing cards.

Paper or whiteboard

Pens

Describe and look for things and actions in story books and pictures.

pictures with paper clips attached, magnetic fishing rods, 'pond' e.g. a flat box

Put cards in the box, take turns to fish for a picture, say/sign what is fished out.

Eight picture cards, small piece of paper with a fish drawn on it

Pictures of everyday objects, background pictures (Black Sheep Sentence Builder and Narrative Packs have some good ones)

Pictures of everyday objects from class and outside. A blank jotter book

Pictures of everyday objects from class and outside

Laminated A3 sheet divided in half with a line, with an "I like" symbol on one side and an "I don’t like" symbol on the other side (symbols could be a smiley face and a sad face);

Assortment of pictures of food, animals, cartoon characters, games etc.;

Use Velcro or blue-tak to attach pictures to board.

You can also get picture symbols from the Commtap Symboliser.

1. Talk through the "I like/ I don’t like" board with the child. 
2. Start with a picture of food – as most children have clear ideas about what foods they like and dislike!
3. Choose a food picture and show the child, asking "X, do you like broccoli?" 
4. Attach the picture to the correct side of the board, depending on the child’s response.
5. Once the child has responded for 6-8 pictures, review the board. E.g “You like apples, chocolate and pasta, but you don’t like broccoli, oranges or ice-cream." 
6. Take the pictures off the board and support the child to ask another adult/ peer "Do you like..." questions.

Large plastic hoop.

Assortment of pictures of food, animals, cartoon characters, games etc. (if needed).

- Bag

- A selection of objects or pictures - click below for printable object pictures:

    - clothes

     - animals

     - food

     - transport

     - toys

- Question prompt cards - click here to print.

1. Explain to your child/student that you are all going to take it in turns to put something in the bag and describe it for others to guess. 

2.Model the game for the first turn. Give a description of your obejct for the others to guess.

3. Swap and let your child/student have a turn. If your child/student is finding it hard to think of things to saym you can use the questions cards to help support them.

- Objects to hide around the room (optional)

- Question prompt cards - click here to print.

.

Pen;

Paper;

Optional - picture symbols for food items you need;

An idea for what you are going to make.

If using, you can make picture symbol cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

1. Say to the children what you are going to make - e.g. pizza. Ask them to say what you would need to make a pizza;
2. Write their ideas down, and discuss them - to support those who may have difficulties reading the words, do a rough sketch of each ingredient, or use picture symbols;
3. Decide which ones you need to go to the shop for, and use these to make a shopping list.

See comments for variations on doing this.

• Shopping list that you made in the "buying the ingredients" activity;
• Money;
• Bag.

You can make a shopping list with symbols using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

• Ingredients;
• Cooking implements;
• Aprons;
• Paper/pencils or pictures for each step of the cooking process (e.g. - get out the pizza base; spread on the pasta sauce; put on the toppings; put in the oven; take out of oven; eat it).

Short stories

'Who, Where, When, What happened, What happened next, the end', prompt cards.

Pencils

Tell the story yourself first.

Discuss the prompt cards with the children, and explain that it is important they remember to answer all of the questions on the cards when they are telling their stories.

Have one child at a time take a turn to retell the story. Go over the cards to see if they have included all the details.

"What happened?" prompt (e.g. from Black Sheep Press Narrative Pack)

Large hand puppet (such as "Molly" from LDA) or large rag doll or soft toy.

Classroom equipment

1. Stick the "What happened?" prompt on the board.

2. Produce the puppet and introduce it to the children.

3. Explain that you are going to practise talking about what happened, and that Molly (or whatever you call the puppet) will help the children to do this.

4. Explain that Molly is sometimes a bit naughty.

5. At this point, the other adult makes an excuse and leaves the room.

6. While the second adult is out of the room, make Molly do something naughty (e.g. take rubbish out of the bin, hide something in the cupboard, kick someone, jump on the furniture, or play with the light switch etc.)

7. The second adult returns to the room (send a child to collect them if necessary).

8. When the second adult comes back, ask the children to explain what happened while they were out of the room.

9. Steps 5-8 can be repeated a number of times if necessary.

10. The children can write up what happened in their literacy books.

Stories the child is unfamiliar with. They can be extracts from reading books or made up.

Photocopy of the story (optional)

1. Explain to the child that they are going to tell a story. You are going to tell it first and then it will be their turn.

2. Tell the story. It should be about 150 - 200 words. Make sure that there is enough detail in the section you have chosen or in the story you have made up.

3. Have the child tell the story back to you, or to another child.

4. Look at the photocopy of the story together and highlight all the details the child remembered (optional).

Story, description or explanation the child is unfamiliar with.

Photocopy of this (optional)

Story, description or explanation the child is unfamiliar with.

Photocopy of this (optional)

Pens and paper or whiteboards

Curriculum topic activities

String

Pegs

Who-what-where-what prompt sheet using symbols, colour-coded:

Who (orange)

What (i.e. objects - green)

Where (red)

What (i.e. actions - yellow)

Picture cards in separate bags or envelopes follows:

Who envelope: e.g. various people, animals, monsters, spacemen, football players

What (objects) envelope: e.g. football, car, rocket, computer, stick, box, bicycle

Where envelope: e.g. park, mountain, house, beach

What (actions) envelope: e.g. jump, sleep, fly, fall, cry, drive

You could also use the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint to get picture symbols for these items.

1. Pick a card from each envelope and peg them onto the string.

2. Make up a simple story which has everything on the string in it.

3. Have the child recap the main parts of the story to you, using the prompt sheet.

4. Take it in turns to make up the story, but have the child do the retell of it every time.

A familiar story, and key pictures of who, where, what and what happened in the story. (You might be able to photocopy this from a book).

Who-what-where-what prompt sheet using symbols, colour-coded:

Who (orange)

What (i.e. objects - green)

Where (red)

What (i.e. actions - yellow)

You could use the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint to get symbols.

A wind up toy (e.g. Simon the Sheep)

Pictures of things it might see or do on its walk

Who-what-where-what prompt sheet using symbols, colour-coded:

Who (orange)

What (i.e. objects - green)

Where (red)

What (i.e. actions - yellow)

You could use the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint to get symbols.

Who-what-where-what prompt sheet using symbols, colour-coded:

Who (orange)

What (i.e. objects - green)

Where (red)

What (i.e. actions - yellow)

You could use the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint to get symbols.

• A selection of common objects (you could use pictures instead)
• Suitable adjectives could include:
• common colours (red etc.) plus multi-coloured
• rough/smooth
• round
• flat
• edible
• size terms (big etc.)
• expensive/cheap
• old/new/old-fashioned
• striped
• spotted
• patterned
• metallic
• wooden
• plastic
• painted

1. Decide on a common category e.g. "things which are round" or "things which are red".

2. Help the child to sort the items into 2 groups according to whether they fit the category or not (i.e. a 'red' group and a 'not red' group).

A selection of common objects (you could use pictures instead)

2 sorting rings (draw two overlapping circles on a large sheet of paper if these are not available)

Category labels (optional)

1. Decide on two common categories e.g. "things which are round" and "things which are red".

2. Place the sorting rings on the table so that they overlap.

3. Explain that one ring is for items that have one feature (e.g. "round"). Explain that the other ring is for items that have the other feature (e.g. "red"). Explain that where the rings overlap, is where things that have both features go (see diagram on the left). Items which do not fit either category are left outside the rings.

4. Add labels if you are using them.

5. Help the child to sort the items into groups according to which category they fit.

• Pencil and paper

• Bag
• Common objects

No materials required

No materials required.

• Any book about different animals
• "Touch and feel" type books
• "All Kinds of Bodies" - Emma Brownjohn
• The "Children just like me" series - Annabel Kindersley and Barnabas Kindersley

Picture cards. These can be related to class topic vocabulary

Have each adult and child in the group take it in turns to make the cards into 2 groups (or 3 if necessary).

The cards in each group must all share a property or a function e.g. made of metal / transport (encourage the children not to base their groups purely on appearance).

Write down the categories that are thought of, so that the children can review them.

Flash cards with possible properties and functions written on them (e.g. hard, rough, things you wear, things you use to cut with, things you can read, etc.)

A dice

Assorted picture cards.

(They can be linked to class topic vocabulary. Make sure there are cards from a range of different categories)

This activity requires the purchasing of a commercial programme. SLTs/specialist teachers - help to further develop this sheet by providing an example or description of alternative resources to use in this activity.

Worksheet from Semantic Links programme - available from Stass Publications

Choose one with 3 choices.

Pictures of everyday objects from classroom or home, or real objects.

Cards with words and symbols of actions e.g. cut, stretch, squash

Dice

Counters

You can create cards with symbols for actions using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

Explain that you are going to be thinking about things you see around you, and what you can do to them.

Discuss each of the action cards, and model each action. E.g. stretch - stretch a rubber band

Lay the picture cards out in a simple race track. Put the action cards up where you can all see them. Take turns to throw a dice and move round the track. Turn over the picture card you land on and say which one of the actions can be done to that object.

The first person to the end of the track wins.

Cards with words and symbols of actions

Bag / box

Pictures of objects from school, or home / real objects

Sandtimer

You can create cards with symbols for actions using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

Pictures of everyday objects from classroom or home, or real objects.

Cards with words and symbols of activities e.g. eat, draw

You can create cards with symbols for actions using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

Pictures of everyday objects from classroom or home, or real objects.

Cards with words and symbols of activities e.g. eat, draw

Counters in 2 colours - 10 each.

You can create cards with symbols for actions using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

Pairs of related objects, for example:

pencil and paper

sock and a shoe

bar of soap and a flannel, toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste

hammer and nail

knife and fork

box

1. Select pairs of related objects;

2. Place one member of each of the object pairs in front of the child (e.g. pencil, sock, soap, toothbrush);

3. Place the remaining objects (e.g. paper, shoe, flannel, toothpaste) in a box;

4. Have the child pick an object from the box and ask them to "Find the one we use with this";

5. Repeat with the rest of the objects in the box.

What's wrong pictures (e.g. LDA, Colorcards)

Pen and paper

1. Choose a picture (or let the child choose one). Both people look at it. Take it in turns to describe the picture and say how it should look. Make sure you have a new picture to describe each time.

2. Take it in turns to choose a picture, which you keep hidden from the other person. Describe the picture while the other person tries to draw it based on your description. Compare the drawing to the original picture and say how the picture should look. If the drawing does not look very much like the picture, say why this went wrong.

Large composite pictures (e.g. "passages a decouvrir").

Score sheet (2 columns - one with your name at the top, the other with the child's)

Pen