Topic “Level 3”  

- Things that go together cards - click here to print.

1. Print and cut out the things that go together cards.
2. Split the cards into two piles, making sure one of each pair is in a different pile. 
3. Lay one pile of cards on the table in front of you.
4. Explain to your child that you will take turns at choosing a card and then searching for the item that goes togeher with it.
5. You may need to model a turn.
6. When you turn the card over, name the item.
7. When you find the item that goes with it, name that item too and explain why they go togeher, e.g. 'fork and knife - you use them both to eat your dinner.
8. Continue until all the pairs have matched up.

The materials you had in the lesson.

Picture prompts for the activities that were carried out.

Piece of card to stick the prompts onto as you do the activities in the lesson.

1. As you do the lesson, each time you do an activity, get the prompt card for the activity and put it on the card - so that the activities appear there in the same order that you did them;
2. At the end of the lesson get the students to say what activities they did;
3. Ask them which came first, then which was next, and which was next again (etc.);
4. Use the prompt cards if students are having difficulty recalling the sequence.

Camera to make the picture sequences (or alternatively you can draw them or use a commercial resource).

Resources as appropriate to carry out a simple sequence

Examples of sequences:

Clean teeth: get toothpaste, open lid, get brush, squeeze toothpaste onto brush, put lid back onto toothpaste, brush teeth, spit out, put brush under water, repeat, clean brush, put brush away.

Wash hands: turn on tap, rinse hands, put soap on hands, scrub hands, rinse under water, turn tap off, dry with towel.

Brush hair: get brush, brush hair, put brush away.

Deodorant: get deodorant, take off lid, spray at appropriate area, put lid back on, put away.

1. Carry out the sequence without the pictures;

2. Do it again, showing the relevant picture for each part of the activity as you do it;

3. Get the student to do the sequence, showing them a picture for each part of the sequence as they do it;

4. Get them to show you what to do by giving you a picture for each part of the sequence. Try to do exactly as the picture you are given indicates, for example if they give you a picture of scrubbing your hands before the tap is turned on/before you have the soap, try to do this - but appear confused when this doesn't work.

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).

Picture symbols which represent each activity in the day (and/or use words if the child understands these) with velcro on the back;

Velcro board to stick them to;

A normal day!

You can find picture symbols with the Commtap Symboliser.

1. At a point earlier in the day (preferably at the beginning), go through the activities you will be doing. Put a card down for each activity in order;
2. As you come to each activity in the day, refer the child to the corresponding picture in the timetable;
3. Later in the day - preferably at the end - go through the timetable again;
4. Once the child is familiar with this, see how much of the timetable they can construct at the beginning and end of the day. Check they are able to show which activity they are currently doing on the timetable.

Picture symbols which represent each activity in the day (and/or use words if the child understands these) with velcro on the back;

Velcro board to stick them to;

A day which is different.

You can find picture symbols with the Commtap Symboliser.

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.

- sets of 3 picture sequencing cards - you will need to source these.

- First, next, last symbols - click here to print.

1. Choose a set of three cards and mix them up.

2. Ask your child to sort the pictures in the order that they happened. If your child finds this hard, put them in order together. Match them to the symbols.

3. Describe what is happening in the pictures using the words first, next and last - you can point to the symbols as you say the words.

4. Encourage your child to describe what is happening using the words first, next and last.

- camera

- first, next, last symbols - click here to print.

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.

Selection of the following equipment as appropriate:

Candle and matches/ lighter;

Balloon and pin;

Building bricks/ Jenga game;

Jug and cups, access to sink;

Glass, water and instant coffee granules

Using appropriate equipment, ask the child to predict what will happen, then carry out the action to see if they were right:

What will happen if you...

Touch a flame to the candle's wick?

Hold the candle horizontally?

Blow onto the candle's flame?

Blow into the balloon?

Touch the balloon with the blunt end of the pin?

Touch the balloon with the sharp end?

Put a large brick on top of a smaller brick?

Build a tower using all the bricks?

Pull out a brick from lower down the tower?

Start the tower on an uneven surface?

Put lots of water (more than it can hold) into a cup?

Have the cup upside down when you try to fill it?

Put some coffee granules in the glass, then add cold water?

Fill the glass with water, then sprinkle coffee granules on the top?

Equipment as appropriate to the science activity.

• 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

Pictures of everyday objects and situations with errors, for example a picture of a house with the front door on the second floor, a picture of a phone with a banana instead of a handset, a someone using an umbrella with holes in it in the rain

Commercially produced

"What's Wrong?" cards are available.

If you have any of your own pictures appropriate for this activity or you know of a link, please consider adding them to the site at www.commtap.org

1. Have a look at the card and get the child to identify what is wrong or unusual about what is depicted on the card.

2. Get the child to talk about what problems could arise from the situation in the picture and how they could be resolved.

3. Get the child to relate the picture to their own experience.