Topic “Level 3”  

Card with 3 boxes, for yesterday, today and tomorrow

A jumping frog (or any other toy animal that jumps!)

1. Talk about each day, one at a time. Have the child draw or write key things they have done or that they will do in each box.

2. When you have finished, explain that there is going to be a quiz. Describe an activity and the child must say if they did it yesterday, today or if they will do it tomorrow.

3. Have them jump the frog onto the right day.

Set of three toy animals - a small one, a medium sized one, and a large one - all the same colour - for example three plastic worms

Large 'thought clouds ' on A3 or A4 paper:

Sticky tape

Pens

Calendar

Pens

Any activity where you use a visual timetable

This activity is also suitable for working with children at lower levels: for example to develop communication about past present and future experiences (English Speaking P7), and sequence pictures of daily events (Maths Shape Space and Measures P8).

You can make a visual timetable with symbols using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

Classroom equipment:

Pencil,

Paper,

Etc.

Prompt cards with the key words (as indicated in the text of the activity) written on.

1. Working with a group of children, help the group to line up in order of height.

2. Ask one child to identify the tallest (or biggest) and shortest (or smallest) person. Help as necessary.

3. Give the tallest person a card that says "tallest", and give the shortest person a card that says "shortest".

4. Explain that 'taller' means "more tall". Find two children who have quite different heights. Say e.g. "Martin is taller than Fatima". Explain that 'shorter' means "more short". Say e.g. "Fatima is shorter than Martin"

5. Ask each child to identify one person who is taller and shorter than themselves.

6. You can repeat this activity comparing other features such as:

biggest/smallest shoes

longest/shortest hair

widest/narrowest hand span

heaviest/lightest person

person who can jump the longest/ shortest distance

person who lives nearest to/furthest from school

most/fewest brothers and sisters

most/fewest letters in the name

longest/shortest hair

oldest/youngest person

or anything else you think of!

Selection of pencils

Pictures showing people at different stages of life (e.g. baby, toddler, young child, older child, teenager, young adult, middle aged adult, old adult)

Pass the parcel consisting of the following:

A small prize in the centre (a bag of sweets/raisins etc. which the group can share is a good idea).

Several layers of paper, each one needs a sticky label with a description on it. Each description needs to contain a superlative e.g.:

the oldest person

the youngest person

the tallest person

the shortest person

the person with the biggest feet

the person with the smallest feet.

the person with the longest hair

the person with the shortest hair

the person who was born furthest away

the person who was born nearest

the person who lives furthest away

the person who lives nearest

the person who has the most brothers and sisters

the person who has the fewest brothers and sisters

the person who speaks the most different languages

the person who has had fewest turns at the game

anything else you can think of!

A blank timetable for a school day (or week)

Flashcards with lessons and other school day activities on them (e.g. assembly, playtime, literacy, history etc)

Pen and paper or whiteboard

1. Explain that you are going to give instructions and the children should take it in turns to listen to you and put the right things on the timetable.

2. Give an instruction, using 'before', 'after' and 'then'. E.g. 'Before lunch I have numeracy and then handwriting. After lunch I have ICT.'

3. Note down what you have said on paper or a whiteboard so that the children can check later.

4. Have the children take it in turns to put the things on the timetable in the order you have said.

5. Let them check it against your notes.

Imagination!

Pictures to colour

Pens

OR

Blank paper

Pens

OR

Sets of objects

Sets of pictures (one for each child) E.g. food pictures, clothes pictures, activities, or topic related words.

Play people, bricks, etc. as required

Can be done 1:1 or in a small group

Suggestions for stories:

1. dad, mum, baby, bike, bricks: dad: bye bye baby, bye, bye mum, etc., gets on bike, drives into bricks, falls off;

2. helicopter rescue: helicopter comes and rescues those on an island;

3. dog eats picnic when others aren't looking;

4. fire!: children spot a fire in a building - make a story about what they do next;

5. swim across crocodile infested river.

1. Show the child a story with the miniatures;

2. Get child to redo the story using the miniatures;

3. With the child make simple drawings for each key part of the story (the drawings do not need to be works of art);

4. Cut the pictures up and get the child to put them back in the right order;

5. Check if the story still works if you follow the sequence of pictures.

The stories can also be physically acted out.

For example:

1. getting materials required for an activity;

2. lining up;

3. making a drawing;

4. a simple game you play;

5. going to assembly;

6. turning on and listening to a tape recorder/CD/MP3 player;

7. Switching on a computer and doing something on it;

8. opening a pot of bubbles and blowing them;

9. making a sandwich;

10. (a little more complex): playground games such as 'had', 'hide and seek', 'football'

Materials as required.

1. Do the activity;

2. With the child make simple drawings for each key part of the activity (the drawings do not need to be works of art);

3. Cut the pictures up and get the child to put them back in the right order;

4. Try to follow the sequence of pictures to see if it works.

Familiar book

Photocopied pictures

Published sequencing cards (e.g. LDA cards)

Or worksheets with 3-4 picture sequences (Black Sheep have some ready made ones)

Photos of the child doing an everyday activity (i.e. a sequence of them)

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 (with suggested steps to make pictures for):

Putting on a jumper (get jumper, put head through, put arms through);

Drinking a drink (jug and cup, pour water into the cup, drink it)

Peeling and eating a piece of fruit (fruit, peel fruit, eat it)

Going to the door and lining up

Sitting down and eating dinner

Drawing a picture (pencil and paper, child drawing, finished picture)

Bubbles (unscrew lid, remove wand, blow bubbles)

Looking at a book (get it, open it, look at it)

1. Carry out the activity without the pictures;

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

3. Get the child to do the sequence, tell them what to do by showing them a picture for each part of the sequence;

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 someone blowing bubbles without having given you the step for opening the bubbles container, try to blow the bubbles anyway (and act being disappointed when you don't get any bubbles).

- Ring binder and paper or some blank exercise books

- Topic pictures

- Word web template - click here for word web resources

1. Choose a topic - this can either be curriculum related (at school) or around an activity you will be doing e.g. a trip to the seaside (at home).

2. Explain that you are going to think about all the words you need to talk about that topic. Aim for 5-6 words.

3. Think about what sort of things you will see and do. You could write these down - let your child think of as many as they can.

4. Together look for pictures to stick in the book for each word.

5. Write down the word for each picture and fill in a word web template.

6. Put the word webs together to make a book that you can use to discuss your topic.

- Bingo cards - each with a list of your topic related words on it - you may wish to put a picture/symbol alongside each picture.

- A set of definitions of the words (descriptions of what the words mean).

- Alphabet game template

- Blank sheet of paper

- Pens

- Cards with different topics on them (optional)

- What is that word questions cards - click here

Who what where prompt cards (each prompt card should have the word e.g. "who" along with a picture or picture symbol for that word)

Counters or other treasure

A range of objects including animals (optional)

You can make the prompt cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

1. Hide the counters as treasure. Put them around the room, or under / behind the different objects.

2. Explain to the child that they can find out where to look for the treasure by asking questions.

3. Revise the questions they might need to ask, and remind them of the prompt cards.

4. As they ask questions, give them the information to find the treasure.

5. See how much treasure they can find in a set time!

Question prompt cards

2 sets of pictures - use at least 2 categories, e.g. animals and food

Masking tape / head band

A book with interesting pictures

Question prompt cards

Digital camera

Playmobil figures or other action figures and simple props.

Question words.

Prompt sheet with a series of boxes in order, e.g.

1. Ask the child to tell you about something they have done, e.g. making a snowman.

2. Encourage them to tell you what they did first, next, next, at the end, using the prompt sheet.

A timeline drawn on paper or a string

Bag

Objects to do with a familiar routine, e.g. getting up

Sheet with boxes labelled "...will...", "...is..." and "...has...":

Simple sequencing pictures showing an action that is about to happen, the same action happening and the action when it is complete, for example Black Sheep Press's 3-step sequencing pack. Alternatively, you could make your own (e.g. take photos of the child, or draw them) or you could print them out from a picture resource such as "Flash-Pro" if you have it, or use other commercially produced sequencing pictures such as LDA or Colorcards.

Glue or Blu-tac

Pen or pencil

1. Put the sheet with the boxes labelled "....will....", "....is...." and "....has...." in front of the child and help the child to read the words.

2. Mix up the pictures from one of the sequences.

3. Help the child put them in the correct order, putting them in the correct boxes on the sheet.

4. Ask him/her to describe the sequence, using the words "will", "is" and "has" in his/her description (e.g. "the boy will eat the apple, the boy is eating the apple, the boy has eaten the apple"). You may need to give the child some support to use the right form of the verb at this stage.

5. Help him/her to stick them in the correct places on the sheet (use Blu-tac if you want to be able to re-use the pictures).

6. Help the child to write a description (using the words "will", "is" and "has") under the pictures.

Sequencing pictures as above.

Sequencing pictures as above.

Card with a large '?' on it (some sets of cards come with this card included).

A picture of an everyday event, or social setting e.g. crossing the road, or going to the cinema.

A story to go with the picture (no more than 5 or 6 sentences).

Or

See the resource sheets in 'Language for Thinking' (LfT) by Parsons and Branagan (Published by Speechmark). If using this publication, use Module 1 and the level B questions. This programme has questions for a range of ability levels.

1. Choose a scenario picture.

2. Show the children the picture and read the story to them.

3. Focus on the questions where the child must use what they can see in the picture and also some wider context to answer the questions ("LfT level B questions"). E.g. 'What will happen next?' 'How did he...?' 'What is a ....?' 'How are these the same?'

Basic kitchen equipment - dependent on what you make.

Whiteboard or paper

Pen

Camera (optional)

1. Choose something very simple which the children are familiar with, e.g. making toast.

2. Explain to the children that you are going to make toast, and that they are the 'teacher'. They need to tell you exactly what to do, in steps.

3. Ask them what the steps are, and write or draw them on the paper or whiteboard. Do not correct their answers.

4. Carry out the steps exactly as they have told you. Allow them to identify any errors and to correct them.

5. Record the accurate stages at the end of the activity.

6. Photos of the stages of the activity can be used as a sequencing task as well.

Photos taken in the activity above

Paper

Scissors

Glue

Paper

Pen

Shop!

Some money

Paper

Pen

Whiteboard

(Individual work or small group work)

Small world figures or animals

IDEAS FOR SIMPLE STORIES.

(1) Use a Mum and a child figure:

'Come on 'Child's name' - its time to go to the park. Look I see the swings. I am swinging on the swings it is fun. Weeeee etc. Come on 'Child's name ' its time to go home now.

(2) Use a Mum and a child figure:

Come on 'child' name'. Lets go to the shops. We are going to buy new shoes. I like these shoes - I can run fast in these new shoes. Thanks Mum.

(3) Use two child figures:

Hello 'name of friend' lets go to the playground.

Weee I am jumping...Look I am running....I am going to catch you. Oh dear. It is dark . We must go home now.

(4) Use a Mum and a child figure:

Time for school. Hurry up 'child's name', hurry we will be late. Coat on, hat on, hold my hand . Lets walk to school. Look there is the school. Bye bye 'child's name ' Bye bye Mum.

(5) Use a Mum and a child figure:

Its dinner time 'child's name'. Come and sit down. Look here is a beef burger. Here are some chips. Yum yum this is good. I like burger and chips. Mmmm I like burger and chips too.

Use miniature figures.

Have one in each hand.

Make walking or running or jumping movements with the figures as appropriate to tell the story.

Make each figure do some very simple talking. Say the words as if the figure was really doing the talking.

Don't use 'Mum said...' Just move Mum a bit and say the words as if the toy was able to talk! Don't say, 'The dog goes woof woof' just jump the dog up and down and say woof woof.

Use the present tense.

You 'do' the story once, then ask the most able child to do the story then the next most able child etc.

Accept any attempt to retell the story. If the child needs help, tell the story a little bit for them then wait for the child to finish the story..

Give lots of praise for telling a story - in what ever way.

.

A picture of an everyday event, or social setting e.g. crossing the road, or going to the cinema.

A story to go with the picture (no more than 5 or 6 sentences).

Or

See the resource sheets in 'Language for Thinking' (LfT) by Parsons and Branagan (Published by Speechmark). If using this publication, use Module 1 and level A questions. This programme has questions for a range of ability levels.

1. Choose a scenario picture.

2. Show the children the picture and read the story to them.

3. Focus on questions where the child looks for the answer in the picture and just uses a little background knowledge. E.g. 'Find one that is....', 'When did...', 'What does this do?' 'What else is an X? etc.

- 2 identical black and white pictures. 

- Pens/pencils

- A barrier (e.g. a large book)

1. Play a barrier game:

• each person in the game has an identical outline drawing;
• one person, whose drawing is hidden behind a barrier gives instructions to the others to modify their pictures (e.g. colour some things in, draw objects in particular places).

2. Give a confusing instruction so that the others need to ask for clarification. For example, ask them to colour something that is not on the sheet, to use a colour that is not available.

3. Watch their reaction - if the student lets you know that the instruction is impossible, praise them for this. If the student does not say anything, ask them if there is a problem and talk about hte words that they could use to let you know.

- Picture of an alien

- Some everyday objects

Flashcards with a target word written on each one (because, to, when, while).

Short sequences of 2 or 3 cards which make up a short story.

Tell the children that this activity is to practise using longer sentences. Introduce the words on the flashcards and explain that these help us to make longer sentences.

Sequence the cards into the right order as a group.

Choose one of the target words and place that flashcard near the pictures.

Have the children think of a sentence (two if necessary) about the pictures, which uses the target word. Write down each sentence.

As the activity above, but use a short book the children are familiar with.

Flashcards with a target word written on each one (because, to, when, while).

Photos from magazines

Or

Photos of the children engaged in activities

Flashcards with a target word written on each one (because, to, when, while).

Flashcards with a target word written on each one (because, to, when, while).

Pictures of actions or events

Timer (if you don't have one, use a watch with a second hand)