Topic “Level 3”  

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 3 and the level B questions).

1. Choose a scenario.

2. Let the child read the story.

3. Ask the child the questions verbally.

4. 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?

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 2 and (1) the level A questions then (2) 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 let them read the story.

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

Something to use as 'treasure' - an interesting object or toy.

Explain that one person will be the person to hunt the treasure (the 'pirate' if appropriate!). The other children will hide the object and think of an instruction of where to look.

The person hunting closes their eyes / goes out of the room.

Hide the object, and think of an instruction to give a clue of where to look. Make sure the hiding place is not too easy, so that the instruction is long enough to be challenging.

(For example: "walk two steps and look behind the cupboard below the window").

Bring the person hunting the object back, and explain they need to listen carefully to the instruction. Give them the instruction.

They have to follow it to find the 'treasure'.

Imagination!

A range of objects laid out on the table.

Any practical activity where the child must listen to instructions and carry them out to make something - e.g. origami fortuneteller, craft activities.

A picture to colour - enough copies for everyone doing the activity, and for the adult too.

Colouring pens / pencils

A big book or folder to make a barrier

More ideas for barrier games

A picture to colour - enough copies for everyone doing the activity, and for the adult too.

Colouring pens / pencils

A big book or folder to make a barrier

Explain that this activity is to practise listening, so the child must listen carefully. You will only say the instruction once.

Give the child / children a sheet (one for everyone) and take one yourself.

Put the barrier up, so that the child cannot see your picture.

Give an instruction telling them to colour part of the picture, and colour it yourself. Make sure the instruction has at least 4 key words, and involves doing one thing before something else. E.g. if you have a picture of a robot you could say: 'Colour the robot's head blue and then colour two shoes red.' The words underlined are the key words, and there are 2 steps to the instruction.

When you have all finished that instruction, hold up your picture, so the children can check if they got it right.

2D shapes in several different colours

Something to use as a barrier

Imagination!

Two toys, one to be Sammy and the other to be Marvin

Picnic 'blanket' (optional)

Toy food

Pictures of the toy food, and pictures of Sammy and Marvin (can be very rough!)

1. Explain that Sammy and Marvin are going to have a picnic.

2. Have the child give them the food following your instructions.

3. Give instructions using 'before' and 'after' e.g. 'give Sammy an apple before you give one to Marvin'.

4. Select the pictures of the food you mentioned, and put them with the pictures of Sammy and Marvin in the right order (for who should have got the food first and who should have got the food second). Do not let the child see.

5. When the child has given the toys the food, have them check your pictures to see if they got it right.

Several different animals or toy people

One or two exciting vehicles, e.g. fire engine and police car

Laminated cue sheet with a picture of a person and then pictures of several actions e.g. jump, sit down, turn around, clap your hands. For example:

Dry wipe marker

A picture to colour - enough copies for everyone doing the activity, and for the adult too.

Colouring pens / pencils

A big book or folder to make a barrier

Explain that this activity is to practise listening, so the child must listen carefully. You will only say the instruction once.

Give the child / children a sheet (one each) and take one yourself.

Put the barrier up, so that the child cannot see your picture.

Give an instruction telling them to colour part of the picture, and colour it yourself. Make sure the instruction uses 'first', 'next, 'middle', or 'last'. E.g. if you have a picture of a robot you could say: 'First colour the robot's head blue and next colour two shoes red.' Or 'colour the middle robot red and blue.'

When you have all finished that instruction, hold up your picture, so the children can check if they got it right.

2D shapes in several different colours

Something to use as a barrier

Imagination!

Cue sheet for 'first', 'next', 'last', 'middle' (optional)

A very simple origami shape. See:

http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-for-kids.html

http://www.tammyyee.com/origami.html

Paper for folding.

Cue sheet for 'first, next, last, middle' (optional)

Familiar picture story books - the story should involve at least two people/animals etc.

1. Read the book to the child - make sure they can see the pictures - (note this is NOT a reading activity - the child does not need to read the book);

2. As you go through the book, say what each person is doing and what they are going to do on the next page, for example "Daisy is wearing a hat", "Sam is going to put a hat on";

3. Next time round, ask questions like "who is wearing a hat?", "who is going to put a hat on": accept the child's answer, however if it is incorrect, you can say "I think Sam's going to wear the hat", then turn the page, and say something like "oh, yes, he put the hat on". If the child got it right, then you can say something like "Yes! Sam put the hat on!".

You can use purpose designed pictures, or you can make your own:

Make a set of pictures using a digital camera with at least two children you are working with. You could also use two soft toys such as a teddy and a doll.

Make a sequence of pictures showing the children doing various actions, such as putting on a hat, kicking a ball, drinking something, eating a cake.

First picture: show the two children;

Second picture: one child doing the action e.g. putting a hat on - and the other child waiting to do the action;

Third picture: the other child doing the action (the first child should also be in the picture having done the action - e.g. if they have just put a hat on, this picture should have them with the hat on).

Put the three pictures in this order in a book.

Stories could be taken from reading books, or from picture sequence cards. (For example 'And then' published by Schubi).

You could also use stories from "Language for Thinking" (Stephen Parsons and Anna Branagan). Initially don't show the pictures but instead read the stories from p136 to the children, before asking the suggested questions on them.

You could also find short animated stories on YouTube for example, so that you can show the child the story after you have narrated it and asked the child questions on it.

Read chunks of the story to the child, or tell the story from the sequence cards. The chunks should be around 50 words long (a paragraph) and/or contain between two and three things that happen. (Use shorter chunks if this is too long for the child).

Ask a question relevant to the key information in the story. For example, suppose this was part of the story: "Lucy rode her red bicycle down the hill. At the bottom she couldn't stop and fell straight into the fish pond..." Relevant questions would be 'What did Lucy do', 'What happened to Lucy at the bottom of the hill': avoid asking questions about details which aren't particularly relevant to the story such as 'What colour was Lucy's bike?';

Ask the child the question then re-read the part of the story which contains the answer to the question;

Show him/her part of the story using pictures.

Try to guide the child to recall the information with the minimum amount of prompts necessary. Try to avoid the situation where you need to say what the answer is. If you keep needing to do this then the story is probably too hard.

PE equipment

Give sequences of one then two instructions, for example: 'Run to the post then turn around', 'Jump then run to the window', 'Throw the yellow ball', 'Jump three times then turn around'

Variations:

Have a fixed set of instructions, for example turn around, throw the ball, run to the post, jump in the hoop. Let the children take it in turns to be the teacher, giving the other children the instructions. It may be useful to have picture prompts for the instructions which the children can use.

No specific equipment

Paper, coloured pens, a barrier so that children can't see what each other is doing

Black sheet press have a range of ready made sheets for doing these activities.

Copies of idioms pictures, for example from Black Sheep press "Speech Bubbles" pack

School exercise book

Pen/pencil, scissors, glue

The following books may also be useful:

"Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases we use Every Day" by Albert Jack (Metro Publishing, 2004)

"Idioms at work" by Vera McLay (Language Teaching Publications, 1987)

Explain that you are going to do some work on idioms. Explain that idioms are phrases that mean something different to what the words mean individually. Give a few examples that you think the student might already know (e.g. "pain in the neck", "get lost")

Using the exercise book, let the student make a title page for their book, saying "Idioms Dictionary" and giving a definition of an idiom - you can help the student compose their own definition

Let the student choose one idioms picture, cut it out and stick it in the book.

Discuss with the student the literal meaning of the idiom, as well as what it actually means.

Have the student write a definition of the idiom in the book, next to the picture. Also have them write a sentence using the idiom in context.

Continue to build up the collection of idioms over time.

This activity requires the purchasing of a particular commercial product. Please help to further develop this sheet by providing an example or description of alternative resources to use in this activity.

Flash cards made from the idioms pictures from Black Sheep press "Speech Bubbles" pack

This activity requires the purchasing of a particular commercial product. Please help to further develop this sheet by providing an example or description of alternative resources to use in this activity.

Idioms pictures from Black Sheep press "Speech Bubbles" pack of cards showing the meaning of the idioms.

Simple paper folding activity, e.g. paper plane, hat, box

Talk through the activity with the children, and how to fold the paper.

Demonstrate for them.

Support them to record the steps they need to take to do the activity themselves.

Let them fold their own models.

Review the steps they needed to do, and look at their finished models.

For example: To listen to an explanation in class, e.g. of a science investigation, and to plan the steps they need to take to complete it.

Stories could be taken from reading books, or from picture sequence cards. (For example 'And then' published by Schubi).

Read chunks of the story to the child, or tell the story from the sequence cards. The chunks should be 100 to 200 words long (2 -4 paragraphs) and/or contain between four and six things that happen. (Use shorter chunks if this is too long for the child).

Ask the child to retell the chunk you have read.

The child could also be asked to reconstruct the story using drawing, using miniatures (e.g. playmobil), selecting and ordering cards from a set of picture sequence cards.

For the child to gain more information from stories and explanations at other times he/she will be assisted by the use of visuals to support , and also by being asked a question before hearing the story or explanation so that he/she has something to focus his/her listening on.

Short stories on tape or CD

Clips of a favourite TV or computer programme

Prompt card with 'before' and  'after' on it (optional)

Whiteboard

Whiteboard marker

1. Explain to the children that you are going to play Simon Says and practise doing things 'before' or 'after' something else.

2. Play the game, giving instructions such as 'pat your head before you jump', 'After you clap your hands, turn around'. Write the instruction on your whiteboard as you give it (use simple drawings if a child has reading difficulties).

3. Show the children the whiteboard so that they can check if they got the action right.

Copy of a worksheet picture to colour in for each person

Coloured pens or pencils (if possible, the same set of colours for each person. It could just be 3 or 4 colours)

Prompt card with 'before' and  'after' 

Paper

pencils

Prompt card with 'before' and  'after' 

Use simple sequence cards.

Present the first picture in the sequence to the child. Describe the situation to the child and ask him/her what they think is going to happen.

Encourage the child to discuss any prediction and discuss any other options that might happen.

Once you have discussed this outcome then show the second picture.

Use situation cards.