Topic “Individual”  

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

Copies of pages of text the child can read easily

Red pen

Green pen

(1) Talk about how 'the' and 'a' are used differently - 'the' is used when we are talking about a thing and we know which one we are talking about. 'A' is used when we are talking about a thing and we could be talking about any example of that thing.

(2) Tell the child to read the text you give them. Explain that each time they come to the word "a", they should put a red circle round it. Each time they come to the word "the", they should put a green circle round it. Each time, ask them to explain why you use that word, and how changing it would change the meaning of the sentence (e.g. how "the children went inside the house" is different from "the children went inside a house").

Toy animals of various sizes, colours and kinds

Cards showing each letter of the alphabet

Pictures of single objects starting with a vowel

Pictures of single objects starting with a consonant

Pictures of single objects starting with a vowel that the child can stick into a book

Scissors

Glue

Book

Pen

An old catalogue such as the Argos catalogue.

Big and little food pictures (cut out), 2 baskets and 2 trolleys, each with a picture of a girl or boy.

1. Place the baskets and trolleys with some matching food pictures where the child can see them.

2. Ask the child to put the big or little items of food in the girl or boy's basket or trolley

e.g. put big apple in girl's basket / put little banana in boy's trolley / put big biscuit in girl's trolley.

Encourage the child to put the food into the appropriate basket or trolley.

Toys/pictures of table, cupboard, chair and bed.

Pictures of dog and cat actions (cut out).

Big and little toy animals

Doll and teddy

2 barns and fields

A ball.

Two goals, one red and one green.

Two baskets, one red and one green.

4 pieces of classroom equipment e.g. pencil, pen, ruler, rubber.

2 boxes of different colours

Coloured pictures of a range of objects (in two or more colours e.g. red and green) with a big and a small version in each colour (e.g. big green fork, small green fork, big red fork, small red fork).

To make the pictures, you can: draw your own, use clip art, photocopy line drawings on to different coloured sheets of paper, or use a product such as "Flash-Pro" (see www.aba-materials.com)

1. Have a set of 4 pictures (e.g. big green fork, small green fork, big red fork, small red fork). Spread them out on the table in front of the child.

2. Ask the child to select the one you name.

3. When s/he can do this introduce another object so you have 8 pictures (e.g. big green fork, small green fork, big red fork, small red fork, big green cup, small green cup, big red cup, small red cup).

4. Swap roles so the child has a chance to give you instructions.

Different coloured sheets of paper, according to the colours you choose.

Pictures as above

Paper,

Coloured pens/pencils

(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.

.

- Range of hats

- Digital camera

- Mirror

- Symbol for 'You' - click here to print

1. Allow your child to choose a hat to wear. Point to your child and say 'You are wearing a hat'. Look in the mirror, point and say 'You are wearing a hat'.

2. Point to the symbol 'You' as you use the word 'You'.

3. Put a hat into your child's hand and encourage him/her to give the hat to you. Help the child to point at you and say 'Child's name says 'You are wearing a hat''.

4. Look in the mirror and help your child point and say again 'You are wearing a hat'.

5. Include other people in the game but keep using only the word 'you' to talk about what people are wearing. Point as you use the word 'you'.

- Set of familiar pictures which are easy to draw e.g. cat, dog, book etc.

- Bag

- Different objects

1. Offer the bag of objects to the child to choose an item.

2. As the child pulls out an object, model the phrase the child needs to use e.g. 'I have got the ...'.

3. You take out an object. Say 'I have got the ...'.

4. You want the child to copy your phrase and use the word 'I'. You may need to tell the child 'Copy my words'.

5. Keep doing this activity until the child can use the standard phrase 'I have got the...'. Reward the child for success with a smile or a sticker.

- Play food

or

- Food pictures - click here to print

- Action pictures - click here to print

- Soft toys

- Play food and kitchen items

- Optional camera

1. Start by playing with the cutlery and play food. Eat some food yourself and say 'I'm eating banana/ apple/ bread' etc.

2. Let the child play with the food. As he/she eats say 'Sally's eating a banana/ an apple/ some bread' etc.

3. You take photos of the child, you, or the soft toys eating/drinking different items. 

4. Print the photo and put it in a book. Show the child the book. Can he/she respond when you ask 'What's happening?' You may need to model the answer for the child for example 'Teddy's eating an apple/ banana/ bread' etc.

- Action sentence picture cards - click here to print.

- Postbox - click here to print a template or you can make your own using a cardboard box.

- Sentence building dice - click here to print.

- Sentence building dice with colourful semantic colour coding - click here to print.

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.

- category dice - click here to print

or

- category cards - click here to print - if you do not have a printer you could make your own.

- normal dice (optional)

1. Print and cut out the catgeory cards and/or dice. You can make your own if you do not have access to a printer.

2. Explain to your child you are going to play a game where you think of items from different categories, e.g. 'animals' - you might say 'cat'.

3. Choose either the category dice or cards to play with.

4. Roll the dice or choose a card. The person has to name an item from that category. If the same category comes up later in the game, you need to think of a different item. You may want to keep a list of the items that have been named as a reminder.

- Pen and paper

Everyday objects, bag.

The child is asked to go and 'buy' two and then three items. He/she must name or sign each item he wants. Use pictures or symbols as a 'shopping list'.

Two boxes, one with a picture of a monkey, another with a picture of cat. Cut a posting hole where the mouths are. Play food.

Introduce the monkey and cat saying they are very hungry.

Give instructions to the children such as 'Give Monkey the apple', 'Give the cat the banana and the ice cream'. Comment on what happened, for example 'Monkey ate the apple'. Give the child a go at saying what you should do.

Tea-set, play food, doll, teddy.

At least two toy animals or dolls, for example a doll, a teddy, a rabbit.

Prompt cards for actions the animals can do if needed.

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

Dolls/ teddies, tea set, play dough in two colours, cutters.

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.

Paper and pen/pencil for adult.

Big and small pictures of food items (for example from board maker, clipart, etc or enlarge/decrease pictures on the photocopier)

2 posting boxes, each with a picture of an animal on the front - you could use the animal's mouth for the slot; or 2 hand puppets with opening mouths

Symbols for the above adjectives

Pens, spoons, bricks and a bowl of water

You can find symbols for adjectives in the Commtap Symboliser.

1.Start by using objects. Collect a group of things which can get wet safely e.g. pens, spoons, lego bricks and put some in a bowl of water and some on the table near by.

2. Use the symbols for wet/dry and categorise the objects according to whether they are wet or dry.

3. Make a mistake sometimes and see if the child can catch you out!

4.Point out things in the child's everyday environment which are wet and dry

5.Can you give the child choices e.g 'Do you want a wet or a dry plate at dinner?'

Soft toys

Pretend food

Cups of juice

Cups and a jug of water

Pasta/beans

Blue-tak and pictures

Play-dough and pots

Drum and shakers and bells

Symbols

Picture books

You can find symbols for adjectives in the Commtap Symboliser.

Miniature figures for role play

Use not more than 6 items of things that have regular plural forms, for example, key(s), cup(s), ball(s), sock(s)

1. Put groups of each of the objects on one table, and single items of each on another table.

2. Point to each item or group of items, and name each, saying, for example, 'Here are the keys,'

3. Get the child to respond by indicating (eye/finger/head pointing or gesture) when you ask 'Where are the cups?'

4. Praise him when he does this correctly.

5. Then move on to the next item, e.g. 'Where is the Key? '

Sheet showing a mixture of single items and groups of the same items (if laminated, this can be reused)

Pen or pencil (use a whiteboard pen if your sheet is laminated)

Follow on from the previous activity where the child is indicating his understanding of which objects are plural / singular.

Not more than 6 different objects, as above

The things should be laid out as for the comprehension exercise above.