Topic “L1”  

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

- 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.

.

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.

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.

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.

A Playmobil figure or similar

Small world objects - some of them broken

1. Explain that you are going to tell a story about the toy.

2. Tell a story about what the toy does in the day. Lots of things go wrong because the objects are broken e.g. 'want to go to work in the car but it won't move.'

3. Whenever there is a problem for the toy, ask the child 'why?' e.g. 'why won't the car move?' Answer: 'because there is no wheel!'

A toy character (called Freddy)

Pictures of different locations, e.g. beach, mountains

One or two items which go with each location e.g. bucket and swimming costume for the beach

Pictures of different locations with different 'hazards' or things of interest e.g. a jungle with a river and dinosaurs

Two toy animals (wind up toys are ideal)

Equipment to demonstrate an everyday problem and discuss it.

Some examples of equipment you could use:

Torch or toy with no batteries;

Cup with a hole in it;

Dry pasta;

Pen with no nib and in;

Broken pencil;

Dry pen with no lid.

Ask the children "what is a compliment? What should you do if someone gives you a compliment?"

'Teen-age' rag dolls

Cards with names of everyone in the group (including adults)

Giving and receiving compliments as part of a language group. This is a good way to boost children's self esteem.

Materials:

Compliment prompt cards, with or without visual support, as appropriate.

Compliments chart, with each child's name on the left side, with a space on the right side for the chosen compliment to be stuck.

For example:

Blu-tac to stick the compliment cards on to the chart, and the chart on to the wall.

Ball of string

Compliments prompt cards if appropriate.

Work sheet for each child - on the right hand side, there should be space to stick the picture, on the left, a cloze procedure passage saying:

'My name is ___________

I am ___ years old

I have ____ eyes

I have ____skin

I have ____ hair

I like_________________

I am good at __________

My friend is called ______'

Printouts of body, hair, clothes etc from www.makingfriends.com

Glue

Scissors

Mirror (optional)

1. Print out bodies, hair and clothes from the website - make sure you have the bodies and hair available to allow each child to make a reasonably accurate representation of themselves.

2. Help the children make a picture of themselves using pictures from the website.

3. Add to the pictures to the sheet and help the children fill in the blanks.

4. Ask each child feed back to group.

5. Have a brief discussion of valuing everyone irrespective of colour, looks etc.

Photo emotions cards (e.g. LDA, Colorcards or from Flash-Pro) showing photos of Happy, Sad and Angry faces

1. Show the child the pictures and ask them to identify the emotion shown.

2. Help the child to think of alternative names for each emotion (e.g. angry = cross, annoyed, vexed, mad, cheesed off, in a bad temper etc. ...).

3. Put the pictures where the child can see them.

4. Say a sentence in a tone of voice that contradicts the message, e.g. "I'm fine, nothing's wrong with me" in a sad voice.

5. Ask the child to point to the right picture (or say its name) for the emotion you portray

6. Ask the child: "how did I say I was feeling?" and "How did I really feel?"

Story script

- see "Robert's Friend" (https://en.commtap.org/additional-resource/roberts-friend), or make up your own story (two main characters and two others - one of the main characters wants to play with their friend the whole time, and they fall out).

Explain to the child / children that you are going to tell them a story. They need to tell you what the characters did that was good and what was not good.

Tell the story, and repeat it.

Discuss. Talk about what the characters could do differently.

Puppets / paper figures

Story script used above

A3 sheet of paper

pens

Flash cards (optional)

Puppets (optional)

Laminated card 'I would like to play a game with...'

Sticky notes

Pen

Some simple games

Timer (optional)

Group game for a minimum of three people

• Dice and shaker
• Pictures of a variety of different emotions (minimum 6), for example  Google image search;
• Two counters per person (each person needs two counters the same colour, but different from everyone else’s);
• 1-6 grid;
• Game track;
• Phrases cards.

1. Shuffle the emotions cards and put one face up in each of the spaces on the 1-6 grid.

2. Check the children/young person know what each card says and what the emotion is (remove any that are too difficult and put new cards in their place).

3. Let everyone choose a coloured counter. Everyone puts one of their counters on the “start”.

4. Choose one person to start (perhaps the adult should go first).

5. The person who starts shakes the dice in the cup, and puts the cup upside down on the table. Carefully lift up the cup and look at the dice so only you know which number is on top. Look at the emotions cards on the board to see which emotion corresponds to the number on the dice – but don’t say what it is.

6. Pick a phrase card. Read the phrase on the card, displaying the emotion you have been given. Use your voice and gestures. It’s fine to give children help in reading what the phrase is, but not in how to display the emotion!

7. The other players watch the player acting out the emotion. They decide which of the emotions the player is portraying. They put their other counter on the name of the emotion they have chosen.

8. When everyone has voted, the player who acted the emotion lifts up the cup to show which number was on the dice.

9. Check to see who chose the correct emotion. The people who chose correctly move their counter on to the next space

10. The player who acted also moves their counter on the same number of orange spaces as the number of people who guessed correctly.

11. The next player then has a turn to act. Continue until someone has reached the “finish” space.

• Figures - finger puppets, figures cut from magazines, Playmobil (miniature world) figures etc.
• Some short story scripts.

1. Explain to the child that you are going to practise deciding if people are being good friends or not.
2. Explain that they need to watch / help to act out the story and then you will talk about it.
3. Act out one of the story scripts together.
4. Have the child say if the characters (or one specific character) are being good friends or not, and why.
5. Ask them what the characters could do differently.

• Puppets (optional)
• Story scripts or requirements for what the story should be about.

• A small notebook.
• A poster on 'how to be a good friend' - optional.
• Pen.
• Rewards - e.g. stickers or certificate.

• Small motivating stickers.

Pictures of people talking to each other, for example:

Picture books (you may need to cover any writing on the page if this distracts the child);

Commercially produced pictures (e.g. LDA - Emotions cards, "Passages a decouvrir", etc);

Photos (e.g. family snaps, or photos you have specially prepared);

Pictures from comics and magazines;

Drawings you have done.

Pieces of paper cut into the shape of a speech bubble (you can buy speech bubble-shaped post-its from stationers such as Ryman or on-line)

Blu-tac (optional)

1. Show the child the picture you have selected;

2. Encourage them to have a good look at the picture;

3. Encourage them to talk about what is happening in the picture;

4. Encourage them to think about what the people in the pictures might be saying;

5. Stick a speech bubble on the picture so that it is coming out of each person's mouth;

6. Ask what each person is saying;

7. Write this down in the speech bubble (or let the child write it themself).