Topic “P8”  

- 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.

Sheet with 3 columns, one headed "who?", one headed "what?", one headed "why?"

Brick cube

'Wh' word symbols

You can make these resources using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.

1. Use the sheet as you retell stories or events or activities that you have recently done with the child. Fill in the columns so that you can 'read' across the sheet and retell the story.
2. Each time ask the child a 'wh' question and give any help needed with the answer so that the child feels successful.
3. Stick the 'wh' word symbols to the sides of a brick cube. Have a picture available to discuss and play games rolling the cube and answering the 'wh' question that is uppermost on the dice.

Picture cards with emotions

Optional - choice of pictures showing possible reasons - for example a picture of a boy who has fallen over to go with a picture of a boy who is crying.

1. Look at an emotion picture card - discuss what is happening, for example, "Look... the boy is crying.";
2. Ask 'Why is he crying?' and give a model answer for example "because he is sad", "because he fell over".

One or more pictures showing scenes - for example someone running away, a hot beach.

Or...

Pictures in a book.

Two toys one desirable and one not.

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.

Breakfast food and implements, rough sketches or photos of each stage in the sequence to use as prompts.

Ideas for sequences:

Toast

1. Get the bread
2. Open the packet
3. Take out two slices
4. Put them in the toaster
5. Push down the lever
6. Wait for it to pop up
7. Take it out
8. Spread butter on them
9. (Spread jam on them)
10. Eat

Note: you can simplify the sequence - e.g. bread - toaster - spread butter. Or you could make it more complex.

Make a cup of tea

1. Fill the kettle with water
2. Switch it on
3. Wait
4. Put the teabag  the cup
5. Pour in the water
6. Wait
7. Take out the teabag and put it in the bin
8. Add milk
9. Drink

As with the toast, you can simplify this or make it more complicated!

1. Ensure that the student already knows how to do the activity - for example that they are able to make toast and spread it.
2. Get them to tell you what to do/show you what to do: initially start with a simplified sequence with 3 or 4 steps (see ideas on the left);
3. Respond to what the student indicates that you should do - but look confused if it won't work - for example if they ask you to put cold water in the tea (yuk!) to help encourage them to correct themselves: use the pictures or photos if necessary.
4. Over time, see how much of the sequence they can describe without any prompts. 

Optional - something to record the students responses on (e.g. paper/pen) which can later be used as a prompt;

Soft ball or beanbag.

1. Go round each student, asking them what their favourite food is - write it down and/or do a very rough sketch of it as you go;
2. One student has a ball, they choose another student and say the other student's name and what their favourite food is - for example "Tom - you like burgers". They then pass the ball to that student. Use the prompt card if necessary.

Optional - way of recording students responses - e.g. paper/pen, whiteboard/marker

1. Go round each student in turn asking what they have done today - e.g. "what did you do this morning": ideally one or two things each.
2. Write and/or sketch something (very roughly!!) under each student's name on the sheet of paper (you can use this as a prompt later).
3. After all students have said something, pretend to have "forotten" what they'd said - ask individual students to remind you, for example "Karen, what did Abdul do?" - use the prompt sheet if necessary.

Optional - way of recording students responses - e.g. paper/pen, whiteboard/marker

Soft ball or beanbag

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).

Cards showing a range of nouns and adjectives plus the words "the" and "is". DLTK's examples. (https://www.dltk-kids.com/)

Pencil and paper (optional)

1. Lay the word "is" on the table in front of the child. Put the word "the" to the left of this, with a gap in between them. Check that the child can read both words;

2. Put one of the noun cards into the gap between the words "the" and "is";

3. Put one of the adjective cards after the word "is";

4. Read the sentence to the child (e.g. "the monster is green");

5. Encourage the child to make up new sentences in the same manner. It doesn't matter if the sentences are silly;

6. You can use the paper to record the sentences made, or for the child to draw an appropriate picture on.

Feely bag containing a range of objects (choose objects appropriate for the children you are working with);

"is" cue card as previous activity.

- 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.

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.

What's wrong pictures (e.g. LDA, Colorcards)

Pen and paper

1. Choose a picture (or let the child choose one). Both people look at it. Take it in turns to describe the picture and say how it should look. Make sure you have a new picture to describe each time.

2. Take it in turns to choose a picture, which you keep hidden from the other person. Describe the picture while the other person tries to draw it based on your description. Compare the drawing to the original picture and say how the picture should look. If the drawing does not look very much like the picture, say why this went wrong.

Large composite pictures (e.g. "passages a decouvrir").

Score sheet (2 columns - one with your name at the top, the other with the child's)

Pen

A group of identical objects e.g. red lego bricks/coloured beakers/paint brushes and an object that is quite different.

Pictures of identical things e.g. lots of pictures of apples/shoes from the computer. Or photo copy something a number of times

Contrast with a different computer image or photo copied item.

Put out the identical objects one at a time and say 'Red lego, red lego' etc 'Look...........the same.' Use a sign/symbol/word to label the things as 'Same'.

Make a show of the item that is different. Label as 'Different' with sign/symbol/word.

Follow the same procedure with pictures as for working with objects.

Colouring -in pictures of house/car/child/snowman etc

Set of snap cards.

This is a preparatory activity for working on sequencing daily events. See also the following (at www.commtap.org):

Sequences three or more pictures;

Sequences three pictures with first next last;

Sequence pictures symbols words

Materials required:

Your own or commercially produced sequencing cards (e.g. Black Sheep press - see "general resources"), Colorcards - available from many educational suppliers)

FIRST/LAST template which looks like this (leaving spaces to put the pictures):

FIRST

LAST

FIRST/NEXT/LAST template, as follows (leave spaces for the pictures):

FIRST

NEXT

LAST

1. Use the first/last template to model the sequence of first and last.

2. Start with 2 picture sequences of a simple event e.g. 'rain falling' 'girl puts up umbrella'.

3. Talk about the pictures. Ask the child 'What is happening in the first picture?' Discuss the consequences of the first picture (getting wet) and what the girl does (puts up the umbrella)

4. Put the two pictures into the template: one in the FIRST column and the other in the LAST column.

5. Do this with a range of 2 sequence picture stories.

6. Turn the cards face down and take turns to turn them over and put them in the right part of the FIRST/LAST template. Can the child tell the story?

7. When the child is confident using the FIRST LAST template to order 2 picture sequences move onto using 3 picture sequences and use the FIRST/NEXT/LAST template.

8. Follow the procedure for working with 2 picture sequences.

FIRST/NEXT/LAST

template

Photos of familiar aspects of school life (use a digital camera to take photos)

Pictures of activities relevant to a school day

e.g. break time, different lessons

Pictures of activities relevant to a weekend day

e.g. going to the park, going to the shops

A strip of card with Velcro on it, long enough to fit the whole sequence on it / timeline

1. Start with just one set of pictures; the school day ones will have the least variation and so should be easier.

2. Go over what the pictures are first.

3. Have the child put them in the right order on the strip to fit their own day.

4. Discuss any variation in routines, and use sequencing language such as 'before, after, first, then, next'. Refer to time for well known points, e.g. start of school, lunch time, home time. Emphasise concepts of 'morning, afternoon, evening, night'.

5. Introduce pictures of activities at home and put in order for a weekend or holiday day. When the children are confident with this, you could give them all the pictures and have them sort them out.

Pens / pencils

Paper

Glue

Scissors

Black Sheep Worksheets:

There are several relevant packs, including 'times of the day' and 'days'.

Black Sheep Press