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Topic “Primary (5-11yrs)”
Primary school age (5-11 years)
Building story telling/narrative skills using visual aids
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Story Lines - Washing line - Pegs - Selection of pictures | 1. Peg a picture on the line and ask your child to look at it - you could ask you child to choose a picture from a selection. 2. The adult says "It's story time and we are going to make up a story with the pictures" The adult starts the story by using the word on the picture. 3. Encourage your child to take the next turn by choosing a new picture and thinking how they can add to the story that has already been started. 4. Keep going until all the pictures have been used, or the story comes to a natural end. | This activity can be carried out with a small group of children You may need to recap the story at each turn, or give options if your child is finding it challenging to know what they can add. You could use a familiar story and use pictures from the book pegged to the line - you could encourage your child to retell the story with the pictures.
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| Story Dice | This activity can be carried out with a small group of children You may need to recap the story at each turn, or give options if your child is finding it challenging to know what they can add. |
tell a simple story using a starter phrase or framework
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| On the way to school game "On my way home from school" resource: activity available to download free from www.speechteach.co.uk (see: www.speechteach.co.uk Download selected pictures and assemble the board in your chosen way. A start square and a finish square are recommended - try not to make the game board bigger than an A3 size sheet. Laminate for future use. | 1. Players each have a token and roll dice or use a spinner to move places on the board; 2. When a player lands on a picture of an animal they must say the starter phrase "On the way to school I saw..." and then add the name of that animal; 3. The activity can be extended by asking players to add to their story. Additional information could include adjectives (describing words - e.g. "big"), conjunctions (joining words - e.g. "and", "because") and verbs (action words, e.g. "run", "drop"). For example, "On my way to school today I saw a tiny mouse." | This game is ideal to work on in a small group with players of varying skill levels. Model the starter phrase and provide an example of what is expected. Players can be working at different levels whilst playing the same game e.g. one can be working at a naming level, whilst another can be working on adding an adjective to the sentence. To keep the game fun and interesting, children may be encouraged to make up a silly version of events. E.g. "On the way to school I saw a rabbit riding a bicycle". |
make predictions in simple stories and situations
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sequencing pictures Sets of sequencing pictures; Question mark card (optional). | 1. Put the pictures in order so that you can easily show them to the child one at a time; 2. Show the child the first picture in the sequence; 3. Ask them to tell you what's happening in the picture; 4. Then ask them to imagine what might happen next. To show this visually, put a card with a large question mark on it to the right of the picture; 5. When the child has suggested a sensible thing that might happen next, show them the next card in the sequence; 6. If there are differences between what the card shows and the child's suggestion, discuss why this might be; 7. Repeat for all the cards in the sequence. | When working with sequencing pictures, always work from left to right, and top to bottom, as this mirrors the direction we use when writing English. Choose your set of pictures carefully - you need sets that show a specific event happening (such as a car driving over a broken bottle and getting a flat tyre) rather than a sequence that develops over an extended time span (e.g. a child growing up, or the changes that happen to a tree during the different seasons). |
| Story books Story books |
Understand that written words convey meaning
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting up a sentence A sheet of paper or the child's writing book A pen A long piece of card (to write sentences on) A large marker pen Scissors | 1. Explain that you are going to play some sentence games and need to begin by writing a sentence. 2. Start from the child's experience so that the writing will have meaning for them. For example: "Tell me what you did last night.", "Tell me about your friend." 3. If necessary, and appropriate, discuss how to add to (or enrich) the sentence with an "extra clause", or an "adverb", or "adjectives" (see the comments for an explanation). 4. Write the agreed sentence in the child's book or on paper (in preparation for writing it on the card), encouraging the pupil to remember the sentence as you write it slowly. Constantly read what you have written so far, asking s/he to repeat what it was you said. 5. Ask the child to read the sentence to you as you write it slowly on the long piece of card. 6. Ask the child to cut up the card into separate words. 7. Re-read the sentence together then muddle up the separate pieces of card. 8. Ask the child to re-make the sentence, encouraging re-reading. 9. Ask the child to close his/her eyes, take a word away, ask the child to deduce the missing word by re-reading. | This activity demonstrates for pupils the link between speaking/reading/writing. It gives them a purpose in reading and re-reading. It develops the skill of holding words of a sentence in their heads as they write them. Some examples of enriching a sentence might take you from 'I went to the park' to 'I went to the park until my mum called me' (extra clause - underlined) or 'I went excitedly to the park' (adverb - which describes an action word - such as "went") or 'I went to the dark, scary park' (adjectives - which describe things such as a park). If the child struggles to identify one of the words cut up from the card encourage his/her use of decoding strategies, for example: (1) what might the word be, given the topic we are talking about (and remembering the sentence); (2) sounding out any familiar letters or combinations of letters in the word; (3) what words might fit into the sentence to make it sound right. Many extensions may be made to this activity. For example, the child might be more involved in the physical writing process. Initial letters might be cut. Can the child match them to the correct words? |
Sequences three pictures with first next last
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Picture sequences with first/next/last template Commercially produced sequencing cards e.g. Black Sheep press (see general resources), Colorcards - available from many educational suppliers. | 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. | Prepare materials in advance. Give a child time to familiarise him/herself with teaching materials and comment on them if needed before starting the learning activity. Give lots of praise. Correct mistakes gently! You can also look confused if the child tells the story in the wrong order. For children who are having difficulties grasping the connection between the picture sequence and an actual event, start with simple sequences you can actually act out - such as pouring a drink - and match a picture with each step of the sequence - e.g. (1) empty glass, full bottle, (2) pouring from bottle into the glass, (3) full glass, half empty bottle. |
| Story on a line. Clothes pegs String for a washing line. Sequence cards | Using a washing line can be motivating for some children. The child can put a card onto the washing line as he/she works thorugh them. Or alternatively he/she can take them off the line in order and tell the story. | |
| Sequencing cards Published cards of 3 step sequences (LDA or Colour Cards do some good ones). | If the child is struggling with the concept of 'first, next, last', you could write 1 2 3 on a sheet of paper. Do the same activity, but have the child find 2 and 3. Make sure you still talk about 'first, next, last'. When the child is confident in doing this, have him put all 3 cards in order - don't tell him which one is first. To make the activity more interesting, you could peg the pictures onto a string washing line, or stick them onto a special background (e.g. a rocket....) NB. When the child has the pictures in the wrong order, 'tell the story' out loud, and ask him if it makes sense. If he can spot a problem himself he will develop his skills more effectively. | |
| Sequencing Pictures Sequences of 3 pictures on paper (Black Sheep Press have a wide range) | To make the activity more interesting, use Blu Tac, and stick the pictures to the table first. If you are working with a group of children, 3 of them could stand in a line and hold one picture each. To put them in order they can change places in the line. You could also have the child write a sentence under each picture. NB. When the child has the pictures in the wrong order, 'tell the story' out loud, and ask her if it makes sense as in the activity above. | |
| Every day activities Digital camera photos of the child or people he knows doing every day activities |
Sequences three or more pictures
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Picture sequencing Ready made picture sequence cards, for example 'And then' (published by Schubi), pictures taken from a storybook. Sources of picture sequences: | Step 1 1. Start with three cards: the three cards can make up a whole story, or be part of a longer one; 2. Tell the story with the cards introducing each card one by one; 3. Get the child to have a go at retelling the story. Step 2 Using the same cards, this time give the child the cards all mixed up - the child needs to put the cards back in the right order and tell the story. Step 3 1. Using three cards which the child hasn't seen before, mix them up and give them to the child to try and work out the story; 2. When the child has put them in an order that he or she is happy with (not necessarily the right order) get him/her to tell you the story (see 'comments' column for ideas of what to do if the cards are in the wrong order) Step 4 Continue with more cards from the same story if the whole sequence is more than three steps long. Step 5 Try working with longer sequences. | To work on this activity, the child must understand the concept that a sequence of pictures can relate to a story, if not, do the activities in the sheet called "sequences three pictures showing a practical activity" which introduces this concept. If the pictures are in the wrong order, the child may notice this when they try to tell back the story. If not, ask questions to prompt the child to rethink how they've ordered the pictures. For example, if picture 1 shows a girl next to her snowman, picture 2 shows the sun melting it, and picture 3 shows the girl crying, but the child has got pictures 2 and 3 swapped around, you could ask about the second picture 'why is she crying?' and look confused. If you can physically act out the sequence this may also help. The idea is to try and get to the point where the child gets the pictures in the right order with the minimum amount of assistance from you. Try to avoid the situation where you need to physically re-arrange the pictures (if you keep needing to do this despite using prompting, then the sequence is probably too difficult). |
Stories from pictures
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence pictures and comment on them Commercially available sequencing pictures Photo-copied pictures from a favourite book Photos from an outing |
| You may need to model this skill for children ie talking about what is in the picture. Encourage children to give the information about their pictures to others who are not already 'in the know'! This is motivating and can make more sense to some children. |
| Child's own drawings |
Recognise half the letters of the alphabet
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Match, select and name letters: step 1 - match 2 sets of moveable letters, or letters printed clearly on cards | 1. Make sure the child knows the concept of 'same' and 'different' (if not, this can be taught using objects, or pictures of objects). 2. Choose 2 letters that do not look or sound similar (e.g. s and m). 3. Put one of each letter in front of the child. 4. Hold a second copy of one of the letters, and say 'Look, this is the same as this'. Put the letter down next to its pair. 5. Give the child the extra letter, and ask 'Which is the same?' they should put the letter down next to its pair. 6. If the child does not know, or does it wrong, model again. 7. Repeat with the second extra letter. 8. Ask the child to match the letters 3 or 4 times in this way, or until they are clear which pairs of letters are the same. | Teach same and different, where necessary. This activity is for children who are finding basic letter knowledge very hard to acquire. You will need to move at their speed. s, a, m, and t are good letters to use at the beginning. |
| Match, select and name letters: step 2 - select 2 sets of moveable letters, or letters printed clearly on cards | You will need to follow the practice in your school about whether to use letter names or sounds. For this activity, stick to one or the other. | |
| Match, select and name letters: step 3 - name 2 sets of moveable letters, or letters printed clearly on cards | At this point you may choose to show the child how to write the 2 letters. When you are sure the letters you are working on have been mastered, add an extra letter - and begin with step 1 - match again. When 4 or 5 letters have been introduced, remove the easiest ones so that there are never too many on the table at one time - but check earlier ones from time to time. If you find you no longer need to do the 'match' step, it may be a sign that the child is ready for a standard phonics programme, such as Direct Phonics, instead of this. Alternatively, this procedure could be used alongside a phonics programme whenever a new letter is introduced. |
Joins in discussion about a story
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sharing big book at carpet time | 1. Define child's sitting space with carpet tile or tape. Always use the same space for big book time. (This might not be necessary for all children). 2. Start with short periods of shared sitting and listening to a story and build up to longer times. Using an egg timer may help to establish the idea of good sitting initially. When good sitting is established the timer can be removed. 3. If asking a question about the shared book to a group always use the child's name to alert him/her to a question - even a question addressed to the whole class. 4. Start by asking questions you know the child can answer. 5. If necessary focus the child's attention by taking his/her hand and pointing to/touching the relevant part of the book 6. Allow the child a chance to pre-read the big book so that events are already familiar. | Be clear about expectations but keep them reasonable You could use a visual timetable to indicate that it is big book time or that the big book time is finished. |
understands printed word can describe own experience
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Event recall A sheet with columns labelled with 'when', 'who', 'what', 'where' | Use a recent event and the 'wh' recall sheet and fill this out with the child e.g. a trip to the swimming bath - fill in a word or two to describe when the event took place, who went, what the event was and where it took place. The event can then be recalled by reading across the columns. This technique can be used to recall a recent book or game in the playground, or cooking lesson. | Keep language simple - the object is to show that print is relevant to real life experience and pictures of real life. Use 2/3 word phrases only. Give lots of reward even for small bits of a task well done - you don't have to wait till the end of a task to reward. This way you can always reward good behaviour before the child gets restless. |
| Recent event picture sequence Scrap book Photos from home or a school trip | ||
| Simple stick man drawings of an event | ||
| Diary | ||
| Home-school book |
Use and understand photos of self with text
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Photo album of child's daily life Home made book of daily life photos with home made text |
| Photos need to be of familiar people activities and objects. Keep spoken and written descriptions of the photos short. When talking about the photos repeat photo descriptions using the same phrase as the written phrase. |
| Sharing a photo book with a child Book as above | ||
| Using the text in the photo book Photo book as above |
shares a book with an adult or a child
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| A favourite book, a pop-up book or book of photos (A home made photo book using photos from home or photos taken through out the school day is very motivating for children who are just starting to look at books). A quiet comfortable place to read. |
| Keep language simple Point and comment and repeat repeat repeat! |
| A favourite book or a book of photos. Copies of some pictures in the book - for example some objects in the book -coloured and cut out. | ||
| A favourite book A quiet comfortable place to read 'Wh' words on symbol cards
You can make symbol cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.
| ||
| Two well liked books 'Wh' words on symbol cards
You can make symbol cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint. |
Recognises own written name
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Tactile examples of the child's written name Template of the child's name. Cardboard Sandpaper Shiny paper | 1. Cut out the letters of the child's name in crinkly cardboard/ sandpaper. 2. Match the letters you have cut out to a template of the child's name. 3. Praise the child for matching. 4. Help the child trace their name with their finger over the cardboard/sandpaper letters. 5. At the end say the whole name and point to it making sure the child is focused on the name. | Make sure the child is looking at what you want them to look at. You may need to gently direct their head and point to the thing you want the child to notice. Allow time for the child to explore new material before working with it. Be consistent. Give lots of praise. Use short 2 word phrases. Repeat things. |
| Magnetic letters | ||
| Name labels Computer Scissors Stickers etc | ||
| A laminated example of the child's computer print out name | ||
| Fishing Paper clips Magnetic fishing rods More computer printouts of the child's name. Plain black and white printouts of a name that is much longer/shorter then the target child's name |
Points to text in stories with own name
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Photo album book Photos of the child doing things; Plain paper book or paper to make one. |
| Use concrete, familiar events/actions that the child is familiar with. |
Discusses pictures and creates simple narrative
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Creates own narrative when reading a book Appealing book - if possible without text. |
| Choose a much liked book. Use phrases of 1 or 2 words only to name and label pictures. Use lots of repetition. Give the child time to explore materials and pictures in his/her own way. End the activity on a high note - even if this means only doing the activity for a short time. Use lots of praise when the child names or labels pictures. |
| Discusses pictures in a book Appealing book photocopied - Blu tac |
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