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Topic “Primary (5-11yrs)”
Primary school age (5-11 years)
Story retelling when looking at books
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Favourite book 'wh' words (who, what, when, where) on symbol cards You can make question symbol cards using the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint. | 1. Share an attractive book with the child. Point to the pictures talk about what is happening in the picture, what the characters are doing etc 2. Let the child become very familiar with the book 3. Ask questions about the story and pictures and use one of the 'wh' word symbols to help focus the child's attention e.g. 'who is eating?' and show the 'who' symbol, or 'where is Spot hiding' and show the 'where' symbol. Help the child with model answers if needed. E.g. 'Look Spot is hiding here...under the rug.' | Shared enjoyment of a book Use simple language Reward all attempts to retell a story Provide a model answer if the child is struggling. |
| Familiar stories A 'wh' word retell sheet A familiar book |
Show curiosity about book content
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sharing a book Two attractive books - maybe pop-up or flap books. | 1. Start by offering the child a choice of the 2 attractive books. Take as a choice the child reaching for a book or looking at a book. 2. Find a nice place to sit and open the book so the child can see the pages easily 3. Point to an object and name it - use lots of animation in your voice. 4. Direct the child attention if needed. 5. Use lots of repetition when you look at a book 6. Make 'reading' sessions short but enjoyable. | The object is to develop spontaneous interest in books. The child may want only to look at one book or to look at lots in a row , all of which is fine so long as it is a shared activity. Keep the language you use to talk about the books to 2 word phrases. E.g. 'big apple', 'red bus' etc. |
| Answers basic two-key word questions about the book | Keep language simple Keep it fun Keep it short. |
Match pictures to labels
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Pictures and Text Pictures of familiar objects and their printed labels e.g. Picture of a dog and the label 'dog' Maybe borrow a book from home which the child likes and photocopy and then use as a picture resource . | 1. Cut out or photocopy 5 pictures of items the child is familiar with. E.g. animals/food items/objects or people from Peter and Jane books. 2. Print labels for the items 3. Give the child one picture and one label. 4. Put the two together - point to the print and read it. | Give a reward for this activity because it is not intrinsically rewarding. Increase to two pictures and two printed labels. Model the correct match. Reward each correct match. |
Match objects to pictures to symbols
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Object to picture matching Set of picture cards representing everyday objects. Objects to match the things on the cards. For the picture cards, you could use photos, or create using symbols | 1. Start with the child's most familiar/favoured objects. Choose 2 and the two matching pictures. Match the object to the picture and say 'Look........sock/pen/flower it's the same' 2. Can the child put the object on a picture given 2 pictures and 2 objects. 3. Reward any success. 4. Start to increase the number of objects and pictures to 3 then 4 but go slowly. 5. Play a game by putting out 3 cards face down and 3 matching objects . Take it in turns to turn over a card and select the matching object 6. Use a puppet and see if the child can help the puppet match objects and cards. 7. Get a selection of cards of things in the room can you walk around with the child and find objects to match the cards Reward! | Keep rewarding Give enough time Focus attention using one or two words only Stop while the going is still good Have fun! |
listen and respond to stories
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Books with pictures Picture books | 1. Get 2 simple books with clear pictures. Or choose flap or pop-up books. Offer the child a choice. The book the child reaches for or looks at is considered the child's choice. 2. Get comfortable with the child and look at the first picture. Use lots of animation in your voice and lift the flap or move the pop-up feature or point to an item on the page and name it at the one word level e.g. 'Look...........apple!' or 'Look...........monkey'. 3. The child may not want to continue very long with this ......a few minutes attention is OK. Finish the activity on a good note even if you have only liked at one or two pictures. | Keep the experience short and snappy Use simple language to label pictures - 1 or 2 words at the most Repeat, repeat, repeat! |
| Picture cards | ||
| Family photos Ask parent for family photos from home |
choose and share a book with an adult
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing a book Two different attractive books | 1. Hold the two books for the child to choose from where the child can see but a distance apart - it is easier to make a choice if objects are not too close. 2. If necessary help the child to choose by following the child's eye gaze and then guiding their hand to that book. Say 'You want this one.' | Give the child enough time to make a choice, be pleased with what ever choice is made! If the child finds choosing difficult simplify the choice by offering an attractive book and a not attractive book. It can be hard to choose between two desirable items. |
| Sharing books with an adult A chosen book Somewhere comfortable and pleasant to read together | A reading session may be short - it is better to have a short focused and enjoyable reading time than a longer one where the child gets bored. |
use pictures and text to get information
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday situation with words and a picture 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 (the child reads the story) and the level A questions. | 1. Choose a scenario. 2. Let the child read the story. 3. Ask the child questions verbally focusing on questions where the child looks for the answer in the text 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. ("LfT level A questions"). | If a child gives a short answer, prompt them to expand it. If the child finds these questions easy, use some questions that require more working out and understanding of the context e.g. 'What will happen next?' 'How else could he do it? ("LfT level B questions"). |
sequence chunks of text to make a whole eg story
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Jumbled sentences A photocopied piece of text without illustrations on A4 paper/card for each pupil, such as a traditional tale or a set of instructions. Each pupil should have a different text, at a level they can all read aloud quite easily. A second copy of each piece of text for you to keep in your 'Results' envelope. Ruler/pencil Scissors 1 envelope for each child and 1 envelope marked 'The results'. | 1. Give out one copy of the text to pupil and keep one master copy for yourself. Put the master copy in the 'Results' envelope. 2. Explain the task is to make a comprehension puzzle for another pupil and then to become a 'comprehension detective' to improve their reading for meaning skills. 3. Give pupils time to read through the page of text independently. 4. Ask pupils to read the text through again. This time they need to decide where to divide it up into a puzzle with a beginning, middle and end. 5. Pupils indicate with pencil where they would like to divide the text up. (They will draw 2 lines to make three pieces.) 6. Check with pupils where they are going to divide the text up before they start cutting it! Sensitively suggest changes if necessary. 7. Cut it up with scissors. Each pupil places the pieces of text in their own envelope. 8. Pupils swap envelopes with a partner. They read through what their partner has given them and put it back in the right order. 9. Before you give each pupil the original uncut copy, encourage them to talk about and point to the 'clues' in the text, which lead them to make their decision. 10. Open the envelope! Were they correct? | This activity may be useful for bilingual pupils and pupils with speech and language difficulties, who can sometimes read aloud with confidence but have difficulty in understanding/answering comprehension questions. This activity could be done in a small group (e.g. with 3 pupils) or in pairs. It could also be adapted for 1-1 work. Try to keep the activity fun. Encourage them to explain why they would divide the text up at the points they have chosen. Support pupils with fine motor skills difficulties where necessary. When being the detective, encourage them to look for language that shows sequence, e.g. firstly, after that, finally. Write down notes/phrases that helped them on a white board/flipchart. Extension activity You could ask them to divide the text into 4, 5 or 6 segments if appropriate for their comprehension needs. |
read short vowel sounds in regular words
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Using fingers to learn the 'short' vowel sounds A (non-toxic!) pen A pencil or other form of pointer | 1. Using the pen, on each finger/thumb pad of your non writing hand, write one vowel starting with 'a' on the thumb and continuing with 'e', 'i', 'o' and finishing with 'u' on the little finger. 2. Ascertain your child's non-writing hand and write on each finger pad one of the vowels again starting with the 'a' on the thumb and finishing with 'u' on the little finger. 3. The child watches you model pointing to a finger/thumb pad of your hand and then clearly and accurately sounds the appropriate short vowel (see comments). 4. Hold your hand in a position that can be seen by both the child and yourself. Ask the child to indicate, using a pencil, a finger/vowel. You clearly and accurately, sound the vowel indicated. 5. Reverse the procedure by having the child hold their hand, palm up, while you indicate with a pencil, which vowel you wish them to sound. Even if you cannot see the actual written vowel, you will know which vowel is on each pad (a source of interest to some children). 6. Correct any inaccurate sounds immediately and keep the praise going for correct soundings. 7. Mix up the order of the vowels you ask the child to say. Don't just focus on confused or problematic vowels. 8. Try reversing roles back again by having the child indicate which vowel sound you must supply (as in 4. above). 9. The class teacher or teaching assistant will need to write the vowels on the child's hand in the same order at the start of each new day, and periodically check that they are still legible. With older, or well co-ordinated younger children, the child can write the vowels for themselves but the adult will need to check their order and legibility. 10. Encourage the use of referring to their 'finger vowels' when spelling, either in the course of writing or when spelling words in isolation (e.g. a spelling check). 11. Use the above activities (but mainly activity number 5) daily and encourage the child to look at their 'finger vowels' when reading words featuring previously confused or insecure vowels. 12. The aim is to make a strong link between each 'short' vowel sound and a particular finger or thumb of their non-writing hand. Eventually the child no longer need to have vowels written on their finger/thumb pads. S/he will then need to simply glance at the respective finger/thumb in order to access the accurate sound for the vowel associated with that finger/thumb. | The short vowels: 'a' as in cat; 'e' as in bed; 'i' as in sit; 'o' as in 'top'; 'u' as in 'cup' This is a multi-sensory method to instil a sensory correspondence between 'short' vowel sounds (vowel phonemes) and certain digits of their non-writing hand. Once established the child needs only to glance at their hand or even just visualise it, in order to retrieve the correct sound (phoneme) and thereby assist reading and spelling abilities. You will need to be sensitive to individual preferences or any cultural practices of your pupil(s) or their parents/guardians. Deter children from sucking their fingers or thumbs. Always label the vowels starting with an 'a' on the thumb. This is also consistent with how vowels are signed in British Sign Language and in key word signing systems such as Signalong and Makaton. This consistency will also give you another way to help the child remember the vowels as you could ask the child to think of the 'thumb vowel' for 'a', the 'middle finger vowel' for 'i' and so on. Speed it up when appropriate to improve automaticity (or simply have fun by being unrealistically fast!) Keep it light, keep it fun! Phonemes and graphemes A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can make a difference in meaning. For example the sounds 'b' and 'h' are both phonemes in the words 'bed' and 'head' because changing just those sounds will make a difference in meaning to the word you say. A grapheme is the letter or letters which are used to write down phonemes. For example the underlined letters in the words 'bed' and 'head' are both graphemes for the short 'e' sound. |
predict infer and analyse from pictures and text
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday situation with words and a picture 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 C 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 the questions verbally. 4. Focus on questions that require more working out and understanding of the context, e.g. 'What will happen if he...?' 'Why is it made of that?' 'If you were X, what would you say / do?' 'Why can't he?' (LfT level C questions). | Use some simpler questions to start with. (LfT level A and B if you are using the Language for Thinking book). If a child gives a short answer, prompt them to expand it. If the child finds these questions easy, move on to having them read the story without looking at the picture. Go back to using simpler questions and move up through question levels again. (LfT Module 3). |
relate pictures and text to the wider context
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday situation with words and a picture 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? | Use some simpler questions to start with. If a child gives a short answer, prompt them to expand it. If the child finds these questions easy, use some questions that require more working out and understanding of the context, e.g. 'What will happen if he...?' 'Why is it made of that?' 'If you were X, what would you say / do?' 'Why can't he?' ("LfT level C questions"). |
predict infer and analyse from pictures and text
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday situation with words and a picture 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 C questions. | 1. Choose a scenario. 2. Let the child read the story. 3. Ask the child the questions verbally. 4. Focus on questions that require more working out and understanding of the context, e.g. 'What will happen if he...?' 'Why is it made of that?' 'If you were X, what would you say / do?' 'Why can't he?' (LfT level C questions). | Use some simpler questions to start with. If a child gives a short answer, prompt them to expand it. |
improve reading fluency speed and intonation
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Recording a story for a younger child Resources: A short book that a younger child would enjoy. It needs to be quite easy for the pupil doing the reading - at least 19 words out of 20 accurate the first time they read the book. A computer with microphone, or a tape recorder, etc. | 1. Explain that you are going to record them reading a book for a younger child to listen to. 2. Either provide or help them choose a suitable book (see left, under resources). 3. Explain that they have got to make it sound exciting, to keep the younger child interested. (You may want to model someone reading in a boring way and someone reading in an exciting way.) 4. Tell them they will have as much practice as they need to make a really good recording. 5. Ask them to read the book to you. Give them as much help as they need. Keep a note of which words they struggle with. 6. Discuss what the book was about, how characters were feeling, etc. Make sure they understand it fully. 7. Go back and remind them how to read any difficult words. Discuss what the words mean if necessary. 8. Ask them to read the book again. This time focus on how they read it. Model fluent, interesting ways of reading some of the sentences for them. 9. They re-read the book as often as needed, until they can read it fluently. 10. They record the book. Ideally they should have control of the recording process (pausing the recording, re-recording, etc). 11. They may prefer to record a page at a time, and then practise the next page again before recording that. | Some pupils learn to read quite accurately, and may improve their comprehension, but still read very slowly and without expression. Their reading is not fluent. These activities are designed to improve their fluency. An alternative to the recording activity could be simply preparing the pupil to read aloud to a younger child, perhaps a younger sibling. Another alternative is for them to write and illustrate a story themselves, and then record it. Storybook Weaver is a good ICT resource for this (available on Amazon for example). Fairy stories are particularly good for this - especially ones with people talking: "I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!". |
knows alphabetical order
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Using an alphabet rainbow to learn alphabetical order Two sets of plastic or wooden lower case letters. Keep the two sets in separate bags. An A3 landscape chart of the letters set out in alphabetical order and made into a rainbow arc using WordArt | 1. Check that the child knows all the letter names. Teach any they are unsure of. 2. Point to the chart and ask the child to read the alphabet with you. 3. Give the child one set of letters and ask them to make their own rainbow using the chart as a guide:
4. Ask the child to close their eyes and tell you the order. 5. Set out the the letters the child is able to recite in alphabetical order with the second set of letters, for example:
6. Select the next few letters which the child does not yet know the order of from the second set of letters, for example:
7. Ask the child to match the target group of letters with the first set, saying the name of each letter as they do so. For example:
8. Take the target group again, jumble them up, ask the child to put them in order again, saying the names as they do so. 9. Ask the child to close their eyes and put the letters one by one in their hand (in order) and ask them to identify the letter. Repeat, faster and faster. 10. Repeat steps 1-9 daily until they know the target set. Once the child is confident with this set of letters: 11. Add these letters to the known ones and introduce the next group of letters. Other exercises: 12. Ask the child to close their eyes and point to where they think a particular letter is in the array e.g. m. 13. Repeat 12 using a simple dictionary, high frequency word chart set out in alphabetical order, phone book, index of a topic book, library classification chart etc. | Use a record sheet. Make a plan with all the adults working with the child to teach the remaining letters. Make sure the child points with you. Do this daily. In this way you will identify which bits they know e.g. a-g. Keep a record of this by colouring in an A4 copy of the chart. This is the 'target group'. If a-g are already known, the target group may be h i j k. Remember that l,m,n,o,p is a tongue twister. This helps to show why it is important to know alphabetical order. The alphabet rainbow can be used to teach spellings and phonically regular patterns - letters are pulled out of the rainbow to build words. |
use pictures and text together to get information
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday situation with words and a picture 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 the level A questions. | 1. Choose a scenario picture. 2. Show the children the picture and let them read the story. 3. Ask the child the questions verbally. 4. Focus on questions where the child looks for the answer in the picture and just uses a little background knowledge (the LfT level A questions). E.g. 'Find one that is....', 'When did...', 'What does this do?' 'What else is a X? etc. | If a child gives a short answer, prompt them to expand it. If the child finds these questions easy ("LfT level A"), use some questions that require more working out and understanding of the context e.g. 'What will happen next?' 'How else could he do it? ("LfT level B questions"). |
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