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Topic “Secondary (11-16yrs)”
Secondary school age (11-16 years)
To follow sequenced 4 to 5 key word instructions
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Barrier Worksheets A picture to colour - enough copies for everyone doing the activity, and for the adult too. Colouring pens / pencils A big book or folder to make a barrier | Explain that this activity is to practise listening, so the child must listen carefully. You will only say the instruction once. Give the child / children a sheet (one for everyone) and take one yourself. Put the barrier up, so that the child cannot see your picture. Give an instruction telling them to colour part of the picture, and colour it yourself. Make sure the instruction has at least 4 key words, and involves doing one thing before something else. E.g. if you have a picture of a robot you could say: 'Colour the robot's head blue and then colour two shoes red.' The words underlined are the key words, and there are 2 steps to the instruction. When you have all finished that instruction, hold up your picture, so the children can check if they got it right. | The activity is designed so that the child has to listen to, understand and remember an instruction of 4-5 key words. If you break the instruction up into the different steps, the child will be working with several short instructions instead of one long one. E.g. 'colour the robot's head blue. And then colour two shoes red.' is two instructions not one. Make sure the child listens to your whole instruction before s/he starts to carry it out. There is automatic feedback in this activity, as the child will be able to see from your picture if s/he got it right. If s/he got it wrong, s/he will be able to see what the instruction actually was. Topic vocabulary from e.g. a science topic or a history topic could be used, and simple worksheets created using software such as Clicker or Communicate in Print (see www.commtap.org for links to suppliers of this software). |
| Barrier Patterns 2D shapes in several different colours Something to use as a barrier | Make sure you say the pattern as one instruction and don't break the instruction up into the different steps. Otherwise the child will be working with several short instructions instead of one long one. E.g. 'A blue circle. A red square. And a triangle' is 3 short instructions. Make sure the child listens to your whole instruction before s/he starts to carry it out. You can use almost anything to make patterns - compare bears, mini beasts, small world toys etc. Pictures of topic vocabulary could be printed out and cut to make cards. The barrier pattern could then be made using a pattern of pictures. E.g. 'fire, fire, bucket of water, diary, diary' (linking to the Fire of London topic). | |
| Simon Says Imagination! | Make sure the child listens to the whole instruction before doing it. Make sure that you give the instruction as one long one not several short ones. |
Recall key information from a story
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Stories that the child isn't familiar with. Stories could be taken from reading books, or from picture sequence cards. (For example 'And then' published by Schubi). | Read chunks of the story to the child, or tell the story from the sequence cards. The chunks should be around 100 words long (a couple of paragraphs) and/or contain between two and four things that happen. (Use shorter chunks if this is too long for the child). Ask the child to retell the chunk you have read. The child could also be asked to reconstruct the story using drawing, using miniatures (e.g. playmobil), selecting and ordering cards from a set of picture sequence cards. For the child to gain more information from stories and explanations at other times he/she will be assisted by the use of visuals to support this, and also by being asked a question before hearing the story or explanation so that he/she has something to focus his/her listening on. | If the child has difficulties you can help him/her to recall the story using the following: Ask a question relevant to the key information in the story. For example, suppose this was part of the story: "Lucy rode her red bicycle down the hill. At the bottom she couldn't stop and fell straight into the fish pond..." Relevant questions would be 'What did Lucy do', 'What happened to Lucy at the bottom of the hill': avoid asking questions about details which aren't particularly relevant to the story such as 'What colour was Lucy's bike?'; Ask the child the question then re-read the part of the story which contains the answer to the question; Show him/her part of the story using pictures. Try to guide the child to recall the information with the minimum amount of prompts necessary. Try to avoid the situation where you need to say what the answer is. If you keep needing to do this despite using the ideas above then the story is probably too hard. |
First next middle last in sentences
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Barrier Worksheets A picture to colour - enough copies for everyone doing the activity, and for the adult too. Colouring pens / pencils A big book or folder to make a barrier | Explain that this activity is to practise listening, so the child must listen carefully. You will only say the instruction once. Give the child / children a sheet (one each) and take one yourself. Put the barrier up, so that the child cannot see your picture. Give an instruction telling them to colour part of the picture, and colour it yourself. Make sure the instruction uses 'first', 'next, 'middle', or 'last'. E.g. if you have a picture of a robot you could say: 'First colour the robot's head blue and next colour two shoes red.' Or 'colour the middle robot red and blue.' When you have all finished that instruction, hold up your picture, so the children can check if they got it right. | Make sure the child listens to your whole instruction before s/he starts to carry it out. There is automatic feedback in this activity, as the child will be able to see from your picture if s/he got it right. If s/he got it wrong, s/he will be able to see what the instruction actually was. Topic vocabulary from e.g. a science topic or a history topic could be used, and simple worksheets created using software such as Clicker or Communicate in Print (see www.commtap.org for links to suppliers of this software). |
| Barrier Patterns 2D shapes in several different colours Something to use as a barrier | If the child is struggling, break your instructions down into shorter chunks. Make sure the child listens to your whole instruction before s/he starts to carry it out. You can use almost anything to make patterns - compare bears, mini beast pictures/models, small world toys etc. Pictures of topic vocabulary could be printed out and cut to make cards. The barrier pattern could then be made using a pattern of pictures. E.g. 'fire, fire, bucket of water, diary, diary' (linking to the Fire of London topic). | |
| Simon Says Imagination! Cue sheet for 'first', 'next', 'last', 'middle' (optional) | If the child is struggling, make your instructions shorter. Make sure the child listens to the whole instruction before doing it. It may help to have a cue sheet with 'first', 'next', 'middle', 'last' written on it and a diagram or symbol. | |
| Origami A very simple origami shape. See: http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-for-kids.html http://www.tammyyee.com/origami.html Paper for folding. Cue sheet for 'first, next, last, middle' (optional) | If the child is struggling, make your instructions shorter. Make sure the child listens to the whole instruction before doing it. It may help to have a cue sheet with 'first', 'next', 'middle', 'last' written on it and a diagram or symbol. Model the instructions as you say them. |
understanding idioms
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| DIY Idioms dictionary Copies of idioms pictures, for example from Black Sheep press "Speech Bubbles" pack School exercise book Pen/pencil, scissors, glue The following books may also be useful: "Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases we use Every Day" by Albert Jack (Metro Publishing, 2004) "Idioms at work" by Vera McLay (Language Teaching Publications, 1987) | Explain that you are going to do some work on idioms. Explain that idioms are phrases that mean something different to what the words mean individually. Give a few examples that you think the student might already know (e.g. "pain in the neck", "get lost") Using the exercise book, let the student make a title page for their book, saying "Idioms Dictionary" and giving a definition of an idiom - you can help the student compose their own definition Let the student choose one idioms picture, cut it out and stick it in the book. Discuss with the student the literal meaning of the idiom, as well as what it actually means. Have the student write a definition of the idiom in the book, next to the picture. Also have them write a sentence using the idiom in context. Continue to build up the collection of idioms over time. | The two books listed give many more examples of idioms, the student can continue to build up their bank of idioms after all the pictures have been used. Some people find it easier to understand idioms if they know where the phrase comes from. "Red Herrings and White Elephants" gives the story behind many idioms - you may need to explain each one to the student. |
| Can you remember? This activity requires the purchasing of a particular commercial product. Please help to further develop this sheet by providing an example or description of alternative resources to use in this activity. Flash cards made from the idioms pictures from Black Sheep press "Speech Bubbles" pack | You could also work through the Speech Bubbles pack for more practice. | |
| Bingo This activity requires the purchasing of a particular commercial product. Please help to further develop this sheet by providing an example or description of alternative resources to use in this activity. Idioms pictures from Black Sheep press "Speech Bubbles" pack of cards showing the meaning of the idioms. | Best as a group activity |
Listen plan and carry out instructions
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Listen, Plan, Do, Review Sequence Simple paper folding activity, e.g. paper plane, hat, box | Talk through the activity with the children, and how to fold the paper. Demonstrate for them. Support them to record the steps they need to take to do the activity themselves. Let them fold their own models. Review the steps they needed to do, and look at their finished models. | This is suitable for small group work. To vary the activity, use different tasks, ensuring that you follow the Listen, Plan, Do, Review sequence. |
| Class based activities For example: To listen to an explanation in class, e.g. of a science investigation, and to plan the steps they need to take to complete it. | Encourage the child to use strategies, e.g. making notes, counting steps on their fingers, checking with the demonstration if they are doing all the steps. |
Recall key information from a story
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Stories that the child isn't familiar with. Stories could be taken from reading books, or from picture sequence cards. (For example 'And then' published by Schubi). | Read chunks of the story to the child, or tell the story from the sequence cards. The chunks should be 100 to 200 words long (2 -4 paragraphs) and/or contain between four and six things that happen. (Use shorter chunks if this is too long for the child). Ask the child to retell the chunk you have read. The child could also be asked to reconstruct the story using drawing, using miniatures (e.g. playmobil), selecting and ordering cards from a set of picture sequence cards. For the child to gain more information from stories and explanations at other times he/she will be assisted by the use of visuals to support , and also by being asked a question before hearing the story or explanation so that he/she has something to focus his/her listening on. | If the child has difficulties you can help him/her to recall the story using the following: Ask a question relevant to the key information in the story. For example, suppose this was part of the story: "Lucy rode her red bicycle down the hill. At the bottom she couldn't stop and fell straight into the fish pond..." Relevant questions would be 'What did Lucy do', 'What happened to Lucy at the bottom of the hill': avoid asking questions about details which aren't particularly relevant to the story such as 'What colour was Lucy's bike?'; Ask the child the question then re-read the part of the story which contains the answer to the question; Show him/her part of the story using pictures. Try to guide the child to recall the information with the minimum amount of prompts necessary. Try to avoid the situation where you need to say what the answer is. If you keep needing to do this despite using the ideas above then the story is probably too hard. |
| Unfamiliar instructions | At first it will be necessary to tell the child they are going to be asked to retell the instruction to you before they hear the instruction. If the child finds it challenging, help them to use a visual cue. This could be chunking the information on their fingers for shorter instructions, or making notes on a piece of paper or on a white board for longer ones | |
| Audio Stories Short stories on tape or CD Clips of a favourite TV or computer programme | To make this more difficult, ask questions where the child needs to infer information from what he/she heard, rather than just remembering the right phrases. |
identify feelings from situations and tone of voice
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| How would you feel if....? Pictures of facial expressions showing the feelings:
(If you don't have these resources use pictures from magazines or books). | 1. Show the children the pictures of the facial expressions 2. Talk about what the 'feeling' is that corresponds to the picture 3. Talk about other words that mean the same as the feeling words (e.g. happy/ glad, angry/ mad) 4. See if the children can think of any other feeling words 5. Describe a situation and get the children to identify the appropriate feeling 6. E.g. 'you saw a spider in the bath', 'David Beckham was coming to your school', 'you found 10', 'you failed a test' 'you saw a fight in the playground', 'your homework was easy' | If the children cannot identify the feelings that correspond to the pictures talk about the feelings by describing situations where you would feel that way. Also encourage the children to think of times that they have felt that way. To make the task more challenging, remove the visual cues (i.e. the pictures showing the facial expressions). Another way to make it more challenging is to introduce different feeling words (e.g. proud, anxious, embarrassed, bashful, etc). |
| How do I really feel.......? Pictures of facial expressions showing the feelings:
(If you don't have these resources use pictures from magazines or books). | Really stress to the children to listen to the voice rather than the words Get the children to show you different voices for the feelings of happy, sad, angry and excited Try to get the children to identify how people in the classroom are feeling (e.g. the teacher, their friends) |
two part instructions with before after
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Says Prompt card with 'before' and 'after' on it (optional) Whiteboard Whiteboard marker | 1. Explain to the children that you are going to play Simon Says and practise doing things 'before' or 'after' something else. 2. Play the game, giving instructions such as 'pat your head before you jump', 'After you clap your hands, turn around'. Write the instruction on your whiteboard as you give it (use simple drawings if a child has reading difficulties). 3. Show the children the whiteboard so that they can check if they got the action right. | Use simpler instructions before trying harder ones. So, give the actions in the order the child will do them, before giving them in a different order. E.g. 'clap your hands before you nod your head' 'after you clap your hands, nod your head' If the child can do this try 'Before you clap your hands, nod your head. 'Nod your head after you clap your hands.' |
| Barrier Worksheet Copy of a worksheet picture to colour in for each person Coloured pens or pencils (if possible, the same set of colours for each person. It could just be 3 or 4 colours) Prompt card with 'before' and 'after' | Again, use simpler instructions, where the steps are in the order the child must do them, before more difficult ones where the child must do them in a different order (see above). | |
| Listen and draw Paper pencils Prompt card with 'before' and 'after' | Again, use simpler instructions, where the steps are in the order the child must do them, before more difficult ones where the child must do them in a different order (see above). |
activities to develop prediction skills
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Guess what's going to happen. Use simple sequence cards. | Present the first picture in the sequence to the child. Describe the situation to the child and ask him/her what they think is going to happen. Encourage the child to discuss any prediction and discuss any other options that might happen. Once you have discussed this outcome then show the second picture. | Remember to reinforce during the discussion that there could be lots of different outcomes. This activity can also be done in small groups, encourage all the children to make attempts to predict possible outcomes. |
| What would happen if...? Use situation cards. | This activity can be done in small groups. Give all the children an equal opportunity to contribute to the discussion. Remember to reinforce during the discussion that there could be lots of different possibilities. | |
| Predicting from sentences | If the child is having difficulties identifying the outcome then use the key word to give a clue e.g. Mark has a spade. What do we do with a spade? |
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