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Topic “Other understanding”
To order three daily events using pictures
| 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 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. | 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. |
| Photos of school life FIRST/NEXT/LAST template Photos of familiar aspects of school life (use a digital camera to take photos) | To help the child build links between the pictures and real events and their order, show them the pictures when the events are actually happening. |
Organise daily routine pictures on school and non school day
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sequencing Strips 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. | If sequencing a whole day is too hard, either reduce the number of cards or reduce the task to just the morning or just the afternoon. You could also put some of the key markers on the strip, e.g. start school, lunch, go home. When the children are confident with the activity, discuss which things they do both on a school day and a non-school day. See also: "order three daily events using pictures" on www.commtap.org |
| Design an ideal day Pens / pencils Paper Glue Scissors | You may need to model this activity by talking about your ideal day. | |
| Commercially available activities Black Sheep Worksheets: There are several relevant packs, including 'times of the day' and 'days'. |
Pick out shapes from a collection
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt the shape Plastic shapes Soft toys Beakers | Use squares, circles, rectangles etc and play hiding games under soft toys or beakers. As the child or you 'find ' the item label it, for example: 'Look...a circle.' | You need to make the learning very visible. Allow the child to explore the materials and give time to respond to questions. Use simple language and as much as possible use the same phrases to name shapes e.g. 'Square...this is a square.' Use lots of repetition. |
| Posting Plastic shapes Post box Bag (optional) | Allow the child to explore the materials and give time to respond to questions. | |
| Join dots to make shapes Dotted pictures of shapes Pencil, colouring pencils or crayons A post box (optional) | Use simple language and as much as possible use the same phrases to name shapes e.g. 'Square...this is a square.' Use lots of repetition. | |
| Play dough modelling Play dough, plasticene or similar. | Allow the child to explore materials and give time to respond to questions Use simple language and as much as possible use the same phrases to name shapes e.g. 'Square...this is a square.' Use lots of repetition. |
Aware of unequal sets
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giving out Books/pencils/cups etc to class mates. Pile of items the teacher wants handed round to the class | Give the child a pile of books to hand out. Does the child notice if there is one too many or one too few? Set it up so that there is one too many/few and comment. Say 'Look......too many/too few books/pens' etc. | Commenting on 'unequal sets' is a very everyday activity. Children experience 'unequal sets' when there are too few chairs in the class room, too many children for the number of cakes at dinner. Comment on these experiences. Keep the activity concrete - work with objects at this stage. | |||||
| Completing a form board Form boards | |||||||
| Car parking Paper with parking slots drawn on e.g.:
Various cars | |||||||
| Snack time party Real party with small food items and a group of children. Cups with straws Pretend party with dolls and teddies and a tea set. | |||||||
| Lego models Building simple models |
Be aware that writing can convey meaning
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Writing a list to go shopping and pretending to use money Stories that involve going shopping, e.g. The Shopping Basket by John Burningham. Real food/plastic food/pictures of food. A clear label for each piece of food. Notebooks and pencils. Pretend toy till and money if easily available but not essential (optional). Hats/dressing up clothes and bags for shopping (optional). | 1. Read stories about children who are going shopping. 2. Explain that when we put the hats/dressing up clothes on we will be pretending to be getting ready to go shopping/be the shop keeper. 3. Model what you want the child/children to do. Put a hat or other dressing up clothes on. Ask the child/children to help you to choose 2 of the foods you are going to buy from the shop. 4. Tell the children you are going to write a shopping list to help you to remember. As you write the objects down, say the name of the item then exaggerate the sounds within the words e.g. r-i-ce, ch-ee-se. 5. Show the children your list and read it back to them. 6. Choose a child to be the shopkeeper. Go to the shop and 'buy' your 2 things. Pretend you have forgotten what to buy so you need to read your list to remind you. 7. Take off your hat/dressing up clothes. The child/children dress up and write down at least 2 of the things they want to buy from the shop in their notebook. They can copy from the labels. 8. Child/children go to the 'shop' and 'read' what they want from their notebook to the shopkeeper and then 'buy' it using plastic or pretend money. | This could be at the beginning of the session or you could make sure that you have read stories on the days preceding the session so the children are familiar with the idea of shopping lists. The activity is designed for pupils who may have missed early play/writing experiences and may work better in a group. You will need to be comfortable with the room you are working in. It could be a classroom or a group room, depending on the circumstances. Don't worry if the words you are writing are too 'difficult' for them to write at this stage. The important thing is for the children to have a go. This activity links reading and writing activities for the children. You can use toy or pretend money and just 'exchange' the coins for the shopping or you could involve some basic maths (each item costing 1p or 2p) depending on the ability of the pupil or group. Encourage the child/children to say the word and write down any sounds they hear in it. Don't worry about correcting their spelling at this stage. Make the activity fun. Next time you do this activity you can ask them to choose something that is not labelled and have a go at writing it. See 'Writing simple sentences using key words' (below). |
| Write simple sentences using the key words 'I' and 'like' 2 white cards with the words 'I' and 'like' written on them and 1 piece of card with 'I like' written on it. Whiteboard or individual books made with 2 sheets of A4 paper folded in half. Pencils Scissors/glue Pictures of food that can be cut up e.g. from magazines. It would help the child if you had made a little book in advance to show. | This activity could be used in a 1-1 or in a small group setting. Encourage them to take care as they will be reading these books to others when they are finished. Emphasise using finger spaces between words if necessary. Some children may have underdeveloped motor skills and may need adapted scissors or assistance in cutting. Use prewritten labels for words and encourage the children to say the whole word and listen for the sounds in it when writing. This project could take one or several sessions to complete depending on the needs of the group. It could be followed up with another book, e.g. about animals or games. See also Clicker for sentence construction activities. |
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. |
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. |
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 |
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 |
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