Welcome back to my Core Word of the Week Programme!
My Core Word Programme is based on the 40 first core words that a neurotypical child would learn. It consists of 36 sessions of speech and language content that I have designed specifically for the Gestalt Language Processors and pre/non verbal children in your care. The programme includes three different symbol languages, so whether you use Board Maker, Symbolstix or Widget, it is suitable for all.
This coming week is week 21, and our focus will be on the word 'some'.
Read on to see how I will be teaching and modelling 'some' in my sensory classrooms.
Each weekly session includes Attention Autism planning ideas, sensory story suggestions, phrase examples, interactive games and more.
The sessions are completely flexible and adaptable to any communication method or classroom needs, so that your learner(s) can get the most from the content.
When beginning to learn a new core word, me and my learners start by saying it. This could be finding it on an AAC device (high tech or low tech), learning the Makaton, using sound buttons or any other method of communication. As we carry on through the week, using the activities supplied in the core word programme, the adults continue to model the word, giving our learners lots of examples of it in action.
The book I will be reading in my classrooms this week is One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. A classic that can be found in classrooms and houses across the globe, this simple, fun and repetitive book features our word lots.
Sensory story suggestions are provided for each of my core words. These stories tend to be better for autistic and Gestalt Language Processor learners as they engage multiple senses. Compared to traditional stories which focus on abstract language and can be overwhelming, sensory stories provide concrete sensory experiences which may be better suited to our children. Through stories, we can support learners to build understanding and context to put with the language they are hearing.
Learning through play is really powerful and effective. It can lessen the demand put on children, and reduce their anxiety, which can allow their best work to shine through.
In the game that I've created for this core word, children are asked to give 'some' of the item requested. The game doesn't allow them to give all of the items requested, which provides a practical example of the difference between 'some' and all. The game is errorless, meaning that our learners cannot make mistakes, and they give the adults in the room a chance to assess their understanding whilst they play. Additionally, the interactive game in my next session, for the core word 'all' is very similar and does allow all of the requested items to be given, which helps to highlight the differences between the words.
Each week, links are included to fun clips of film, TV and music where the cord word is used. This suits how a Gestalt Language Processor will process and learn language.
In this programme, we are very much teaching how autistic and GLP children learn.
As we watch the clips, or listen to them, the adults in the room model the word, either by signing, showing the symbol, finding it on an AAC, or saying it when it appears in the clip.
Another activity that I'll be utilising this week is making some snacks with my classes. Not only are snacks highly motivating, but the word 'some' comes up a lot in recipes, so there will be plenty of phrases such as "Let's add 'some' of this", and "would you like to try 'some' of that?".
I've also got an Attention Autism session which I'll be using with my learners. You can read all about this at the bottom of this blog post.
Each core word session also includes activity suggestions, for all different abilities. Some of my learners will be using Play-Doh with the adults in my class, being asked "shall we roll 'some' of that", "Do you want 'some' of this?". Other learners will be creating Venn diagrams with PE hoops and sorting objects by type such as colour or material. We can then discuss how "'some' are green", "'some' are red" etc. These activities give wonderful practical examples of the word in action, again allowing the children to learn and understand the vocabulary without realising they are even learning.
Lastly, my learners will be practicing tracing or drawing the word with the included writing tasks. These can be printed or completed online depending on the needs and wants of your learners and on the restrictions of your environment.
In one of my classrooms, we complete the game on my whiteboard as a group, practising turn taking and offering modelling opportunities to each other. In my other classroom, we complete these games 1:1 on iPads as we don’t have a whiteboard available and my learners are on individual timetables so this works better.
If you think your learners would benefit from learning speech and language this way, It is always a great time to join in! With my programme, you can start at any time and work at a pace that suits you and your learners. We have a thriving private Facebook group where you can find support, tips, ideas and community, and you can check out my TikTok, Facebook or Instagram for lots more Core Word content.
You can buy the full programme here. If you'd like to try before you buy, you can access a free demo here.
Attention Autism for Core Word Week 21 - "some"
My programme's weekly sessions include Attention Autism ideas for stages 1 - 4. This week in my classrooms I plan to use bucket time, smoothie, hat on song and teaching table to demonstrate and reinforce the meaning of our core word, 'some'.
Stage 1 - Bucket Time
I plan to start with the bucket time song which encourages attention as well as being a familiar part of the routine for my learners.
Buckets can be bought here
The first thing out of the bucket are these shaking animals. They are lots of fun as they shake, and we can copy them!
I will make sure to say that we have "'some' shaking animals!".
Next will be 'some' bells.
Lastly I will use "'some' colourful feathers!". I will allow these to rain down in front of my class as this is an exciting visual.
Stage 2 - Smoothie
For smoothie, I will take a blender and cup, water and fruit and show them to my class. Adding 'some' fruit into the cup, and pouring in 'some' water then putting the lid on and shaking it up before I blend it up. I will again emphasise the core word by saying "mmm 'some' smoothie! Would you like to try 'some'?".
Stage 3 - Hat on song
A very interactive part of the session! I will start off by singing about different hats "'some' hats are big, 'some' hats are small".
I will pick a hat, put it on, do a funny dance, and then put it back in the box. Then my learners will have their turns.
Stage 4 - teaching table
The activity that I have planned for the teaching table involves multiple pieces of paper with numbers on them and lots of pegs in a sensory tray! My turn first, I will select a piece of paper, read the number and then attach to it that number of pegs. "I've put 'some' pegs on five!". Then my learners can take it in turns to have a go. For my learners who don't know numeral correspondence, I will have some pieces of paper with some dots, and they can match the pegs to the dots.
These activities will help to demonstrate the core word excitingly and interactively. In each stage there are multiple opportunities for modelling of 'some', and the other adults in the room will also be modelling, with speech, finding it on AAC devices, signing and using symbols. This provides a great opportunity for the children to learn whilst playing and also gives concrete, practical examples of the word in context.
To see this week's session, and previous Attention Autism sessions, head to my Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.
There is a year's worth of core word based Attention Autism ideas included in my Core Word Programme here. Separate from the core words, you can also get four years' worth of fun Attention Autism ideas for Stages 1-4 here.
Check out Attention Autism here, they've recently updated their training and I highly recommend it.