It's a new week in my classrooms, which means a new core word for us to focus on! 

If you're new to my Core Word Programme, it was designed (by me!) to teach speech and language in a way that suits how Gestalt Language Processors and neurodiverse children learn. Through 36 sessions, it covers the first 40 core words that a neurotypical child would learn.

The sessions are delivered in 9 fun, interactive sections, which can be covered all at once or separately, whatever works for your schedule and your learners. Each weekly session includes play planning, sensory story suggestions, phrase examples, interactive games and more.

The sessions are completely flexible and adaptable to any communication method or classroom needs, so your learners can get the most from the content. The programme includes three different symbol languages, so whether you use Boardmaker, Symbolstix or Widgit, it is suitable for all.

We are going into week 31 in my sensory classrooms, and will be looking at the word 'can'. Whether asking for help, communicating ability, or offering choices, 'can' is a powerful, flexible word that lets AAC users take initiative, ask questions, and show what they’re capable of.

Click the image above to watch my core word 'can' session in video format and see how I would lead it.

When starting on a new core word, the activities are split into saying, finding, hearing, watching, playing, reading, learning, practising and writing that word.

My learners start by saying it. Depending on their preferred methods of communication, this could be finding it on an AAC device (high-tech or low-tech), learning Makaton, using sound buttons or any other method of communication.

Next, we find the new core word on our AAC core board. This can be either on the printable core boards provided or on your own high tech AAC apps. This supports the child to navigate their AAC, as well as the adults supporting them. By building up navigation each week, it doesn’t become overwhelming.

After saying and finding it, we move on to a favourite activity in my classroom - hearing and watching the core word through links to film, TV and music clips. My pupils love coming up to my whiteboard and selecting which song they wish to listen to, or which clip they wish to watch. It gives them ownership of their learning, and they are far more engaged and interested this way.

This is a really beautiful and errorless way of absorbing the core word and learning its meaning through different contexts. As Gestalt Language Processors learn through whole phrases, watching and listening to media is a great way for them to develop language. 

These clips can be played on iPads or interactive whiteboards. The songs provide a great opportunity for a movement break. As each one plays, the adults in the room model the word by saying, signing, showing the symbol or finding it on an AAC device. This is a fab way of embedding the core word whilst the children are doing an activity that they enjoy. 

For this week's sensory story, I've chosen a classic, The Gingerbread Man. This tale has colourful illustrations and fun, interactive push, pull and slide mechanisms, as well as featuring our weekly word on most pages. 

Each weekly core word session includes sensory story suggestions. These stories tend to be better for autistic and Gestalt Language Processor learners as they can hold onto the meaning of the whole phrases and use them in other contexts. 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 sensory-led children. Through stories, we can support learners to build understanding and context to put with the language they are hearing.

The core word programme includes weekly play ideas that reinforce our core word. These allow me to model our core word, "can," in a fun and interactive way. 

First up will be a crisp tube prank! This looks like a yummy tube of crisps, and I will say to my learners, "Can I open it?" When I do, I get a shock as a snake toy pops out! 

Next up will be these colourful stacking toys! Whilst stacking them, I will sing "Can you make it higher, higher, higher?" And then, "Can you push it down!"

Last up will be this copying cactus toy!

With this silly, dancing toy, I will say sentences with our core word in, and listen to it repeat them! "Can I get more?" and "Can you copy?"

 I can help 

Next, it is time for Mr Crow!

But oh no! Mr Crow is sad! He wants some food. "We can help him", I will say to my class. We will feed him various fruits and vegetables, asking, "Can we help you?" until he is all full up. 

 Raining on you

In this fun activity, I will spray water with a water mister, and say "Oh no! It's raining, we need an umbrella." Putting the umbrella up, twirling it and singing "Uh oh, it's raining on you", I will continue to spray the 'rain'. Then I'll say to my learners, "Your turn!", and when they have a go, "Can I spray you?" They can then communicate with me yes or no, in whichever method of communication they use, and I will either spray them to add rain or not. 

 Teaching Table 

Here, each learner will have play-dough and a question, such as "Can you make an 's' shape?" or "Can you squeeze it into a ball?" Once completed, they will bring it over to the group area and show me. 

In each of my play sessions, there are multiple opportunities for modelling the core word. As we go through the activities, the other adults in the room and I will be signing, finding the word on AAC devices, pointing to symbols and saying the word. This provides a great opportunity for the children to learn whilst playing and also gives concrete, practical examples of the word in context. 

Separate from the Core Word Programme, you can also get four years' worth of fun play planning ideas linked to twelve popular topics here. 

 

Next, I've got some teaching table task planning ideas. There are differentiated table tasks, so that wherever your learners are working at from 0- 4 years (cognitively), there will be something for them. This is a more 1:1 intervention teaching opportunity for the teaching staff to continue to work on the core word understanding in a more individualised way. This is also a great opportunity to assess individual understanding. 

There is an interactive game included, and this week it will ask our learners to complete sentences featuring our weekly word. These games are super interactive, allow our children to learn without even realising it, and give us supporting adults a useful chance to assess their learning.

Lastly, writing tasks are included, which can be completed on iPads, on whiteboards, or printed out for mark-making. Again, there are differentiated options depending on the stage that your learners are working at, and these can be completed as a group, modelling turn-taking, or individually. 

If you think your learners would benefit from learning language this way, we would love to have you join! You can start at any time and work through the sessions at your own pace, and there is a thriving private Facebook group where you can find support, tips, ideas, and community.

Check out my blog posts here to see what I've done during previous weeks of the programme, or my TikTok, YouTube, Facebook or Instagram for lots more Core Word content. You can buy the Core Word Programme or access a free Week 1 trial by tapping the image below.