A brand new week means a new core word to learn in my sensory classrooms!

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, depending on your schedule and the needs of your learners. Each weekly session includes Attention Autism 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 entering week 35 in my sensory classrooms and will be exploring two fun and dynamic words, 'under' and 'over'. These simple, powerful words can open up many opportunities for communication, play, and learning.

As spatial concepts, they're great for everyday use in describing location, movement, and actions. They also lend themselves beautifully to play-based learning, physical activities, and hands-on exploration.

Click the image above to watch my core word 'over' and 'under' 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. 

The story that I will be reading this week is "We're Going on a Bear Hunt!" by Michael Rosen. This is a brilliantly catchy and fun book, with so many references to our important words 'over' and 'under'. 

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 Attention Autism ideas for stages 1 - 4 that reinforce our core word. We also include other play ideas suitable to slot into gaps in the day or in break times, if the situation allows. These are other prepared activities that help embed the core word understanding, but presented in a fun and motivating play activity.

For Attention Autism this week, I'll be using the bucket time, colours 'over' you, raining 'over' you and teaching table activities. These allow me to model our core words in a fun and interactive way.

Stage 1 - Bucket Time 

Starting off with the bucket song, I will sing "there's something in my bucket, my bucket, my bucket, there's something in my bucket, I wonder what it is". 

First up out of the bucket this week will be a rainbow fan. I will wave this around, saying 'over' when it's above my head, and 'under' when it's below. 

Next will be a water spray bottle. I will spray it over myself, saying "splash" and "rain over me!" I will also spray in the direction of my learners and say, "Rain over you!"

Last up out of the bucket will be a rainbow slinky. I will swing it in front of me like a skipping rope, saying 'under' and 'over' as it moves. 

Stage 2 - Colours over you

Here, I will play the 'Colours over you' music, which you can find on my parachute playlist on Youtube and streaming platforms, like Spotify. Whilst listening to the music, my learners will be underneath the parachute, a lovely sensory experience that they enjoy. 

Stage 3 - Raining over you 

In this activity, I will put up a clear umbrella, and highlight to my class that it is 'over' me. I will then use the water spray bottle to spray 'rain' into the air, whilst singing "uh oh, it's raining on me, raining on me". I will show my learners that the drips are running down the outside of the umbrella, and 'over' me. My class can also then have a turn. 

Stage 4 - Teaching table

In my teaching table task, I will demonstrate first, and show my learners. There will be some cubes in various colours on the tray, as well as a pattern to follow. I'll match the colours of the cubes to the pattern, saying the colours as I go. As I match them up, I will say which colours go 'over' the others. Then it is my learners turn to have a go at the task! Once they've completed their task, they will bring it over to the group area and show me. 

In each stage of my Attention Autism 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. 

Click the image above to watch my Attention Autism 'over' and 'under' session in video format and see how I would lead it.

Separate from the Core Word Programme, you can also get four years' worth of fun Attention Autism planning ideas linked to twelve popular topics for Stages 1-4 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 each week. This week, the game will show different animals that need to either go 'under' or go 'over' the bridge. 

These games are super interactive and error-free. They 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.