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 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.

This week's core word is 'when', a fantastic word for AAC users to learn because it helps them ask about time, routines and expectations, which can give them a sense of control over their day and reduce uncertainty. 

Whether asking questions ('when' are we going?), learning routines ('when' is snack time?'), or expressing frustration ('when' is it my turn?), It's a small but mighty word for our learners to be able to use. 

Tap the image above to watch my core word “when” session in video format, so you can 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 too, 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 sensory story I'll be reading with my learners this week is 'When I Was Little' by Jamie Lee Curtis.  A simple and relatable tale, told from the perspective of a four-year-old looking back at her even younger years. This book allows conversation around past events. With my learners, we might look at old photographs, or discuss things we have done in the past week or year, and 'when' they happened. 

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 in to 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', 'when it rains', 'uh oh it's raining on you' and 'teaching table' activities.

These allow me to model our core word, "when," in a fun and interactive way. 

Stage 1 - Bucket Time 

I will start with a classroom fave, the bucket time song. This encourages attention and provides familiarity and routine for my learners. First up this week will be a ringing bell. 

After demonstrating the noise it makes, I will say "when the bell rings, it's time to come inside!"

Next up will be bubbles, which I will blow and pop in front of my learners! I plan to say ''when I have a bath, I make bubbles!"

Lastly from the bucket will be some comedy, oversized glasses! I'll wear them, and say "when it's sunny, we put glasses on". 

Stage 2 - 'when' it rains 

For this activity, I plan to use a beautiful, silky fan that is blue, white and purple to represent the rain. I'll wave the fan around, which is a fantastic sensory experience for my learners and sing "rain, rain, go away, come again another day". 

Stage 3 - Uh oh it's raining on you

I'll let my learners know it's my turn first, and put up my rainbow umbrella. Spinning my brolly, creating 'rain' with my mister bottle, and singing "Uh oh it's raining on you". 

Stage 4 - Teaching Table 

For my stage 4 table task, we will be creating 'day' and 'night' scenes, with velcro and laminate or scissors and glue, depending on my different learners abilities. 

When my learners have completed the task, they will bring it back to show me in the group area. 

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. 

Tap the image above to watch my Attention Autism “when” session in video format, so you can 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.

This week, across the differentiated groups, we will be going through objects of reference, and understanding 'when' something will be happening, using 'now and next' boards, and looking at symbols and discussing when it is okay, and not okay, to do certain things. 

In my 'when' interactive game, my learners will be reading the symbol sentence, and then working out whether the activities happen during day or night. 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.