CREATING LANGUAGE RICH CLASSROOM AND HOME

ENVIRONMENTS

8/25/2017

Mikaely Schmitz, MA, MS CCC-SLP

MIKAELY SCHMITZ

• Assistant Professor- Concordia University Wisconsin in Speech-Language Pathology

• Previously: Milwaukee Public Schools Speech Language Pathologist• Centralized Evaluation Team, Diagnostic Speech-Language Pathologist

• Lincoln Avenue Bilingual Elementary School

• MS Speech-Language Pathology

• MA English as a Second Language / Second Language Acquisition

OBJECTIVES

• Review normal language development• Highlight strategies for enhancing language development in the

educational setting for young children• Discuss and strategize supports for young children at home through

parent education and support• Learn how to support a child’s verbal language skills throughout the

day. Having a strong verbal language base and a robust vocabulary is key to success in school and in life. Enrich and enhance vocabulary and verbal language through a variety of activities including play, shopping, and activities of daily living.

LANGUAGE

• Spoken Language provides the foundation for the development of reading and writing, there is a reciprocal relationship between spoken and written language as one improves so will the other

• Language mediates cognitive development

NORMAL SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

NEWBORN

• Prefers human faces and voices

• Can discriminate loudness, intonation and phonemes

3 MONTHS

• Begins babbling• Responds vocally to a partner

6 MONTHS

• Begins reduplicated babbling

• Ba ba ba ba

8 MONTHS

• Begins gesturing

• Begins varigated babbling

• more complex combinations of consonant and vowel syllables (e.g.; babadoobe)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMaxy8uaJjY

12 MONTHS

First words are spoken…

1ST YEAR

• Understanding and using of 3-50 words

• First words used for names of familiar people and objects, communicative games and routines, to talk about appearance, disappearance and recurrence

1-1.5 YEARS

Frequency of communicative acts: 5/minute of free play

Average expressive vocabulary size is 20-100 words at 18 months

Follows simple 1 step commands

Omits final consonants and some initial consonants Use of reduplication, syllable deletion, assimilation and final consonant deletion is common

1.5 TO 2 YEARS

Frequency of word use increases over preverbal communication

• New intents include:• Requesting information

• Answering questions

• Acknowledging

Average expressive vocabulary size 50-300 words at 24 months

• Identifies 5 body parts

• Produces animal sounds

• Combines two words into phrases

Follows directions using one to two spatial concepts (in/on)

Speech is 50%to 65% intelligible

2- 2.5 YEARS

Begins using language in imaginative ways• Symbolic play

• Talk about absent objects

• Misrepresenting reality (lies, teases) Carries out a series of 2 related commands

Uses at least 200 intelligible words

• 70% or more intelligible

• May omit final consonants and reduce consonant clusters

2 ½ TO 3 YEARS

• Use and understanding of “why” questions

• Understands 900 or more words

• Listens to 20 minute story

Uses 500+ intelligible words

By 3 answers simples why, who, where, how many questions

• Speech is 75 to 80% intelligible at 36 months

• Ability to produce rhyme emerges

3 TO 3 ½ YEARS

• Comprehends 1500-2000 words• Knows front and back plus basic spatial terms (in, on,

under, etc)• Uses 1000-1500 words• Long, detailed conversations• Answers what if questions (what would you do if you fell

down?)• Asks how, why, when questions and wants detailed

responses Combines four to five words in sentences Use of stopping, fronting, cluster reduction, and liquid

simplification continues

3 ½ TO 4 YEARS

• New functions emerge including• Reporting on past events

• Reasoning

• Predicting

• Expressing empathy

• Creating imaginary roles and props

• Maintaining interactions

Combines 4 to 7 words in sentences

• Should be very intelligible in connected speech

• Should be 93% or more intelligible in conversational speech with unfamiliar listeners

4-5 YEARS

Hints that do not mention the request emerge (“Hmm those smell good”) indirect requests

• Responds appropriately (but not necessarily correctly) to how far, how long, how often, how long and how much questions

• Understands same and different• Uses future, present and past tense Comprehends 2500-2800 words• Follows 3 step related commands Uses 1500-2000 words Basic sentence forms acquired Combines 5 to 8 words in a sentence Speech is 100% intelligible

• errors on /s/, /r/, /l/, th may persist especially in blends

LANGUAGE

• Receptive language: decoding or understanding spoken messages

• Expressive language: encoding or sending spoken messages

• Natural language supports are designed to boost language skills in the natural home, school or play environment

• Children learn language best in the context of real-life daily situations, activities and interactions

• Goal: increase both the quantity and quality of verbal interactions with children so the children improve their listening and speaking skills and then ultimately their reading, writing and cognitive skills

HEARING IMPAIRMENT

• Degrees of Hearing loss• 26-40dB Mild• 41-55 dB Moderate• 56-70 dB Moderately Severe• 71-95 dB Severe• 96 dB + Profound

• Conductive Hearing Loss: result from interference in the transmission of sound from the auditory canal to the inner ear-while the inner ear itself functions normally. Usually medically treatable and usually reversible. • Otitis Media (ear infections)

• Sensorineural Hearing Loss: result from damage to the inner ear or cochlea. Can be congenital or result from injury, infection, ototoxicity or degenerative effects of aging. Not usually directly treatable or reversible- excepting cochlear implants.

• Mixed Hearing Loss: both conductive and sensorineural components

• Factors in communication:• Age of onset of HL- the later the loss the greater the language

experience on which development can build

• Slope of the loss

• Severity of the loss

• Age of identification and amplification- early ID and amplification have STRONG positive effects on outcomes

• Multiple handicaps are common- 13% to 33% of children with HI have another disability or handicap

• Infant vocalization is the same in early months- but children who do not begin reduplicated or canonical babbling by 10 months should have their hearing tested

• Phonology: consonant deletions are particularly common in initial and final positions, vowels are often distorted or neutralized, prosodic changes include slowed speech rate, slow articulatory transitions, frequent pauses, poor respiratory control, poor coordination of breathing with phrasing, and distorted resonance.

• Language mediates cognitive development: if language is seriously delayed by the hearing impairment, cognition will be affected as a result

• Syntax: grammar develops in the same order as in normal children- but is VERY delayed, hard time with adverbs, prepositions, quantifiers and indefinite pronouns

• Pragmatics: on par with normal hearing children• Semantics: develop in same order but slower than hearing children

SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS AND CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC OTITIS MEDIA (EAR

INFECTIONS)

• Be aware of the first signs of an ear infection and get treatment right away – decreased attentiveness, pulling on the ear, fever and congestion

• Secure the child’s attention before speaking

• Be sure the child is close to the person speaking

• Face the child and talk at the child’s eye level

• Speak slowly and clearly- build redundancy into input and limit complexity

• Increase opportunities to be close by reading to the child

• Use intonation and stress to highlight important information

• Use visual supports whenever possible, pictures, photographs, objects, visual schedules

• Provide a quiet environment- use drapes, carpets, closed doors

• Reduce distractions and background noise- turn off TV, radio, etc

ADHD

• Fastest growing and most common disability area in school age children

• Excessive inattention, distractibility, impulsivity

• Behavioral disinhibition- don’t have ability to stop and think

• Talk excessively- though convey little information

• Deficits in executive functions-ability to regulate feelings and behaviors necessary to select and guide actions in the context of rules and goals, and working memory- necessary for holding information in the mind long enough to construct, maintain and update mental representations so they can be used to recall facts, draw inferences, and plan responses.

Communication intervention and support for ADHD students

• Teach self talk for modulating activity “I need to stay here until I finish my work”

• Use a planner or daily calendar to organize time and record assignments

• Use a visual schedule to support transitions and for schedule prediction

• Teachers should break down information into small units, and allow for repetition and restatement when possible

• Find ways to modify the classroom environment to minimize behavioral triggers

• Classroom and homework materials should be modified to reduce visual load, fewer items per page, etc

• Create a structured and predictable learning environment with picture schedules, redundant instructions, opportunities for peer- group re-teaching

• Support social pragmatic functioning

• Good listening skills

• Waiting until the entire question is asked before responding

• Conversational turn taking skills

• Learning not to interrupt or intrude in a conversation

• Complimenting others rather than criticizing or complaining

• Learning appropriate strategies for persuasion

• Practicing empathy, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes

LANGUAGE FACILITATION TECHNIQUES

• Language learning: kids with language learning deficits need to hear words two to three times more frequently than typical peers in order to learn the meaning of the word and being able to use the word independently

• Of note: research shows that a typically learning child has to hear a word between 5 and 50 times to grasp the meaning of the new word (less if the word is really exciting or powerful, more if it is not)

• Indirect language stimulation: can take place often- during play, during story time, outside, in the hallway, etc. Use primarily self talk and parallel talk to label and describe events.• Contingent feedback: child picks up the car, you say “Oh I see you

have the car, a red car”• Balanced turn taking: letting the child lead and then responding, child

and teacher play silently side by side, child looks at teacher- teacher says “Oh I see you have the horse…”

• Extension of child’s topic: child holds up the car- adult says “Oh I see you have the car, you have the blue car! How cool, the blue car has big, black wheels”

• Recasting: very helpful! Child “Big Doggy Mad” Adult: “Is he? Is the big doggy mad?” children respond very well to hearing their own statements reused

• On average 28 month old children talk as much as their parents do and then parent utterances toward the children tend to drop off

• Naturalistic language intervention- supports designed to boost language skills in the natural home, school or play environment

• Children learn language best in the context of real-life daily situations, activities and interactions

• Goal of home programs and teacher training: increase both the quantity and quality of verbal interactions with children so the children improve their listening and speaking skills and then ultimately their reading, writing and cognitive skills

• Self Talk: speak in a loud and clear voice while you narrate or describe the actions you are completing. Speak about what you are doing, what you see, what you are eating, how you feel or what you are thinking about. The child does not have to be right next to you or paying specific attention as you speak in a clear voice. You simply need to use slow and clear sentences and phrases to describe actions that you are doing.

SELF TALK | HABLAR CON UNO MISMO

• Examples of Self Talk:

• While you are washing the dishes and your child is playing in the kitchen, you can say “This cup is dirty; I am going to wash the cup; I am washing the cup, now the cup is clean”

• “I am cooking. I am cooking macaroni and cheese. Delicious!”

• I see a dog. I see a big dog.

• USE WHILE:

• Grocery shopping, doing dishes, cleaning the house, taking the bus, driving a car, doing daily routines

• Parallel Talk- speak in a loud and clear voice and describe what is happening around you or what the child is doing as they are doing it. Use words to describe what the child is doing, seeing, or hearing. The child does not need to be right next to you or paying attention to you, just speak in a clear slow voice in earshot of the child. Use clear pronunciation, and short sentences and phrases with good grammar.

PARALLEL TALK | HABLAR EN PARALELO

• Examples of Parallel Talk

• While your child is playing with a ball and Dad comes home, you could say “find the ball, and now you have got the ball, oh you hear Daddy in the house, now you are running to Daddy!”

• You are cleaning! Nice job, you are cleaning up your toys. You are putting your toys in the box.

• You are building a big tower. You are using blocks to build your tower.

• USE WHILE:• Playing together, watching the child explore, during daily routines

(teeth brushing, etc.)

EXPANSION | EXPANSIÓN

• Expansion- Add one or two words, or finish the sentence, of the child when you respond to them.

• They can use a different word order than you, but your sentences will always be correct in grammar and order.

• Examples:

• C: Uh OH; A: “Uh oh, your tower fell down

• C: boy eats; A: Yes, the boy is eating

• C: truck; A: a red truck

• C: we play car; A: We are going to play with the car OR we are playing with the car

• Praise- respond quickly to the verbal attempts and speaking efforts of the child

• show them that communication and words are meaningful.

• Respond to the their communication attempts (verbal or non verbal) and reinforce them with words and actions.

• Non verbal praise from an adult might include a smile, a huge, a pat on the back, eye contact, a high five, or meeting the child’s needs they have expressed.

• Examples-

• When you are playing with your child and they say “ba” for ball, you can smile right at them and say “ball” “round ball” “I love to hear you talking to me”

• When your child says ‘car’ and points at his car out of his reach that he wants to play with, you could clap and say “car, you want your car” Then when you are ready to give him the car you can say “here take the car, nice asking”

PRAISE | ELOGIAR

TIPS | CONSEJOS

• The child does not have to imitate what you say- what is important is that they are exposed to many words in their natural daily lives. We don’t expect that the child will repeat your words, but that they will learn language. These strategies simply increase your child’s exposure to oral language: during play, routines, at home, at the store, and all the times that are familiar to them. It helps the children learn vocabulary, and that talking is both fun and functional! These strategies help children understand that objects, actions, feelings and more have names and can be requested and labeled.

• To help a child understand more words, use gestures and show the objects or play with the objects you are talking about

• Use age appropriate words and vocabulary

• If a child is very interested in something, use that interest and your skills in describing to talk to the child. Children learn quickly and better about things and topics they are interested in.

• Engage in many activities with children which will stimulate language and vocabulary, using self talk and parallel talk to describe what is happening when: walking, shopping, house cleaning, planting plants, cooking

• Repeat new words often

• Use concepts of space and position while speaking to and playing with your child (look below and on the table, jump in front of and behind the chair , …)

• Support vocabulary related to body parts, animals, objects, location- use self talk and directions

• ‘show me your leg” “point to your nose” “I touched the doll’s head”

• Touch or show different body parts, and label them or ask “what’s this?”

• Look at pictures and illustrations and describe them

• Play games listing words and items within categories (fun at the grocery store and while playing)

• Fruits- bananas, apples, grapes, pears, …

• Completing sentences with words games

• My hand has 5…..• I see with my …..

• Looking for and labeling objects games• Tell me the names of the 3 things

on the table• List the tools of a carpenter

• Memory games: • Tell me all the objects you can

think of that are in the bathroom• Name all of the animals you know

• Guessing games, based on the clues or attributes of items

• This is a very big animal with a trunk…

• It has four legs and it is for sitting….

READ DAILY

STORIES HELP CHILDREN

• Answer questions• Describe events• Understand new words• Understand new concepts• Improve sequencing • Recognize and understand the sounds and rhyme of

language

Language skills allow you to reach conclusions, make inferences, anticipate what word will come next, decode unfamiliar print, figure out mysterious phrases…

• Select books that

• Help children use their imaginations and talk about their ideas, wishes, fears and interest

• Have interesting pictures to help capture and maintain their interest

• Are repetitive to help children learn new sentence structures

• Are humorous or captivating

• May contain only pictures to help children develop the ability to tell their own stories and talk about pictures and actions in a book

• Are about things the child is interested in and encourage the child to talk about his own interests and experiences

• Questions to use when talking about stories

• What is the name of the book?

• Who wrote the book?

• Who drew the pictures?

• Who is in the story?

• Where and when did the story happen?

• What is the problem in the story?

• How is the problem solved?

• Listening and talking tools to use during stories- when reading, telling and writing stories with children

• Read and talk slowly

• Make sure to say each word

• Be sure to have their attention

• Find a quiet place

• Use short simple sentences

• Talk about the pictures you see in a book

• Use their ideas for the stories you tell and write

• Use new words and take the time to explain their meanings

• Repeat what they say, modeling correct words and sentence structure

• Start a repeated or familiar sentence and then stop to see if they can fill in the blanks

• Ask questions about the story and pictures

• Avoid criticizing their stories, ideas and sentences

• Avoid interrupting them when they are telling a story

• Read favorite books over and over again, allow children to fill in the words they know

• Hold the book so the children can see it, move your finger along the words as you read them

• Read aloud to children every day• Look at the pictures first and have the children guess what is going to happen

• Encourage the students to• Predict what will happen next

• Draw upon their own knowledge and experiences and relate them to occurrences in the book

• Project themselves into the story and theorize how they would feel or act

• Explain why something happened or why the character made a certain choice

• Pretend or imagine an alternate solution or ending

• Help the children make connection between the book just read and other books or real life events

• Encourage the children to read the book themselves- story telling, picture retell, independent retell

STORIES | CUENTOS

• Read aloud every day with your child for 15 minutes or more

• Read favorite books over and over again, allow children to fill in the words they know

• Hold the book so the children can see it, move your finger along the words as you read them

• Look at the pictures first and have the children predict what is going to happen in the story

• Questions to use when talking about stories• What is the name of

the book?• Who wrote the book?• Who drew the

pictures?• Who is in the story?• Where and when did

the story happen?• What is the problem

in the story?• How is the problem

solved?

WORDLESS PICTURE BOOKS

• Oral language opportunities abound!

• Describe

• Question

• Predict

• Guess

• Tell stories together

• Take turns on each page

• No need to be able to read to engage with books

• Relate to life experiences

• Talk about the pictures

• There are NO wrong answers or words or parts of the story

AUDITORY BOMBARDMENT

• Phonological and vocab skills are acquired at least in part by listening

• Listening carefully and often to sounds and words children are being asked to produce can significantly improve performance

• May be a list of target words, target vocab or a simple story filled with the target words/speech sounds or vocabulary

KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING WITH

• Comments that build on the child’s interest

• Ask Questions to keep conversation going• Match the child’s language stage• Ask about the focus of interest• Stimulate creative thinking• OPEN ENDED• Show your interest• Request information

• Choice questions• Milk or juice or water?• Allows child to feel in control

• Only offer choices that are acceptable to you

• WH questions• Who, what, why, where, how many, when ,

how, (why, when and how are the most complex and challenging)

• Yes/No questions can be conversation stoppers

• AVOID:• Questions that are too complex• Questions that are too simple• Questions intended to test knowledge• Rhetorical questions that don’t require a

response

ADD LANGUAGE ALL DAY LONG

• Constant self talk and parallel talk• Use expansion- “plane, yes that is a big plane”• During daily activities- walking, cooking, watering

plants• During routines self and parallel talk• When something unusual happens

•SO many ways to talk about one event• Juice example

• No more juice, juice is all gone

• You drink juice

• Lets pour the juice

• Oh no I spilled the juice

• This juice is purple

• Sploosh the juice says

• It is cold juice

• Lets pour the juice slowly

• Drink your juice quickly so we can go outside

• That is your juice, this is my juice and that is Bobby’s juice

• Pick one grammar target and provide intensive repetition (perhaps in concert with SLP) • ex: gender pronouns: he vs. she (1st -2nd grade language impaired kids really

struggle with this)

• C: Him got no mittens

• T: He has no mittens, you are right. Bob has no mittens- he has no mittens. Ricky has mittens-see, he has mittens. But Bob has no mittens. He has no mittens (point) but he (point) does. (5 examples of gender pronoun used in one exchange)

• Emphasize grammar target- speak slowly to emphasize target• Look Bob is playing (P), and Jessica is playing (P), and Samara is playing (P) and

Judy is reading (P) and Nathan is watching (p)

• Wonder about the world together• Admit to not knowing things and do the research together to

find an answer

• Search for answers with the child using books, experiments, observation

• Wonder out loud about the things that interest or puzzle you

• Stress the many possible outcomes or answers to any given question

•Talk about the future• Make predictions• Speculate about what could happen• Anticipate possible problems and possible solutions• Put potential problems into words and make plans to avoid them• Consider alternative ways of handling a situation, help describe

problems, think them through and come up with solutions

•Pretend• Talk about imaginary things• Play a pretend role• Create a story

• The power of play• THE most important way a child learns about the world

• Supports language, social skills, problem solving skills,

• Be organized and safe- so you can engage in the play and not worry about the safety or mess

• Be involved in the play

• Go with the flow

• Create opportunities for the child to lead and take turns

• Use routines to SPARK interaction- hiding toys, switching roles,

PRINT-RICH CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

• Make print talk in your space• During daily routines and activities• For pleasure and social interaction• To communicate with others• To record information• To gain information and knowledge

• Language skills are essential to reading and foundational for literacy• Children must

• Develop positive attitudes toward the use of print

• Build their general knowledge and language skills

• Develop an awareness (through playing with words) that language is made up of many parts

• Develop an awareness of print

• Be exposed to books and aware of the special language of books

• Don’t label everything in the room.It becomes too visually stimulating and overwhelming. Label 5 chairs not all 20.

• Make sure your labeling is neat.If you cannot print neatly, do your text on a computer.

• Use the style of writing that is consistent with what your school district teaches, as that is what your children will be learning to recognize. Big ‘puffy’ letters in all capitals may be confusing to children when they are just learning to recognize letters.

• When labeling shelves for toys, try to use a picture as well.If the toy is off the shelf and there is no picture, the word itself usually is not helpful to the pre-reader

• Allow the child (4 and up) to label his/her own cubbieIf they are only able to write a ‘C’, but they know that symbol means them that is far better than anything cute thing we do to label their cubbie. (Adding pictures of the children works well for this too and is more meaningful and personal.)

• Things are written Left-to-Right, starting at the top left hand of the page.With the exception of a child’s preference on his artwork, all writing in the classroom should start the same way in which children will be taught to read. We are training their eyes to naturally look to the top left hand part of the page. Also, when reading, sometimes the Teacher should use a finger to ‘track’ the words as he/she reads them, illustrating the progression of the story by text.

• Rebus Charts. There should be a rebus chart (or real pictures) illustrating procedures step-by-step, with the words right along side the pictures. A pictorial schedule of the day is much more meaningful to a child, and gives them the feeling of being more in control of their day and environment.

A PRINT-RICH ENVIRONMENT INCLUDES:

• Child-made books (individual and group-process made)

• Teacher-made books

• Books made by the class based on shared experiences

• Picture books

• Children’s magazines

• Flannel board with stories children can re-tell

• Familiar books that children can ‘read’ from memory

• Pictures of children reading

• Audio books

• Books for reference

• Dictation taken by the Teacher and posted on large sheets of easel paper.Children should be asked open-ended questions (preferably on the curriculum topic of interest for that week) and then their quotes should be written down verbatim. This gives children the message that there are symbols for their words. You will also find when you write down exactly what children say as they say it, over the course of time you can see real strides in language development.

• Quotes on children’s artwork (word for word). Ask the child if he/she would like to tell you about his/her work.Ask if they would like for you to write it down, and where they want it on the picture. What children say about their own work tells us what they are thinking and feeling and their views on the world. It is also a great communication enhancer between parent and child.

• Items labeled throughout the classroom.Again, this is to give children the message that everything has a set of recognizable, common symbols that are written down that universally identify it

• Sign up sheets- jobs, snacks, activities, etc

• Attendance

• Lists- teaching list making is a fantastic skill for all age children as lists are so essential in real life

• Record observations and announcements for the class

•Scrapbooks- can be used to facilitate language skills by

• Helping children describe events

• Helping children ask questions

• Teaching children new word

• Teaching concepts like colors, shapes, sizes

• Improving sequencing skills by helping children tell stories in a logical order

• Helping children develop reading and writing skills

• Developing categorization skills- grouping things that go together

• Scrapbooks are pages of memories you make together- using pictures from magazines or online, photos, stickers, markers and crayons, pens and paper, etc

• Pick a theme for the page and go from there

• An activity (trip to the circus or zoo)

• A color

• A feeling

• A temperature

• A season

• A holiday

• A category- clothes, TV shows, vegetables, fruits, favorite foods, body parts, people, occupations

• Anything you can talk about

• Scrapbooks and scrapbook pages are useful for

• Helping children describe events• What happened?

• Who was there?

• How did you feel?

• Helping children ask questions

• Teaching new words

• Teaching new categories or concepts

• Improving sequencing skills when used to tell the story of an activity

• Develop reading and writing skills• Practice writing captions and creating labels

• Teaching concepts like colors, shapes, sizes, spatial (above, below), etc

Television and Media- guidelines for parents• No TV for children under 2• No more than 2 hours of TV per day for all other children• Make it meaningful if your children are going to watch TV

• Ask them questions• Who was in the show?

• Where did the show take place?

• What was the problem?

• Could that really happen?

• Has that ever happened to you?

• How does (XXX character) feel?

• Why does he/she feel that way?

• Who would you like to be in the show? Why?

USE VISUAL SUPPORTS

• Have and use a schedule– ESSENTIAL! This allows children to spend their emotional and mental energy learning, not wondering what will come next

• Written or visual

• Refer to it frequently

• Talk about things you have finished and things you are going to begin

• Use transition and time words to define and explain

• Give instructions with a model or demo

• Talk with chalk- write or draw something to accompany everything you say or new vocabulary term you use

INCREASE TEACHER-CHILD CONVERSATIONS

• Look for chance to talk with children one on one- spend time stating the obvious, engage in self talk and parallel talk

• During materials distributions-

• I am putting this paper on the edge of your desk

• You’re the third person in the row to get a sheet

• Use transition times to comment on positive student action

• You have your books stacked neatly on your desk

• You are standing between x and y, we will go out side soon

• Talk to individual students as they complete their work

• You finished the first two problems and are now working on the third one

• You found three of the missing pictures already

• Talk through a lesson with a child instead of letting him silently work

• Use informational talk instead of questions

• Label everything the child is doing

• Have conversation-like interactions with a group through observation of physical responses

• If it is Tuesday- stand up!

• Continue turning existing opportunities into conversational moments

• At some point children who continue to be addressed personally will start responding, build and expand on those responses to keep em coming

• Offer manipulatives for discovery assignments

• Encourage sorting and categorizing

• Encourage individual discovery

• For Ex: a Math discovery box might have

• Empty spools

• Colored tooth picks

• Bottle caps

• Empty t.p. and paper towel

roles

• Nuts and bolts

• Muffin tins

• Measuring spoons

• Popsicle sticks

• Beads and yarn

• Geometric shapes

• Quick word games/time fillers

• Word hunt: Teacher led- I am looking for a word to go with “giraffe”, Child “jungle” T “giraffes may live in the jungle” C: “bathtub” T “giraffes might drink water out of a bathtub..”

• Word search: write a vocab term or word from a lesson on the board- ask for a word that goes with it, explain the association. Then ask for a word that goes with the new word…

• Recall: teacher asks for the student(s) to recall one thing they did so far that day, writes the words on the board and highlights any relevant new vocabulary

• Categories: teacher provides a category and kids get to fill in the items making as big a list as possible.

• Draw a shape- what is it? A square- no it’s a house! As a group draw and label all the rest of the parts

• 20?- yes or no? to try to get to answer for target

• Head Bandz: bandana with pictures on front- ask questions to try to identify the picture on their head

• Guess who: make it yourself with pics from kids in the classroom

• Riddles: read a riddle outloud and have them try to solve it- work together as a group to find the solution

• Box of poems and songs learned: pick a poem to recite

• Word swatter: vocab words on smart board, give clues to word and kids use fly swatter to slap target words

• I spy:

• Other games

• Spotlight: in a dark room use a flashlight to light up an object or picture in the room- then describe that picture as best as possible

• Word filler: read a sentence but substitute a buzz or bing for one word in the sentence, have the students guess the word

• Description: give each child a large sheet of paper, give one direction (draw a big circle), then have a student give one direction and go on

• Scaffold Expression

• Model how to answer questions

• Ask the question, give some wait time, then answer the question yourself- writing your response on the board

• Stay with a wrong answer until it is a right answer

• Instead of moving on to the next child, keep supporting and probing the first child until you get the answer you are looking for (if possible)

• T: “What eats hay?”

• C: “A whale”

• T: “A whale lives in the water, an animal that eats hay lives on land…”

USE AUDITORY SUPPORT

• Build in chances to use interactive methods- give a single bit of info then immediately ask a question about it

• Jack climbed a beanstalk. What did Jack climb?

• Repeat or rephrase to give students a second chance at comprehending

• Give important instructions at least two times

• Change the emphasis of words or speed of delivery to catch attention

• Give directions from two different locations within the room

Children will listen carefully if

• They can hear adequately• Have children’s hearing checked

• Treat ear infections immediately

• Follow doctors directions

• You talk more slowly• Use a slower rate

• Pause whenever it sounds natural

• Pause right before saying important ideas

• Pause between sentences

• You get their attention before you talk• Call children by their names

• Touch children when you say their names

• Wait for children to show you have their attention

• It is quiet

• Turn off the TV

• Turn off the radio

• Wait for any loud noises to pass

• You use short and simple sentences

CHILDREN WILL TALK MORE IF YOU

• Look at their faces

• This is very important when you are talking to children and they are talking to you

• Wait a few seconds before you reply to what they say

• This gives children a chance to add more or ask a question

• Take only one speaking turn at a time

• This gives children a chance to talk

• Show you are listening

• Face your body toward the child

• Give appropriate eye contact

• Nod your head

• Make comments like really and oh..

• Talk about what you are doing

• Describe your actions as you do them

• Talk about what they are doing

• Talk about what they want to talk about

• Talk about what you see• Describe things around you, label items in your surroundings, tell

stories using wordless picture books

• Use new words

• Repeat new words often

• Repeat all or part of their sentences in question form• “I went to the circus today.” “You went to the circus?”

• Repeat their sentences or phrases and add to them• “I went to the zoo” “You went to the zoo and saw the animals”

• Help them by starting their sentences or filling in some difficult words

• Model correct sentence forms• Speak slowly

• Emphasize correct difficult sentence forms

• “me wanna play ball.” “I want to play ball too.”

• Respond to their feelings• Ask appropriate questions• Avoid criticizing them• Just model correct production, do not criticize the way the child said it

• Avoid pressuring them to talk• Avoid interrupting them• Avoid changing topics quickly