PrAACtically June – AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words: The Learn-at-Home Edition

It’s just about time to flip the calendar to a new page. That means it’s time to prepare to highlight a new set of core words to keep our AAC learners moving forward and expanding their use of AAC throughout the day. We have some learn-at-home ideas that can help you incorporate our June core words into some easy activities and resources to help you have some prAACtical fun with the AAC learners in your life.

If you’re helping an AAC learner become more capable in using high-frequency words to express themselves, we hope you join us in highlighting the June words and creating opportunities for our AAC learners to use them throughout the day. Whether you are following along with the 2013 Year of Core  (Set 1-12 words/month) or the 2014 A(nother) Year of Core:  (Set 2-16 words/month; Different than the previous year’s core words), or just getting started, here are some helpful resources.

Our June words are listed below.

Set 1 List: after, am/be/is, because, can, cold, fast, fun, have, hungry, let, need, talk

Set 2 List: about, back, buy, grandmother, hand, inside, lose, move, okay, people, quiet, short, show, two, water, yellow

If you need day-by-day suggestions for incorporating these words, here are some suggestions.

• Monday
  • Start the day with a song, Let’s Go!
  • CAN you imagine swimming with pigs? Take a virtual field trip and TALK about it AFTER you’re done.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Join a virtual circle time to learn and TALK about butterflies. AFTER you are done, you CAN look for some outside.
• Tuesday
  • Watch this episode of Calm Down Corner and have a FAST and FUN dance break.
  • Animal Visitation Day! CAN you spot a platypus?
  • You CAN make bird-finder binoculars and have FUN!
  • Browse through a magazine.
  • CAN you believe there is an elephant as tall as a building? Take a virtual field trip to see it and TALK about it AFTER you’re done.
• Wednesday
  • Find pictures of activities, places, or things that are FUN. Make a picture collage or talking photo.
  • Why do we NEED to wear masks? Watch Mr. Pat and TALK about it.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Join a virtual circle time to learn and TALK about birds.
• Thursday
  • Start the day with a song, Let’s Find!
  • CAN you do a simple science experiment with Grover? Here are some that are FAST and FUN.
  • Browse through a magazine.
  • Animal Visitation Day! Check out these burrowing owls. CAN you see them?
• Friday
  • Find pictures of activities, places, or things that are FAST. Make a picture collage or talking photo.
  • We all NEED to keep our bodies clean. Nurse Jean teaches us about personal hygiene.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Field Trip Day! You CAN head to a construction site to see how they build things.
• Saturday
  • CAN you turn bubbles in flowers? BE creative and have FUN.
  • When you are HUNGRY, you can HAVE FUN making some pizza w/ Mr. Pat.
  • Watch this episode of Calm Down Corner and TALK about BEing kind.
  • Animal Visitation Day! Polar bears love the COLD weather.
• Sunday
  • Start the day with a song, The Park!
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • CAN you make a paper heart chain? AFTER you are done, you can hang it up or give it to a friend.
  • Field Trip Day! CAN you believe there is a whole park just for butterflies?

Resources

• Templates for you to plug in your own symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
• Minspeak/Unity version: Set 1 words
• Unidad English 84 or 36: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
• PCS versions: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
• Symbol Stix version: Set 1 Words
• Lesson Pix: Set 1 Words
• Smarty Symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
• CoughDrop: Set 1 words; Set 2 words
• WordPower:
  • Set 1 words 
  • Set 2 Words in Symbol Stix and PCS 
  • Note: These are large files that have sets for different versions of WordPower.

We can teach and model these individually, and also in sentences. Tim DeLuca shares some ideas to get us started (download here).

Reading is such a great way to build experiences with core vocabulary. Here are some book suggestions if you are looking for ways to incorporate core word practice into your storybook reading with AAC learners.

• And If the Moon Could Talk by Kate Banks: after, am/be/is, can, talk
• I Have a Cold by Grace Maccarone: because, can, cold, have, hungry, let, need
• More Spaghetti, I Say! By Rita Golden Gelman: after, am/be/is, can, cold, fun, have, hungry, talk
• My Crayons Talk by Patricia Hubbard: can, fun, have, talk
• Nobody’s Cats: How One Little Kitty Came In From the Cold by Valerie Ingram and Alastair Schroff: can, cold, fast, have, hungry, let, need, talk
• The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood: after, am/is/be, because, have, hungry, need
• Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts: because, can, fast, have, need
• Waiting is Not Easy by Mo Willems:  am/be/is, can, have, let, talk
• What Do Teachers Do After You Leave School? by Anne Bowen: after, because, can, fun, have, need, talk 

Looking for more ideas? Check out the calendar Rachael Langley shared with us for the Set 1 words (2015 June Calendar of Core Word Ideas).

We appreciate the support of Heidi LoStracco, Brian Whitmer, Eric Sailers, Tim DeLuca, Lisa Timm, Nancy Inman, Barbara Fernandes Alison Wade, Eric Sailers, Russell Cross, Gail Van Tatenhove, Bill Binko, Rachael Langley, and all the others who created these resources and allowed us to share them.