645 Search Results for core vocabulary
March 25, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Before we turn the page on the calendar, here’s the April post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Series by guest authors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle. This series focuses on a selected set of words to highlight for the month along with a suggested order in which to teach them. Therapists and teachers will appreciate the Activity Packets, containing suggestions for highlighting these words in a variety of activities. Their Data Collection Forms and tips on using shared reading in our AAC teaching are appropriate for AAC learners of various ages. If you are new to this series, you may want to review the introduction that our series authors created before delving into this month’s target words. You can see series overview here. You can also review the first 8 months of the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words using the links at the bottom... [Read More...]
March 1, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Do the AAC users in your life use only a fraction of the core words in their SGD, AAC app, or communication board? One way to help them move forward is to make a concerted effort to use, highlight, and provide additional teaching on a variety of words. It’s hard to do this without getting overwhelmed, so find a strategy that works for you. A few years ago, we decided to approach this by focusing on 12-16 core words each month. (If this is too much for the teams with whom you work, that’s not a problem. Just cut it back to 4-6 words/month.) Each month, we can highlight those words in our conversation (aided language input), direct intervention, and home programming activities with AAC learners. The repeated experiences with those 12-16 (or 4-6) words help our AAC learners develop new skills, and keeps the team focused on the same destination. ... [Read More...]
February 25, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to a new post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Series! Guest authors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle are back to focus on a selected set of words to highlight for the month. In addition to their wonderful Activity Packets, containing sheets on highlighting these words in a variety of activities, they also share helpful tips for expanding language. Finally, don’t miss the data collection forms specific to Level 1 and Level 2 words. If you are new to this series, you may want to review the introduction that our series authors created before delving into this month’s target words. You can see the guest authors’ overview here. You can also review the first 7 months of the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words using the links at the bottom of this post. A SCHOOL YEAR OF CORE- INTRODUCTION- MARCH To the parents, teachers, Speech-Language... [Read More...]
January 25, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
It’s prAACtically February and that means we’re preparing new lessons, materials, and activities for another set of high-frequency words. We welcome back guest authors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle with their latest post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words series which focuses on a selected set of words to highlight for the month along. This month, they highlight an important intervention strategy, recasting, that we use to facilitate language development. Also, be sure to check out the helpful Activity Packets, containing sheets on highlighting these words in a variety of activities, and Data Collection Forms. If you are new to this series, you may want to review the introduction that our series authors created before delving into this month’s target words. You can see the guest authors’ overview here. You can also review the first 6 months of the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words using... [Read More...]
January 20, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Planning, designing, creating, teaching. Helping students become more proficient with their AAC systems often involves teaching core vocabulary and it can take considerable effort to integrate that into the daily routines of a busy classroom. In today’s featured video, we hear from Special Educator April Weitkamp who describes the process she used to support core vocabulary in an elementary school classroom. She shares her experiences and many lessons learned through the process of collaborating with the SLP and paraprofessionals to support core vocabulary learning in this multi-age group of students. Many thanks to April and the Special Education Technology Center (SETC) in Washington for this helpful presentation. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVbeHg2Vl2Y&ab_channel=SETCSpecialEducationTechnologyCenter You can see another video from April here.
January 6, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
In today’s featured video we learn from AAC SLP Sara Ayars from Bellevue, Washington about their district’s experience in supporting core vocabulary across many schools and classrooms. Hosted by the Special Education Technology Center (SETC), “Big Core Roll Out: One District’s Plan for Implementing Core Vocabulary” will be very insightful for school districts and AT specialists who want to improve access to supports for core vocabulary. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7a9WpGj-w&ab_channel=SETCSpecialEducationTechnologyCenter You can learn more from Sara on her Instagram, @saraayars_slp, account here.
December 31, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
As we turn the page on the calendar, we’re also thinking ahead to getting back to school after the holiday season. Today, we share the latest post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words series, guest authored by Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle. This series focuses on a selected set of words to highlight for the month along with a suggested order in which to teach them. Therapists and teachers will appreciate the Activity Packets, containing sheets on highlighting these words in a variety of activities, and Data Collection Forms. For January, they’re discussing an important intervention strategy, descriptive teaching. If you are new to this series, you may want to review the introduction that our series authors created before delving into this month’s target words. You can see the guest authors’ overview here. You can also review the first 5 months of School Year of Core... [Read More...]
November 30, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
As we prepare to turn the calendar to a new page, take a look at the fifth post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words series which is replete with resources for December core words. Guest authored by Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle, this series focuses on a selected set of words along with a suggested order in which to teach them. The Activity Packets, containing sheets on highlighting these words in a variety of activities, and Data Collection Forms. In today’s post, they focus on ensuring that the AAC system is available all throughout the day. New to this series? Check out the guest authors’ overview here. Happy reading! A SCHOOL YEAR OF CORE WORDS: DECEMBER by Michaela Sullivan, Beth Lytle, & Alisa Lego To the parents, teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Paraprofessionals, friends, and other curious professionals or communicators – welcome back to the monthly School Year... [Read More...]
November 23, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
With Thanksgiving just around the corner here in the US, it’s time to look ahead to the month of December. A few years ago, we suggested that one way to help strengthen learners’ abilities with core words is to take a different set of 12-20 core words each month and focus on them for a few weeks. How? By modeling those words, making resource materials (like word cards with the symbols), creating activities in which those words figure prominently, posting them in the classroom/therapy room, reading books that have heavy use of these words, sharing them with families, write stories using them, etc. Core words are a great addition to the highly motivating, learner-specific words that many AAC users start with. If you are looking to expand to more robust language, this approach may be of interest. Here are the specific words we are focusing on in December. Set 1... [Read More...]
October 29, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to the November post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words series! Each of these posts, guest authored by Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle, focuses on a selected set of words along with a suggested order in which to teach them. The Activity Packets, containing sheets on highlighting these words in a variety of activities, and Data Collection Forms. In addition to these resources, they share ideas for customizing AAC systems. New to this series? Check out the guest authors’ overview here. Enjoy! A SCHOOL YEAR OF CORE WORDS: NOVEMBER by Michaela Sullivan, Beth Lytle, & Alisa Lego To the parents, teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Paraprofessionals, friends, and other curious professionals or communicators – welcome back to the monthly School Year of Core Words- November Edition. If this is the first time you’re visiting this posting, we welcome you and hope that you find our resources helpful... [Read More...]