A Year of Core Words: Sentences We Can Model

Gone to an AAC conference presentation lately? Seen an AAC webinar? Read an article on AAC therapies? Chances are that they’ve at least mentioned some of the benefits of teaching  core vocabulary. Teaching a relatively small set of powerful words is a strategy that empowers language learners and allows them to communicate across contexts.

If you are following along with our A Year of Core Words (2013) or A(nother) Year of Core Vocabulary (2014), you may have printed out some of the word cards to use with the AAC learners in your life. Thanks to the kindness of PrAACtical AAC readers we have posts with a variety of resources:

1. Minspeak/Unity version: 2013
2. PCS versions: 2013 , 2014
3. Speak for Yourself version: 2014
4. SymbolStix version: 2013

Once you have them, the idea is to use those to plan learning activities that focus on those particular core words for the month.

Let’s put them into prAACtice! The 2013 January words are:

• again
• all gone/all done
• different
• help
• mine
• more
• not/don’t
• stop
• that
• want
• what
• you

If you are following along with those words, here are some ideas for sentences to model. The target core words for this month are in CAPS.

• That is MINE. (or NOT MINE)
• It is ALL GONE (or ALL DONE).
• THAT is DIFFERENT.
• We can do MORE.
• Let’s sing (or do) it AGAIN.
• I WANT to HELP.
• STOP when YOU are ALL DONE.
• Do YOU WANT a DIFFERENT one?
• YOU did a great job with THAT!
• WHAT do YOU WANT?
• Can YOU HELP me AGAIN?
• You did it AGAIN!
• When it is ALL GONE, YOU can ask for MORE.
• Can YOU STOP THAT?!
• I know THAT YOU WANT THAT.
• Give me a DIFFERENT answer.
• I DON’T WANT YOU to STOP.

Bet you can add to the list!

Stay tuned for ideas of sentences to model for the 2014 January core word list.