PrAACtically December: Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary

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 (2013): ask, favorite, goodbye, hear, of, please, silly, surprise, these, use, way, work

Set 2 (2014): already, clear, doctor, fix, great, grow, her, high, jump, outside, ride, room, side, straight, wake, wash

Here are some resources that may be helpful as we move on to highlight the December words.

• Templates for you to plug in your own symbols: 2013 words, 2014 words
• Minspeak/Unity version: 2013 words
• PCS versions: 2013 words 
• Lesson Pix: 2013 words 
• SymbolStix: 2013 words 
• Speak For Yourself: 2013 words, 2014 words
• Smarty Symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
• CoughDrop: Set 1 words; Set 2 words
• WordPower: Set 1 words (Note: This is a large file that contains the resources for several versions of WordPower)

The resources listed here available due to the collegiality of Brian Whitmer, Barbara Fernandes, Nancy Inman, Deborah Lesher, Beth Erwin, Bill and Lori Binko, Heidi LoStracco, Alison Wade, Russell Cross, Gail Van Tatenhove, Eric Sailers, Rachael Langley, and others. We are grateful for their contributions.

We can model these powerful core words in sentences, too. (Thanks, Beth Erwin!)

Storybook reading is such a great way to get in some extra modeling and elicitation of core words. Many thanks to Deborah Lesher for this list of books that provide ample opportunities to target our December core words.

• Clear Moon, Snow Soon
• Fix-it
• Fly High, Fly Guy!
• Goodnight Already!
• Penguin Says Please
• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear?
• Snowmen at Night
• Stranger in the Woods and DVD 
• Snowmen At Work
• Straight and Curvy, Meek and Nervy
• Tacky the Penguin
• The Girl Who Wouldn’t Brush Her Hair
• The Other Side of the Story

Finally, check out all the wonderful activity suggestions in Rachael Langley’s calendars for December.

You can download printable versions of both calendars and the sentence grid here.