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

We’re continuing to support core word learning in this stay-at-home era. In today’s post, we share some ideas for integrating AAC into your daily life. 

Thanks to all who’ve reached out with questions, comments, and words of appreciation for the Year of Core Vocabulary series. Here are some helpful resources for those who are using the words in Set 1 ( Year of Core Words) or Set 2 (Another Year of Core Words). If you are contemplating this approach, feel free to jump in at any time. The best time to start (or re-start) is right now. Don’t worry about retracing steps, or not ‘doing it right.’ The best way to get better at core vocabulary instruction is just to keep at it. It takes time, practice, and a willingness to keep at it.

Our words for this month are as follows.

Set 1: all, down, good, little, my, question, sad, she, turn, up, who, why

Set 2: bathroom, car, child, confused, green, hard, how much, man, mean, never, part, remember, sister, so, today, us

Core words can be used in a wide range of contexts and activities.  Click on the links for more concrete information about how to use each of these to build communication. 

• Everyday: Check the calendar (below) and complete the activity of the day.
• Monday
  • Start the day with a WHO song.
  • Find pictures of activities, places, or things that are GOOD. Make a picture collage or talking photo.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Animal Virtual Visitation Day! Check in on the giraffes and see what they are UP to.
• Tuesday
  • Enjoy virtual circle time and talk about ALL the colors of the rainbow.
  • What are some things that make us SAD? Brainstorm, then build a word cloud.
  • Field Trip Day! Let’s travel to Vietnam and explore the world’s largest cave. With each step, ask a QUESTION about what you might see next, how it would feel to be there, and where the sound is coming from.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Relax with some calming sounds or music. Talk about how the sound goes UP and DOWN.
• Wednesday
  • Start the day with a WHY song.
  • Browse through a magazine.
  • Enjoy virtual circle time and find out WHO ALL of the health community helpers are.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Animal Virtual Visitation Day! What are those pandas UP to?
• Thursday
  • Enjoy virtual circle time with the three LITTLE pigs.
  • What are some things that make us feel CONFUSED? Brainstorm, then build a word cloud.
  • Make a simple recipe.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Field Trip Day! Let’s go to the Egg Farm for a virtual visit and learn how they pick UP eggs from ALL the chickens.
• Friday
  • Start the day with a song: My turn.
  • Animal Virtual Visitation Day! Take a peek at the meerkats and see if they are DOWN in their holes.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • End the day on the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building in NYC and look DOWN.
• Saturday
  • Take a walk or play in the yard if conditions permit.
  • Make art
  • Field Trip Day! Let’s visit ALL the engineers and workers the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Video chat with a friend or family member and have a catch-up conversation
• Sunday
  • Start the day with a song about ALL the colors.
  • Get out the art supplies to draw and paint.
  • Read a book from the list below.
  • Animal Virtual Visitation Day! Take a look and see if the polar bears TURN UP.

A great many thanks to our colleagues Barbara Fernandes, Rachael Langley, Lisa Timm, Nancy Inman, Brian Whitmer, Russell Cross, Gail Van Tatenhove, Allison Wade, Heidi LoStracco, Bill and Lori Binko, Eric Sailers, and all the others who have contributed to this effort.

1. Templates for you to plug in your own symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
2. Minspeak/Unity version: Set 1 words
3. PCS versions: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
4. Speak for Yourself: Set 1 words; Set 2 words
5. Symbol Stix version: Set 1 words
6. Lesson Pix version: Set 1 words
7. Smarty Symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
8. CoughDrop: Set 1 words; Set 2 words
9. WordPower: Set 1 words (Note: This is a large file that contains the resources for several versions of WordPower)
10. WordPower: Set 2 Words in Symbol Stix and PCS (Both are large files that have sets for different versions of WordPower)

Reading is a great way to build in some extra core word practice. If you like reading with your prAACtical pals, we have some book suggestions. The following list is for Set 1 words.

• A House for Hermit by Eric Carle Crab: good, little, question, sad, turn, up
• It’s Mine! by Leo Lionni: all, good, little, my, turn, who, why
• The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers: down, good, little, question, sad, she, why
• The Napping House By Audrey Wood: all, down, little, she, up, who, why
• Turn Off That Light! By John Crossingham: down, good, little, turn, who, why 

May Calendar 

Rachael Langley’s wonderful core word calendars have been showing up on bulletin boards and refrigerators around the globe. She has lots of fun and easy ideas for our May words. (Click on the image to download the calendar for Set 1 words.)

Please use this calendar and offer it as a resource for families. But also recognize that for MOST families, they have been BOMBARDED with home resources. This may just look like 35 more things they have to do. It might be wise to circle three activities that really gets at your student/client’s needs or interests. I hope people encourage families that these are meant as a support and not as a burden or a to-do list.

 Need some ideas for ways to target the May vocabulary beyond the single word level? Lisa Timm has some suggestions for us.

You can print out these sentences and the Set 2 calendar here.

Need even more ideas? Rachael Langley took care of that, too. (Click here or on the image below.)