Making words

This week a group of students in my class worked on making words. These students all have letter sound knowledge but are unable to recognise high frequency words.
I found these alphabet blocks in the library and I made up some word cards where they could practice making familiar words. This week we did CVC words from the "at" family.
This activity could also be done with Lego blocks or cubes.

Teaching visuals for communication

One of my lovely colleagues has been making activity specific core language boards for reading for many years. When I first moved to Sommerville I saw how they could be used to support reading comprehension and I continued to add them to my reading packs.
I have used them to teach visuals to my students who are non-verbal. Once i have taught them what the symbols mean, i then use the board so that the student can answer questions about the book. For students who are unable to verbalise the words in the book, the board can be used to complete assessments so that you can test their understanding.
In this video one of my students is pointing to the object he can see in the book when asked, "what can you see?"

Please note: sound has been removed to protect the child's identity

Personalised books

Reading should be highly engaging, especially for new and emergent readers. Often the language used in Magenta readers are simple to encourage high frequency word recognition at an early stage. Many of my new students that arrive at school are unable to attend for long periods of time let alone taking part in a shared reading experience at mat time.

To overcome this challenge I have split my class into two groups. 

- One group reads 1:1 with an adult on their individual reading which includes activities i have shared on this blog. Activities include; responding to visuals, identifying high frequency words, matching visuals to the pictures/words and colorful semantics. 

- One group to work on foundation reading tasks such as turning the page, pointing to the words, looking at the book, pointing to pictures and engaging in a story. For this group i have had to adapt my resources to suit their interests. 

At the beginning of the year I always send home a questionnaire  to ask about the students and their interest. Using this information I made lots of books that the students would be interested in so they can choose a book for silent reading. I have had a breakthrough with one of my students who has taken much longer to settle this year. She is now choosing to read a book to read and turning the pages on her own. 

Colourful Somantics

I posted last year on my blog about colourful semantics and how well it can work for students with communication needs.

You can see the previous post by clicking here.

I have started to use the same resources i used last year however i have simplified the activities by focusing on ONE key area. I am going to include colourful semantics activities in my writing rotation.
My students are working on answering questions about the story, for students who do not yet have the language or are non-verbal then using visuals allows them the chance to be able to communicate their answer.
In this activity, the student is working on answering "who" using pictures from the story. Using the colourful semantics system, "who" is coloured orange. He has to look at the picture and choose the correct visual to identify characters from the story.
I will use this programme in my writing rotation as well.

There is plenty of resources avalibale online. you can find more information by clicking here. 

Progress update - Term 2

Term 2 has been a successful one for my students, especially the ones i have outlined in my focus group. When reflecting on this term and what made it successful it has been a combination of building relationships, having high expectations, building predictable routines and implementing a sensory curriculum including opportunities for movement breaks.

Oliver: I have the behavior team on board to assist with his behavior in the classroom, mainly around compliance for non-prefurred tasks. With a behavior plan put in place, Oliver is now more settled. He can complete tasks in a familiar routine such as unpacking his bag and writing his name. He will now sit and attend to his individual reader for short periods of time. I have not been able to assess his alphabet knowledge as of yet however i am hoping that next term i will be able to test him.

Conner: Conner has made the most progress this term. He joins all class group activities and has gone up two reading levels! He is now reading at red level 3 with excellent comprehension. He understands that he needs to complete all work tasks before he is allowed to play and has stopped leaving the table in the middle of a work block.

Benjamin: We have seen a huge increase of functional language being used throughout the day. Benjamin is like a sponge and just soaks up any learning, even when it appears he is not attending to the lesson he is able to show us that he understands the task. Benjamin still continues to run multiple times in circle time but during work tasks he is on task for the duration of the lesson. This term i was able to identify how many high frequency words he can recognise, this is a big breakthrough!

Next term i am keeping my programme relativly similar with a focus on comprehension during reading tasks using visuals to aide understanding of the text.

Implementing a sensory curriculum

As my students are new to school and routines, I am working on extending the time they will engage in seated activities. As part of my writing, handwriting and math's programme i implement sensory based learning activities as well as seated work tasks so that students who are unable to focus for long periods of time get a "sensory break".
There are heaps of ideas on Pinterest for "sensory tubs". This week i put the "letter of the week" in a tub with jelly balls (can be found at most $2 shops), and words we are learning from our word wall in shredded paper (purchased from looksharp). Other sensory tubs i have used in the past are:
-shaving foam
-flour
-colored rice
-sand
-sago
-kinetic sand

 

Implementing AAC

In my clasroom I am fortunate to have a diverse range of students with a range of communication tools. This term many of my students are trialing different communication systems to find the best system which allows those students who are non-verbal to communicate. 

My current challenge is implementing all of the different devices into my class programme to ensure they are getting ample opportunities to communicate. A trial is usually a maximum of a few weeks if they are trialing a device that is in high demand. 

In my class i currently have:

- 2 verbal students, one with wide range of vocabulary and another who uses key words to communicate

- 1 nonverbal student has trialed a ipad mini with touch chat installed (the student presses the symbol / button which reads out the words). We are awaiting his device to be funded and in the meantime we are using a paper version of the ipad. 

- 1 nonverbal student is trialing a Go Talk 9 which is a system which you have to pre record language you want to use. 

- 1 nonverbal student is trialing a core board where he is learning to point to the symbols.

- 2 nonverbal students are awaiting a communication system  but are currently learning to use visuals in the classroom before moving to a complete system.

        

Over the next few weeks my aim is to integrate these systems into my reading programme to show how multiple systems can be used in one classroom to model language and encourage my students to use their AAC systems to communicate. I am looking forward to seeing what my students have to say with the chance to now be able to do so.

Lastly i wanted to share a powerful blog i came across. It really encouraged me to think of my learners and how they must feel with limited means of communicating. In the chaos of a special needs classroom with so much going on it can be difficult to walk across the room to get their device when it took so long to finally get settled in the activity. However after reading this blog it has driven me to do what i can to give my students a voice.  

Blog link here

Practice makes Perfect!

Each afternoon I do individual reading with each of my students. Some students are able to sit and attend to a story and others are not yet ready to read. 

I have a student called Benjmain who has recently been able to show me many of the skills he has. After 9 weeks at school he is now able to sit at his seat for the majority of circle time, attend to a shared reading book and complete a work task. I knew that if i persevered with trying to get him to participate in reading he would become familiar with what is expected. 

After 2 weeks of bringing him to the table and getting him to point to the words and turn the page, he started to stay in his seat for longer and longer. At first he would turn one page and walk off; over time he increased the sitting time and participated more and more. 

Benjamin will now sit and participate in individual reading for the duration of a story. 

I am also able to send his reading book home so that he can read at home. His family commented that they were surprised he was able to sit for the length of time as he had never shown much interest in books. For the family, this was a huge milestone and one they were able to see him achieve at both home and school. 

Learning Intentions for Shared Reading

Having a clear learning intention prior to every lesson is important for students of any level. Visuals are a great way of sharing what it is you are wanting them to learn. 

We are fortunate to have received training at Sommerville from Sally Clendon. She teaches that having specific learning targets shared prior to a lesson means that your students only have to focus on one aspect of the lesson rather than trying to retain information about everything you are reading. 

I had great success in my last classroom by writing down on the whiteboard what they were learning that particular day. In my new classroom I have had to adapt the way I teach and deliver content. I made these learning intention boards which i have printed and laminated to use during shared reading. For some books i will make specific learning intentions to go with that story, Eg: we are learning to find out what happened to the mouse.

For each book i make a activity core board which has language from the story in visual form so that my non verbal students can answer questions about the story. 

Here are some examples: 

Letter of the Week

Like most classrooms, my class has a huge variety of learners with differing skill levels. It can be challenging to build individualised programmes to cater to their needs.

Here is how i have planned my alphabet and phonics programme to suit my students:

- introducing letter : what does it look like, feel like (tactile letters are great) and sound like. A Colleague of mine has made excellent smart board resources which she has kindly shared with me. I use them as an introduction to our letter of the week. They have to find the letter and when they press the letter a video will play.

- Sensory tubs :  finding the letter of the week letters in sand, rice etc and matching them on a alphabet board

- Magnetic letters :  finding the letter of the week

- Dot to dot letters (link to worksheets below): students can color the letters in stickers (excellent fine motor activity), bingo dabbers, fingerprints, crayons

http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/12/a-z-do-a-dot-worksheets.html 

- letter sound sorts (link is below)

https://www.themeasuredmom.com/free-sorting-mats-for-learning-consonant-sounds/

- Feely bag :  put objects that begin with that letter inside the bag and students can pull them out to find objects. 

- Alphabet books (link is below)

https://www.themeasuredmom.com/free-letter-books/

- Can you find ....? :  Have large printed letters on the floor or wall (I write the letters with chalk on the carpet or concrete), students to throw the mini bean bag at the letter of the week. 

- Cut and paste sound sorting activities (link is below)

https://www.primarytreasurechest.com/teachingresources/category/phonics-letter-sounds.html

Transition to school

I have 8 new entrant learners with a variety of special needs. They are all transitioning from daycare or kindergarten where there was limited routine and frequent free play where they could explore their surroundings on their own accord.
School is a very different place and can be a huge adjustment for any learner. While I am getting to know my students and what my programme will look like I have ensured that I am setting up routines that will encourage their independence while they settle.

Here are some of the routines and strategies i have set up over the first 2 weeks to increase the key competency "managing self". Most teachers at our school would have these strategies set up in their classes as they are key components of any special education classroom however these strategies may also be helpful to other teachers who have students with additional needs in the classroom.

• using a timer to finish an activity - this assists with their independence so they can pack up the activity on their own. It also prepares them that an activity is going to finish which is particularly helpful when they have to leave a preferred activity
• individual timetables - this also assists with their independence so they know where they need to be in the classroom so that you don't have to tell them. Timetables are especially helpful for children who are non-verbal and cannot ask what is happening throughout the day.
• first - then visual sequence (see previous post for more information http://ssslaurencol.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/using-first-then-visual-sequence.html)

I have already seen a shift with their independence, compliance and willingness to join the class for group activities.  

Making Words - Update

For the past two terms i have been using a programme called "making words" which was suggested by Dr Sally Clendon. At Sommerville we are fortunate enough to get regular professional development by Sally who focuses on a "balanced literacy curriculum".

I have blogged about this programme previously which you can find here and here.

I have been using this programme with one of my students who struggles with decoding and spelling who is currently reading at level 17/18.

I have noticed huge changes in Evan since using this programme daily. There are mini-lessons which use specific letters and a "special" word that they have to build up to spelling. The lessons start off by spelling small letters like "as". The teacher gives specific instructions to help them to build more complex words, eg; add a letter to the start of the word "at" to spell the word "pat". The student has to use their sound knowledge to word out where the letters have to go. Evan's confidence with spelling has grown so much that now he doesn't need as specific prompts, now we say to him "use three letters to spell the word cat". The managing self skills that Evan has gained has transferred to his writing. Previously he was unable to write a sentence without adult support, this week Evan wrote a story about his cow puppet independently.

Colourful Semantics

I use Colourful semantics in my classroom to help develop students early foundation literacy skills. It is a good programme for developing sentence structure. At Sommerville many of the teachers use colourful semantics as a system to support students with their reading and writing using the colour coding as a prompt. A colleague of mine, Lidia, has always used this programme as part of her reading programme and when i started at Sommerville i adopted a similar approach.

Colourful semantics is an approach created by Alison Bryan. It is aimed at helping to develop their grammer but is rooted in the meaning of words. It works by students reassembling sentenctes by putting them in order by their colour coded stages. There are different levels within the programme.
           - WHO : Orange
           - WHAT DOING : Yellow
           - WHAT : Green
           - WHERE : Blue
Below is a website with more information:
http://integratedtreatmentservices.co.uk/our-approaches/speech-therapy-approaches/colourful-semantics-2/ 

A huge thank you to Lidia who has inspired me to structure my reading activities using colourful semantics. Here are some examples of how i use colourful semantics in my classroom.

Working with Words

Evan is a very competent reader but has limited understanding about grammar. I am working on "filling in the gaps" in his understanding he can  however  get anxious when learning anything new if he doesn't immediately know the answer.

I found a resource in our library with printable games to teach different skills which fits in with his literacy goals this term. They are games that are motivating and engaging, Evan was unaware that he was learning a new skill. Towards the end of the lesson he was able to circle the adjective in each sentence after playing the game. 

Below is a video of how Evan used the adjective cards to make an appropriate sentence with the winter picture scene. 

Term 3 Reflection

This term my class have been settled and calm. The current behavior strategies are working and my students are thriving. I have seen growth across all curriculum areas but especially reading. We read 1:1 four afternoons a week; all of my students know the routine therefore reading in my classroom is generally the calmest part of the day. This goes to prove that there is a significant link between managing self and accelerated shift in reading.
Next term i wanted to have a class focus on another key competency which is part of my inquiry. My students struggle with the key competency "relating to others".

The reason i have not addressed this particular key competency is because i wanted the students to be able to manage themselves before focusing on social skills.
In the last year my classroom have integrated into the mainstream playground during playtime. This is a very challenging part of our day as the students can be unpredictable in social situations as they navigate how to interact with their peers. Next term I will be implementing strategies to help my students understand social interactions to be able to build relationships.

Reading Success!

Reading has always been a huge challenge for James who remained on level 1/2 for 4 years.
 He struggled to retain sight words he learnt and also struggled with comprehension.
Through repetitive word wall activities, visual based reading activities and behavior strategies in place, James has moved up 3 reading levels which is such a huge achievement.
When my students achieve a milestone i send home a milestone card and I display my students success in the foyer in our classroom.

Ending Sounds

Many of the students in my classroom have communication or speech difficulties. This makes reading and writing difficult for them as they are unable to pronounce or hear all of the sounds in the word. It takes a lot longer for my students to learn their initial word sounds as they are unable to verbalise many sounds. It is important to take this into consideration when teaching students who have speech difficulties.
Two of my students can now identify the initial sound at the start of an unfamiliar word. This is evident in their reading and writing as they will use beginning sound cues to guess what the word might be or write the first letter down when writing a story. These two students are now working on identifying the middle and ending sounds and they are also learning to make CVC words. While the student in this video isn't one of my target students, i have been using similar activities with James. Both students have speech difficulties.
 In this video this student has to identify if he can hear the "n" sound at the beginning or the end of the word. I decided to use these activities to introduce him to sounds at the end of the word. I felt that teaching them the sound at the end would be the best next step rather than middle sounds. Medial sounds are often vowels which my students struggle to identify as they sound similar. 

Where to from here?

This week I attended our CoL Hui where all of the teachers in our CoL displayed our inquires. It was a great opportunity to share my journey with other professionals and see how other teachers were progressing with their inquiries. What a wonderful experience to reflect on my practice and my inquiry as many of the visitors to my display asked me some interesting and valid questions; the main question?

My students are improving and moving up reading levels (2/3 students). If they haven't shifted reading levels then they have increased their sight word knowledge and gaining confidence in reading. The strategies that i have implemented to improve the Key Competency - Managing Self are working. My students can work for longer periods of time and are more willing to take risks with their reading. Below is an outline of what i am wanting to achieve by the end of the term with my students reading and behavior management. As each student is so different there is not a "one size fits all" approach.
I will update my blog on the success of the following:

• James : attempt to sound out a word he doesn't know. I am going to try Elkonin boxes with him as seen on another colleagues blog. James will say "i don't know" and ask "whats this" when coming across a unfamiliar word. 
• Evan : Attend 2x mainstream classes a week for reading. At the moment Evan goes once a week. He is allowed to return to class whenever he is ready as sometimes he doesn't cope. I will implement some form of communication symbol that he can show to the support person to indicate that he wants to leave the class. 
• Toby : implement a programme suggested by my schools SLT to teach Toby comprehension. At the moment Toby can point to symbols to answer questions but often repeats your question rather than answering the question. He has to be taught how to answer a question. Currently he can answer "who" questions with support. 

Positivity Breeds Positivity...

This week i went out to see a colleague of mine Susan, who teaches in one of our Junior Satellite classes. I was amazed at how well her students responded to her teaching team as well as how nicely they interacted with each other. Her classroom oozed positivity and she celebrated every success no matter how small the achievement was. Her students were glowing with praise they received and the classroom environment was set up well for her students. I have taken many of her strategies on board which i will implement this term.

My students are very social where they enjoy interacting with each other however it doesn't always end well. I find myself having to intervene before the behavior escalates. After visiting Susan i have decided to implement a reward system that she uses which gives more frequent praise throughout the day. Each student will have to earn stickers on their chart, when they have filled the 5 boxes they can put a tick on their strip. Once they have all 5 ticks they can choose a prize from our prize box. This system worked well in Susan's class and i know my students will also respond well.
This week i will have a meeting with my teacher aides to get them on board with the overall aim of increasing our positive behavior strategies in the classroom.

Positive Behaviour Strategies

At Sommerville we use a positive behavior approach to manage challenging behavior in the classroom.
Sometimes the function of the behavior is unclear and we need to collect observational data to find out what is causing the behavior. I have been using the same system for over a year and i have found it very useful for students with challenging behavior because it is student driven and allows them the opportunity to think about their own behavior to earn rewards.
Each of my students focuses on a specific and individualized learning goal to manage their own  behavior in the classroom such as..
- using a quiet voice in the classroom
- using "gentle hands"
- being kind to my friends
The students earn stars on their charts to earn free play at the end of the day. They need 4/5 or a full 5 stars to earn free play. Most of the students manage their own charts by themselves, however if they do not earn a star we do not focus on the negative behavior, instead we focus on how many more they need to earn free play.
There are some excellent resources available on the TKI website.
http://pb4l.tki.org.nz/Encourage-Positive-Behaviours/Support-material