-
Recent Posts
OTHER PAGES
- ABOUT MY SLCN BLOG
- MARION BLANK: Language Levels
- WHAT IS SEN?
- CONTACT
- SPEECH & LANGUAGE RESOURCES
- INDEX at April 2020
- Activity books
- Add-ons to purchased games
- Articulation / pronunciation
- Categories and vocabulary
- Concept words and phrases
- Number and counting
- Prepositions
- Pronouns
- Questions
- Read (and look) for meaning/inference
- Reading practice
- Recall
- Sentences / punctuation
- Size grading
- Spellings etc.
- Two-word level
- Three-word level
- Time
- Traditional tales / fairy tales / tales from other lands
- Word work (endings, rhymes, homonyms, etc.)
- STORIES
- CHRISTMAS COLLECTION
- CURRICULUM TOPICS
- SITEMAP
Author Archives: languageisheartosay
Covid damages speech & language development – official!
On the news today a report was featured suggesting young children have been held back by lockdowns and limited opportunities to socialise. So they are not really ‘ready to go’ at school entry. Money is to be spent training teachers … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged action after Covid, help at home & school
Comments Off on Covid damages speech & language development – official!
Looks like magic!
Like the child in this post: https://languageisheartosay.com/2011/05/02/look-mummy-look/ I was similarly amazed on a trip to the coast. I stood on the prom thinking, ‘Great surfing skill’ when I suddenly thought a bit more and noticed the man wasn’t only riding … Continue reading
Praise for the Nativity Rap!
Comments received: I LOVED her Christmas Rap…brilliant! Yes, I did enjoy it! I have printed it off to chant again with claps! Link to the pdf is https://languageisheartosay.com/2020/10/07/nativity-rap-linedance/ and see other Christmas resources on the right sidebar (CHRISTMAS COLLECTION).
Nativity rap : Linedance
Pip Harrison (NZ teacher and writer) who contributed to the Fairy Tales listed on this site has given permission for her rap to be published here. Do have a read! It’s in the Christmas section – see sidebar on right. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Christmas performance, nativity play, Pip Harrison, rap for Christmas
Comments Off on Nativity rap : Linedance
Year of the Fairy Tale
Winter will be here before we know it and is surely the season for fairy tales. Don’t forget the availability of these much loved stories which we worked hard to present at different levels of complexity for youngsters of different … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, ESL / EFL / EAL, Helping children understand, Promoting language development, Teaching, Uncategorized
Tagged Carla Sonheim, Fairy tales, Getting meaning from pictures, Home schooling, Learning to mean, Pip Harrison
Comments Off on Year of the Fairy Tale
Dr. Marion Blank’s Language Levels
I was bowled over the day I came upon this work and it underpinned my practice in speech and language therapy thereafter. I have written before about it and I think all the links still work. For background information and … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, ESL / EFL / EAL, Helping children understand, Inference, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching, Uncategorized
Tagged Getting meaning from pictures, Home schooling, language development, Marion Blank, new vocabulary, S<, SLP
Comments Off on Dr. Marion Blank’s Language Levels
Any day now…
Here we are in April already and facing a whole new set of rules for life. I know there must be many people trying to provide input at home which is normally done elsewhere by someone else. So I have … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, ESL / EFL / EAL, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Home schooling, language development, S<, SLP
Comments Off on Any day now…
December calendar & worksheet
The next calendar and worksheet are available from https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/calendars-and-worksheets-6145231 This will be the last of the monthly calendars. I have been making them since January 2012 I think and there have been 25579 downloads to date! Both my first desktop … Continue reading
Posted in ESL / EFL / EAL, Helping children understand, Promoting language development, Teaching, Uncategorized
Tagged language development, Learning to mean, seasons, weather
Comments Off on December calendar & worksheet
Up and running again
I have put in hours of work to correct the out of date links on my blog and I hope now they are working properly! Sorry I hadn’t noticed there were heaps of errors. Trust the majority have got sorted … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Education at home, ESL / EFL / EAL, Grammar, Helping language skills at home, Home schooling, Language Levels, Promoting language development, Teaching
Tagged Home schooling, language development, Making it easier, S<, SLP, symbol support
Comments Off on Up and running again
Black Sheep Press
Black Sheep Press has a new website with lots of exciting changes and improved features. You can visit it here. I used many of the resources from Black Sheep Press while I was working with young children. The company publishes … Continue reading
Posted in Association, Child language, Competence level, Education at home, ESL / EFL / EAL, Grammar, Helping children understand, Inference, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Black Sheep Press, Getting meaning from pictures, Learning to mean, Making it easier, Mr Goodguess
Comments Off on Black Sheep Press
January is half over…
and the February calendar and worksheet is available free on TES: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/calendars-and-worksheets-6145231
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on January is half over…
Adjectives
Reportedly, adjectives are trending. Hope you find my resources helpful: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-z-of-interesting-adjectives-6049473 https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/verbs-nouns-and-adjectives-to-sort-6146106 https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/halloween-bonfire-night-illus-word-work-widgit-6053785 (includes adjective ideas)
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on Adjectives
Pronouns
Further to a query on a forum on TES, I have picked out some of my resources which are particularly aimed at working on pronouns. Hope you find this helpful. See the Pronouns listing in the sidebar. Have also made … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Education at home, ESL / EFL / EAL, Grammar, Helping children understand, Helping language skills at home, Home schooling, Inference, Promoting language development, Speech and Language Pathology, Speech and Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Getting meaning from pictures, language development, Learning to mean, Pronouns
Comments Off on Pronouns
How did you get on?
I hope you were able to join in the Kids’ Art Week fun. My posts (see links below) include my own efforts at each activity plus a mini language lesson based on the videos etc. The art sessions are still … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Education at home, ESL / EFL / EAL, Helping children understand, Helping language skills at home, Home schooling, Language Levels, Marion Blank, Promoting language development, Speech and Language Pathology, Speech and Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged All about me, Carla Sonheim, language development, Marion Blank, mini language lesson
Comments Off on How did you get on?
Picasso dog
Here is my Picasso dog. Did you make some? Good vocabulary possibilities: Eye, nose, ear, tongue, paw, tail, (learning to name the parts of things is really important for clarity – see http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Naming-of-parts-6224211/ ) Talk about what’s missing from this … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, ESL / EFL / EAL, Helping children understand, Helping language skills at home, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Carla Sonheim, Getting meaning from pictures, language development
Comments Off on Picasso dog
Crazy birds
Here are my crazy birds. Did you make some? Good vocabulary possibilities: bird beak tail claws wings feathers two legs (learning to name the parts of things is really important for clarity – see http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Naming-of-parts-6224211/ ) colour names and … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, ESL / EFL / EAL, Helping children understand, Helping language skills at home, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Carla Sonheim, Getting meaning from pictures, language development
Comments Off on Crazy birds
Kids Art Week
Knowing how lovely Carla Sonheim’s classes are, I’m sure this one will be no exception – and it’s free! Click on the picture to get more details and sign up. I’ll be there – ever a child at heart! Art … Continue reading
Posted in Helping language skills at home, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Carla Sonheim
Comments Off on Kids Art Week
It’s dinner time!
A 5-year-old lad had a nasty fall off his bike, ripped a fingernail and went to A&E to be patched up. In spite of this traumatic series of events, he suggested to his mum that they ask the doctor home … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Grammar, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy
Tagged language development, Learning to mean, What kids say
Comments Off on It’s dinner time!
Dr. Marion Blank
The language style used by adults to children in the preschool and early school years is critical. (Post reissued)
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Grammar, Helping children understand, Marion Blank, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged language development, Learning to mean, S<, SLP
Comments Off on Dr. Marion Blank
Time and Index Update
1. I’ve decided to make a new special section in the list of resources called Time. These time resources are not new but I haven’t collected them together before. Anyone working with children with delayed or impaired language development will … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Helping children understand, Index of Resources, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Time and Index Update
If you’re a good girl…
Today I chuckled to hear a small child promise from her buggy, ‘If you’re a good girl, you can have an ice cream.’ It was a shame her mother didn’t clarify things even by the joke response, ‘I’m always a … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Grammar, Helping children understand, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy
Comments Off on If you’re a good girl…
Music to my ears
BBC Radio 4’s news this morning included a mention of British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss visiting Shanghai to see their maths teaching in action. I’m sure I heard the mention of the importance of verbalising maths concepts. The English language … Continue reading
Posted in Association, Child language, Competence level, Helping children understand, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Comments Off on Music to my ears
Go find (this wonderful book)
Just finished ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue (Picador, 2011), a book I found hard to put down but did not wish to finish. Even read some bits twice. Don’t look at a description of it or you may suspect it will … Continue reading
Posted in Association, Child language, Grammar, Helping children understand, Inference, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy
Comments Off on Go find (this wonderful book)
Can you see what I mean?
This post is to highlight a published resource I designed but cannot put on TES (although I have a section of free resources there which you can find described on the page Read for Meaning/Inference in the list on the … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Grammar, Helping children understand, Inference, Promoting language development, Teaching
Tagged Getting meaning from pictures, language development, Learning to mean, S<, SLP
Comments Off on Can you see what I mean?
Citroen alert!
‘Don’t like Citroen!’ ‘You don’t like Citroens? Why’s that?’ ‘Citroen run me down.’ The grandfather’s chuckle as he replied led me to believe that Citroens have not shown an evil disposition to attack his grandson. Indeed, it seemed unlikely from … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Helping children understand, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged language development, Learning to mean, S<, SLP, What kids say
Comments Off on Citroen alert!
Good listening?
Teachers constantly exhort children to do ‘good listening’. And of course it is an excellent idea. But those who work specifically with children who have problems with attention, language delay, learning difficulties or a combination of all of these also … Continue reading
Posted in Association, Child language, Helping children understand, Inference, Promoting language development, Teaching
Comments Off on Good listening?
That’s very funny!
The child’s voice rang out, all consonants crystal clear. Probably every adult in the surrounding pews had to resist the urge to turn round and engage with the little girl at the carol service. Communicating with attractive children who make … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Promoting language development
Tagged language development, Learning to mean, What kids say
Comments Off on That’s very funny!
Let’s not add to confusion
English is very open to misunderstanding because of the number of homophones we have. Some are not spelt the same way – but when you hear examples there is scope for confusion – and of course non-readers cannot visualise both … Continue reading
Posted in Helping children understand, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Learning to mean, Making it easier, S<, SLP
Comments Off on Let’s not add to confusion
What do you know?
A friend said she would enjoy teaching older people to use the computer but she was not an expert herself. Since she runs a big office, regularly sends emails and writes documents every day, she has obviously achieved excellent competence … Continue reading
Look, mummy, look!
Many of the children who fall behind with language development have immense problems with drawing inferences: from events, from pictures, from conversation and especially from text when they get to that stage. It is delightful to observe children who do … Continue reading
Keep speech simple too
It’s not just print that needs adapting – even talk can be confusing! The words we use, the speed we go, the in-between time – all these will influence how much a child understands. Especially the child with delayed or … Continue reading
Posted in Association, Child language, Competence level, Inference, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Analogy, Making it easier, S<, SLP
Comments Off on Keep speech simple too
Keeping text simple
It can’t be hard to make things simpler… can it? Well, actually, it can be quite tricky. Creating or adapting resources for children with language impairment can take a long time. Not only that. After using the resources it may … Continue reading
Posted in Child language, Competence level, Grammar, Helping children understand, Promoting language development, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching
Tagged Learning to mean, Making it easier, S<, SLP
Comments Off on Keeping text simple
2-word and 3-word levels
It may not sound much but…
languageisheartosay.com 
Beware of germs!
Heard while Covid is still a fear: In a public convenience a mother saying to her daughter of about 3y, “Don’t touch anything!” (Good luck with that!) And near the sea between a father and his son of about 4 … Continue reading →