Category Archives: Competence level

Year of the Fairy Tale

Posted on 12/09/2020 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Dr. Marion Blank’s Language Levels

Posted on 17/04/2020 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Black Sheep Press

Posted on 09/08/2017 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Well done!

Posted on 28/10/2015 by languageisheartosay

Congratulations to Pip Harrison (New Zealand writer and teacher) for coming first in this year’s Ronald Hugh Morrieson Literary Awards 2015 (Open Short Story). Pip contributed the stories for older children to the 8 Traditional Tales posted in TES last … Continue reading →

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Pronouns

Posted on 08/10/2015 by languageisheartosay

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 , , , | Comments Off on Pronouns

How did you get on?

Posted on 15/08/2015 by languageisheartosay

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 , , , , | Comments Off on How did you get on?

Modigliani portraits

Posted on 01/08/2015 by languageisheartosay

Here are my examples from lesson 6. Good vocabulary possibilities: Yesterday the page was divided down the middle. Today the background space is divided by lines drawn down and then across. The rectangles are fairly random. A coloured line is … Continue reading →

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Oil pastel and paint people

Posted on 31/07/2015 by languageisheartosay

Here are my examples from lesson 5. I didn’t have enough black paper to make the expected size and I made them much too small so could not add the suggested extra decorations. I also had to use Cray-Pas as … Continue reading →

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Nature faces

Posted on 31/07/2015 by languageisheartosay

Here are my faces made from a few things I picked up in the garden or saw on my table. It was fun to see how spacing the eyes differently changed the face a lot. Vocabulary about the faces: naming … Continue reading →

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Leaf printing

Posted on 29/07/2015 by languageisheartosay

  Here are my tags decorated with leaf prints in lesson 3. I made some prints into birds and others into bugs as suggested. Good vocabulary possibilities: Birds: talk again about how we know they are birds – refer back … Continue reading →

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Night sky

Posted on 29/07/2015 by languageisheartosay

Here are my night sky pictures from lesson 2. Good vocabulary possibilities: Adjectives: you may have a copy of The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark which is often read in school. It contains many ‘wow words’ which are … Continue reading →

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Picasso dog

Posted on 28/07/2015 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Crazy birds

Posted on 28/07/2015 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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It’s dinner time!

Posted on 01/03/2015 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Dr. Marion Blank

Posted on 26/02/2015 by languageisheartosay

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 , , , | Comments Off on Dr. Marion Blank

The Lady and the Lion

Posted on 25/11/2014 by languageisheartosay

I am proud to announce (with sound of trumpets) that Pip Harrison and I have got to the end of The Year of the Fairy Tale. The last set of resources based on two similar stories by the Brothers Grimm … Continue reading →

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The Magic Horse

Posted on 20/10/2014 by languageisheartosay

Read Aloud version contributed by NZ writer/teacher ©Pip Harrison …“Guards! Seize this man!” ordered the King. “Take him to prison until my son comes safely home. Fancy bringing me such a dangerous thing!” … Early Reading version  …“Look at that!” … Continue reading →

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Cinderella

Posted on 07/09/2014 by languageisheartosay

Pip Harrison, New Zealand writer, has rewritten the well-known tale from the Fairy Godmother’s point of view. The RA is approx. 11y for older children, or to be read aloud. ‘…Amidst it all, the prince and Cinderella gazed at each … Continue reading →

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If you’re a good girl…

Posted on 22/08/2014 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Music to my ears

Posted on 25/02/2014 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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The Frog Princess

Posted on 20/02/2014 by languageisheartosay

The first TRADITIONAL TALE is complete! See the link in the sidebar on the right. I hope people find it fun. If you do not get your resources from TES, you can find the ‘long and short of it’ versions … Continue reading →

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So…

Posted on 11/02/2014 by languageisheartosay

Where did it come from – the ubiquitous empty ‘so’? Did it travel along with the dreaded upspeak (or uptalk)? I am getting to the point where I take no notice of the intended message someone is imparting but tally … Continue reading →

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Can you see what I mean?

Posted on 06/11/2012 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Choose your martyrdom

Posted on 30/04/2012 by languageisheartosay

Would you rather be pressed like St. Margaret Clitherow or hanged like St. Anne Line? How does your school inform small children of their fate? Will the Head tell a 6 year old he is going to be put in … Continue reading →

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That’s very funny!

Posted on 22/12/2011 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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What do you know?

Posted on 25/09/2011 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Keep speech simple too

Posted on 20/02/2011 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Keeping text simple

Posted on 02/01/2011 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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