Category Archives: Helping children understand

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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December calendar & worksheet

Posted on 13/10/2019 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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Run, run

Posted on 07/11/2017 by languageisheartosay

Today I was out early, as rain is promised for later. I observed a father taking a ?3 year-old to nursery. They were crossing the road and the child had clearly been drilled to keep looking out for traffic. Suddenly … 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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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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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

Time and Index Update

Posted on 10/01/2015 by languageisheartosay

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

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 →

Posted in Child language, Competence level, Helping children understand, Inference, Promoting language development, Share stories, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching | Comments Off on The Magic Horse

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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The Twelve Brothers

Posted on 13/08/2014 by languageisheartosay

“…As the young men pushed open the gate, she picked the twelve flowers. With each snip one young man after the other rose up from the garden, arms turning to great black wings, noses to beaks, legs to claws – … Continue reading →

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Little Red Riding Hood

Posted on 04/05/2014 by languageisheartosay

“Shall I walk with you?” said the wolf. “Oh, no, sir, thank you. I can quite well walk by myself and I expect you have wolf things to be getting on with.”  “Well, there is one wolf thing I could … Continue reading →

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The real princess AKA The princess and the pea

Posted on 16/04/2014 by languageisheartosay

“Pea of destiny, pea of delight, We need your help, we seek insight. Is this princess the real deal? Will she sleep or will she feel Your bumpy presence in her bed, Making her toss and turn instead?…” Find the … Continue reading →

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Blondine, Bonne-Biche & Beau-Minon

Posted on 11/03/2014 by languageisheartosay

Another Traditional Tale has been uploaded to TES. If you do not get your resources from TES, you can find the ‘long and short of it’ versions (as above) here. The original story – from a book of Old French … Continue reading →

Posted in Child language, Grammar, Helping children understand, Inference, Promoting language development, PSHE / Virtues Programme, Share stories, Speech & Language Pathology, Speech & Language Therapy, Teaching | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blondine, Bonne-Biche & Beau-Minon

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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Go find (this wonderful book)

Posted on 21/01/2013 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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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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Citroen alert!

Posted on 12/09/2012 by languageisheartosay

‘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 →

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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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Good listening?

Posted on 13/04/2012 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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A real there there

Posted on 19/01/2012 by languageisheartosay

My grammar check immediately spots I have repeated a word, but never mind! As soon as I heard this wonderful new noun (a ‘there-there’), I found it captivating. How much more immediate than solace or consolation. Other recent activity has … Continue reading →

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Let’s not add to confusion

Posted on 30/09/2011 by languageisheartosay

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 →

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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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Are you listening to me?

Posted on 20/09/2010 by languageisheartosay

This is normally said in exasperation when a child has not jumped into action at the first time of telling.  It is often swiftly followed by I won’t tell you again… which may mean either I will tell you again … Continue reading →

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