Communication Week Parents Workshop

Tuning In KS1 Focus

Georgie Livesley

Tuning InEnvironment Important InfluencesWhat puts us off communicatingGreat Environments – Top Tips!

Provoking Thoughts for Communication – Using Books and Illustrations or Pictures BenefitsTop TipsFocus on Book Sharing – an example

Promoting and Developing Vocabulary Why? – the Benefits. How?Word Categories and Meanings New WordsWebsite

Environment Important Influences

What puts us off communicating

Great Environments – Top Tips!

Ideal Environment

A Communication-Friendly Environment is one that encourages and supports children to communicate...

Think about

What natural, easy and enjoyable conversations are like.Who is communicating. What you are communicating about.The mood. Noise levels.

What puts us off Communication?

• Not recognising when you have something important to say

• Ignoring your feelings or dismissing ideas• Only half listening• Interrupting before you’ve had time to

finish• Talking about things that are of interest to

only one person• Finishing off others sentences

Its the same for young children as well as adults...

Great Environments...• Get rid of distractions• Get down and comfy with the child• Keep the atmosphere fun – enjoy and relax! Pleasure not stress!• Offer comments rather than questions• Use the right level of language• Be a good role model –children pick up on how we use language• Use visual support – pictures, photos, symbols• Do it together – eg If you let them watch TV – and communicate!• Encourage! encouraging noises... ‘Wow!’

comment on what the child is doing,.. ‘you’re building a castle!’

• Don’t just give Instructions – make it 2-way (comment, praise, negotiate, question, clarifying)

• Use praise! ‘well done’ and be specific... ‘I like the way you...’• Give response time (need time to process and think) • Name the emotion – often has a strong calming effect• Use a child’s name... Its their special time

Provoking Thoughts for Communication Using Books

and Illustrations / Pictures

Benefits

Top Tips

An Example – ‘When Sheep Can Not Sleep’

Book Power and Communication! The Benefits.

As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. Talking and Reading can be a family activity. Spending time with word games, stories, and books will help your child to…

• Gather information and learn about the world

• Learn how stories and books work – that they have beginnings, endings, characters, and themes

• Build a rich vocabulary by reading and talking about new words

• Learn how to listen and how to think

• Learn the sounds of language and language patterns

• Fall in love with books

Tips for developing language and communication skills while children learn

to read.

1. Talk to Your Child2. Make Reading Fun3. Read Every Day (and support your child by

having a great chat about the book before you read any of the words!)

4. Set an Example5. Talk About Books 6. Listen to your child read7. Show that you value your child's efforts

Using Stories and Pictures to Promote Talk

Routine Reading is something that you and your child can look forward to every

day. By taking the time to read with your child, you show him or her that reading is important and fun to do.

How? Sharing books is a language based activity so whether you are just reading

the story to your child, or discussing the pictures, speculating on plot, or your child is reading to you, channels of communication ,vocabulary and language structures are developed.

Talk for Communication

Help your child by becoming familiar with the story before reading it.

Deliberately TALK about the story.

Get your child familiar with the PLOT – the series of events across the story.

Model and talk about phrases of language / vocabulary s/he may never have heard or come across – say these together

At first, don’t worry about the print… talk about the meaning and structure of the story…

Children expect books to have an introduction, a problem, a climax/tension/main event, a solution and an ending.

Try not to ask too many ‘closed questions’ eg ‘What is the puppy’s name?’ Get your child to think more freely and creatively… eg ‘What do you think the puppies name could be?

Get your child to make suggestions instead of telling him/her what the story is about.

‘Before opening the book, look at the front cover and entice your child to want to find out… eg ‘Ooh! This sheep’s in bed! I wonder why he’s awake?’

Talk about the pictures… Woolly the sheep is in his meadow, I wonder if he’s going to

stay there..? What other Language and Communication Opportunities?

OOoooh! A Butterfly! How lovely! Where’s he going to fly to do you think? I wonder why a sheep would chase a butterfly?

Do you think the butterfly may be with these creatures here? I wonder what’s going to happen next? Look who else has arrived! Hmmm… what do you see?

I wonder if you can guess what the owls are calling out? Do you know any owl noises? (make the sound together and look

at the print ‘Hoo hoo hoo’)

Wow! More creatures! They look interesting… what do you think? They seem to be flying , gliding, flittering, above … Have you noticed what Woolly is

doing?

I don’t think these are creatures. Are you guessing what Woolly wants to do now?

To summarise ...Talk and Chat Talking about the books you read is just as important as reading them. Discussing a story or a book with your child helps your child understand it and connect it to his or her own experience of life. It also helps enrich your

child's vocabulary with new words and phrases.

Encourage your child to ask questions and to comment on the story and pictures in a book – before, during, and after reading it.

Look at the cover and the title of a book with your child, and ask your child what he or she thinks might happen in the story.

Think out loud about the story as you read, and encourage your child to do the same. For example, ask, "Does this make sense? Why or why not?"

Promoting and Developing Vocabulary

Why? ...the Benefits.

How?Word Categories and Meanings

New Words

A Great Vocabulary...Improves understanding

Supports creativity in formulating new ideas

Helps children to express themselves

Boosts confidence

How...?• Make connections between words and objects

(explain what a new word means)

• Show links between words Meaning (tall, high, long)

Categories (animals)Subcategories (Jungle animals)

Sounds (Initial Letters - ball bee boy)Rhyme (hat mat cat)

• Different uses of words Doing (sitting, running, sleeping)Describing (Purple, heavy, small)

Names (table, dad, park)Ideas or Concepts (size, weight)

• Repetition – lots!

• Anytime, Anywhere! – do it!

Ideas for Activities...

www.communicationcookbook.org.uk

‘Vocabulary’ Section for games to support...

Learning and remembering new words and their meanings

Developing skills at learning new verbs (doing / action) words

Introducing new words

Reinforcing new vocabulary

Happy Chatter!

Enjoy your communication with your child!

Its good to talk and its been great to talk to you!

Thanks for coming!