Colourful Semantics Course

Colourful Semantics RTLB Course

With Jeanette Todd & Andrea 

Friday 1 June 2018

A therapy technique that uses colour coded cue cards that show the structure of a sentence.  Each card represents a word or part of a sentence.
A systematic method which teaches children how to understand and construct sentences, tunes the child into key words in sentences, oral and written.

Was first developed by speech language therapists and was based as an oral language programme.  The oral interaction is developed and improved.

Mechanics-How do you organise your resources.  Some plastic and some in containers.  At Ara Tū Whakatā, we have created folders with cards stuck on with velcro.  This system works really well and allows us to maximise learning time.  

The cards are selected to write about the picture.

The Benefits

• Encourages vocabulary
• Increases language and using longer sentences
• Generates responses
• Improves nouns, verbs
• Improves story telling
• Oral system transferred to writing
• Improves written language comprehension
• Is muti sensory
• Adults model the sentence structure
• Can start with interests specific to students

It starts with Oral Language.  Choose images that generate interest.  

Coloured Strips

The cards are colour coded and can increase in length.  Once the cards are on, they can read back.  Teacher can model use of correct sentences.  

Getting To It

We had a look at some kits and how to use the cards.  

Differentiation

• Students record own sentences
• Use highlighters to check parts of the sentence
• Share sentences, get children to read their work
• Make it fun.

Add Descriptive Words

• Extend able writers...
• Adjectives
• Precise verbs
• Conjunctions to join sentences clauses.

After conjunctions, there are no cards so will need to discuss and support verbally.  This moves students from simple sentences to complex sentences.  

Carrots- These are the smaller words that can be used to ensure the sentence makes sense.  Blu tack can be used to cover the words we don't need to use.

Extending Beyond Level 4

When?  How doing-adverbs, What like-adjectives, Who to-indirect, Joining words-conjunctions.  

Extend Colourful Semantics into Planning

• Choose a location
• Who could be there
• What could they be doing
• Topic sentence
• Supporting sentences.

You can develop independence through using a planning template which allows children to transfer skills and knowledge learned through the programme.

Make explicit links to reading.  Children can become text detectives and search for the who, the what etc.  

Using Colourful Semantics in the Classroom

Revision for everybody.

• Have large copies of cards
• Posters with pictures and words
• Use colour cards as cues
• Use colour cards during writing demonstrations or activities
• Use cue cards to assist in reading comprehension
• Have children find key words in sentences.

This shows a student with ASD using Colourful Semantics and experiencing success.  When he first started, he was not engaged and was not able to move cards on his own.  

Resources- (See powerpoint that is being sent out).  

Thoughts from our team:

Dot- Very interesting and a lot more in it.  Can see how useful it will be.  Similar to what we used to do.

Karen- Great.  Awesome.  I know what I am doing now.  

Brenda-Awesome.  Given me lots of good ideas and has reinforced what I have been doing.

Kathy- Very good.  I know exactly what I am doing next.

Lee- I found this session to be very worthwhile as all teacher aides have a good understanding of where to go next.  This programme has seen significant benefits and successes for our learners and 

To Consider

• Teacher aides need time to create kits.
• Our team are going to be a support team for new comers.  Aww yeah!!
• Office Max for blutak
• In Reading, teachers can use different cards to 
• Texts created for students to highlight the different types of words as a reading activity.