Welcome back to a new school year! Things are well under way, and there are a lot of exciting things going on with our special education classrooms.
I wanted to take some time to talk about CORE VOCABULARY. Last year, we began to "pilot" a Core Vocabulary program in the instructional classrooms at Ross, Sullivan, and Mac through communication groups. This year, we are continuing our Core Vocabulary instruction and are extending it to Eisenhower as well. AAC Language Lab has a great book called Noun Town that explains the impact Core Vocabulary has on how we communicate and what we can communicate about.
Core Vocabulary is a small set of basic, frequently used words that can be combined in multiple ways to make unique messages. Approximately 80% of what we say every day is made up of core words. These words can be used across settings and situations. Using Core allows us to make requests, reject/refuse, comment, engage in social interactions/build and maintain relationships, ask questions, and gain/share information. It is NOT content-specific, and there are very few nouns. We can make entire sentences using only Core Vocabulary, such as:
"I want more." (request)
"Not that one." (reject/refuse)
"I want to go there." (comment/give information)
"Where did you go?" (gain information/ask questions)
"I did not hear you." (gain information)
"Stop that. I don't like it." (build/maintain relationships)
"Your turn/you go." "My turn/I go." (social interactions)
"Fringe" vocabulary makes up the other 20% of what we say and is mostly made up of nouns. Pig, apple, TV, dinosaur, etc. are all fringe words. They don't give us much flexibility and don't cross settings easily.
When we think about our students who have limited communication, we have to think about what is most important for them to be able to communicate. One way of utilizing core words more in class is to use a Descriptive Teaching Method:
I wanted to take some time to talk about CORE VOCABULARY. Last year, we began to "pilot" a Core Vocabulary program in the instructional classrooms at Ross, Sullivan, and Mac through communication groups. This year, we are continuing our Core Vocabulary instruction and are extending it to Eisenhower as well. AAC Language Lab has a great book called Noun Town that explains the impact Core Vocabulary has on how we communicate and what we can communicate about.
Core Vocabulary is a small set of basic, frequently used words that can be combined in multiple ways to make unique messages. Approximately 80% of what we say every day is made up of core words. These words can be used across settings and situations. Using Core allows us to make requests, reject/refuse, comment, engage in social interactions/build and maintain relationships, ask questions, and gain/share information. It is NOT content-specific, and there are very few nouns. We can make entire sentences using only Core Vocabulary, such as:
"I want more." (request)
"Not that one." (reject/refuse)
"I want to go there." (comment/give information)
"Where did you go?" (gain information/ask questions)
"I did not hear you." (gain information)
"Stop that. I don't like it." (build/maintain relationships)
"Your turn/you go." "My turn/I go." (social interactions)
"Fringe" vocabulary makes up the other 20% of what we say and is mostly made up of nouns. Pig, apple, TV, dinosaur, etc. are all fringe words. They don't give us much flexibility and don't cross settings easily.
When we think about our students who have limited communication, we have to think about what is most important for them to be able to communicate. One way of utilizing core words more in class is to use a Descriptive Teaching Method:
"...a method of teaching that focuses on teaching curricular content using the core words that every student needs as opposed to a set of very specific words that will do nothing to help the student communicate on a daily basis." -Gail Van Tatenhove
For example, does the student need to be able to tell you the word "habitat," or would the core word "home" still help them understand the concept? Being able to describe curricular words and concepts will help our students so much more in the long run.
Rather than answering the question, "Which is the biggest planet in the Solar System?" (Jupiter), a student can use the core phrase "The big one" to describe Jupiter and still demonstrate their knowledge. Unlike the fringe word "Jupiter," the core phrase "The big one" can be used in multiple other settings. "Hey, Carly...which piece of cake do you want?" "The big one." "Hey, Carly, are you planning any trips this summer?" "Yeah, a big one!" "Hey, Carly, you don't look so good. Do you have a headache?" "Yeah, a big one."
So keep your eyes and ears open for Core Vocabulary in our instructional classrooms. Ask about the word they're learning that week and try to incorporate it into your interactions with them, whether that's instruction, therapy, socialization, or even just seeing them in the halls! If you'd like to learn more about Core Vocabulary, please feel free to reach out to me. I'm always happy to help!
So keep your eyes and ears open for Core Vocabulary in our instructional classrooms. Ask about the word they're learning that week and try to incorporate it into your interactions with them, whether that's instruction, therapy, socialization, or even just seeing them in the halls! If you'd like to learn more about Core Vocabulary, please feel free to reach out to me. I'm always happy to help!