AAC Language Lab

Target Vocabulary:

Examples of, but not limited to...
big/little, hot/cold, pretty/ugly, sad/happy, nice/mean, hungry/thirsty, wet/dry, easy/hard, fast/slow, favorite, few/many, long/short, old/new, full/empty, dirty/clean and the colors and numbers.

Target Language Skill: Using adjectives in sentences to describe things. For example, adjective + noun (pretty flower) or subject + to be + adjective (She is happy.)

Suggested Objectives:

1. The person will request a certain amount of a desired item using an adjective + noun phrase.
2. The person will request a certain color of an item using an adjective + noun phrase.
3. The person will describe a picture using adjective + noun (pretty flower) or subject + to be + adjective (She is happy.) phrases.
4. The person will describe a recent event or person using adjective + noun (pretty flower) or subject + to be + adjective (She is happy.) phrases.
5. The person will direct an art activity using adjective + noun (pretty flower) or subject + to be + adjective (She is happy.) phrases.
6. The person will describe a favorite song using adjective + noun (pretty flower) or subject + to be + adjective (She is happy.) phrases.

Teaching Activities:

A. Speaking

1. This lesson presumes that the person is spontaneously saying one and two word combinations, but may not be using adjectives to decorate his/her speech or writing. It is important to be both working on concept development (for example, what does dirty mean.) and how to use it with other words. Remember, people learn words both respectively and expressively. So concept development will happen while working on expressive language.
2. Have person request a multiple of a snack item. For example, if a person states they want cookie ask, "How many?" and require him/her to state, "3 cookies". In this lesson, you will also be able to work on plural "s". Be sure to review the location of numbers on the AAC system.
3. While getting dressed have person request the color of an item that he/she would like to wear such as "blue sweater" or "red pants". Be sure to model and review the location of colors and clothing on the AAC system.
4. Have person describe a motivating picture. This may be a still scene from a favorite movie, a photograph of a trip to the beach or and illustration in a favorite book. Make sure you pick a scene that tells a bit of a story rather than a picture with one item. Start out by providing a model and then tell the person it is his/her turn to describe the picture. For example, if you have a photo of a beach scene where the sun is out and children are digging in the sand, you may model "hot day" or "She is happy." Then ask person to describe the picture using a similar adjective + noun phrase or subject + to be + adjective sentence. If the person says a noun in isolation, tell them you would like to know more about that object and the way to do this is by using adjectives. Give the person a few choices of adjectives to use and then have he/she construct a short phrase using that adjective.
5. While creating an art project have person use adjective + noun (pretty flower) or subject + to be + adjective (She is happy.) phrases to dictate what will be draw on the page or how the clay will be modeled. Or have person use the same phrases to make a plan for the project and then assist him/her in creating that plan. For example, instead of hand-over-hand painting random objects on a page first come up with a plan by saying, "What should we paint today?" If the person answers with a single noun like "flower" ask him/her to decorate that word with an adjective. You may follow up with "What kind of flower? Red flower? Pretty flower? Big flower? Tall flower?" If he/she likes and chooses one of your ideas, help him/her construct that phrase on the AAC system, then proceed with painting that object. When completed, this art project can be presented to the group and the person can use the same describing phrases to talk about his/her project.
6. During leisure time, have person pick a favorite song to listen to or simply turn on the radio. Talk about how the songs make you feel by saying, "When you listen to this song, how do you feel?" Describe the songs using words like blue, fast, slow, quiet or loud. Write down the ideas on a sandwich board or easel. Writing down what the person says reinforces literacy and the ides can be reviewed at a later date or when you listen to that same song again.

B. Reading

Have the person pick a book that interests them. Let him/her know that the purpose of reading the book is to locate and say all of the describing words. While reading the story together, every time an adjective is spotted prompt the person to say that adjective on his/her AAC system. Review the location of adjectives on the AAC system before you begin reading the story. If the adjective is not on the AAC system, don't panic, simply point to the word in the book and the noun it describes and talk about what it means. Then move on to the next example.

C. Writing

Have person bring in a variety of photos depicting motivating trips or events in his/her life. Create a scrap book with the photos. Using the writing process have him/her write short phrases and sentences using adjectives to describe the events in the pictures. This scrap book can be added to weekly or monthly giving the person a nice way to share information about him/herself to an unfamiliar communication partner.

D. Generalization

Throughout the day, be on the lookout for times and places you can model adjectives. Remember, these are core words and we use them often.

© 2009 Prentke Romich Company
keb 08/12/09