AAC Language Lab

Target Vocabulary:

1.I
2.you
3.he
4.she
5.it
6.we
7.they
8.drink
9.drinks
10.eat
11.eats
12.feel
13.feels
14.go
15.goes
16.have
17.has

Target Language Skill: Saying subject pronouns in sentences with proper subject-verb agreement

Suggested Objectives:

1.The person will be able to show that he or she knows the meaning of the subject pronouns.
2.The person will be able to say "I" in a sentence with a verb from the target vocabulary.
3.The person will be able to say "you" in a sentence with a verb from the target vocabulary.
4.The person will be able to say "she" in a sentence with a verb from the target vocabulary.
5.The person will be able to say "he" in a sentence with a verb from the target vocabulary.
6.The person will be able to say "it" in a sentence with a verb from the target vocabulary.
7.The person will be able to say "we" in a sentence with a verb from the target vocabulary.
8.The person will be able to say "they" in a sentence with a verb from the target vocabulary.
9.The person will be able to say all the subject pronouns in combination with other verbs that are not listed in the target vocabulary.

Teaching Activities:

A. Speaking

1.Talk about the definition of a pronoun - "A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun." If you need to review, talk about the definition of a noun - "A noun is a word that names a person, place or thing."
2.Talk about all the names the person calls himself or herself - first name, last name, middle name, nickname. Talk about the pronouns that you can call yourself - I, me, myself. Model these pronouns on the device.
3.Make up a sentence with the person's name at the beginning, for example - "John eats when he is hungry." Or just say "John eats." Ask the person to say the same sentence without using his or her proper name to talk about himself. If the person can't think of how to do this, model the word "I" and then the sentence "I eat."
4.Make up a sentence using your own name, for example - "Ms. Smith eats." Ask the person to say this sentence about you without using your name. If the person can't think of how to do this, model the sentence, "You eat."
5.With some people this teaching the difference between "I' and "you" can take a long time. Demonstrate with a snack on the table between you. Say "I eat it." and then take the snack. Say "You eat it." and then wait for the person to take the snack. If the person just says "eat" when it is his or her turn, then you get to eat the snack. Put another snack out and let the person say "I eat it." or "You eat it."
6.Talk about substituting the other subject pronouns for proper nouns in sentences.
7.Get the Pronoun Parade Fun Deck from Super Duper. Go on line to Superduperinc.com and do a product search for Pronoun Parade Fun Deck. You will find other products on the page for teaching pronouns. The Fun Deck cards come with lots of suggested activities.
8.Teach subject-verb agreement in sentences. The person may be saying phrases like "it go" or "she go." Teach by having the person listen to sentences like "It go fast." and "It goes fast." Ask which one sounds better. Model the verbs that end in "s." Talk about the verb bucket with the "s" on it. Explain that verbs ending in "s" go with the pronouns he, she, and it. Make enlarged pictures the smart chart to show the pronouns he, she, and it together with the "s" verb bucket.

B. Reading

1.When you are reading any book, look for subject pronouns. Let the person say each pronoun while you read the rest of the words.
2.Make a game of hunting for subject pronouns on posters, word wall, book titles, and web sites. See how many you can find in a set time.
3.Look for subject pronouns in text books and work books for other subjects.
4.Read the supplemental materials books that are associated with this lesson. If you find words that are not in the device, you may spell them, or use a pronoun to substitute for the noun. At the first reading, encourage the person to read just the subject pronouns. The next time, have him or her read all the words if possible.

C. Writing

1.If the person is able to write, let him or her write subject pronoun name tags.
2.Write a list of names of people in the class. Ask the person to write a subject pronoun for each person.
3.If the person is not able to write independently, connect the device to a computer and let him or her use the device as a keyboard to write into a word document. If you need help connecting computer access, go on-line to http://support.prentrom.com and do a search for computer access articles.
4.Write a short sentence about someone using his or her proper name as a subject. Ask the person to write the sentence again using a subject pronoun instead of a name.
5.Say a sentence with a proper noun or nouns at the beginning. Ask the person to write the correct subject pronoun to take the place of the noun.
6.Write some silly sentences that are scrambled. Ask the person to help you put the words in the right order. Use a sentence strip with words on cards if this is helpful.
7.Make a book with either Word or Power Point. Put pictures in that the person chooses. Let him or her write a caption for each picture. Encourage the use of subject pronouns in short sentences.

D. Generalization

1.Encourage the use of subject pronouns with other verbs that are not in the target list for this lesson.
2.Talk about other pronoun forms and how we use them.
3.Teach the pronoun-verb phrases in Unity two ways. Phrases such as "I feel" have a shortcut that is just two keystrokes. Make sure that the person understands what the individual words mean, and how to say them as separate words. The word "I" is two keystrokes when spoken by itself. The word "feel" is also two keystrokes when spoken by itself. Teach both ways if the person is able to understand this concept of a shortcut. Point out that not all the target words can be combined in shortcuts. You have to say each word individually for most of them.
4.Use the icon tutor to look up words in the supplemental reading. Talk about how we could substitute a pronoun for a noun.
5.Store the nouns that the icon tutor can't find, or teach the person how to spell the words. Ask the person what pronoun could substitute for a missing word.

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