Language for Thinking

[lougle]

Poltergoose very kindly sent me LfT and I have been reading through it.

I have a question:

The assessment pages have shaded boxes in the different Language levels (ABC) next to various questions.

Are those shaded boxes indicating that the particular question is not scored for that level? Or that it is? Or something completely different?

There is no reference anywhere that I can see, to the significance of the shadings.

The expensive book is Language for Thinking - it contains all the assessments and scenarios, etc. Cheapest online is Amazon for £37.99 as far as I can see.

Thanks Lougle, I will have to order a copy.

I watched the link you provided earlier in the thread too of the little girl and her mum. Do they give advice in the book too as how to extend language once you have done the assessments?

Yes, they do. They give examples for each area of difficulty, so for example, if a child rambles on and on, they suggest saying 'you've given me lots of ideas there, tell me about the one you think is most important...'

Thanks Lougle, that tends to be an area of difficult for ds.

Will definitely order a copy, sounds really helpful

Was wondering today how you are all getting on!
Great to hear the updates.

We have a convert from the Primary Education section of MN too - ordering a copy tomorrow...we'll conquer the world!

We're doing well, Moondog I definitely think functional language is the focus for DD2. It's ironic that she can absorb what homophones, adverbs and split digraphs are, yet couldn't describe what 'Green Club' was to DH, other than to say that "it's where you plant things that the person who helps you tells you what to do and where to put them." and who called a nappy 'plain' when she meant 'clean'

Just marking so I remember to come and give an update!

Great

Could I try the transcript without the picture or is having the picture in front of them a must?

That's great Lougle.
I think a lot of kids with language issues focus on less apparent stuff. My dd has fantastic spelling (in two languages) and amazing phonological awareness-she can imitate an accent perfectly.

Yet other much more basic stuff is hard for her.
Claw, you can use LFT in a variety of different ways, which is one of the many reasons it is so great.
If you message me I can send you some simple instructions as the only problem with the manual is that instructions for use a little vague. Other MNers have used my instructions and I think they are getting on ok with it.

It's all so fascinating.

Claw, yes, module 3 is text only. LfT does suggest doing it in order (so picture and text first, then picture and child reading text themselves, then text alone) but it is not set in stone.

Your DD sounds quite amazing, moondog I'd like to know two languages!

Thanks Moon, I don't have the book yet, but would be grateful of the instructions.

Lougle provided the link and the transcript of the little girl and her mum earlier in the thread, I was wondering if I could use the transcript just to see how ds gets on with it, while waiting for the book.

I do think LfT is great, so let it conquer the world

I have a question about bilingual kinds if anyone has any ideas. English is not our community language and it is by far the waeker of DD2's languages (unlike my other 2 who are fairly even).

DD2's main problem seems to be totally mangled grammar and sentence structure. Do you think I'm right to 'worry less' about grammar/sentence structures that she has transposed from her first language than constructions which are completely random?

Hi all,

Finally uncovered my copy and we'll be back to 'home school' next week after a month off.

So might add my own vid?!

Hoooray! Please do, Star.

I did the transcript about Ahmed and the puppet show with ds, I think we definitely need this book.

Tell me what happened in the story - 'Arnold or someone went to a puppet show'

Where are Ahmed and his mum - 'in a house'

Who went with his mum - 'Arnold'

did they like the puppet show - 'yes, they laughed at it'

why - 'doesn't make sense, the game is called why, you click on it and it takes you to the menu'

Those were just some his answers, he answered 'I don't know' to some of the questions. then got stressed because he didn't know at the end.

I think you need to do a whole bunch of 'getting it wrong' practice, with it being no big deal/funny/rewarded.

I have to revisit that with ds quite regularly.

YES Star, how do I go about that?

I told ds that its ok and 'I don't know' is a perfectly acceptable answer, he was getting quite stressed at the end.

Well you can model. DS can chose a card from two and if you get one right you get a sticker/tick whatever. If you don't you get nothing and you can ask DS what you can do?

If he doesn't know suggest you shrug and say 'oh we'll.

Then reverse the game. He has to guess the one you chose. If he does 'good getting it wrong I.e shrugging' he gets loads of praise and a small sweet.

Once mastered you can generalise to other situations where you practise 'getting it wrong' first and then introduce something he will get wrong, with a reward when he does it well.

Then you can explore other reactions such as 'oh no!, I'll get you next time ha ha ha' or 'you're just lucky' etc. Or even 'well done mummy, you got me there!.

And you stop the sweet thing just as soon as you feel praise is enough.

I mean from 2 cards DS chides one to hold and you guess what it is.

It is helpful if you can recognise from the back so you can control your responses.

Thanks Star, he has lots of cards, pokermon and moshi's etc, he would probably be quite interested in that 'game'.

Although his 'getting it wrong' does only seem to apply to questions or not being able to answer. He has no problem for example losing at a game or spilling a drink. although he used to, I suppose I have modelled how to react to those, spill a drink 'never mind, its an accident' you get a cloth, clean it up etc.

Im sure the 'getting it wrong' is school related. One of his IEP targets when all this 'getting it wrong started' was for ds 'to be able to own up when he was in the wrong' how they achieved this was by an adult telling ds he was wrong Im sure this is where it stems from.

Grrrrr.

One of the great things about Moondog's 'way' of doing LFT involves coaching at the end and then trying again the next day with hopefully an improvement.

It's excellent for confidence-building but also showing quite quickly the benefit of 'practising' a skill. That you start not being so great but you get better.

Getting better is the important thing NOT being great from the start.

Bit skint at the mo, but will order the book as soon as I have the funds, im quite excited about it