Anna Branagan responds to vocabulary related questions in the Early Years

A big thanks to all the participants who attended Anna Branagan's webinar Developing spoken vocabulary within Early Years settings. Here are Ana's replies to the questions asked by the participants.

How do you assess whether an SEN child can use a concept? They may understand but not use yet!

·    It is firstly important to establish if a child understands the concept. To do this we use real objects such as the collection of items in a shoe box, as shown below. To assess knowledge put a range of objects in front of the child and ask the child to identify ‘which one is bendy/long etc'

·    In an ideal world, practitioners would have lots of time to take language samples and listen to children in free play. Early Years practitioners rarely have that luxury, so instead it is about eliciting responses. Use real objects that ideally show several examples of the same concept. Play with the objects showing the concept and then use the start of a phrase, but rather than using the concept word, just pause. Like this:

‘Wow, look at this rope it is really....’ (bendy)

‘Oh no, I’ve spilt the water! Now my jumper is all ….’ (wet)

‘Here comes the horse. He’s running and he’s jumping …’ (over)

 

What is the most important area to focus on for a child with specific word finding difficulties in SLT?

·    Ideally each child should have a thorough assessment of their individual language skills, as many children who are labelled as having word finding difficulties also have word learning difficulties. Working on word learning skills will impact also on word finding. Does the child have adequate phonological awareness skills? Does the child have semantic skills? Are they able to apply these skills to word learning?

Resources for this are provided in the ‘small groups’ section of the original ‘Word Aware’ (primary aged) book. Working on sorting and categorising words is a skill that is needed, but in my experience, it seems to have limited direct impact on vocabulary development. Phonological awareness, sorting and categorising can all be developed as part of teaching children specific words.

 

When working with children who are bilingual, does working on words in their first language carry over to English?

·    Yes, ‘sinking’ is the same concept in English as it is in Gujarati. The word just sounds different. If you work on a concept in the first language the child is more able to fit the new word into their understanding of the world. Later they will naturally pick up the English word.

A good foundation in the child’s first language will support English language learning. The key is to work closely with parents and enable them to support their children’s language learning at home. If you can work in the home language at nursery or school, then that is advantageous but hard to achieve.

Do you include Makaton signs on your symbols?

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     Symbols are included in the Word Aware book, but not signs. We suggest staff use a sign or gesture, particularly when teaching concepts. If you know the Makaton sign, then great. If not, then use a gesture, but all adults need to be consistent. 

What are whisper words?

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     ‘Whisper words’ is a simple way to review words that you have already taught and to encourage children to use in a specific situation e.g. in the home corner or water play. Introduce ‘whisper words’ to the whole class by saying ‘today I am going to walk around and whisper a word you might like to use in your play.’ As you see an opportunity to use a particular word, you whisper it to a child.

How many words would you teach at one time?

The million-dollar question! In Early Years we suggest that in each week you teach one topic word, one word selected from a book you read to the children and one concept. There are lots of words to learn, and so there is a pressure for pace but this must be counter-balanced by a need for depth.
Remember you don’t need to teach every word, but by combining all the elements of ‘Word Aware’ together you will expose children to enriched vocabulary, motivate them to learn words and teach them word learning skills. 

Do you have any advice on how to 'win over' Early Years (teaching) staff and get them to see how important vocab is?

·    ‘Do the children they work with needs support to access the curriculum? Are they interested in developing their children’s foundation skills?’ Let’s hope they answer in the affirmative to both of those.

The main barrier is likely to be time, so you need to show that the activities are easy, effective and engaging. Start with some of the songs. Or just search ‘Word Aware channel’ on YouTube. Then model some of the games such as ‘what’s in the bag?’ or ‘treasure hunt’ and just watch the children react.

The slides at the beginning of the webinar have some of the background evidence about the importance of vocabulary. There is also more in the book.

All of the ideas you talked about are applicable to many populations, including deaf children. I am wondering though if you have any specific ideas for this population outside of what was already mentioned. Thanks.

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      We haven’t specifically worked with deaf children and so are reluctant to reply in detail. ‘Word Aware’ is a multisensory approach with lots of repetition which will suit deaf children. It may need a specialist Speech and Language Therapist/teacher to identify more specific adaptations.

Can you give some tips about teaching second language children who have never been exposed to English and have no reinforcement in the home.

·    The whole class environment is important so spend time providing word learning opportunities for all. This can be supplemented by small group work as outlined in ‘Supporting children with higher needs’ section in the book. This works well for children with very little English as well as those with language learning difficulties. This suggests working on one noun, one verb and a concept in each group session. There is guidance about choosing the right words and games to play to reinforce the words.

For the whole class we also suggest having ‘Alan the Alien’ and his box. Adults put objects in his box of things that ‘Alan’ might not know. Then all the children tell ‘Alan’ what the items are. Children are encouraged to put items in his box as well. This means that children with English as an additional language can find out labels for items in an easy way.

Working with parents is essential for developing a strong foundation in the home language also.

How do we know that vocab at 5 is causal of socio-economic outcomes later in life?

·    It is not a causal link, there is an association. Vocabulary is closely associated with reading comprehension and conceptual understanding, both of which underpin academic success which in turn impacts on socio-economic outcomes. Research (Law et al, 2009) indicates that children with normal non-verbal skills but poor vocabulary at age 5 were 50% more likely to have literacy or mental health difficulties at age 34 and twice as likely to unemployed.   

How would you use this approach with children with developmental language disorder?

·    ‘Word Aware’ supports vocabulary learning for all children, including those with developmental language disorder. We have found that by selecting the right words and using a multi-sensory approach with the whole class children with DLD are much more able to access whole class teaching. Children with DLD often just need more repetition and the whole class work can be supplemented by small group work in order to provide extra opportunities to hear the new words.

      

      References: Law, J., Rush, R., Schoon, I., & Parsons, S. (2009) Modelling developmental language difficulties from school entry into adulthood: literacy, mental health, and employment outcomes. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 52(6), 1401.