Vocabulary · Tier 1: everyday words
Survival sentence frames
Teach a small set of sentences students need to get through the day, such as asking for help or for the toilet. Keep them on display so students can use them straight away.
- Bands
- 1 to 2
- Stages
- Lower elementary, Upper elementary, Middle school and High school
- Settings
- Mainstream class, Push-in support and Pull-out support
- Prep
- Low prep
How to do it
- Choose six to ten survival sentences, for example: Can I go to the toilet, please? I don’t understand. Can you say that again, please? I need a pencil. Where is the library?
- Teach them with pictures and practise them in short role plays.
- Put them on a card on the student’s desk and on the wall.
- Wait for the student to use the sentence, and praise it, instead of guessing what they need.
- Add new frames once the first ones are secure.
In a lesson
Maths (upper elementary)
A new arrival is stuck on a fractions task. Instead of waiting silently, she points to her desk card and says, “I don’t understand. Can you help me, please?” The teacher helps her and thanks her for asking.
What commonly goes wrong
- Adults answer for the student before they have a chance to try.
- Too many frames are introduced at once.
- The frames only cover requests, never learning, such as “I think it is…” or “Is it…?”
Adapting it
For a lower band
Start with three frames, supported by pictures.
For a higher band
Add frames for classroom discussion, such as “I agree with… because…” and “Can you explain…?”