AAC Language Lab Lesson Plan: Starter Set Balloons Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Stage 1 Expected Outcome: The student will speak using single core words and core phrases. Purpose: To encourage the student to use core words throughout the course of an activity. Target Vocabulary: go stop big little up down fast slow Target Language Skill: Core vocabulary refers to the small number of words that make up 70-90% of what we say on a daily basis. These words are relevant across contexts and can have many meanings. The student will learn to use core vocabulary in one and two word utterances. Materials: Book Up, Up, Up! The Bubble Game board Piece of yarn (cut to about 6 feet) Balloon 2 Chairs 1
Drinking straw Tape Scissors Water balloons Permanent Marker e.g. Sharpie Print target icons Hula hoops (targets) Laundry basket or bucket (to carry water balloons) Suggested Objectives: The student will use go to indicate a basic action. The student will use stop to indicate a basic action. The student will use big to indicate a basic preference. The student will use little to indicate a basic preference. The student will use down to indicate a basic preference. The student will use up to indicate a basic preference. The student will use fast to indicate a basic preference. The student will use slow to indicate a basic preference. Stage 1 Teaching Activities: Speaking Go Have your student say go to ask you to blow up a balloon. Stop Have your student direct you to stop when the balloon is big enough. Big/Little Allow your student to make choices about how big he/she wants you to blow the balloon. Go up/down Have your student direct you to let the balloon go in different directions. 2
Go fast/slow Allow your student to direct the speed of the balloon-blowing by using these simple adverbs. Pop it If your student likes the noise, let him/her direct you to pop the balloon. (e.g. 1, 2, 3, Go! ) Reading Read the book Up, Up, Up! Encourage your student to find the words as they appear in the story. Red words are from the 20 Word Starter set, yellow words are others you may decide to teach as well. Model the words the student can t find. Writing Connect the device to the computer using a USB cable or Blue Tooth Adaptor. Let the student use his/her device to write the target vocabulary. Be sure to make the font large. Print out the words for your student. Generalization Bubble Wrap Game - Print out the game board and cover with a piece of bubble wrap with the large bubbles. Ask your student to find the icons on his/her device. The student gets to pop each bubble once he/she finds the word. Balloon Model Rockets - Start by tying one end of the string to the back of a chair. Thread a drinking straw onto the other end of the string, and then tie the string to the second chair. Attach 2 pieces of tape (about 2 inches in length) to the center of the straw. Next, inflate a balloon. (Don t tie the end.) Holding onto the opening of the balloon (so the air doesn t escape), attach it to the straw using the tape. Pull the balloon to one end of the string (so that the opening of the balloon is touching one of the chairs)and let go. Observe what happens. The balloon should start to move as soon as you let go of it. Have the student practice the target vocabulary during the activity. He/she can say go when 3
you let go, stop when the activity is over, up if you move the string up high and down if you try it with the string going down. Water Balloon Words Fill the water balloons. Write one target vocabulary word on each balloon. Print out the target icons. You may want to put the pages in page protectors or laminate them so they last longer. Take the balloons outside. Find a nice place to play, like on a lawn, that can get wet. Spread out the hula hoops and put a target icon in each one. Have your student choose a balloon and read the word out loud to him/her. Have the student determine which icon goes with the word. He/she can then throw the balloon and try to hit the icon. This is a fun way to practice core vocabulary. You can give the student a variety of icon choices based on his/her ability. One student may get two icon choices, another may be able handle more. If you don t have hula hoops, you can use other materials or just attach the icons to the ground. Watch Pocoyo s Balloon on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oce0bp00qx0 Have the student use his/her device to describe what is happening in the video. Here is another fun video your students can sing along with up/down as target words. [Up, Up, Up in my Silver Balloon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3UutF7AjKo) 4
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