HOT TIPS

• observe how the author and illustrator have worked together to create an engaging story. 
• think about the characters and how they are described, particularly how they think and feel during different stages in the unfolding plot.
• clarify in your own mind what the "problem" or "obstacle" is in the story.
• ask yourself what steps the character/s take/s to overcome the problem.
• consider how well the author concludes the story.

Click here   PICTURE STORY BOOKS - primary

Click here   PICTURE STORY BOOKS- children 3 years and under

FEEDBACK

We have included ideas that readers and workshop participants have found to be useful in promoting language in the clinic and at school. Some of these relate to Love and Reilly resources and others are more general in nature. Please feel free to email us with some of your experiences.

'Chatterbox'

" I am a tutor and  earlier this year I began using Chatterbox cards with some of my students as a starting point for writing. I bought the cards to encourage a (not untypical) middle primary boy, Hugh,  to say more to me than yes, no, or I don’t know.  All my well-intentioned attempts to engage him in talk, as a pre-cursor to writing, proved counter-productive until I presented him with Chatterbox cards to select from.
 
For Hugh*, having a card to generate conversation depersonalised it.  This relative objectivity lowered expectations at the same time as improving outcomes. Each week now he delves into the pack of cards, and then talks. Sometimes he talks lots, sometimes only a bit. Either way it is fine with me, as he has taken  control. He will often ask me to give my answer, and the exchange is spontaneous and genuine.
 
I don’t always ask students to write in response to the cards, but a few weeks ago Hugh chose a question that really fired him up. The card asked what you would do if you forgot your friend’s birthday. When I suggested he write his response, he asked how. Hugh is a child of few words, but before I could reply he told me that he would write a letter. Here it is.
 
Dear Jordan,
I am terribly sorry I forgot your birthday.  My uncle ran in the City to Bay and had a heart attack. Since then I haven’t been able to go anywhere because I am too scared to ask my dad to take me.  We’re currently in the hospital.  My brother Shane, who doesn’t care about our uncle, has been showing off his City Bay medal to all the nurses in the hospital.  Mum has been trying to sort out my two baby brothers who have been arguing over the hospital toys. Anyway, I hope you can forgive me.
From Hugh

*names changed for anonyminty
 
I was thrilled. Hugh’s ability to convey his mortification at the hypothetical situation,  and his command of language, were way above his routine level of written expression.  So – go Chatterbox!  Frances.

Narelle – teacher (Queensland) - "As a result (of attending a workshop on oral language) I purchased several of your resources.(Word Journey, Word Wise and Away with Words) The Teacher Aides and I have found them to be a fun way of getting students to participate in Language Development sessions and gaining confidence in using their imagination and speaking to a group. I tell the students that they are warm up activities and sometimes we do them for nearly the whole lesson."

A Sound Way

Sue – teacher ( Queensland ) -"My copy of A Sound Way is tattered and torn but very well loved and very well used. Mr Tongue's House is an activity that I always use, whether it be an individual child I am working with or a whole class. I purchased a whole lot of mirrors that our students love using when we are working out where the sounds are being made in our mouths. I have found it is a good idea to always start off with a fun activity, like animal sounds. This activity certainly engages the children very quickly and we all enjoy watching our mouths making the mooing, squeaking, squawking, cheeping and roaring sounds. Try singing Old MacDonald had a Farm into the mirror as well. This leads very well into moving on then to the speech sounds."

Chatterbox

Julie - Teacher (Victoria)
"I take small groups of children with reading/ spelling difficulties in a small country school. The Chatter Box cards with their stimulating topics have been invaluable in promoting lively discussion and consequently have proved an excellent aid for writing activities. The children beg me to use these cards and a second set would  be much appreciated!”

Julia - Speech Pathologist (NSW)
“The Chatterbox cards are great to have handy for those moments with older kids when you need quick topic ideas.  I use them for "Two Minute Talks", "Quick Thinking", group discussions, and paragraph and essay planning and writing.”

Andrew, Speech Language Pathologist -

• I use these cards with language-disordered students, autistic students (middle years to secondary school age) and stuttering students. I have found them useful for practicing fluent speech at the monologue level.
• A student's difficulty responding to a Chatterbox card led to a group discussion about individual strengths and weaknesses.
• I recommend these CHATTERBOX cards to teachers for daily Topic Discussion.