Colourful Semantics Level 3 What? SEN

Colourful Semantics WHAT Pack | Level 3

Help autistic and neurodiverse learners understand and communicate WHAT is involved in an action with this practical Level 3 Colourful Semantics teaching pack.

Once learners are beginning to understand WHO and WHAT DOING, the WHAT layer adds another important part of the message:

The boy → is kicking → the ball.

The focus is not simply on naming objects. Learners are supported to understand the relationship between an action and what is involved in that action, helping them develop longer, more meaningful sentences.

Designed for SEN/SEND teachers, teaching assistants, Speech and Language Therapists, Early Years practitioners and autism specialist settings, this resource focuses on meaningful experiences, modelling, visual support and functional communication.

What’s Included?

The printable pack includes teaching guidance, WHAT visual supports, photographs, sentence-building resources and structured activities to help learners identify and communicate the object involved in an action.

Resources can be adapted for different communication levels and used alongside speech, AAC, signing, gesture, pointing or other communication methods.

A Meaningful Approach to Teaching WHAT

Begin with real actions and familiar objects wherever possible. Model the action naturally and draw attention to what is involved before moving towards photographs, symbols and more structured sentence-building activities.

The teaching guidance supports a gradual progression from adult modelling to choices, sentence completion, open questions and increasingly independent three-part sentences.

The key question at this level is:

WHAT?

For example:

What is he kicking?

What is she eating?

Learners can then begin to build:

WHO + WHAT DOING + WHAT

The boy + is kicking + the ball.

Who Is It For?

This resource is ideal for SEN/SEND teachers, teaching assistants, Speech and Language Therapists, Early Years practitioners, autism specialist settings and primary classrooms supporting autistic and neurodiverse learners.

Use it for individual teaching, small-group language sessions, classroom activities, everyday communication opportunities or speech and language therapy.

Created by Alison Garza, Specialist Teacher and founder of Elevating Neurodiversity, drawing on almost 20 years in education and specialist experience supporting autistic learners.