Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. A social story originally inspired by several upsets suffered by a child with social communication problems. Makes a framework for looking at o'clock times and talking about similar irritating events. Clock faces for half-past times provided too, together with alternative events. Lots of ideas included for using the cards. Could be printed 2pp to A4 but cards will be easier to handle if file printed on A4.

Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Print on A4 to file in a Display Folder. Use for practice in odd moments and frequent revision. 4 pages including MONTHS and SEASONS, DAYS OF THE WEEK, O'CLOCK TIME, and ALL ABOUT ME. You can build up a useful long-term resource by adding a vocabulary page for every new topic. Could also be used for EAL.

Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. A resource under development aimed at children with fair reading skills who do not pick up on all the meaning behind the words. Three stories with suggested activities based on published research as to what helps children focus on implied information. Feedback comments welcome.

Activity book with lots of different things to do. Suitable for differentiation. Learn animal and bird names and use the pictures for several games.

Illustrated with Widgit symbols. Three further stories following the same format as before. Text for retelling, straightforward questions and suggestions for inferential questions. Includes mind-map about reading for meaning.

6 pictures each for sleeping, eating, sitting and walking. Print on A4 single-sided card, cut and use for sorting, labelling, taking turns to make sentences for the set for one verb etc. Or make word cards or printed sentences for the pictures (depending on level) and use them for a reading-for-meaning exercise where the child has to read and place the card on the correct picture. Several sleeping pictures for example are useful for forcing attention to more than just one word in the sentence!

Fun A-Z collection of adjectives to discuss and try to use in written or spoken stories. Illustrated with PCS or Widgit symbols.

Lists of regular phonic spellings in short sequences. For ear-training. What has changed? One phoneme changes for each new word. Use with a good set of plastic letters where digraph consonants and vowels are presented as single units.

Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Pairs, Chain game, and Dominos featuring common nouns with irregular plurals. Most of the pictures will be recognised by this age-group. Opportunity to read the singular and plural forms, and also just label pictures. Increase spoken practice by making up spoken sentences featuring the pictures on the Pairs cards. Could also be used for EAL. Print 2-sided on card.

A set of double-sided cards with pictures one side and mixed questions on the other for the adult to ask. Designed to give practice with responding appropriately to different question words, and picture description. Pictures can also be used as a prompt for writing sentences, and for pairing up with given sentences as a reading for meaning task.

Worksheets requiring sentence completion with nouns beginning with g/ch/j to fit the context given. Illustrated words provided as check (or support for less able children).

For improving recognition of the CVCe shape. Three sets of cards for playing Pairs where a pair will have one word of the CVC shape (e.g. ROD) and the other of the CVCe shape (RODE). Suggestions for including work on using the words to make sentences, as well as reading them. Illustrated with PCS or Widgit symbols.

5 pages of cartoons with a selection of verb possibilities to use instead of ‘said’. A writing column requires an event and some actual speech in a bubble. My other resources which link to this are (1) Match Speech Bubbles to Pics, (2) Punctuation – Mark the End of Sentences; and (3) Punctuation II – Putting in the Speech Marks.

Flashcards with illustrations from PCS or Widgit symbols for the vowel digraphs in the Jolly Phonics scheme. Useful for auditory discrimination and word building. Short familiar words with regular phonic spelling patterns used wherever enough examples exist.

Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Print the games sheets on A4 card. You can print the first page of suggestions on the back of one of the lotto boards or on a separate sheet. Cut the sheets which are filled with small pictures into cards for the suggested games (see suggestions page and notes on the sheets). You can play Lotto arranged as a grid, Pairs, sorting into the sort boxes, and use the discussion ideas.

Word and picture cards illustrated with PCS or Widgit symbols for a listen-remember-find game. Targeting sequential memory and left-to-right movement as pre-reading requirements. Extra task is word-matching. Three sets of cards to make a variety of 2-5 word sentences.

Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Illustrated cards to build compound words which are clearly linked to the shorter words. Adaptable to different levels. Ideas given for use. Could also be useful for EAL.

Illustrated with Widgit CIP. Pictures with captions to match. Use to check reading for meaning accuracy. Early reading vocabulary and simple sentence construction. Can also be sequenced to build nativity story.

Print 2-up single-sided on paper. Do cut and stick pairing of cartoon and bubble. 4 sets of 6 per page. Errors can be useful as discussion starters. Extra page of cartoons has empty bubbles to be completed. Could be a useful activity for paired kids with mixed level of reading/writing skills. Also for EAL.

Traditional tale - The Lady and the Lion. Rather similar tales by the Brothers Grimm have been used for reference. Retold at three levels: simple plus symbol-support of Widgit/PCS symbols; early reading (RA 6-8y) with illustrations; longer version (RA 10-11y) to read aloud, with many opportunities for spoken language tasks. Additional activities: colouring; read / match caption to picture and sequence the story; writing frame booklet with 12 pictures as prompts; tessellations. With Guide.