The Oracy around Australia program is ideal for use with a range of children,
from 6 to 10 years of age. The program is based around a single book - "Are we there yet?", by Alison Lester.
There are ten lesson plans in the program, each one based on four pages from the book. The activities, as in other oracy programs, are all
based around the sounds, words, sentences and text levels of oral language.
Cost: $40.00
Oracy for preschool
The Oracy for Preschool program is ideal for use with young children,
from 3 to 6 years of age. However, the language activities in it are suitable for ages up to 8 years.
It is based around a set of ten popular children's fiction books, each focusing on a different theme.
Each of the ten books has an outline of the session
plan, set out to cover sound, word, sentence and text
levels
of language. There are extra resource materials which
can be made into a student activity booklet and a parent
letter
to inform parents. Also included in the program is a
checklist of communication behaviours which can be
used by the facilitator
to monitor the program's implementation as well
as individual students' performance.
The program encourages oral language development within
a safe and supportive environment, and aids in preparing
children for the language demands of the classroom. There
is a set of Blank's levels of questions based around
each book, as well as games and comprehension activities
to complete the set.
Cost: $40.00
A list of all the books used in the program are written on the booklist page.
Oracy-too Program
The Oracy-too program is
written for use with young children, from 4 to 7 years
of age. It is based on the language
demands that children experience when they enter school
- the language
of literacy and the language of learning. The basic program
comprises ten lesson plans based around popular children's
literature, each lesson consisting of two sessions. The
first session deals with examining the text and a number
of different langage activities. The second session is
based on a text innovation, where the child or group
of children write their own story based on the same pattern
and structure of the book they have just read.
Each of the ten books has an outline of the session plan,
an example of a text innovation for that story, a student's
activity booklet and a parent letter. Also included in
the program is an example of pre- and post- program assessments,
and a checklist of communication
behaviours which can be used by the facilitator to monitor
the program's implementation as well as individual
students' performance.
The program encourages oral language development within
a safe and supportive environment, and aids in exposing
children to the language demands of the classroom. The
program can be run by the therapist, teacher or trained
facilitator.
Cost: $35.00
An extra five lesson plans are also available. Refer to the book list for a full list of all titles available
Oracy for Ozzie Kids
Oracy for Ozzie Kids is an oracy program, based on a set of 10 books which are either - Aboriginal legends, or use Aboriginal characters, or have universal themes, popular to all children. The program particularly features:
- a clear and comprehensive lesson plan and resource materials for each
book
- a focus on oral language through purposeful activities
- support for different learning styles
- value of each child's language and contribution to the group
- opportunities for children, whose home language is different to school language, to practise and develop their language skills
- language which is used for hands-on learning, creating and exploring
- opportunities for children to take risks using their home language in a safe and supported environment
- an emphasis on activity-based learning style, contextualised by the literature and language of learning.
Although the program has been heavily based on Aboriginal stories, the themes, characters, and language activities do appeal to a broader audience.
The focus of the program has been on language, learning and doing, and is therefore ideal for many young children who are still focused on physical
activities and who may have limited attention spans. It would also be an excellent introduction to Australian themes for young children who are learning
English as a second language, but from a migrant background.
Cost: $40.00
Check the booklist for all the titles in this program.
Friends Talk Program - REVISED
Friends Talk is a program which helps to develop a student's oral
language skills particularly in understanding and mastering the language
of friendship. It is not specifically designed as a social skills program,
but does offer an excellent support for students who experience difficulties
in establishing friendships and maintaining positive interactions with
others.
The revised program uses fifteen stories from popular children's literature to
help them understand and evaluate others' actions, and then compare their
own responses in a supportive and non-critical environment.
The program aims to increase learning outcomes for spoken language, as well as to
improve social behaviours. Elements of language learning and literacy are
also modelled through the program. It is aimed at the early childhood sector,
but could easily be adapted to older children.
The program has been used very successfully with a range of children, including children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder,
Intellectual Impairment, and those who use English as a second language.
Each book has a lesson plan, student activity pages and parent letter. The lesson plans follow two sessions. The first session generally explores the text,
working through the friendship theme and discussing the lesson in the story. The second session focuses on personal experiences and recount, linking what the
children have learnt in the book, to what they would do in that situation.
The revised version has an added element. Each lesson plan also features a conversation script that can be worked on with the children to assist conversational
role plays such as the language skills of introducing, questioning and asserting.
Cost: $50.00
A sample lesson plan is provided below, just click on the button.
Olympic Games Oracy Program
The Olympic Games Oracy Programaims
to develop students' oral language skills, particularly in understanding
and mastering the six different
text structures. It addresses spoken and written language texts and is targeted
at middle primary to secondary school students.
The program is based around a single text Olympic Games 2000, published by Dorling Kindersley, but is supported with any type of literacy you wish to use.
While the focus is the theme of Olympic Games, the language contexts are easily extended to the broader theme of sports.
Students are provided opportunities to deconstruct text and construct their own text, following the patterns of six text structures - list;
description; sequence; compare and contrast; cause and effect; problem and solution. The program can be used with individuals, small groups or the whole class.
Although written with the learning-language disabled student in mind, its contents will appeal to all students. The language skills that it promotes,
are skills which are of benefit to anyone in writing assignments, reports etc.
Cost: $35.00
Experimenting with Oracy
The Experimenting with Oracy program is specifically desgined for older students, aged 8 - 12 years. It is based on a series of science experiments, which develop simple science concepts, in a logical and clear manner, with a focus on oral language skills. The language activities emphasise problem solving, reasoning, predicting, describing and other text types. Although the written language demands of any task is kept to a minimum, this aspect is easily increased if working in a learning support mode.
All support materials are provided as black line masters, including the science
experiment procedure. However, therapists and teachers will need to provide
their own materials for each experiment. The physical demands
of each experiment have been limited to what is readily available, but science
suppliers have been listed in the materials.
The worksheets are fun, and the physical hands-on nature of the experiments provides motivation and interest,
ideal for students who might otherwise be difficult to engage in work. The current work unit focuses on magnets and
magnetic force, but future work units are planned for Matter; Motion; Simple Electronics and Kitchen Chemistry.
Each work unit has four or five lesson plans, with two experiments in each lesson plan.
The program has been reviewed by science teachers for accuracy, and to ensure a logical flow in the development of the
scientific principles. The important focus of the work units however, is not developing a strong understanding of these concepts,
as much as exploring the ideas through oral language. A great approach for talking to learn.
Cost: $25.00
Cooking with oracy
Cooking with Oracy is desgined for younger
students, aged 4 - 6 years, or any student with a significant language disorder.
The program is based on a set of ten recipes, which are simple and easy to make, with
minimal fuss and requirements. Each lesson plan follow the same language framework
as other oracy programs, providing activities to reinforce sounds, words, sentences
and text. Additionally, this resource focuses on a math language concept in each
lesson.
All support materials are provided as black line masters, including the recipes.
(However,
therapists and teachers will need to provide their own ingredients.)
The worksheets are simple to follow, while the hands-on nature of cooking
is motivating and fun for all. Sequencing language skills form an important part of the lessons.
The program is also useful when working with a group of students who are moderately, intellectually
handicapped, even up to high school aged students, as the language tasks are important in any communication program.
Cost: $45.00
A sample pages from a lesson plan are provided below, just click on the button.
