Teaching ‘Before, After, Left and Right’

This week we have been learning how to follow directions that use the terms before, after, left and right.  You’d be surprised how many kids still struggle with these basic concepts. Try asking your child to do the following:

Before you touch your nose, pat your head.

If she touches her nose and then pats her head, she is merely doing things in the order you named them, and has not understood the concept of ‘before’.  However, she may not have trouble with the following command because you say it in the order it’s to be done:

After you pat your head, touch your nose.

But if you say it with the order reversed, she may have more trouble:

Touch your nose after you pat your head.

Why is it important for kids to learn these terms?  Because they will be used all the time in the classroom, and in the real world!  For example, the teacher might say:

“Class, get out a piece of paper and number from 1-10 on the left side of the paper.”  Or, “Before you line up for recess, finish your math worksheet and put it in the basket on the desk.”

These are simple commands, and many kids who struggle with these words will simply look at their classmates and follow their example.  However; if they are on their own, they struggle.

TEACHING ‘BEFORE’ and ‘AFTER’


 The best way to teach ‘before’ and ‘after’ is to practice.  Start out with simple worksheets such as the free ones HERE.  It may also be helpful to show pictures that illustrate the concept:  an egg before and after it has been cooked, a shoe before and after it has been tied, etc.  Then practice giving them commands such as the ones above, and see if they can follow ‘before’ and ‘after’ directions even when the order it is to be done is reversed in the sentence.

 TEACHING ‘LEFT’ and ‘RIGHT’
‘Left’ and ‘right’ may be a little easier to teach, because a memory device is built into their hands!  Have the child hold up their hands in front of them with the thumbs horizontal, pointing towards the middle.   Ask them which hand forms the letter ‘L’.   It will be the one on the left, and ‘left’ begins with ‘L’, so that is easy to remember.  If they are right-handed, you can also tell them that the hand they ‘write’ with is the ‘right’ hand. (Both words sound the same).

Teaching Your Child to say 'SH'

SH


How can you teach your child to say the 'SH' sound correctly?

Well, if she can say the 'S' correctly, you're halfway there.  First of all, you can tell her to smile as she holds out an 'S' sound, and while she is doing that, have her start to pucker her lips.  You can tell her to put her finger up to her lips and become a librarian, who says, "Shhhhhhhh!"  Puckering her lips should naturally cause her tongue to back up a bit in her mouth, which is where we want to make the 'SH' sound.  So to make a good 'SH' sound, make an 'S' sound and slide your tongue back just a little bit.  Also let your tongue be a little looser.  

Imagine what you do when you put your thumb over a garden hose -- The closer your thumb is to the end of the hose and the tighter your thumb presses down, the faster and skinnier the water stream shoots out.  So compare your thumb to your tongue and the water stream to your air stream.  When your tongue is tight and close to the top of your teeth, you can make a good 'S' sound.  When your tongue backs up and relaxes a bit, it makes a good 'SH' sound.



It may take your child some practice to train her tongue to go where it should, but practice makes perfect!

PRONOUNS ARE PROS AT REPLACING NOUNS!

Recently we started working on pronouns.  The kids are learning that PRONOUNS replace NOUNS.  So instead of saying:

MARY plays basketball.

We can say:

SHE plays basketball.

And instead of saying:

THE CAR is in the driveway.

We can say:

IT is in the driveway.

Here is a chart to help you remember the basic pronouns:

Pronouns make our stories flow better.  Imagine if we never used them -- it might sound something like this:

Jane woke up one morning and went downstairs to get some breakfast.  Then Jane picked up Jane’s backpack and headed for school.  At school, Jane’s friends were waiting for Jane.  Jane and Jane’s friends went inside the school and into Jane’s classroom.  Jane sat at her desk, picked up Jane’s pencil, and began to write on Jane’s morning work paper.  Jane finished Jane’s morning work before any of Jane’s friends.  “Good work, Jane!” said Jane’s teacher.  “You get a prize for being the first student done!”  And Jane’s teacher gave Jane a big lollipop!

Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

It would sound better if we used some pronouns.  There are different types of pronouns, though.  Besides the Singular and Plural pronouns listed above, there are Possessive pronouns and Object pronouns.  Possessive pronouns like ‘her’ and ‘his’ tell us that something is owned by that person.  Object pronouns like ‘him’ and ‘them’ tell us that something is being done to or with that person.  Here is a chart listing the different pronouns:

So if we replace some of the nouns in our story with pronouns, it would sound like this:

Jane woke up one morning and went downstairs to get some breakfast.  Then she picked up her backpack and headed for school.  At school, Jane’s friends were waiting for her.  They went inside the school and into their classroom.  Jane sat at her desk, picked up her pencil, and began to write on her morning work paper.  She finished her morning work before any of her friends.  “Good work, Jane!” said her teacher.  “You get a prize for being the first student done!”  And Jane’s teacher gave her a big lollipop!

Sounds better, doesn’t it?

Hope this helps you learn about pronouns.   Remember, a PRONOUN is a PRO at replacing a NOUN!

Two Ways to Make an R

The R sound is by far the trickiest for kids to learn and it is also the hardest to teach.  Those of us who learned the R when we were little may wonder why it’s so hard for some kids to pick it up.  Maybe it’s because the R sound is made almost completely with the tongue, and so requires careful tongue control.  This can be difficult for kids who haven’t fine-tuned that particular muscle.

To make things even more complicated, there are many different types of R.  In addition to the R at the beginning of words (ring, red), there are seven other types of R that typically come after a vowel (ER, AIR, AR, OR, IRE, EAR, and OUR).  And believe it or not, there are two different ways to produce these R’s: the Bunched R and the Retroflex R. 

The Bunched R is made by pulling the tongue up and back so that the sides of the tongue touch the insides of the back molars.  The tongue stays relatively horizontal, but just bunched backwards tightly.  Here is a video of my son making the bunched R. 

Bunched R sounds

You can teach the Bunched R by using a tongue depressor to gently push the child’s tongue up and back as he says the ‘EEEEEE’ sound.  It should eventually turn into ‘ER’.  If you don’t have a tongue depressor, you could use a lollipop (always a hit), or a measuring spoon as I did (--wasn’t a hit).  Here is a video demonstrating the process.  Be aware that it won’t happen this easily – my son already knew how to make an R and so he had to fake it.

Teaching Bunched EE to ER

The Retroflex R is made by not only pulling the tongue up and back, but curling the tip of the tongue backwards while tightening the whole thing.  This is the way I make my R’s and is sometimes easier to teach if the child can do it.  Here is a video of me making the retroflex R.  My tongue is not pretty, so I apologize in advance.  Also, at the very end of the video I say the word 'red' and I'm rounding my lips.  That's actually a no-no when teaching 'R' because little kids tend to turn it into a 'W' sound.  Typically we tell them to keep the jaw and lips still in a kind of half smile, and it's easier for them to make their tongue do the work.

Retroflex R sounds

You also teach the Retroflex R by using a tongue depressor to gently push the child’s tongue up and back, only this time the child is starting with the ‘L’ sound.  Have him put the tip of his tongue behind his front teeth, making an ‘L’ sound, and then pretend to slowly lick peanut butter off the top of his mouth by moving the tongue slowly backward.  About 3/4 of the way back, the tongue should quit touching the roof of the mouth but continue to bend backward.  The sound should gradually change from an ‘L’ to an ‘ER’ sound.  Here is a video showing how to teach the ‘L’ to ‘ER’.  At the very end, he makes a few 'ER' sounds the bunched way because that is his normal way.

Teaching Retroflex L to ER

Keep in mind that it may take a long time to master these R sounds, but eventually it will happen.  Don’t give up!

Good luck!

Following Directions

Some of your kids may have a language goal that reads something like this:  “Johnny will follow 2-3 step directions using basic concepts with 80% accuracy…”

 

You may wonder what that is, and what it has to do with language.  The reason we work on following multiple-step directions is that it is crucial for success in school and the workplace.  Understanding directions is a basic part of understanding language – we use directions all the time when communicating with each other.  Children who have a hard time remembering multiple directions have a hard time succeeding in the classroom. 

 

 

For example, imagine you’re Johnny and your teacher  says, “Now class, take out your math book and turn to page 104.  Skip down to the section that says ‘Understanding Decimals’.  Do problems 4, 7, 8 and 11.”  Johnny may remember only the first thing she said, or the last thing.  He may turn to his neighbor and ask for help, or raise his hand and ask the teacher to repeat it again…and again.  Or he may surreptitiously glance at the other kids in the class to see what they’re doing, and try to follow.  This wastes time and interferes with learning.  Now flash forward 15 years to Johnny sitting in a staff meeting at work.  His boss turns him and says, “John, I need you to add another 500 gobstoppers to Country Kitchen’s order this week.  Use the same PO as last month, and give them a 20% discount.  And be sure to add them to our Christmas card list because they’re our best customer.  Address their card to Ms. Julia Childs, since she’s the one in charge of purchasing.”  If Johnny has not yet mastered the skill of listening and following multiple directions, he is going to have trouble fulfilling his assignment without returning to his boss to ask for a reminder, or worse, leaving something out.

 

We include ‘basic concepts’ in the Following Directions goal to make sure that the child understands words like ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘until’, ‘unless’, ‘above’, ‘below’, etc.  You would be surprised how many little kids can easily follow 3-step directions until you throw in the word ‘before’.  Some kids don’t pick up these concepts unless explicitly taught them.  For instance, if I say, “Before you pat your head, stand up and jump up and down 3 times,” the child will begin with patting her head because I said that first, completely ignoring the word ‘before’.

 

These skills of listening, following directions, and understanding basic concepts become increasingly important as the child advances through elementary school and the upper grades.  The good news is that children love to practice following directions as long as you make them fun.  Below are some possible directions you can have your child practice with you.  You can also make up some of your own.  Be sure to point out and explain words like ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘until’, ‘unless’, etc.

 

 

FOLLOWING VERBAL DIRECTIONS

 

1. Stand up

2. Turn around

3. Knock on the door

4. Clap 2 times

5. Sit down

 

1. Wiggle your ears

2. Tap your head

3. Say ‘I’m so lovely’

4. Stand up

5. Touch the wall

 

1. Stand up

2. Squat down

3. Pat your head

4. Get up

5. Sit down in your chair

6. Say ‘Whoopee!’

 

1. Get out a pencil

2. Get out some paper

3. Write your name at the top

4. Write the date at the bottom

5. Number your paper 1 through 5

6. Write down your favorite 5 foods

7. Give your paper to me

 

1. Tell me your name

2. Tell me your favorite color

3. Sing a verse of a song

4. Pat your head

5. Rub your stomach

6. Pat your head while rubbing your stomach

7. Say ‘Thank you. Thank you very much!’

 

Before you stand up, rub your nose. Then pat your head.

After you pretend to sneeze, stand up and take a bow. Then clap your hands.

While you are touching your nose, stand up and turn around.

Stand up and tell me your name after you raise your hands up high.

While you are singing ‘Happy Birthday to Me’, hop from one foot to the other.

Stand up and touch the door before you jump twice and sit down.

Stand up and turn around. Then clap your hands after you say, ‘I love broccoli!’ Then sit down.

Touch your toes before you shake your head. Then fold your arms. Before you wiggle your nose, blink your eyes twice.

While you are humming ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, get up and go to the door. Knock 3 times before you say, ‘Is anybody home?’ Count to 3 while you listen for an answer. Before you return to your seat, shake your head. After you sit down, say, ‘I’m so smart!’

My Kid Says B instead of P and G instead of K

So your child is saying B instead of P and G instead of K?  What is going on here?  Sounds like he is having trouble with VOICING -- telling the difference between sounds that should have his voice turned on and sounds that should have his voice turned off.
Some people have really never thought about the fact that some sounds are voiced and some aren't.  We learned to talk, we say our sounds, and we don't think twice about it.  But some kids need to have these differences pointed out to them.  How can you teach them?
 
 

 
 
1.  You can start with the Kleenex experiment.  Take a kleenex and hold it up a few inches from your mouth.  Say the sound for "B".  The kleenex shouldn't move.  Now say the sound for "P".  The kleenex should blow in the breeze from your mouth.  Let your child try it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  Now you can do the Hand on Throat experiment.  Put your hand on your throat when you say "B".  You should feel your throat vibrate.  You are making a little humming sound at the same time as you say "B" -- this means your voice is on.  Now say the sound for  "P".  You should not feel any vibration, and the humming sound is gone.  Help your child try this for himself. 


You can do the same experiments for the sounds "G" and "K", although the kleenex doesn't move quite as much for the "K" sound because the air has farther to travel from the back of the mouth. 

Have fun!

The Dreaded Irregular Past Tense Verbs

This year in speech, we have worked quite a bit on irregular past tense verbs.  These can be very tricky for kids to master, because they are all so different.  For example, "I sing" becomes "I sang", but " I bring"  becomes "I brought".  "I think" becomes "I thought", but "I drink" becomes "I drank".  No wonder our kids get confused!

How can parents help their kids master irregular past tense verbs?  

1.  TALK  -- First of all, talk to them a lot, and use the verbs correctly in your own speech.  Sometimes adults are tempted to use ultra-casual (and sometimes incorrect) speech because "that's how everybody around here talks" and they want to make the people around them "feel comfortable".   Just like kids, adults want to "fit in".  But, do your kids a favor and model correct speech so that they will be better prepared when they leave school and hit the job market.

2. READ --  Read, read, read with them and encourage them to read on their own.  The more kids are exposed to correct sentence structure, the more it will stick in their brains.  I know it can be a challenge to get kids to read a book instead of sit in front of a video game.  You might have to bribe them with books that are more interesting to them, or semi-comic books like Calvin and Hobbs. That's okay as long as the books contain correct English.  Also, if you read yourself and look like you are enjoying it, your kids are more likely to pick up a book also.


Do you remember how you learned to talk?  Probably not.  But chances are you learned to talk by listening to the people around you, and then by reading to increase your vocabulary and understanding of more complex sentence structures.  If a child doesn't read, she may fail to pick up those more complex grammar rules that just aren't used very often in casual conversation.  That can have a negative effect on her schoolwork, especially in the upper grades where lots of reading and writing is expected.

3.  DON'T BE THE GRAMMAR POLICE -- If your child says something incorrectly, don't make too big a deal out of it.  Just repeat it using correct grammar.  For instance, if your child says, "I ain't going to eat those peas!"  Say, "You're not going to eat those peas?"  Emphasize the correct words by saying them a bit louder and more slowly than the rest.  If you jump on every error and point a finger at them, some kids will say it the wrong way just to annoy you.  (Or maybe your kids are different than mine!)

Here are some of the irregular past tense verbs that can be confusing to kids and adults alike:

I drink juice, I drank juice yesterday, I have drunk juice since I was a baby.
I swim in the pool, I swam in the pool yesterday, I have swum in this pool all summer. 
I sing in the choir, I sang in the choir yesterday, I have sung in the choir my whole life.

Here's a fun site that will help you find the correct form of any verb you need:  http://conjugation.com/verb/swim

Practicing new verbs by reading and telling stories is a great way to learn them.  I made a few silly stories to help my students practice the verbs we were learning.  You can download them here:

Irregular Verbs Story 1
Irregular Verbs Story 2

Good Luck!