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Skills in Depth: Promoting speech, language and literacy across the curriculum from 5 to 11 years (key stages 1 and 2)

This page provides the planned programme and session summaries for the Promoting speech, language and literacy across the curriculum ' Key stages 1 and 2 (5 to 11 years) training course.

Introduction

The Skills in Depth - Promoting speech, language and literacy training course provides the practical knowledge and skills necessary to enable participants to successfully plan, develop and deliver teaching programmes to teach reading and writing, and to incorporate goals into the curriculum for all aspects of speech and language development.

Each workshop aims to provide practical approaches to promoting development, presenting evidence-based strategies and techniques wherever possible.

Parallel sessions

Delegates may select from the parallel sessions to tailor the course content to best meet their needs. We recommend that organisations consider sending two members of staff so they can attend all parallel sessions to ensure full coverage of all issues raised.

Please note: delegates will receive a course booklet that will include summaries of the content of all parallel sessions, not just the ones attended.

Programme

Time Session title
9.00-9.30 Registration (tea and coffee available)
9.30-10.30 1. Welcome and Keynote: What do we know about speech, language and literacy development for children with Down syndrome? The links between them and the evidence for effective approaches
10.30-11.30 2a. Developing spoken language 2b. Introducing reading - the first 50 words
11.30- 11.55 Coffee/tea break
11.55-12.55 3a. Learning language across the curriculum 3b. Teaching phonics and spelling
12.55-1.35 Lunch
1.35- 2.35 4a. Developing memory skills for listening and learning 4b. Learning to write
2.35-3.00 Tea
3.00-4.00 5a. Developing personal reading and communication skills 5b. Developing reading and language comprehension
4.00-4.30 6. Key messages and final queries: The benefits of literacy activities for language development

Content of each session

Keynote

1. What do we know about speech, language and literacy development for children with Down syndrome? The links between them and the evidence for effective practical approaches

  • A brief overview of the way in which speech, language, memory and literacy skills develop
  • The speech, language and communication needs of children with Down syndrome
  • Reading achievements and other benefits of literacy teaching

Parallel workshops

2a. Developing spoken language

  • The links between vocabulary and grammar development ' the importance of achieving a core vocabulary
  • Assessment and target setting for developing vocabulary, grammar and speech production
  • Setting separate targets for comprehension and production activities
  • Ways to teach new vocabulary and grammar
  • Using signs as a bridge to talking

2b. Introducing reading - the first 50 words

  • Learning a sight vocabulary
  • Learning about letters
  • Teaching methods, materials, practice and rates of progress
  • Building short sentences and reading for meaning

3a. Learning language across the curriculum

  • Planning for language learning
  • Targeting vocabulary for the curriculum
  • Finding and developing resources
  • Supported literacy activities ' how to do it and the benefits

3b. Teaching phonics and spelling

  • Learning about letters and sounds
  • Learning about sounds in words
  • Phonics teaching programmes
  • Learning to spell

4a. Developing memory skills for listening and learning

  • Improving verbal short-term memory
  • Developing attention
  • Strategies, games and resources to improve remembering
  • Compensating for verbal memory weaknesses
  • Using visual memory strengths

4b. Learning to write

  • Developing hand-writing and fine motor skills
  • Supported writing, including information communication technology (ICT) and other resources
  • Independent writing

5a. Developing personal reading and communication skills

  • Making personal books including conversation diaries
  • Using personal materials to develop communication skills
  • Using social stories
  • Working in partnership with parents

5b. Developing reading and language comprehension

  • Using reading to develop sentence comprehension and text comprehension
  • Activities to support sentence comprehension
  • Activities to support text comprehension
  • Supported listening
  • Resources including graded reading books

Please note: Down Syndrome Education Internationalreserves the right to alter this planned programme and the content of each session, if necessary, in order to provide the best possible service to the delegates booked into any one training event..

How to book

To book a place on this training course, contact us by email or telephone