SHAPE CODING™ System

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MC5 subject + verb + object

You will need:

  • Small figures and objects to use to act out each verb
  • Symbols (eg. In Print) or words   
  • Images/video clips of familiar verbs / actions 
  • Oval, diamond, hexagon, rectangle shapes and/or SHAPE CODING app 
  • List of subject + verb + object sentences to target per session 
  • Dry wipe pens to be used during the session if required

App settings: Default

Intervention steps:

  1. Check/teach verb vocabulary through acting out tasks.
    • Non-reversible verbs: break, eat, drink, read, make, bake, cook, open, fold, build.
    • Reversible verbs: hug, push, feed, follow, kiss, kick, pull, bite, chase, hit, tickle, squash, pat, lift, scratch, stroke, punch, touch, poke.

  2. Introduce the sentence template. 

Put toy figures on the red lines in the oval and rectangle, write the verb on the blue line, e.g. the boy is eating the apple. Pick up the oval character while you say “the boy”. Move it along the sentence, saying each item as it moves. When the boy gets to the apple, make the boy eat the apple.

Highlight that the character in the oval does the action to the item in the rectangle. Ask the child to say the sentence while pointing to the shapes and then act it out. Do not worry about the use of the / a / is / -ing as these are not the focus here.

Repeat this using other non-reversible sentences (e.g. Mum is baking a cake) to establish that the oval does the action.

You may wish to use this PowerPoint to help introduce the structure (try it in slideshow). 

  1. Take turns to say a sentence matching the template, whilst the other person puts the objects on the template and then acts out the sentence. Taking turns means the child practises both comprehension and production. Target verbs one at a time. Use a variety of characters and objects in the oval and rectangle.
    • Start with animate characters in the oval and inanimate objects in the rectangle (e.g. the boy is drinking coke, the girl is folding the paper)
    • When the above is established, start to put animate characters in the rectangle too, to make reversible sentences (e.g. Mum is pushing the boy / The boy is pushing Mum), or inanimate items in both the oval and the rectangle (e.g. the lorry is pulling the tractor / the tractor is pulling the lorry). Show what happens when the items / characters in the oval and rectangle are swapped.
    • In the final stages, make and act out silly/funny sentences with unlikely items in the oval and rectangle (e.g. the mouse is chasing the cat, the apple is eating the boy, the baby is carrying the lady)
  1. Consolidation:
    • At the end of each session, review verbs covered in previous sessions.
    • Start to mix up sentences to use a range of subjects, verbs and objects consecutively.
    • If the child can read, you may wish to use this PowerPoint, or this one that includes videos.

  2. Fade use of shapes: Repeat the above steps without the shape templates present, but bring them back to check responses.
    Monitoring task: When the child is secure, start making “errors” in either acting out or production (ie. action is reverse of the sentence) and get the child to spot your errors:
    • First using templates as an aid
    • Then without templates

  3. Generalisation: Use activities where the child has to listen to and/or give a running commentary, e.g. watching sports clips or making the audio description for a silent cartoon. For comprehension, the child has to listen and ‘spot the mistakes’ made by you. For production, they could re-record the voice-over.

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