Word Weavers

Studies have shown that oral language skills in kindergarten are one of the biggest predictors of success in high school.

The great news is YOU are largely in charge of your child's language skills.

You have already taken your baby from knowing no words to talking in short phrases in just two short years. Now you need to expand your child's comprehension, vocabulary, understanding of concepts, categorization, grammar and ability to retell stories.

Now it is time to get those 3-6 year-old skills in place.

Try a Little Experiment

Do this little experiment with your child. Tell them this story then ask your child to tell the story back to you.

Tommy and his mom went to the store to buy new shoes for school. Tommy saw some blue shoes that he really liked but the blue ones were too small for Tommy. So Tommy decided that the orange shoes fit just right so Tommy got the orange shoes instead.

Your child does not need to retell the story word for word but they do need to mention at least 4 of the six critical elements.

Needed elements:

• Who was in the story? (Tommy (or boy) and mom)
• Where did they go? (store)
• Why were they going to the store? (buy new shoes for school)
• Which shoes did Tommy like? (blue ones)
• Why couldn't Tommy get the blue shoes? (too small)
• Which shoes did Tommy get? (orange shoes)

Your child might retell the story like this:

"A boy and his mom goed to store for to get shoes for school. The boy liked the blue ones. Shoes was too small. Him got the orange ones."

If your child can already do this your child does NOT need this program.

If your child struggles to retell a story, Word Weavers might be just the thing your child needs to get ready for reading.

Reading with comprehension requires a strong oral language foundation.

About the Program

I am a retired speech-language pathologist who still wishes to make a difference for children with communication disorders.

Recognizing that there are many children between the ages of three and seven in our schools who are at-risk for reading difficulty due to poor language skills, and recognizing that there are not enough SLPs to provide intervention for these students, I have developed a Tier II program that is:

• Structured
• Sequential
• Easy to follow
• Able to be delivered by:
  • Educational assistants
  • Speech assistants
  • Pre-K and Kindergarten classroom teachers
  • Parents
  • Educational Support Teachers
  • Volunteers
• Comprehensive
• Designed to give each child a measure of success no matter their language level.

The language experiences in this program include:

• Following Directions
• Concepts
• Categories
• Grammar
• Story Retell

In all, there are a possible 520 discreet lessons that each provide language stimulation to children as well as documentation and reporting of progress. Each lesson is designed to last 10-20 minutes. Some children will work quickly through each of the lessons, while others will require much more time. Upon completion of the program you will see which children have the foundational language skills required for eventual reading with comprehension and those who will require more intensive supports. Twenty-two of the lessons do not require a child to talk so they can be used with children who are non-verbal. These lessons are for comprehension only.

This program is in no way designed to supplant the SLP, rather it is designed to give children in the at-risk category access to language stimulation, while at the same time helping to determine which children will require supports beyond Tier II.

What is Included?

All of the materials (toys, picture cards and stories) are included and the program comes with 10 data collection/instruction sheets for each lesson. The five binders, box of toys, 33 sets of picture cards and 10 stories all come in their own heavy canvas bag. The data collection/instruction sheets are free to reproduce and the toys, picture cards and stories can be purchased for a cost should they be lost or damaged. The picture cards are all laminated with heavy matte plastic so they are sturdy for little hands.

Materials are high quality sturdy matte plastic coated pictures and stories.

Price

The cost of the program is $1225.00 CAD.

Shipping

The $80 CAD shipping can be waived if the school is in Southern Saskatchewan.

Deals for Multiple Sets

Additional sets purchased within 14 months of purchasing the first set are discounted by $300 each. Additional sets are $925 CAD.

Training Available

If you would like to see the program in person (and you live in Southern Saskatchewan) I can come and demonstrate some of the lessons for you so you can see how your staff would be able to easily incorporate this language programming into the school day. The cost for full day workshops is $800 plus expenses. A half day workshop is $400.

Contact

To discuss training possibilities email Cheryl Turner at littlevoiceshub@gmail.com.

See the Program in Action

Return to Home Page