Colourful Semantics: A Resource for Developing Children’s Spoken and Written Language Skills

This comprehensive resource pack, developed in conjunction with education staff, draws on the principles of Alison Bryan’s original Colourful Semantics approach to provide professionals with an engaging, dynamic way to support children’s language development. By coding sentences using colour, symbols and signs, this visual approach aims to:

• Teach understanding of question words
• Develop vocabulary and increase sentence complexity
• Increase range and complexity of verbs (children with delayed or disordered spoken language skills often overuse simple verbs such as do, go or get)
• Improve children’s written language skills

This practical resource consists of three parts: a printed book containing ready-made session plan ideas, black and white vocabulary cards and worksheets; an online version using the current Colourful Semantics colour coding system, and an online version using the colour coding system used by Speech and Language Therapists from NHS Forth Valley.

This is an essential pack for teachers and professionals looking to work on language development with children aged four to nine. The flexible session plans can be used with individuals, small groups and whole classes, and can be easily adapted by Speech and Language Therapists, teachers and other practitioners.

Purchasers of this book can access additional online resources from the Companion Website - details included in the book.

Download File

Table of Contents

Foreword by Alison Bryan

Introduction

The Colourful Semantics Colour Coding System

Chapter 1: Using Colourful Semantics with Individual Children

Chapter 2: Colourful Semantics for Classes and Groups

• Colourful Semantics Session Plans – Ages 4-6 years
• Colourful Semantics Session Plans – Ages 5-8 years
• Colourful Semantics Small Group Session Plans

Appendix 1: Cue Cards and Sentence Templates

• A5 Cue Cards
• A4 Cue Cards
• Sentence Templates

Appendix 2: Story Planner Grids

Appendix 3: Sentence Building Resources

• Two-part sentences (‘who’, ‘doing’)
• Three-part sentences (‘who’, ‘doing’, ‘what’)
• Three-part sentences (‘who’, ‘doing’, ‘where’)
• Four-part sentences (‘who’, ‘doing’, ‘what’, ‘where’)
• Four-part sentences (‘when’, ‘who’, ‘doing’, ‘what’, ‘where’)
• Sentences including ‘why’
• Sentences including ‘to who’
• Example Sentence Templates

Appendix 4: A5 Vocabulary Cards

• A5 ‘Who’ vocabulary
• A5 ‘Doing’ vocabulary
• A5 ‘Where’ vocabulary
• A5 ‘When’ vocabulary

Appendix 5: Small Vocabulary Cards

• ‘Who’ vocabulary
• ‘Doing’ vocabulary
• ‘What’ vocabulary
• ‘Where’ vocabulary
• ‘When’ vocabulary

Appendix 6: Silly Sentences Worksheets

• ‘Draw a Line’ Worksheets
• ‘Cut and Stick’ Worksheets

Appendix 7: Picture Description and Sequencing Worksheets

Appendix 8: Board Games

"Although Colourful Semantics is a highly valued and useful approach to developing children’s language skills, one of the disadvantages has always been the time it takes to find and prepare the materials, and this is the main advantage of this comprehensive resource pack. Everything needed is provided in the pack itself or via the online resource portal which will undoubtedly save precious time. Everything can be easily adapted for different ages and abilities too, adding to its value. It is also the first Colourful Semantics resource that provides session plans and step-by-step instructions, this is extremely valuable for busy practitioners."
- Alexis Doyle, Child Language Teaching and Therapy