Core Vocabulary — Descriptors
Core adjectives: big, little, good, bad, more.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Model the commenting words hardest. More and all done tend to be taught first because they produce a visible result, and they can crowd out the rest of the set for years. Deliberately model funny, different and same in situations where nothing is being requested — that is what shows a student the system is for talking and not only for getting. Eight minutes on the board and then a whole session of modelling in play is the right ratio.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentSet up the moment, then wait with an expectant look for 10 seconds.Log as correct
- GesturePoint toward the device or the right area of the page.Log as cued
- ModelTouch the symbols on the device yourself while you say the message.Log as cued
- Partial physicalOnly if the team agrees and the student accepts touch: a light touch at the elbow toward the page. Never press the symbol for them.Log as cued
Adjust it
Fewer symbols on the page, and model the message several times before you expect it.
Wait longer before prompting, or expect one more symbol in the message.
Matching IEP goal
During structured activities, Student will use their AAC system to say target words such as 'big', 'little' and 'good' in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a gestural prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Fourteen core descriptors: big, little, good, bad, more, hot, cold, fast, slow, all done, again, different, same, funny. Core vocabulary is the small set of words that make up most of what anyone says, and descriptors are the part of it that lets a message do something other than request — more and again get things, but good, funny and different are how a person comments.
What to listen for
Watch the balance between requests and comments. A student whose core vocabulary use is all more, again and all done has a functional system and a narrow one, and the target is a comment produced spontaneously. Notice which descriptors get used in new contexts — a student who applies funny to something you did not label is generalising rather than repeating.
Carrying it home
Descriptors are easiest to model during something enjoyable. Saying funny while laughing, or same while matching socks, attaches the word to a moment rather than a card.
What's in this activity
- big
- little
- good
- bad
- more
- hot
- cold
- fast
- slow
- all done
- again
- different
- same
- funny
Questions
- What is core vocabulary?
- The small set of high-frequency words that make up most of everyday speech — words like more, go, want, big and different. It contrasts with fringe vocabulary, which is specific to a topic.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all fourteen cards play free with no login.
- My student only uses 'more' and 'all done'. Is that a problem?
- It is a very common pattern and a narrow one. Those two produce immediate results, so they get reinforced heavily. The fix is modelling the commenting words in situations where nothing is being requested.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.