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.
How to use it in a session
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.
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.
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.