About this activity
Thirteen core descriptors — big, little, good, bad, more, hot, cold, fast, slow, again, different, same, funny — as a spelling task. Derived from the flashcard deck, and useful for a specific group of students: literate or emerging-literate AAC users who spell to communicate, for whom the core words are also the words they most need to type quickly.
How to use it in a session
Focus on the words the student actually spells to say. For a student using a keyboard or word prediction, the high-frequency words are the ones where accuracy pays off most, and different is worth more practice than any of them because it is long, common and irregular in the middle. Say the word, have the student say it, then build it — the spelling should not replace the production for a student who uses both.
What to listen for
Watch different and funny, which are the two longest here and the two most likely to be abandoned mid-word. Notice whether the student uses prediction — for a keyboard user, spelling the first two letters accurately matters more than the whole word, and that changes what is worth practising.
Carrying it home
Ask for one word spelled aloud rather than written. Big, hot and same are short enough to do while waiting for something, and the point is the letters rather than the pen.
Questions
- How is this different from the flashcards?
- Same words, built from letters. It suits literate AAC users who spell to communicate rather than students who select symbols.
- Is it free?
- Yes, no account and no card needed.
- Should a symbol user do the spelling version?
- Only if spelling is a goal in its own right. For a symbol-based system, the flashcard version gives more practice on the thing that matters, which is finding and using the word.