Narrative Elaboration with Adjectives
Enrich narrative language by adding descriptive adjectives to a simple story.
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
Cover the elaborated version and let the child supply their own adjectives first. Any two that fit are correct — the target is elaboration, not the specific words on the card — and a child who says the brown, fast dog has done the task. Then compare with the version on the board, which usually produces a discussion about which is more interesting. Eight minutes covers the ten.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- Question promptAsk a story-grammar question: who, where, what was the problem, what happened next?Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two possible next parts of the story and let the student pick and say it.Log as cued
- ModelTell that part yourself; the student tells it back in their own words.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer parts, and keep a first-next-last visual on the table.
Ask for the retell without the pictures, with a feeling or a reason added to each part.
Matching IEP goal
Given a picture or story prompt, Student will tell a story that includes a character, setting, problem and ending in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than one question prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Ten bare sentences shown with an elaborated version: the dog ran becomes the big, fluffy dog ran; she ate lunch becomes she ate a warm, cheesy lunch; the bird sang becomes the tiny, blue bird sang; she found a rock becomes she found a smooth, shiny rock. Two adjectives each, which is a concrete target a young child can count.
What to listen for
Listen for which attributes get used. Colour and size arrive first and easily; texture, temperature and sound are much rarer, and a child who produces warm or smooth has reached beyond the obvious. Watch for adjectives that do not fit the noun, which is a vocabulary issue rather than a structural one and needs different work.
Carrying it home
Bare sentences are easy to elaborate together. Saying the dog ran and asking what kind of dog is a five-second exchange that fits into any story or walk.
What's in this activity
- The dog ran. → The big, fluffy dog ran.
- She ate lunch. → She ate a warm, cheesy lunch.
- He read a book. → He read a long, scary book.
- The car stopped. → The old, red car stopped.
- They played. → They played a loud, silly game.
- The bird sang. → The tiny, blue bird sang.
- A cat sat. → A soft, gray cat sat.
- The boy jumped. → The tall, happy boy jumped.
- We saw a house. → We saw a huge, wooden house.
- She found a rock. → She found a smooth, shiny rock.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through third grade, as early narrative elaboration.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all ten sentences play free.
- Why two adjectives rather than one?
- Because one is often accidental and two require deliberate elaboration. It is also a countable target, which makes it easy for a child to know when they have done it.
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.