About this activity
Twelve classroom situations that each need something said: se te cayó el lápiz y no lo alcanzas; no entiendes la tarea; necesitas ir al baño; otro niño tiene el juguete que quieres; quieres un turno en la computadora; no escuchaste la instrucción; terminaste tu trabajo. Each one asks ¿qué dices? — the scene supplies the reason and the child supplies the language.
How to use it in a session
Act them out rather than discussing them. Drop the pencil, hand over a closed lunchbox, give an instruction too quietly — the situation is what makes the request necessary, and describing it does not. The no escuchaste la instrucción card is the most valuable, because asking for a repetition is the request students most need and least often make. Twelve minutes covers several scenes acted out.
What to listen for
Watch whether the child initiates or waits. Every one of these scenes has a child who could sit and do nothing, and the target is the request happening without a prompt. Notice which requests are missing entirely — asking for a turn and saying you did not understand are the two that most often have no words attached, and they are also the two with the biggest classroom consequences.
Carrying it home
The same situations arise at home: a dropped item out of reach, a container that will not open, an instruction missed. Waiting a few seconds rather than solving it immediately gives the request room to happen.
Questions
- Is this board in Spanish?
- Yes, the scenes and prompts are Spanish. This page is in English so an English-speaking clinician can find and evaluate it.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all twelve scenes play free.
- What ages is it for?
- Kindergarten through third grade, and it suits AAC users as well as verbal students.