Colourful Semantics: A Resource for Developing Children's Spoken and Written Language Skills

*Purchasers of this book can access additional online resources at www.routledge.com/cw/speechmark*

This comprehensive resource pack, developed in conjunction with education staff, draws on the principles of Alison Bryan’s original Colourful Semantics approach to provide professionals with an engaging, dynamic way to support children’s language development. By coding sentences using colour, symbols and signs, this visual approach aims to:

• Teach understanding of question words
• Develop vocabulary and increase sentence complexity
• Increase range and complexity of verbs (children with delayed or disordered spoken language skills often overuse simple verbs such as do, go or get)
• Improve children’s written language skills

This practical resource consists of three parts: a printed book containing ready-made session plan ideas, black and white vocabulary cards and worksheets; an online version using the current Colourful Semantics colour coding system, and an online version using the colour coding system used by Speech and Language Therapists from NHS Forth Valley.

This is an essential pack for teachers and professionals looking to work on language development with children aged four to nine. The flexible session plans can be used with individuals, small groups and whole classes, and can be easily adapted by Speech and Language Therapists, teachers and other practitioners.

NHS Forth Valley would like to thank the following members of staff for their hard work and dedication in the design and development of this pack; Anna Blackburn, Glenn Carter, Cara Chalmers, Katie Clark, Mary Coleman, Louise Illingworth, Jen Keating, Niamh Murphy, Ruth Kerr and Stephanie Wood. Forth Valley would also like to thank Alison Bryan for developing the original idea and for suggesting improvements to the pack. Thank you to all the many teachers from across Forth Valley who were instrumental in designing a pack that can be effectively used in the context of education.

NHS Forth Valley provides a large number of health services across Central Scotland including Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling. The Children’s Speech and Language Therapy team in Forth Valley are an innovative group of staff who understand the importance of transformational change, collaboration and compassionate, person centre care in order to improve outcomes for the children and young people they serve.