Basic concepts are the language building blocks that students need to have success in school and in their everyday lives. Basic concepts are common, but very important words that can be taught throughout our every day interactions with students. The following strategies may be helpful in the teaching of basic concepts:
1. Help students learn basic concepts by modeling descriptive words throughout your interactions with them. Talk about what you see and hear in your environment. If a student points out an item (“the desk”), describe it back making use of appropriate descriptors, such as “Oh, you mean the last desk”.
2. Focus on bringing attention to the following throughout your spoken interactions with students. For example:'
To start with, it may be helpful to use visuals, including pictures or gestures of the concepts you are trying to teach the students. Pair the visual with the spoken descriptor word(s) to enhance the students' comprehension. Once the students seem to have a good understanding of what various concepts mean, you can then decrease the amount of visuals you use when using these spoken descriptor words.
3. Verbally stress or emphasize the concepts you are trying to teach the students (or with which the students have difficulty). For example, in the sentence “gym is after recess,” stressing the word "after" can help the student develop knowledge of this concept. If needed, pair a visual or spoken explanation of the word to help the students understand what the concept word means. Stressing these words will also help to gain and maintain the students' attention.
4. Guide the students' use of these concepts through structured play. These concepts may be used and developed while playing with blocks, describing stories, drawing pictures, etc. Try to make the activities fun and interesting for the students, while continuously modeling correct use of concepts and cueing the students as appropriate. Use lots of praise to encourage students and maintain motivation.
5. Use and encourage “Wh” questions and answers. “Wh” questions often encourage the use of basic concepts in response. For example, “where” encourages a response that uses spatial relationships/positions (behind, under) and directions (across, through). “When” encourages a response that uses time concepts (before, later).
6. As the students' understanding of basic concepts grows, you might expand the words you use when you describe things. For example, if you know the students know what the word “big” means, you might use the word “huge” to expose the students to new descriptive words.
References:
Super Duper Handy Handouts - What Are Basic Concepts
SRSD SLPs