Level 3
Defining Words
Level 3
“What is a …?”
“Tell me what a … is.”
“Tell me what … are.”
Mind Maps – will help your child to
- Talk about and describe an object
- Give ‘news’
- Expand his/her vocabulary
- Find the right word
- Increase his/her descriptive language
- Answer questions
- Ask questions
Example of an activity:
Using the specific prompts radiating out from the centre object you can help your child define a word. You may ask your child to place a counter on each prompt as he describes the object or he may prefer to trace along the line which leads to the prompt.
“Tell me about a hamburger.”
If your child does not respond, you should point to each picture prompt asking the relevant questions:
- Where do you find it?
- What can you do with it?
- What shape is it?
- What colour is it?
- What group (semantic class) does it belong in?
- What parts does it have? (Labelling the parts of objects greatly increases a child’s vocabulary. For example – yolk, white, shell)
- How does it feel (when touched)?
- When your child becomes competent with the specific prompts, a generic mind map is provided.
Three Sets of Mind Maps are available:
Word Definitions Mind Map – Set 1
Word Definitions Mind Map – Set 2
Word Definitions Mind Map – Set 3
These sets are not arranged in order of difficulty. Each set consists of entirely different objects. Some children may need to work through all three sets before they achieve a competency in this task. Working through all three sets will greatly help to expand your child’s vocabulary.
