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Using symbols to improve literacy attainment in children with EAL
Try Widgit for free and learn how to use it in practice. No card or payment details required.
Get your free trialCreate resources to support comprehension, encourage positive behaviours and reduce anxiety
Promote Positive Behaviour
You can use our software to write Stories to Help, behaviour expectations and classroom rules that help children understand the school’s behaviour policy.
Reduce Anxiety
You can use the ready made templates in our software to create visual timetables which will help children understand the structure of their day.
Foster Independence
By creating symbolised worksheets and label diagrams in InPrint 3, you can help all children to work independently.
Pupil View
By using simplified, symbolised charts, you can create resources to find out how children feel about school and their specific provision.
Transition Books
It’s simple to use your own photographs and images in our software to make transition books for children.
Access to Curriculum
By using symbols across a whole range of templates you can increase access to text, allowing children to be more independent.
Extend Vocabulary
By creating vocabulary flashcards and sheets, you can help extend vocabulary, support independent writing and topic work.
Improve Engagement
You can use the desk top publishing features in InPrint 3 to create accessible worksheets for children helping them to engage with the curriculum.
Support Literacy Skills
You can create symbol-supported stories, model texts, worksheets, instructions and information sheets to support children with decoding and / or comprehension difficulties.
Support EAL
You can create Dual Language resources, in Widgit Online, to support EAL children learn English, be more independent and feel more confident in their environment.
Resources created by the Widgit community
Stories to Help
The addition of symbols to a story to help can help with understanding and in times of particular stress can be a way of a child processing information more easily.
Zones of Regulation
The Zones of Regulation help children understand how their behaviour impacts those around them, and learn what tools they can use to manage their feelings and states.
Pupil Voice
Using symbolised resources to support children to share their views about school ahead of their annual reviews.
Mini Visual Timetables
Daily mini visual timetables can support a child with severe anxiety and provide information on the stucture of the day.
Positive Behaviour Cards
A collection of behavioural expectation cards attached to a lanyard means that when the need arises in class, you have all the tools to hand.
Illustrating Concepts
Using Widgit Symbols to illustrate the meaning of a concept can help children learn and retain specific vocabulary more easily.
Board Games
The ready made board game templates in our software make it quick and easy to create symbolised resources to reinforce any learning activity.
Signage and Labelling
Symbolised signage and labelling throughout the classroom creates an environment where children feel safe and secure and can access tasks independently.
Communication Labels
Pre-scripted and symbolised phrases can help support a non verbal (or EAL) child to communicate their specific needs to staff.
Emotions
It's important to teach children to identify emotions and strategies to help themselves when they are feeling a particular emotion. Using symbols to illustrate that emotion and provide practice tasks can be very helpful.
Movement Breaks
For a child with high sensory needs, movements breaks can be essential. Allowing a child to choose, through symbolised cards, can increase their motivation to complete the exercises.
Try Widgit Online free for 30 days
Create visual, communication and learning supports in your web browser using over 20,000 Widgit Symbols, access to over 2 million child-friendly, high quality stock images and 100s of easy-to-use templates.
- Save time, easy to create, edit, re-use - Quickly create and update editable materials with symbols.
- Use 100s of templates - Save time and use general pre-formatted templates.
- Personalised - Use your own photographs or web images to meet an individual child’s specific needs.
- Inclusive - Change skin tones to support more inclusive representation.
- Use online or as printed resources - Use on iPad or other devices or as printed materials.
- Support EAL and MFL teaching - Choose to translate from more than 80 languages.
You can create your free 30-day Class/Teacher account using the code below:
Code: LANG2022
What staff and students are saying...
"His behaviour in unsupported writing sessions when the symbolised material was not accessible for him was very different. He shouted out, distracted other pupils and was generally disruptive."
Louise Wood, Weddington Primary
"It's useful to have the picture there to remind me what I need to do.When there is lots of writing instead, I get muddled up."
Will, Year 5, Charles Dickens Primary School
"Widgit is so versatile and can be used to support children and families with social stories, unexpected changes such as trips, to support positive behaviour, aid vocabulary development... and support the development of so many skills with a pictorial image alongside the written word."
Frances Palmer, Assistant Headteacher, Rokeby Primary School.
"Many children learn better when they have pictures to help them. Lots of children are visual learners which means they learn by seeing things rather than listening."
Louise Wood, Weddington Primary
"The symbols provided clear motivation and helped with understanding the vocabulary and meanings of terms."
Pauline Winter, Clapham Terrace Primary
"I like to see what lesson is next."
Paul Young, Year 3, Charles Dickens Primary School
Using symbols to support ASD teaching
Hints, tips and practical examples of how symbols can support autism spectrum teaching by Steph Reed, Autism Specialist Teacher.
Autism impacts on how a person understands and uses communication, as well as how a person experiences the sensory input around them. Symbols can enhance understanding and learning by displaying a visual image that can be more easily understood than spoken language and other forms of communication.
How to keep updated
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