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This glossary is intended to define and clarify terms from the guidelines for the Level 1 Learning Programme as they appear in this specification.
Anatomical language
Anatomical language refers to the accepted terms used in the field of human anatomy for parts of the body.
And/or
When a learning outcome includes ‘and/or’ the student may attain ‘Successful Completion’ of this learning outcome when they achieve one or both stated outcomes at any level on the progression pathways. The teacher must determine which aspects of the learning outcome are most suitable for each student.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to a wide range of methods used to augment (add to) or act as an alternative to speech. These methods may be aided (using external tools) or unaided (no tools required). Examples of unaided systems include signing, facial expression and gesture. Aided communication systems may include, but are not limited to, objects of reference, communication boards, symbols, photographs and various forms of voice output technology.
Book-handling skills
Book-handling skills include those of holding the book using the correct orientation, opening the book, page turning and so on.
Cause and effect
Cause and effect refers to the understanding that there is a relationship between events or things, where one is the result of the other (e.g. turning on a light when going into a dark room).
Communicative partner
The communicative partner is an individual engaged in the act of communicating in a concentrated way with a student undertaking L1LPs. Communicating intentionally is a very large step for some of these students. Communicative partners learn to ‘read’ the signs in the student that s/he is learning to communicate at a level of progression on the continuum.
Element
Elements outline the specific areas for learning covered within each Priority Learning Unit (PLU). For example, PLU 5: The arts is comprised of three elements: Visual art, Music and Drama. Teachers should include learning outcomes from all elements over the course of delivering the Level 1 Learning Programme to ensure students have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.
Features of Quality
Features of Quality are the criteria which are used by the teacher to support a judgement about whether learning outcomes have been achieved or not.
Generalising learning
Generalising learning is the term used to describe the stage when a student can be observed transferring learning in a specific context to other, less familiar or unfamiliar situations.
‘How to’ guidelines
It is envisaged that short pieces of additional support material will be provided on specific teaching approaches that are known to be effective with these students, for example, one for each PLU.
Joint attention
Joint attention is a situation where the individuals involved in the communication act both focus on the same object. It is more than just looking at an object; the individuals understand that they are attending to the same thing. For some students, eye contact or visual attention can be a challenge. In this case, joint attention may be achieved through the use of alternative senses (smell, taste, touch or hearing) so long as the student demonstrates an understanding that the experience is shared and their partner is smelling/feeling/hearing or tasting the same thing.
Learning intentions
A learning intention for a lesson or series of lessons is a statement, created by the teacher, that describes clearly what the teacher wants the students to know, understand, and be able to do as a result of learning and teaching activities.
Learning journey
The learning journey refers to the unique way each student accesses the Level 1 Learning Programme. Where possible, all students should have the opportunity to experience/attempt all of the learning outcomes in a way that is meaningful to them. Teachers, the student’s family and multi-disciplinary professionals supporting the student will work together to identify which learning outcomes are to be prioritised, the pathway at which they may be accessed and the order in which they should be followed, based on the students learning strengths, needs and interests.
Learning outcomes (see also Unconstrained learning outcomes)
Learning outcomes specify the knowledge, skills and attitudes students can demonstrate they have learned within each element of a PLU. Learning outcomes are not expected to be followed in a linear manner but in a way that best suits the student. The unconstrained nature of the learning outcomes ensure flexibility for adaptation so that they can be made specific to the individual student to reflect their interests, strengths and needs.
Mark making
Students begin their journey towards writing by making marks. These can be made using body parts or a range of implements. Slowly the marks they make begin to have more meaning for them. This is an important step in learning to write.
Priority Learning Units (PLUs)
Priority Learning Units (PLUs) explicitly identify and develop the key areas of learning needed to prepare the students for their future lives. There are six PLUs in the Level 1 Learning Programme: Communication, language and literacy; Personal care and wellbeing; Being part of a community; Numeracy; The arts; and Physical education. Each PLU is then broken down into elements and then further into learning outcomes.
Process-based teaching and learning
Process-based teaching and learning is a holistic approach to teaching and learning that places a focus on the process of the learning rather than individual outcome targets. The L1LPs places an emphasis on ‘real-world’ learning for students participating in the L1LPs.
Self-regulation
Self-regulation as used here refers to the process by which students take charge of their behaviour. They gain self-control by being enabled to recognise triggers which provoke behaviours they want to change and by learning strategies which support them in self-regulation.
Sensory signals
Sensory signals include any source of sensory stimulation/output that may or may not elicit a response (e.g. sounds, tastes, smells, textures or images /lights).
Short courses
It is envisaged that schools will have autonomy to develop units of learning specifically to meet their students’ needs. The themes will be appropriate to the chronological age of students and will reflect their interests. They will allow for cross-curricular learning and teaching and will have the learning outcomes of PLUs embedded in them.
Social conventions of privacy
Social conventions of privacy are societal ‘norms’ relating to behaviours, information and places which are considered private.
Social scripts
Social scripts describe the physical environment students will visit and details of what the excursion will involve. They are often written in the first person, e.g. ‘When we climb the steps to the entrance I will be able to leave my bag in a room, where it will be safe until I get back’.
Specification
This term replaces the word ‘syllabus’. A specification is an outline of the curriculum and assessment components of a subject or learning programme. Unlike a syllabus, learning outcomes are not content-driven but are statements that describe what understanding, skills and values students should be able to demonstrate after a period of learning.
Standardised objects of reference
Standardised objects of reference are concrete, three-dimensional objects that have been standardised in the student’s life to communicate, e.g. using a wooden spoon to indicate that it is ‘time for cooking’.
Stimulus/Stimuli (plural)
A stimulus or stimuli can be defined as any object or event that may trigger a reaction of some sort. For example, a piece of music may trigger an emotional response, resulting in a student laughing.
Stories
Stories, in this context, are a connected series of events, invented or factual, that are recalled in sequence in any meaningful way. This may include picture books, sensory stories, massage stories, story trays, photo stories or the incorporation of any other items/approaches that are meaningful to the student.
Text
Throughout the L1LP guidelines, ‘text’ includes all products of language use: oral, gesture, sign, written, visual, electronic and digital.
Unconstrained learning outcomes
Unconstrained learning outcomes specify the knowledge, skills and attitudes students can demonstrate they have learned, expressed as broad statements which allow for a range of interpretation at school level to suit the students’ needs.
Visual representations of items
Visual representations of items are picture systems which are used to standardise the student’s communication. They are sometimes called augmentative communication systems. They are ONE form of augmentative communication systems
Bíonn príomhchlásal agus fochlásal nó dhó in abairt chasta. Bíonn íochtarán in abairt chasta i gcónaí ar nós mar, toisc, de bhrí, tar éis, cé nó nuair nó forainm coibhneasta ar nós a, m.sh. Tá na daltaí ag staidéar toisc go mbeidh scrúdú acu amárach.
Bíonn dhá chlásal neamhspleácha in abairt chomhshuite, agus iad nasctha ag comhordaitheoir. Seo a leanas na comhordaitheoirí: toisc, agus, ná, ach, nó, fós, mar sin. Ach amháin i gcás abairtí gearra, cuirtear camóg roimh an gcomhordaitheoir i gcónaí chun dhá chlásal neamhspleácha a chur le chéile, m.sh. Bhí Peadar ag imirt peile, mar sin chuaigh Máire ag siopadóireacht.
Is éard atá i gceist le diminsean aeistéitiúil teanga, teanga a ionramháil go samhlaíoch, go cruthaitheach agus go healaíonta.
Comprehension strategies are strategies and processes used by readers to make meaning from texts. Key comprehension strategies include:
Book terminology is the vocabulary associated with books e.g. author, blurb, illustrator, contents page, glossary, chapter, publisher etc.
Is éard atá i gceist le brabhsáil sa chomhthéacs seo ábhar léitheoireachta ó réimse foinsí clóite agus ar líne a chur faoi chaibidil d’fhonn ábhar léitheoireachta atá oiriúnach dá gcuspóir léitheoireachta a roghnú.
Tagraíonn braistint ghutha d’fhorbairt ar ghuth agus ar fhéinléiriú an pháiste féin (gníomhú).
De réir mar atá páiste ag foghlaim teanga amháin, sealbhaíonn sé/sí scileanna meititheangeolaíocha ar féidir leis/léi tarraingt orthu nuair a bhíonn teanga eile á foghlaim.
Ceisteanna d’ord íseal is ea ceisteanna dúnta. Bíonn fócas cúng acu agus tugtar freagraí gearra, fíriciúla orthu, m.sh. cé, cad, cá háit agus cén uair. Úsáidtear iad chun eolas sonrach a fháil.
Ceisteanna d’ord níos airde is ea ceisteanna oscailte a éilíonn ar an bhfreagróir smaoineamh fúthu agus machnamh a dhéanamh orthu. Ní féidir freagra ‘is ea’ nó ‘ní hea’ a thabhairt ar na ceisteanna seo, is é a theastaíonn freagra níos forbartha a chuireann eolas agus/nó braistintí an fhreagróra san áireamh.
Focail a fhoghraítear mar a chéile ach nach ionann a mbrí, m.sh. cóir agus comhair, suí agus saoi, téigh agus téigh.
Is éard atá i gceist leis an gcomhaird cás ina ndíríonn beirt atá ag déanamh cumarsáide lena chéile ar an rud céanna. Tá níos mó i gceist leis ná breathnú ar an rud, tuigeann an bheirt go bhfuil siad ag díriú ar an rud céanna.
Comhchiallach is ea focal a bhfuil an chiall chéanna aige le focal eile, nó ciall atá cosúil leis, m.sh. áthasach, sona, sásta.
Tagraíonn comhréir do na rialacha ar faoina réir a gcuirtear focail in ord, a leagtar amach abairtí agus a socraítear an gaol idir fhocail. Is í an chomhréir a thugann le fios cé na leaganacha d’fhocail agus de fhrásaí atá inghlactha nó atá ceart de réir na gramadaí, agus cé na leaganacha nach bhfuil. Comhréir a thugtar ar na rialacha a chinneann foirm nó struchtúr abairte. Rialacha iad seo a chinneann ord na bhfocal, na bhfrásaí agus na gclásal; eagar na habairte; agus an gaol idir fhocail, aicmí focal, agus eilimintí eile den abairt.
As a child is learning one language, he/she acquires metalinguistic skills which he/she can draw upon when learning another language.
A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. A complex sentence always has a subordinator (also known as a subordinate conjunction) such as because, since, after, although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which e.g. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow.
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator (also known as a coordinating conjunction). The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Except for very short sentences, coordinators are always preceded by a comma when used to join two independent clauses e.g. Alex played football, so Mary went shopping.
to perform an activity
Connectives are words which link paragraphs and sentences to focus on time, cause and effect, comparison or addition. Connectives relate ideas to one another and help to show the logic of the information. Connectives are important resources for creating cohesion in texts. The purposes of connectives can be grouped as follows:
Conventions of print are accepted ways of presenting and organising written text so that this text is consistently and easily understood by all readers. The conventions include the following:
Digital conventions include:
Focal a roinnt ina fhóinéimí aonair chun é a litriú, m.sh. trí fhóinéim atá ag an bhfocal cat: /c/, /a/, /t/, agus trí fhóinéim atá ag an bhfocal grá: /g/, /r/, /á/.
Is léirithe físeacha ar eolas, coincheapa nó smaointe iad na heagraithe grafacha.
Extra linguistic skills include the ability to use:
Tagraíonn feasacht fóineolaíochta don fheasacht a bhíonn ag duine ar struchtúr fóineolaíochta, nó ar struchtúr fuaime, focal. Áirítear ann feasacht ar fhocail, rím, siollaí, túsfhoghar agus foghar deiridh agus fóinéimí.
Tagraíonn feasacht mheititheangeolaíoch don chumas le machnamh a dhéanamh ar theanga agus ar an gcaoi a n-úsáidtear í mar phróiseas agus mar dhéantán, agus a thuiscint gur féidir linn teanga a athrú ar bhealaí éagsúla. De réir mar a thagann forbairt ar fheasacht mheititheangeolaíoch páistí, tuigeann siad níos fearr, mar shampla, gur féidir brí liteartha agus brí intuigthe araon bheith le teanga.
Is éard atá i gceist le feidhmeanna sóisialta na teanga na feidhmeanna ina n-úsáidtear an teanga ar mhaithe le hidirghníomhú sóisialta laethúil amhail beannú, buíochas a chur in iúl, comhbhrón agus imní a chur in iúl, aiféala a chur in iúl agus fáilte a chur roimh chuairteoirí go muiníneach.
Focail a fheictear go minic i dtéacsanna, m.sh. agus, an, na, tá, siad, le, is, sa, is maith, chun, agus mar sin de.
Baineann an téarma ‘foghar’ nó ‘fuaim’ leis an bhfuaim a dhéanaimid nuair a deirimid litir nó focal, agus ní leis an bhfocal clóite. Is féidir le litreacha difriúla an foghar céanna a léiriú, ar nós an fhoghair /ɣ/ sna focail dhá agus ghoil. Is féidir foghar amháin a chur in iúl le breis is litir amháin, mar is amhlaidh i gcás an fhoghair /éa/ sna focail aon agus éan. Dhá fhoghar atá san fhocal bhí /bh/, /í/ ach trí litir atá ann, ‘b’, ‘h’, ‘í’. Ba chear t do mhúinteoirí na focail ‘foghar’ agus ‘litir’ a úsáid go cruinn ionas gur féidir le daltaí idirdhealú idir an dá fhocal.
An t-aonad foghair is lú i bhfocal. Tá dhá fhóinéim san fhocal is /i/ agus /s/.Trí fhóinéim atá san fhocal cat /c/, /a/ agus /t/.
Is éard atá i gceist le foirm formáidí foilsithe de sheánra áirithe m.sh. dán, gearrscéal, dráma, úrscéal, meamram, ríomhphost, scannán, srl.
Tagann forbairt ar stór focal ó bhéal agus ar stór focal léitheoireachta páistí agus iad ag éirí níos casta, ag dul ón rud nithiúil go dtí an rud teibí, i dtaca le cé chomh minic is a úsáidtear focail, cé chomh casta is atá an bhrí, cé chomh domhain is atá an t-eolas ar fhocail, agus na hathruithe a tharlaíonn de thoradh ar phróisis dhéanamh na bhfocal.
Frithchiallach is ea focal atá contrártha le focal eile, m.sh. maith agus olc.
Genres are types of multi-sentence oral or written text structures that have become conventionalised for particular purposes with expected organisational patterns, as well as language features related to register e.g., narrative, informational, persuasive, and multi-genre. Simply put, genre refers to a selection of writing forms in order to recount, explain, entertain, inform, give instructions, narrate, persuade and justify opinions.
Grapheme-phoneme correspondences are the relationships between written symbols and the sounds which they represent. Examples of grapheme-phoneme correspondences include to:
High frequency words are words that appear frequently in texts e.g. the, is, are, to, said, come etc.
Is é atá i homagraif focail a bhfuil an litriú céanna acu ach a bhfuil níos mó ná ciall amháin leo agus/nó fuaimniú difriúil m.sh. fonn, céad, cion.
Homographs are words of the same spelling but with more than one meaning, and/or a different pronunciation e.g. bow, record.
Homonyms are words that are pronounced but have different meanings e.g. to, too and two, heir and air, soot and suit.
Instructional-level text is a term for a text that is appropriately challengingfor a child. Instructional-level texts are appropriate for use in guided reading. With normal classroom instruction and appropriate support a child should be able to identify 90-95% of the words and comprehend 75-90% of the material in the text.
Invented or approximate spelling is a term used when a child uses his/her own combination of letters to make words when creating texts.
Joint attention is a situation where the individuals involved in a communicative act both focus on the same object. It is more than just looking at an object; the individuals understand that they are attending to the same thing—intentionality.
Statements in curriculum specifications to describe the knowledge, understanding, skills and values that students should be able to demonstrate after a period of learning.
Téarma is ea é don chineál téacs a d’fhéadfadh páiste a léamh go líofa agus ciall a bhaint as gan aon chabhair ón múinteoir. Ba cheart go mbeadh páiste in ann idir 95-100% de na focail a aithint, agus idir 90-100% den téacs a thuiscint.
Seo téarma ar théacs ag leibhéal cuí dúshláin, ach nach bhfuil thar chumas an pháiste.Tá téacsanna ag leibhéal teagaisc oiriúnach le húsáid i léitheoireacht threoraithe. Ba cheart go mbeadh páiste in ann idir 90-95% de na focail a aithint, agus idir 75-90% den téacs a thuiscint, le gnáth-threoracha agus tacaíocht ranga.
Is éard atá i gceist le leideanna comhréire noda maidir le brí focal a fhéadtar a bhaint de thátal as ord focal, as struchtúr abairtí agus as an ngaol idir focail.
Is éard atá i gceist le leideanna séimeantacha noda maidir le brí focal a fhéadtar a bhaint de thátal as noda sa phictiúr, sa téacs agus/nó eolas a bhí ag an bpáiste roimh ré.
Is é atá i gceist le líofacht léitheoireachta ó bhéal an cumas a bhíonn ag léitheoirí léamh ó bhéal le luas, cruinneas agus gnéithe oiriúnacha prósóide amhail mothúchán, béim, tuinairde agus cur i bhfocail oiriúnach.
Is téarma é litriú cumtha nó neaslitriú a úsáidtear nuair a úsáideann páistí a gcumasc féin litreacha chun focail a dhéanamh agus iad ag ceapadh téacsanna.
Is é an lucht léitheoireachta, féachana agus éisteachta an pobal léitheoirí, éisteoirí, amharcóirí a bhfuil an scríbhneoir, an dearthóir, an cainteoir ag díriú orthu.
An t-aonad céille nó gramadaí is lú i dteanga ar bith. Ní gá gur focal í gach moirféim. Moirféim amháin atá san fhocal ‘mála’, mar shampla, ach dhá mhoirféim atá san fhocal ‘málaí’: ‘mála’ is ea moirféim amháin agus moirféim eile a chuireann an uimhir iolra in iúl is ea ‘í’. Ach eolas ar mhoirféimí a bheith ag daltaí bíonn slí acu le focail a léamh agus a litriú.
Narrative texts are a type of oral or written discourse where the purpose is to tell a story or narrate an event or a sequence of events. Narrative text can be categorised as fiction or non-fiction.
This strand enables students to understand the dynamic relationship between the local, national and international economic situation. It develops students’ ability to identify and understand basic economic concepts as they relate to personal finance, enterprise and the Irish economy
Paralinguistic skills include:
This strand focuses on students developing a set of skills, knowledge and values that allows them to make informed decisions to effectively and responsibly manage their financial resources.
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word. The word it has two phonemes /i/ and /t/. The word ship has three phonemes /sh/, /i/, /p/.
Aithníonn an prionsabal aibítre go n-úsáidtear litreacha agus teaglamaí (cnuasaigh) litreacha chun fuaimeanna teanga a chur in iúl atá bunaithe ar an ngaol idir litreacha scríofa, siombailí agus focail labhartha.
A root word is a form of a word after all affixes and grammatical inflections have been removed e.g. door, run, sad, build, hair. Many other words can be created using root words:
To split up a word into its individual phonemes in order to spell it, e.g. the word cat has three phonemes: /c/, /a/, /t/ and the word grew has three phonemes: /g/, /r/, /ew/.
Baineann séimeantaic le brí; cuirtear brí in iúl leis na gaolta idir focail.
Tagraíonn slabhra nó cnuasach do dhá litir nó níos mó a dhéanann dhá (nó trí) fhuaim, mar shampla tá na chéad trí litir in ‘strus’ ina slabhra consan.
The term ‘sound’ relates to the sound we make when we utter a letter or word, not to the letter in print. A letter may have more than one sound, such as the letter ‘a’ in was, a sound can be represented by more than one letter such as the sound /k/ in cat and walk. The word ship had three sounds /sh/, /i/, /p/, but has four letters ‘s’, ‘h’, ‘i’, ‘p’. Teachers should use the terms ‘sound’ and ‘letter’ accurately to help students clearly distinguish between the two items.
Phonetic and conventional spelling strategies can be used for unfamiliar words when creating texts. These strategies include:
Is éard atá i gceist le stóir phearsanta focal bailiúcháin de na focail a úsáideann scríbhneoir nó a theastaíonn uaidh atá bainteach lena chuid suimeanna pearsanta agus/nó a dhéanann sé a litriú go mícheart go rialta. Cuimsíonn an stór pearsanta focal, focail nach mbíonn ar taispeáint sa seomra ranga agus nach mbíonn sé éasca teacht orthu.
Struchtúr an téacs a thugtar ar an tslí ina n-eagraítear eolas i gcineálacha éagsúla téacs, mar shampla teidil caibidlí, fotheidil, clár na n-ábhar, innéacsanna agus gluaiseanna, foramhairc, ailt tosaigh agus ailt deiridh, seicheamhú, abairtí topaice, tacsanomaíochtaí, cúis agus éifeacht. Is iad na roghanna a dhéantar i dtaca le struchtúr téacs agus gnéithe teanga a chinneann cineál an téacs agus an bhrí atá leis.
A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word e.g. happy, joyful, elated.
Syntax refers to the organisational rules specifying word order, sentence organisation and word relationships. Syntax specifies which word combinations are acceptable or grammatical, and which are not. The form or structure of a sentence is governed by the rules of syntax. These rules specify word, phrase, and clause order; sentence organisation; and the relationships between words, word classes, and other sentence elements.
Moirféimí is ea táthmhíreanna a cheanglaítear de fhréamhfhocal chun focal nua a dhéanamh m.sh. tóg+álaí, mí+shona nó chun foirm eile d’fhocal a dhéanamh m.sh. múinteoir+í, rith+ dh.
Is féidir téacsanna a thabhairt ar gach toradh ar úsáid teanga—ó bhéal, geáitsíocht, comharthaí, scríofa, físiúil, úsáid a bhaint as Córas Cumarsáide Malartaithe Pictiúr, nithe tagartha, Braille, tadhlach, leictreonach, digiteach, agus/nó ilmhódach. I dtéacsanna ilmhódacha bíonn meascán de chineálacha éagsúla cumarsáide, m.sh. téacs clóite, téacs digiteach, íomhánna amhairc, fuaim (m.sh. taibhiú nó imeacht) agus an focal labhartha.
Cineál dioscúrsa ó bhéal nó i scríbhinn is ea téacsanna insinte a bhfuil sé mar aidhm acu scéal a insint nó imeacht nó sraith imeachtaí a reic. Féadtar téacsanna insinte a rangú mar fhicsean nó mar neamhfhicsean.
Cineál dioscúrsa ó bhéal nó i scríbhinn is ea téacs léiritheach a bhfuil sé mar aidhm aige rud éigin a mhíniú, eolas a thabhairt faoi rud éigin nó cur síos a dhéanamh ar rud éigin.
I measc na dtéamaí don Ghaeilge tá: mé féin, sa bhaile, an scoil, bia, an teilifís, siopadóireacht, caitheamh aimsire, éadaí, an aimsir agus ócáidí speisialta. Is féidir leis an múinteoir go leor topaicí a roghnú as na téamaí. D’fhéadfaí na topaicí seo a leathnú chun ábhar atá spéisiúil don pháiste a chur san áireamh freisin.
Tugtar sainmhíniú ar an teanga gan chomhthéacs mar theanga atá saor ó chomhthéacs. Níl sí bunaithe in aon chomhthéacs láithreach ama ná cúinse, agus níl sí spleách ar aon bhreathnú ná ar aon eispéireas siceach, láithreach. Tá úsáid na teanga gan chomhthéacs ríthábhachtach d’fhoghlaim páistí ar leibhéil éagsúla. Baintear úsáid aisti chun faisnéis nua a chruthú agus a chur in iúl do dhaoine eile nach bhfuil an fhaisnéis chúlra chéanna acu leis an gcainteoir. Tá na téarmaí ‘teanga gan chomhthéacs’ agus ‘stíl teanga liteartha’ cosúil lena chéile toisc go dtagraíonn siad araon do theanga atá eagraithe, follasach agus scoite amach.
Is é atá i dtéarmaíocht na leabhar an foclóir a bhaineann le leabhair, m.sh. údar, blurba, maisitheoir, clár na n-ábhar, gluais, caibidil, foilsitheoir, srl.
Text structure is the way that information is organised in different types of texts for example, chapter headings, sub-headings, table of contents, indexes and glossaries, overviews, introductory and concluding paragraphs, sequencing, topic sentences, taxonomies, cause and effect. Choices in text structures and language features together define a text type and shape its meaning. .
All products of language use—oral, gesture, sign, written, visual, using Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), objects of reference, Braille, tactile, electronic, digital and/or multimodal—can be described as texts. Multimodal texts include the combination of a variety of forms of communication such as print text, digital text, visual images, audio (e.g., a performance or event) and spoken word. In this definition, 'multimodal' is not synonymous with 'digital'.
Among the themes for Irish are; myself, at home, school, food, television, shopping, pastimes, clothes, the weather and special occasions. The teacher can select lots of topics from the themes. These topics could be extended to also include subjects that the child finds interesting.
Vocabulary strategies assist to determine or clarify the meaning of unknown words and phrases, including:
Word identification strategies allow children to read unknown words with increasing automaticity. These strategies include:
The writing process involves the teacher explicitly teaching children how to work and learn actively as writers. Steps in the writing process include: