RL.E.55 SELECTS LITTLE, CHOICE OF BIG AND LITTLE

These two attribute words can be assessed and taught together.

You can use all kinds of materials to teach this skill – the more variety the better! You will work with pairs of objects, or pictures, that are the same (or similar) in all respects except for size. They should be markedly different in size, particularly in the early stages of learning.

If your child enjoys working with pictures, cut pieces of cardboard and draw big and little versions of the same object on each. Make sure that the big one is sometimes on the left and sometimes on the right. In addition, make a collection of objects – big and little toy farm animals, teddies, spoons, blocks, cars, balls, stones, shoes and so on.

How to Assess

Materials: 3 pairs of objects, as described above.

Method: Place one pair of objects on the table. Let’s say you choose spoons. Say ‘Give me the big spoon’. Replace the spoon – not necessarily in the same position. Say ‘Give me the little spoon’.

Repeat with the other 2 pairs of objects. Vary the order in which you ask for big and little, and the relative position of the 2 sizes on the table.

Score plus for RL.E.54 in your child selects the big object correctly in at least 2 of the 3 tries.

Score plus for RL.E.55 if your child selects the little object correctly in at least 2 of the 3 tries.

How to Teach

Work on both big and little, even if your child scored plus for one of them at assessment. You might give more time to practising the weaker concept.

Begin teaching by clearly identifying the objects to your child before asking her to select. Use heavy emphasis: ‘Look, I’ve got a BIG car and a LITTLE car.’ Let your child handle the objects or trace the pictures with a finger.

Ask your child to select one or the other, and reinforce her if she selects correctly – again, emphasising the key words: ‘Terrific, you found the BIG one!’

If she moves towards the incorrect object or picture, intervene and bring her attention back to you, like this: ‘Show me the BIG car . . . Look at Mummy’ (perhaps taking the child’s hand) ‘where is the BIG one?’ If she persists in the error, help her by pointing or guiding her hand, saying: ‘Look, here’s the big car. You take BIG.’

As your child gets the idea, you can reduce the amount of help you give, including your initial demonstration.

Vary the materials within and between teaching sessions.

If your child does not make progress with the approach described above, the Match-to-Sample game described in Book 2, Chapter 3, can be adapted to teach big and little. Use sets of identical big and little objects for matching, selecting with a sample and selecting. Do vary your materials if you teach the skill this way.

Playtime and Round-the-house Activities

All sorts of things come in big and little sizes – toys, pictures in books, household objects, animals and people. Use all the opportunities that come your way to talk about sizes.

Remembering and Extending

This skill is directly extended in RL.E.56.