Teddy Talk is a structured language development programme for EAL pupils in ELC. It is adapted from the original CHAT (Communication , Help and Awareness Team) programme provided by various Speech & Language Therapy services in Scotland.
Teddy Talk is intended for children in the early stages of English language acquisition. It has proven results for quickly developing core vocabulary and self-confidence. EAL children in the ‘silent period’ will often start to speak after Teddy Talk sessions.
Sessions take about 15-20 minutes, and each session is built around a repeated, predictable framework that includes:
- Rules of good sitting, listening and looking
- A Hello Song and greeting
- Some games
- A Story
- A Goodbye song and farewell
A sequence of around 10 sessions is ideal, with each session provided two or three times each week to reinforce language acquisition.
Have a look at this demo (in Spanish) to get an idea of how a session looks for an EAL pupil.
Watch a demo of Teddy Talk in English.
Topics
Choose from any of these topics that support what you are currently doing in your nursery, or use them as a framework for developing your own. Just click the theme title to download a Word document with guidance and visual resources. If possible, use actual objects or toys in preference to flashcards. The topics are ordered in terms of difficulty. The first topics are suitable for pupils new to English and the latter ones for pupils working towards greater fluency:
Theme | Book | Vocabulary |
---|---|---|
Family | Family - My mum, my dad and me | Family |
Farm animals | A Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle | Farm Animals |
Pets | Dogs by Emily Gravett | Pet vocabulary (dog, cat, rabbit) |
Animals and Habitats - Walking in the Jungle | Walking in the Jungle by Julie Lacombe | Animals and Habitats |
Minibeasts | Mad About Minibeasts by Giles Andreae | Minibeasts - Insects |
Colours - Elmer's Colours | Elmer's Colours by David Mckee | Colours |
Numbers | Five Little Ducks song | Numbers to 5 |
Space - Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer - Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer | Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer | Space |
My Body - Is This My Nose | Is This my Nose? by Georgie Birkett | My Body |
Days of Week | The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle | Days of the Week |
Toys | Presents by Rod Campbell | Toys |
Size | Goldilocks and the Three Bears | Size |
Feelings | What Do I Look Like? by Nick Sherratt | Feeling adjectives (happy, sad, scared, etc.) |
Transport | Big Red Bus by Judy Hindley | Transport |
People Who Help Us | People Who Help Us by Amanda Askew | People Who Help Us |
Clothes | The Emperor's New Clothes | Clothing |
Four Seasons | Un-Brella by Scott E Franson | Four Seasons |
Wild Animals | Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne | Wild animals, fruits, adjectives |
Food & Shopping | The Elephant & the Bad Baby by Raymond Briggs & Elfrida Vipont | Food items, going shopping |
In My Schoolbag | Usborne First Experiences – Going to School | Schoolbag and contents |
Pirates | Ten Little Pirates by Mike Brownlow | Pirates |
My House | The Three Little Pigs | My House, rooms |
Daily routine Daily routine - images | Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? by Martin Waddell | Daily routines |
Babies | Topsy and Tim and the New Baby by Jean Adamson and Belinda Worsley | Babies and looking after babies |
Opposites | Kipper's Book of Opposites by Mick Inkpen | Opposites |
Days of the School Week | Anholt Family Favourites: Billy and the Big New School by Catherine and Laurence Anholt | Days of the School Week |
Chinese New Year | The Great Race | Chinese New Year |
It's Christmas Time | It's Christmas Time | Christmas |
Christmas - The Nativity Story | Christmas Nativity Story | Christmas |
Easter - Spot's First Easter | Easter | Easter |
Senses | Senses | the Five Senses |
Parental Permission
If you think parents may be concerned about their child participating in this activity, here’s an information and permission slip that will hopefully alleviate any concerns.
Record Keeping Sheets
Here are some record sheets to keep track of sessions that are taking place for Teddy Talk in your setting.
Teddy Talk Record of Activities
- For: Nursery - P1
- Language: English
- Purpose: Games, Interactive