• Welcome
  • For AAC Users
  • For Parents
  • For Educators
  • For Providers
  • Blog
Menu

NWACS

Street Address
Seattle, WA
Phone Number
Northwest Augmentative Communication Society

Your Custom Text Here

NWACS

  • Welcome
  • For AAC Users
  • For Parents
  • For Educators
  • For Providers
  • Blog

Core In The Classroom

March 13, 2018 NWACS
Core In The Classroom

Core In The Classroom

by Erica Sanford, MA, CCC-SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist); NWACS Contributor

Have you been hearing the term Core Vocabulary lately? At all of the recent Assistive Tech conferences I’ve been to and websites I keep up with it’s been somewhat of a buzz word for the last few years! What exactly is Core? Why is it beneficial? 

“Core” refers to words that are used frequently in a language and are very versatile. They are usually simple, familiar, short, and can be used across a variety of settings. It’s estimated that approximately 80% of words we use are CORE words! Teaching these essential and highly used words can help with language development in areas that are often limited when the focus of communication is simply labeling or requesting. 

Some examples of core words are: go, my, turn, help, no, done, want, and that. Think about how often these words are used, especially for school-aged children. If you’re in a school setting, core words are also very frequently early sight words and can help with pre-literacy skills! By focusing on core words, students can learn to use practical and useful words to convey a variety of meanings in many different settings.

But what about all of the other important words? These are known as FRINGE words. Fringe words typically make up 20-25% of our vocabulary. These words are often specific to a person (e.g. names of friends, family, and pets, favorite foods, etc.).  Fringe words are often nouns and often relate to a specific activity or setting. Some examples of fringe words may include: touchdown, quarterback, and field goal. These would most likely only be beneficial to learn (and only used) when talking about football. They are very useful when discussing a specific topic, but are not always as useful as core words out of context.

AAC core WOW bundle 1.jpg

Our classroom has decided to start implementing a CORE vocabulary system. To get started, I highly recommend a bundle resource to help with activities and ideas! Our classroom is using the Core Word of the Week Bundle #1 by Jenna Rayburn Kirk that we found on Teachers Pay Teachers.  

We are excited to start on this journey and will update you with materials, lessons, and tips as we go along! Are you using CORE with your students?  What programs or materials have you found helpful?

 

Erica.png
In AAC Implementation Tags strategy
← Partner Assisted ScanningRecommend a Student with a Disability for the DO-IT Scholars Program →

ADD YOUR VOICE!

Are you interested in contributing to the NWACS blog? Click HERE


WELCOME TO THE NWACS BLOG

Collections by topic:

  • AAC and Literacy

  • Communication Bill of Rights

  • Communicative Competence

Browse around or use the navigation tools below to help you find the information that you seek. 1 - This Blog has several main Categories. 2 - You can also look through the Tags. Tags can exist in any of the categories and across categories. 3 - Or use the Search tool ⬇!

CATEGORIES

  • AAC Across the Lifespan
  • AAC Assessment
  • AAC Awareness Month
  • AAC Best Practices
  • AAC Education
  • AAC Implementation
  • AAC Organization
  • AAC Spotlight
  • AAC Systems
  • AACademics
  • Advocacy
  • Assistive Techonology
  • Awareness
  • Language
  • Let's Talk AAC
  • New Discoveries

TAGS

  • AAC
  • AAC abandonment
  • AAC across the lifespan
  • AAC advocacy
  • AAC and Literacy
  • AAC awareness
  • AAC awareness month
  • AAC collaboration
  • AAC community
  • AAC device
  • AAC families
  • AAC in Early Intervention
  • AAC preparedness
  • AAC professionals
  • AAC rep
  • AAC Rights
  • AAC skills
  • AAC stories
  • AAC supports
  • AAC users
  • access
  • accessory
  • acquired conditions
  • acute care
  • advocacy
  • AI
  • allyship
  • app
  • approach
  • Autonomy
  • awareness
  • basics
  • Bilingualism & AAC
  • birth to 3
  • book
  • books
  • collaboration
  • communication
  • community involvement
  • competencies
  • conference
  • cultural awareness
  • device trials
  • disability etiquette
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • family
  • funding
  • goals
  • interview
  • mental health
  • mindset
  • multi-cultural practices
  • myths
  • neurodiversity
  • reading instruction
  • remote learning
  • research
  • resource
  • school
  • shared reading
  • shared writing
  • strategy
  • symbols
  • Team Collaboration
  • tool
  • transition
  • troubleshooting
  • vendor
  • webinar
  • writing instruction
Donate to NWACS - NWACS is a nonprofit organization run solely on volunteer power! Your donations help us: to cover our operating costs, to grow our events and outreach, to provide conference scholarships, and more! Thank you for your ongoing support
 
Blog RSS

Subscribe to our Mailing List

Northwest Augmentative Communication Society (NWACS) will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you via email to provide news, updates, and marketing.

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at info@nwacs.info. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices visit our Disclosures Page. By clicking ‘Sign Up’, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use MailChimp as our marketing automation platform. By clicking ‘Sign Up’ to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms.

Thank you!

© 2016-2025 Northwest Augmentative Communication Society