AAC Lesson Plan: Requesting with a Core Board
An AAC lesson where students request more of a motivating activity on a core board, with pause-and-wait opportunities and errorless modeling.
- Communication
- Ages 5-8
- Group of 3
- 30 minutes
- Free printable PDF
Page 1 of 2. Page 2 is the data sheet.
What’s inside this plan
Objective: Students will use a core board to request more of a motivating activity during structured play.
The goal it serves: Given a core board and a motivating activity, the student will request more or want using AAC, with modeling and no physical prompts, in 4 of 5 opportunities.
- 4 min Warm-Up
- 6 min Direct Instruction & Modeling
- 10 min Guided Practice
- 7 min Independent Practice
- 3 min Closure
Supports on the table: AAC / Communication Supports, Choice Board, Errorless Learning, Positive Reinforcement, Movement Breaks. Differentiated three ways (more support, on level, more challenge), with accommodations and a per-student data sheet at an 80% accuracy target.
Frequently asked questions
- What AAC system does this lesson plan assume?
- Any core board works: a printed board, a strip, or a device. The free AAC Core Board Maker on this site prints boards with more and want in stable home positions, which is what the lesson models.
- What if the student does not touch the board at all?
- The differentiation lane shrinks the board to a two symbol strip and accepts any touch near the symbol. The teacher points to the symbol but never moves the student's hand; the activity restarting is the reinforcement.
- How many requesting opportunities should one lesson create?
- The guided practice block engineers a pause roughly every 30 to 60 seconds, so a ten minute block yields well over the 5 opportunities the data sheet tracks per student.
Related sample plans
Life Skills
Make a Snack: Follow a Visual Recipe
A life skills lesson where students prepare a no-cook snack from a five step visual recipe, with prompts tracked per step.
Social Skills
My Turn, Your Turn: Small Group Game
A social skills lesson built around a four player game with a passing turn marker, token boards, and a waiting visual.
Math
Dinosaur Count and Match
A small-group counting lesson with token reinforcement and per-trial data.
Social Skills
How Do I Feel? Naming Emotions with a Feelings Chart
An emotions lesson where students name happy, sad, mad, and scared from picture scenarios on a four-face feelings chart, with per-student data.
Life Skills
Wash Up: A Six Step Hand Washing Routine
A personal hygiene lesson where students learn a six step hand washing routine from a posted visual sequence, with prompts tracked per step.
Math
Next Dollar Up: Paying at the Class Store
A functional math lesson where students pay for priced items with the next dollar up strategy at a class store, with a purchase log.