Sensory Topic Planning: Literacy
14 March 2025: 9 am – 12 noon
‘Sensory Topic Planning: Literacy’ is a deep dive into integrating sensory topic planning into literacy.
This approach will help you create sensory-driven lesson plans that make literacy more accessible to learners with severe, complex or neurodiverse learning needs.
We introduce a structured, sensory-driven approach to topic planning based on a theme that prioritises sensory experiences for these learners, resulting in deeper engagement, better understanding, and improved retention of information.
Session 1: Getting started: embedding literacy in your classroom.
How can a book be used to approach literacy planning in teaching and learning?
This session will cover:
the impact of consistency and repetition
starting points: student or the topic?
managing staff expectations and expertise
curating resources: the balance between homemade and bought equipment
copyrighted resources: what this means and where to find copyright-free materials
Session 2: The Mechanics of a Book
Which features of a book will support your teaching and learning aims?
This session will cover:
offering, choosing, handling and navigating books
using technology to support pupil’s access to learning
audiobooks, picture books and personalised books
using a library effectively
visiting a bookshop
Session 3: Developing Vocabulary
Having a functional vocabulary and using these words effectively are twin pillars for effective communication.
This session will cover:
core v fringe vocabulary
linking vocabulary to communication targets
using symbols effectively.
using technology to support pupil’s access to learning with Clicker or Book Creator
soundscapes to Drama
sensory resources to aid engagement and understanding
Session 4: Speaking and Listening
Working with books often suggests reading as the primary literacy focus, but speaking and listening are integral to every activity.
This session will cover:
creating opportunities for call and response
the power of recording voice
‘telling’ and ‘retelling’ stories
Session 5: Sensory Rooms for Storytelling
This session will cover some quick and easy ideas to take your storytelling session into your sensory room.
This session will cover:
Thinking about sensory environments
Thinking about sensory focus
Thinking about generalisation!
9 am Admission and virtual tea/coffee to start the session!
9.05 am Welcome, introductions and a warm-up!
9.10 am Session 1: Getting started: embedding literacy in your classroom.
How can a book be used to approach literacy planning in teaching and learning?
This session will cover:
the impact of consistency and repetition
starting points: student or the topic?
managing staff expectations and expertise
curating resources: the balance between homemade and bought equipment
copyrighted resources: what this means and where to find copyright-free materials
9.30 am Breakout Room Task: Creating a positive atmosphere in your classroom – hints, tips and quick wins!
9.50 am Session 2: The Mechanics of a Book
Which features of a book will support your teaching and learning aims?
This session will cover:
offering, choosing, handling and navigating books
using technology to support pupil’s access to learning
audiobooks, picture books and personalised books
using a library effectively
visiting a bookshop
10.15 am Chat Task
10.20 am Coffee & mini online learning activity
10.40 am Session 3: Developing Vocabulary
Having a functional vocabulary and using these words effectively are twin pillars for effective communication.
This session will cover:
core v fringe vocabulary
linking vocabulary to communication targets
using symbols effectively.
using technology to support pupil’s access to learning with Clicker or Book Creator
soundscapes to Drama
sensory resources to aid engagement and understanding
11.10 am Session 4: Speaking and Listening
Working with books often suggests reading as the primary literacy focus, but speaking and listening are integral to every activity.
This session will cover:
creating opportunities for call and response
the power of recording voice
‘telling’ and ‘retelling’ stories
11.30 am Session 5: Sensory Rooms for Storytelling
This session will cover some quick and easy ideas to take your storytelling session into your sensory room.
This session will cover:
Thinking about sensory environments
Thinking about sensory focus
Thinking about generalisation!
11.55 am Q & A
12.00 noon Plenary, thank you and good-bye!
This will be appropriate for classroom practitioners from special schools and colleges, mainstream settings with specialist SEN provision and early years settings, who are working with pupils with Autism.
Richard Hirstwood is passionate about enabling educators/practitioners to maximise the impact of delivering sensory learning opportunities, in a sensory room or other learning environments, with the available resources. His extensive experience is based on practical knowledge, giving him insight into what works and what doesn’t in multi sensory practice. Regular sessions with children and adults with autism and all additional needs in a variety of multi sensory and classroom settings enable him to maintain this excellent practice.
Carol Allen is an education advisor for ICT and Inclusion, currently offering specialised support to Local Authorities, schools, parents and carers and a wide range of educators worldwide. She has taught since 1980 in both mainstream schools – primary and high, and schools for students with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties. As an English specialist, she recognises that communication lies at the heart of all effective teaching. Accordingly, most of her work has centred on technology’s creative and engaging use to support communication in its broadest sense.
Each place costs £135 plus VAT
You can pay by credit card for this booking or request an invoice on the booking form.
The recording of this event will be in your account at online.hirstwood.com. You will access this using the email address on the booking form and your password (instructions for creating your password are in the joining information).
Here you will find:
a digital recording of the event
a transcript of the Zoom chat
These will be available for 10 days after the event.
NEW for 2025!
We will suggest practical reflective practice for this event to support you in implementing your key takeaways from this session in the classroom.
We’ll also offer a toolkit of additional resources to help, which may include further documentation, videos or links to valuable resources/websites.
Please join our Facebook Group, Sensory Support Spaghetti, to connect with us and other like-minded professionals – for everything sensory!
Some brilliant ideas that will definitely be great for our learners! Thank you very much.’
Thank you!! brilliant info!
‘An amazing three hours well spent! So many lovely useful ideas to use with my learners now. Thank you’
‘Brilliant training with some fantastic ideas and themes which we will use.’
‘Thank you for all the really useful links, ideas, resources, it’s been great to share the practical ideas as well as the theory!’
‘thank you for a brilliant course :)’
