We recently announced that Clicker users can now access a library of almost 10,000 Widgit Symbols at no extra cost.

This means that you can use Widgit Symbols alongside our already extensive Crick Picture Library of almost 5,000 images.

In our previous blog on the topic, we covered how you can add the symbols into different areas of Clicker such as the Predictor and different types of writing grids

This time, we are diving into the different ways you can adapt LearningGrids resources with Widgit Symbols, and how doing so can improve understanding for your learners.

Adapting LearningGrids resources with Widgit Symbols

You can add Widgit Symbols into any of our existing resources using the Picturize tool. To Picturize the entire set, navigate to ‘Edit Mode’ and select the ‘Add Picture(s)’ button, then select the Widgit Symbol library and check or uncheck the option to ignore high frequency words as required. To add symbols to a cell, simply select the cell you want to add an image to.

Widgit Symbols in:

Sentence Sets

Many of the Sentence Sets on LearningGrids work well with symbols. A great place to start is with the Sentence Patterns resources, as they contain simple, repeated sentence structures. You might want to focus your symbol support on the repeated structures, such as I like/can/am/went/like to. Or you can focus on the element of the sentence pattern that changes, such as the noun, verb, or adjective. Try it with I Like to – Sentence Patterns.

Sentence Sets that focus on adjectives work nicely too, as in the Opposites Sentences Sentence Set:

You can also use symbols to support more complex sentence writing, such as the Above, Behind, Under Sentence Set, and instruction writing, such as our Boiling an Egg set.

Connect Sets

Some of our Connect Sets already contain images, such as the ‘I Went - Sentence Patterns’ set seen below. You can opt to keep or replace the existing Crick Picture Library images when you Picturize these resources. You might want to use Widgit Symbols in both the main picture cell and the component word cells for consistency.

Alternatively, you can create a ‘next step’ challenge by keeping the photorealistic Crick Picture Library image in the main picture cell and using Widgit Symbols in the component word cells so that learners can practise matching the symbol to the concept.

Generally, the simpler Connect Sets work best with Picturize, as in the examples below, where the symbol-supported word cells contain a word or simple phrase:

• I Like – Sentence Patterns
  
  
• Minibeasts
  
  
• City and Country Lists
  
  
• 3-D Shape Hunt

Word Banks

Word Banks are some of the easiest and quickest resources to adapt using Picturize.

The ‘Quick Words’ sets are a great place to start, as the focus is on keywords. Be mindful of words that can have multiple meanings, as this means they will also have multiple associated symbols. For example: bark – verb/noun, mole – skin/animal, poach – eggs/hunting. Make sure that the image chosen is correct for the context!

It’s easy to change the image to the correct contextual symbol if needed. Simply select the cell in Edit View and use the picture icon to choose the appropriate symbol.

There is a wide range of possibilities for Word Banks with Picturize – it can be used for lower-level, simple vocabulary from Nursery Rhymes and stories, up to subject-specific topics for top primary.

(top tip: Don’t forget you can apply ‘Maximise Height’ to the cells in the grid to optimise the display size of the symbols.)

Word Banks with symbols are also great for supporting:

1. Storytelling: As in these Quick Words resources for Jack and the Beanstalk and Goldilocks.

2. Instructions: As in these Quick Words resources for Brushing Your Teeth and Making Gingerbread Biscuits.

3. Higher level topics: See the Seasons of an Apple Tree, The Solar System, Biomes and Rivers Quick Words Word Banks for some good examples of this.

Picture Words

We have a selection of Word Banks called Picture Words, which make use of images from the Crick Picture Library. You may want to adapt some of these with Widgit Symbols.

Here’s an example of an existing resource (Woodland Picture Words) which uses images from the Crick Picture Library – and how it compares to a version with Widgit Symbols. You could even offer these ‘Picture Words’ Word Banks with alternate tabs of photorealistic (i.e. Crick Picture Library) images and symbols.

Clicker Boards

Most of the Clicker Boards we create contain lots of ‘content-free’ cells for tasks such as mind mapping.

However, you can still add Widgit Symbols to Clicker Boards to add additional signposting for the cells that do contain text.

For example, you can add Widgit Symbols to the headings in the Shades of Meaning - Adjectives board so that learners have a clear understanding of concepts like ‘big’ or ‘good’ before they try to come up with more intense synonyms for them.

You can also add symbols to the prompts in Clicker Boards, such as Molly Mouse, My Favourite Player, and Synonyms and Antonyms, to ensure that your learners know exactly what they need to add into the empty cells as they complete the activity.

Talk Sets and Matching Sets

Adding symbols to Talk Sets and Matching Sets is a great way to help learners make the connection between the concept and the sound of the word.

To do so, you will need to remove the existing images from the set and replace them with Widgit Symbols. A good tip for doing this quickly is to open a related Word Bank that has already been Picturized with symbols. Whilst creating a Talk or Matching Set and adding in the symbols, use the ‘In Open Clicker Sets’ option to select the symbols that appear in the related Word Bank.

Sets with simple vocabulary work best, such as the Talk Sets  I Can – Sentence Patterns and Jack and the Beanstalk – Key Words.

LearningGrids ‘family’ of symbols-adapted resources

Finally, here’s an example of a complete ‘family’ of resources based on the story The Wind and the Sun, which have been adapted with Widgit Symbols. This gives you an idea of the kinds of linked resources your pupils could be using with the extra layer of signposting and support offered by symbols.

Have a look through thousands of existing resources on LearningGrids to explore the ways this exciting Clicker and Widgit Symbols collaboration can open up new levels of engagement and understanding for your learners.

If you need any assistance updating to the latest versions of Clicker, contact our technical support team. If you have any questions about the new tools and features, we’ve introduced, you can book a meeting with your Partnership Consultant.