Following Directions: Building Understanding of Basic Concepts

Sometimes my students have difficulty following directions because they are lacking understanding of basic concepts. It is hard to expect a student to follow a direction when they are lacking understanding of the building blocks of directions.

In school, directions are filled with basic concepts (sometimes just one or two but can directions can also contain multiple concepts). Types of concepts used in directions include:

• Spatial concepts – e.g., in front, behind, beside, above, bottom, between
• Quantity concepts – e.g., one, two, few, many
• Sequence concepts – e.g., first, last, second, then, next, before, after, when
• Shape, size, texture, color concepts – e.g., round, large, rough, blue

To teach basic concepts, I love using:

• Barrier games –
  • Can use for all sorts of concepts
  • Spatial concepts – tell where to place an item (beside, on top on, between, close to, in front of, etc.)
  • Quantity concepts – use when telling how many items to place (e.g., two) or when telling where to place the item (e.g., “Put the dog under the table with 2 balls.”)
  • Sequence concepts – give multi-step directions (e.g., First…Then…)
  • Shape/size/texture/color/etc. – describe the item or where to put it
• Bingo games –
  • Concepts bingo targeting specific concepts (spatial concepts, quantity concepts, etc.)
• Hiding games –
  • Spatial concepts – describe where you are looking or where you find the item
  • Shape/size/texture/color/etc. concepts – describe what you hide or find
• Scavenger hunts –
  • Spatial concepts – describe where you are looking or where you find what you are looking for
  • Shape/size/texture/color/etc. concepts – describe what you are looking for
• Toys –
  • Shape/size/texture/color/etc. – describe using these concepts
• Comparing and contrasting activities –
  • Shape/size/texture/color/etc. – compare and contrast two items using describing words

What are your favorite ways to teach basic concepts?