1. The Motor Planning Training Ladder.
We aim to improve the student's pointing skills by starting with activities where we
know the answer and they know the answer so that we can help them to correct
pointing errors. As we work up the ladder and the student's pointing skills improve we
can offer appropriate physical support without needing to know what the student
should be typing. We can also work on fading physical support.
Using the Motor Planning Ladder with a normal in-
class activity - A tool for differentiation as well as
Motor Planning Training.
Always have some written materials for the student to
look at. This example lesson is cookery so the ingredients
and method is the written input to the student. This
happens to be an example taken from the Christian
tradition but you could of course apply the same principles

2. to recipes such as Sandesh for Diwali or Klaicha for Eid.
The same approach can be used across the curriculum for
different subjects.
If they need symbol support “Communicate in Print” or a
similar symbol generating programme can be utilised as
shown in this example:

3. HOT CROSS BUNS:
Traditional spiced, sticky glazed fruit buns with pastry
crosses. Served as a classic Easter treat, the buns can be
also enjoyed at any time of year.
Ingredients
For the ferment starter:
1 large egg, beaten
215ml/7½fl oz warm water
15g/½oz fresh yeast
1 tsp sugar
55g/2oz strong white flour
For the dough:
450g/1lb strong white flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground mixed spice
85g/3oz butter cut into cubes
85g/3oz sugar
1 lemon, grated, zest only
170g/6oz mixed dried fruit
2 tbsp plain flour
oil, for greasing
1 tbsp golden syrup, gently heated, for glazing
Method
1. Prepare the ferment starter for the dough by combining
the beaten egg with enough warm water to give
approximately 290ml/½ pint of liquid. Whisk in the yeast,
sugar and flour, cover and put in a warm place for 30

4. minutes.
2. make the buns: sieve the flour, salt and spice into a
large mixing bowl and rub in the butter. Make a well in the
centre and put the sugar and lemon zest in the well. Pour
on the ferment starter.
3. Gradually draw in the flour and mix vigorously, then
knead to a smooth, elastic dough.
4. Carefully work in the mixed dried fruit. Shape the
dough into a ball, put it in a warm, greased bowl, cover
with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place
for 1 hour.
5. Turn out the dough and knead to knock out any air
bubbles and give an even texture. Shape it into a ball
again, put back into the bowl, cover and put back to rise
for another 30 minutes.
6. Turn out the dough again and divide into 12 even
pieces. Shape them into buns and leave to rest for a few
minutes on the work surface covered with the tea towel.
7. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Slightly flatten each bun and then cut into quarters,
cutting almost all the way through the dough, so that as
each bun rises, it has a well-marked cross on it.
8. Grease a large polythene bag and place the tray with
the buns in it and tie the end. Put in a warm place and
leave to rise for 40 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 8. Make a
paste for the crosses on the buns with the plain flour and
2 tbsp cold water. Mix until it is soft enough to pipe
through a nozzle.

5. 10. Remove the polythene bag and pipe a cross on each
bun. Bake the buns for 8 -12 minutes or until risen and
golden. Brush the buns with hot golden syrup as soon as
they are ready. Cool on a wire rack.
For Learners with more needs the language can be
simplified as follows (in this example you pre-prepare the
ferment starter for the students):
1. Sieve the flour, salt and spice into a large mixing bowl.
2. Rub in the butter.
3. Make a well in the centre and put the sugar and lemon
zest in the well. Pour on the ferment starter.
4. Mix the flour, then knead to a smooth, elastic dough.
5. Carefully work in the mixed dried fruit.
6. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a warm, greased
bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a
warm place for 1 hour.
7. Knead the dough again and put back into the bowl, cover
leave for another 30 minutes.
8. Turn out the dough divide into 12 even pieces shaped like
buns.
9. Cut the shape of a cross on each bun,
10. Put in a polythene bag in a warm place and leave to
rise for 40 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 8

6. 12. Make a paste for the crosses on the buns with the
plain flour and 2 tbsp cold water. Mix until it is soft
enough to pipe through a nozzle.
13. Take the buns out of the bag, pipe a cross on each
bun.
14. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet.
15. Bake the buns for 8 -12 minutes or until risen and
golden.
16. Brush the buns with hot golden syrup as soon as they
are ready.
17. Cool on a wire rack.
The above could be symbolised in “Communicate in Print”.
For learners with significant needs you could provide the
key points in a picture supported plans like this (even if
you think the student is at the concrete level requiring
objects of reference they should be exposed to pictures
and words so that progression is built in):

7. 1.Sieve the flour 2.Put in the sugar, lemon and 3.Knead the dough
ferment starter
4.Add the currents 5.Cover and leave 6.Divide the dough
for 1 hour into small buns
N.B. When making multiple choice options for students
you need to be aware of the best size and spacing of the
choices. Every students needs may be different.
Example Ladder Step 2 Activities (single point):
What are we making today? Point to the correct choice:
Hot Cross Doughnuts Roly Poly Baps
Buns Pudding

8. You can include pictures if you think the student needs
them.
Hot Cross Doughnuts Roly Poly Baps
Buns Pudding
You could even turn it into a very basic exercise for those
who are working at lower levels by giving them the correct
picture to match.
Make sure you put the correct answer in a different place
each time.
Example Ladder Step 3 Activity (sequence):
Point to things we need to do in the correct order:
Add the Rub in the Sieve the Knead the
currents butter flower dough
For those with greater needs the above could have
pictures added and a correct model could be shown to the
student.

9. For those who are typing or writing a Step 4 sequencing
activity could be to copy type a key sentence from the
method.
Example Ladder Step 5 (simple quiz)
Which of these pieces of equipment will you need for
cooking hot cross buns?
Baking tray spoon Frying pan shovel
cloth jumper Wire rack sieve
For those who are typing or writing a Step 6 quiz could
be as follows:
1. What fruit do we use to make Hot Cross Buns?
2. What do we do with the dough when we have mixed it in
the bowl?
3. How long do we leave the dough under the cloth when
we knead it the first time?
4. How many buns are we going to divide the dough up
into?
5. What shape are we going to cut on the top of each bun?
Example Ladder Step 7 (choice of 2 – assistant
does not know which should be chosen)
Do you like Hot Cross Buns?
YES NO

10. Example Ladder Step 8 (choice of 3 or more –
assistant does not know which should be chosen)
Which do you like best?
Hot Cross Doughnuts Roly Poly Baps
Buns Pudding
Example Ladder Step 9 (quiz questions where there
are a very few possible answers-usually one word
answers)
List 4/6 of the ingredients we need to make Hot Cross
Buns.
Example Ladder Step 10 (quiz questions where
there are a more possible answers-usually more
than one word answers)
List 4/6 sweet foods.
Example Ladder Step 11 (quiz questions where
there are a range of possible answers-usually
requiring more than a sentence)
Why do you think we put a cross on the Hot Cross Bun?
What other shapes could we use?
(The real answer to this question is: The tradition dates
back to pagan times when the cross represented the
moon and its four quarters. It was claimed for the

11. Christian church in 1361 when Father Thomas Rockcliffe
distributed the buns to the poor of St Albans.)
The student doesn’t need to give a correct answer. Just
one that makes sense.
Example Ladder Step 12 (quiz questions where you
don’t know what the student will write – usually
requiring more than a paragraph)
Finish this story:
One day Sam came into the kitchen and smelt the lovely
aroma of the Hot Cross Buns his mother had taken out of
the oven and left on a rack to cool. They looked delicious.
Mum was upstairs making the beds so
Sam ......................
Steps 13 to 16 are communicative ones which is
free speech on the part of the student with
encouragement at 13 and initiated by them at 16.