Linky Party: Dog Breath!

Today I am joining a Linky Party hosted by the amazing Deanna Jump! The topic is one of my favorites: BOOKS! Literature can be used to target a variety of language goals for school-age children. Here are just a few of the many goals that can be addressed:

-Wh-questions

-Vocabulary 

-Identifying parts of speech 

-Identifying story elements: main idea, characters, problem, resolution

-Inferencing, Predicting

-Sequencing

-Antonyms/Synonyms 

-Multiple meaning words

-Various syntax-related goals

-Increasing MLU

That's a lot of goals! There are many amazing children's books out there, but today I will be discussing "Dog Breath" by Dave Pilkey. 

Why I love it: My students responded to this story and I was able to incorporate many language goals! There is a clear problem and resolution. There were many opportunities for wh-questions. 

Short Synopsis: Dog Breath is the story of Hally Tosis (yes, halitosis), a sweet dog with horrible breath! After a particularly unfortunate mishap (due to Hally's bad breath), Hally's owners decide to give her away. The children of Hally's owners are devastated and try to get rid of Hally's bad breath before their parents find Hally a new home. They go on a mini-journey to rid their beloved dog of her terrible breath. Nothing works! The children are very upset. But, that night, two burglars break into the Tosis home! Hally is a friendly dog and begins licking the burglars. Her breath is so bad that they pass out! Hally saves the day! Mom and Dad Tosis are amazed and decide to keep their hero dog.

Sample therapy tasks:

-List of various wh-questions: I ask some questions during the reading of the story and others at the end

-Story sequencing: Students use a story sequencing board with images/text to place story events in order 

-Identifying story elements: Setting, main idea, characters, problem, resolution

-List of nouns, verbs, and adjectives from the story (students place word cards into N, V, or A pile)

-Predicting: During the story, I ask the students what they think will happen next, why they think this will occur, etc.

-Increase MLU: All questions need to be answered with full sentences!
 
These are just some of the activities that can be utilized to target goals with literature! I highly recommend trying language therapy with books if you haven't done so. Addressing goals and instilling a love for reading in children...what could be better? :) 

Pronouns Practice Packet!

This post is an introduction to my BRAND NEW, 48-PAGE product, the Pronouns Practice Packet! The material targets the pronouns: He, She, It, They, I, We, and You.  It includes two instructional tasks (introduction/review of when to use particular pronouns + examples) and four pronoun activities for He, She, It, and They. There is one instructional task and one activity for the pronouns I, We, and You. 

This packet is a GREAT tool to introduce, reinforce, and review the concept of pronouns. The clip art is varied, so students are provided with pictures of He, She, It, and They in different styles of illustration. I have also included examples of "He"s and "She"s across the lifespan (ex. baby boy, boy, man, grandfather).   

The first part of the packet contains Learning Strips that describe when particular pronouns are utilized. Each Learning Strip (He, She, They, and It) includes three example images. 

To reinforce the concept of each pronoun, Labeling Strips are included as well. Instruct students to attach each Learning Strip to the appropriate Labeling Strip. 

There are also 13 instructional pictures with text. Each of the pages includes a sentence with a pronoun and a corresponding image. 

Now for the activities part! There are 24 different images (6 per pronoun) to match onto four Pronoun Pages (He, She, It, They). Students will need to place each image on the appropriate pronoun page ("Boy" goes on the "He" page, etc.).

The Pronoun Pile Cards feature 16 images to place onto one of four pronoun piles (He, She, It, They). The level of difficulty can be increased for this task, by describing the image ("It's a boy") without providing visual support to students.    

Two types of worksheets are included for review: Circle-the-Pronoun and Fill-in-the-Blank. 

The pronouns I, We, and You also have Learning Strips and Labeling Strips for instruction/reinforcement. These pronouns are targeted with one activity, Pronoun Portrait Frames. The portrait frame sheets include drawing prompts ("Draw a picture of yourself doing something fun!") that demonstrate examples of I, We, and You relevant to students.    

This product can be purchased at my Teachers Pay Teachers store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Discovering-Slp!

Best SLP Apps!

I have found the iPad to be a great TOOL to use in therapy sessions.   

The apps on this list have found a permanent home on my iPad.

1. Hamaguchi Apps

By far, my FAVORITE brand of apps to use during therapy sessions. Hamaguchi apps are pretty close to perfect! The creator is a speech pathologist and it shows. I currently own the full version of "First Phrases" and the Lite Version of several other Hamaguchi apps. All of them are excellent. If I could use only one app company for targeting language goals, it would be this one. Hamaguchi has discounts on their apps several times a year and Lite versions are also occasionally free.

-First Phrases ($15.99): I utilize this app primarily to to increase MLU and target verb production. I also use the app for past-tense production ("what did  the boy just do?"). Works great.  

-Fun with Directions & More Fun with Directions ($15.99): I only have the Lite version (.99) and my preschoolers still LOVE this app. They consider it a game. An excellent tool for targeting receptive language and following directions. 











2. Language Adventures by Smarty Ears Apps ($24.99)

*More features have been added to this app, since I purchased it.*
This is the app I use most frequently with older students who have goals related to antonyms/synonyms, multiple meaning words, and inferencing. It is the best app I have found to target these goals. There is a game board and students take turns answering questions within "situational contexts". The game features three levels of difficulty. Each targeted goal (antonyms, categories, inferences, multiple meanings, synonyms,  and wh-questions) can be addressed either expressively or receptively. I have only used the expressive option and it has worked well.



3. McGraw-Hill Grammar Wonderland (Free; Primary and Elementary versions available)



I recently came across these FREE apps for elementary school students with goals related to parts of speech (nouns, verbs, and adjectives). The games are fast-paced, but feature three levels of difficulty (easy, medium, hard). I wouldn't introduce the concept of parts of speech with these apps, but they are good tools to use for review. Students like that there is a "video  game" element and give it high marks!



4. Articulation Station by Little Bee Speech (Free version)

The school where I am currently completing my practicum has the full version of this app, but a free version is available as well (features the phoneme /p/ only). Out of all of the artic apps I have seen and read about, this one has the best images. Simple to use yet comprehensive. 






5. Chronological Age Calculator by Home Speech Home (Free)


Quick and easy way to calculate chronological age! 











6. Voice-O-Meter by Use Your Noodle, LLC ($.99)

Do you have clients who speak really, really quietly? This app helps kids visualize increases/decreases in volume. For the price, it's the best app to address volume control.


7. Peekaboo Barn by Day and Night Studios, Inc. (Free Lite version)

Great for introducing farm animals/their sounds to little ones! 







8. Speak Colors by Robert Harrison (Free version available)

Good app for targeting expressive language, especially combining
adjectives (colors) + nouns. Also useful for reviewing colors and vocabulary.



9. Shiny Bakery ($2.99)


I use this app to target following directions and vocabulary. This is a high-quality children's cooking app. I have used similar apps (tons of cooking apps out there), but this is the one that I like the best. The graphics are excellent and the recipe must be followed exactly to continue cooking!    


10. Bitsboard (Free)
Multiple uses for this excellent app! In the past, I have searched its Catalog (Shared) when I needed flashcards featuring verbs, common objects, and furniture, but that is just one of the many, MANY ways to utilize this excellent resource. The images are AMAZING! This was the education app of the year and I recommend it to teachers as well as SLPs. For more info, please visit  http://bitsboard.com/. 

11. Clean-Up: Category Sorting ($1.99)
 
A simple category app with real-life photographs. There are three categories into which various items need to be sorted. By far, the most straightforward and realistic category app I have found.  




12. WH Question Cards-Pro ($11.99)
This app from Super Duper Publications is my go-to Wh-Questions app. It features Who, What, Where, When, and Why questions. Content-wise, the questions are especially appropriate for students in grades K-3.  What I love about it: interactive, comprehensive, cute images!

Linky Party! Post-Its!

Today I am joining a Linky Party on Speech Time Fun's wonderful blog! The topic is Post-Its! I use these sticky notes for two main purposes: keeping track of what I have to do and TREASURE HUNTS! 

This is great for working on a variety of goals. I put different colored post-its around my therapy room and have kids follow the clues to a reinforcer (sticker, iPad, etc.). Clients can either answer questions to earn the next clue, follow directions on the clue card, or solve a riddle to discover where the next clue card is hidden!

                                        Possible Ideas for Clues:

 *Vocabulary: furniture, objects in the room
 *Prepositions
 *Literacy (reading clue card)  
 *Wh-Questions: What do we sit on? What do we read?
 *Answering any questions based on targeted goals: antonyms/synonyms,   metaphors, main idea of a story, etc.
                                

                                                     Prepositions clue!

Linky Party Thrifty Finds!

Today I am joining a Linky Party hosted by Speech Room News!

The topic is Thrifty Finds! I have found tons of amazing low-priced goodies at Target's Dollar Spot. At my Target, the Dollar Spot is located to the right of the entrance and it's the first place I go to when I walk in the store. I found these great mailboxes there:

I used the Preschool Tissue Box Pronouns by Let's Talk Speech Pathology activity, substituting mailboxes for the tissue boxes. Kids LOVED "sending" silly items to grandma. The Dollar Spot also has a lot of small goodies that can be used as motivators (pencils, small light-up toys, coloring books). I have also found great children's books at various discount stores, like Amazing Savings!    

Surviving Graduate School

Graduate school is difficult. It is time consuming. Sometimes you feel like it will never end. You may feel frustrated and totally unprepared. Your friends may vaguely remember you after you finish. Okay, joking about that last one :) But I, along with many of my fellow classmates, have gone through a lot of these emotions. If this is the “mode” you are in 24/7, you will be super overwhelmed. That is why it is important to take time to just RELAX. Even if you’re a workaholic, this is essential. There are things you can do for the classroom that will result in less stress overall. Here’s some general advice in order to decrease stress: 

-Do not procrastinate

I have heard this mantra in high school and college, but managed to get away with putting things off then. In grad school…not so much. The work will become overwhelming, you will be super stressed, and there will be a lot of sleepless nights. I recall a particular semester in which I had two big reports (one was HUGE) due and two finals in a four day time frame. It was practically impossible to do well on all those assignments and exams if waiting to start on them the weekend before the due dates. So, it’s better to develop good time management skills early in your graduate school career and plan ahead. People vary in how they prefer to split up their time. One method is writing down what you want to complete each day of the week (ex. Monday=read chapter 1 in Child Language Disorders, write outline for Voice disorders paper, etc.) in a planner (or your phone/device/etc.). If you don’t need to budget your time quite so specifically, another method is to make a checklist of everything you want to get done by the end of a particular week.  

-Use a calendar/white board

I use a regular calendar that hangs on my closet door. It’s great for writing in important assignments because you can visually see what is completed/what needs to get done each month. The calendar gives me a more “big picture”, long-term perspective than a planner, which I use for weekly reminders. 

-Get to know your classmates

Study buddies/friends/company for all-nighters are a necessity. 

-Look over the lecture slides after class

Simply flipping through the lecture slides after class and reading over topics that were unclear will be a big time-saver before exams. You won’t think “What was this again?” quite as often :) 

-Be organized

Binders and bins are great organization tools. I tried to have a binder for each course throughout grad school. You will also accumulate tons of great resources/materials, so keeping those in specific bins/binders will be very helpful for future clients.

-Use online resources: Pinterest, SLP blogs, SLP online resources, Teachers Pay Teachers

There are TONS of amazing resources and materials!   

-Take time to relax

Relaxation is ESSENTIAL!

RELAXATION IDEAS

 

-Spa Day                                             -Get away for the weekend

-Bubble Bath                                        -Read a good book

-Movie                                                 -Go shopping

-Drinks with friends                              -Catch up on your fav TV shows (w/cookies)

-Movie at home

-Non-speech related hobby

-Go out to eat 

REMEMBER: You're not alone, take it one day at a time, and you will get through it! 

My FIRST Freebie!

I am so excited to share my FIRST Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) product with all of you! Teachers Pay Teachers is an amazing site that has a HUGE selection of materials for SLPs. I love making materials and my first (free) TPT product is now available for download HERE. 

The Verbs and Pronouns Practice Packet can be used to target the present progressive (-ing) tense and pronouns. There are eight different verbs in the packet. The verb cards feature either a boy or a girl performing an action (reading, driving, flying, etc.) in the present progressive tense. There are duplicates of each card to use for a matching game. Two pronoun category cards (a "He" card and a "She" card) are included. Each of the verb cards can be placed into a "He" or "She" card pile. 

Many of my younger clients had goals addressing verb tenses and pronouns. These cards can also be utilized to introduce new verbs.

I would really appreciate any and all comments you may have! Please e-mail me at discoveringslp@gmail.com or post on this page!