FAQs (Part 1): I'm Starting Grad School!

I recently asked newly accepted SLP grad students what they want to know most about graduate school. All answers are based on my personal experiences. Below are some of the questions I received and my (hopefully helpful) answers.

Question: What, if anything, would you have done differently in grad school? How would you have prepared yourself better?

Answer:
What I would have done differently:
1. I would have established excellent study habits from the very beginning. There are some classes that will take up a lot of your time and, for those courses, it's almost impossible to start assignments a day before the due date. Time management and organization are SUPER important in grad school.   
2. During my practicums, I began saving resources in specific folders on my computer. I wish I had started doing this as soon as I began grad school.
3. Not stressed the small stuff. :)
 
How would I have prepared myself better?
In terms of academics, I think I was prepared because I was a psychology/linguistics double major. I had also taken several pre-reqs. In my experience (this is only me) I don't think it was necessary to review textbooks or study guides before beginning a program if you have some speech-path background. I think I would have mentally prepared myself for the fact that that things would not go perfectly from the beginning and that grad school is a learning experience in which you will make mistakes. In the end, it will be worth it and you will feel so much more confident as a clinician!

Question: Would you recommend purchasing all your textbooks?

Answer: This is a tough question because I knew the population I wanted to work with when I began grad school. As a result, I bought textbooks that I thought I would refer to in the future. I rented textbooks for other courses. Overall, I would recommend buying textbooks and reselling them if you feel that they won't be useful to you later on in your career. My biggest piece of advice related to textbooks is to NOT buy books at the campus bookstore. I have had a lot of success buying/renting from Amazon. There is also a good website called Big Words (www.bigwords.com) that compares textbook prices on different websites.

Question: How much did you read in graduate school?

Answer: There is a fair amount of reading. It was not overwhelming though. There was a lot of writing!

Question: What was the social atmosphere like outside of the classroom, both for yourself and others?

Answer: This really varies from program to program, I think. I commuted to my program so I am not sure about the social opportunities outside of the classroom. However, in the classroom, everyone tried really hard to collaborate and work together.

Question: How do undergraduate and graduate courses differ?

Answer: Depends on the course. In general, undergraduate classes focus more on theories and basic knowledge (and there's a lot of things we have to know!). Graduate classes are generally more practical, although there is a lot of "textbook" information taught as well. 

Question: Can you give examples of activities/games/etc. you used with particular clients and how they helped with your treatment goals?

Answer: 
There are too many to list! I have found the iPad to be a great tool. Please read my blog post about it (http://discoveringsl...ml#.U8bX4EB0EtA). The website, Teachers Pay Teachers, is also awesome. Some examples of free products: http://discoveringsl...s#.U8bYGUB0EtA.
 
A few ideas:
For young children:
-Great toy ideas from Playing with Words 365: http://www.playingwi...ge-development/ (scroll to "Tips on Using Specific Toys to Help Expand Your Child’s Speech & Language Skills")
-Super Duper Animal Buddies
For articulation clients, I made bingo boards with words that contained the sound they were working on. A frequently used resource for artic is Webber's Jumbo Articulation Drill Book. A variety of games can be utilized as reinforcers (Don't Spill the Beans, Pop up Pirate) during artic sessions. 
For my school-age clients, I created a lot of my own materials. Using children's literature in therapy is great because it's fun for the kids and you can target a variety of goals (wh-questions, inferencing, etc.). 
Older clients: This really depends on the population you work with. Materials for older clients should be tailored to their interests. There are some adult language apps available. Some possible games for adults: Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit,  Family Feud.
These are just some general ideas. You should tailor activities to each individual client. Please don't purchase anything I have mentioned until you know you need it!

Question: Did you work at all during your program?

Answer: Many of my classmates worked during the program. However, all their jobs were part-time and had flexible hours. I think it's smart to wait a few weeks into the semester before starting a job. 

Question: As far as the computer you brought to classes, what did you use and what did you see others using? What would you recommend?  
Do a lot of grads get iPads to use for therapy? Did you?
 
Answer: We were allowed to sign out iPads for therapy sessions at the on-campus clinic. We were not provided with iPads to take home. I LOVE my iPad and think it's amazing. There are so many awesome apps out there to use during therapy sessions. I personally do not like taking notes on the iPad, but if that has worked for you in undergrad, it should be fine in grad school as well. Most people in my program used MacBooks in class. I used an old Windows laptop to take notes and did paperwork on the laptop/a desktop at home.

Question: I've been reading a lot online about what to actually bring to grad school. A lot of folks recommended a laminator, label maker, and tape recorder. Are there any other heavy duty, 'machine-type' things you'd recommend?

Answer: I think a laptop and a printer are important to bring. I only bought a laminator in my last semester of graduate school and use it occasionally. I don't think it's necessary to have, especially before you begin seeing clients. A tape recorder is useful. I never needed to use a label maker in grad school. An iPad is a great tool, but again, not necessary until you see clients.


Thank you to everyone for your questions! PART 2 COMING SOON!

Linky Party! What's in Your Cart?

It's time for a SALE! Teachers Pay Teachers is throwing a sale from August 4-5! I have added 20% off my store as well. In total, you can get 28% off my Pronouns Practice Packet. Many other sellers have also marked their products off, so if you're waiting to buy some great products, this is the time to do it! 

*Use the code: BTS14 during checkout*

Jenna from Speech Room News is hosting a fabulous new Linky Party to celebrate the sale! 

Below are the products that are in my cart for the TPT sale! 

This Life Skills packet from Speech Room News looks great! I have been looking for products that feature functional vocabulary and this one fits the bill.


                             
Addresses critical thinking skills.

Here are my recommendations. I bought these products and love them! 

AMAZING product. If your students are working on differentiating who, where, and what questions, this is the material to get!

Great for preschoolers working on categorizing.

Pragmatics fun!


Here is my product targeting pronouns!

Teachers Pay Teachers Rafflecopter Giveaway!

I am hosting my first Rafflecoper giveaway starting this SUNDAY! Soon, it will be time to hit the books and go back to school! The website, Teachers Pay Teachers, offers many amazing products for educators. 


Enter to win a $10 Teachers Pay Teachers gift card below! This giveaway ends on Thursday, 7/24/2014.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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!