Sunday, August 25, 2013

Basic Concepts Baseline Data & Progress Check Activity

Hey there everyone. Several of my students need direct vocabulary instruction and practice to master basic language concepts. This speech-language objective extends beyond the toddler and preschool age as many of my elementary school students with language disorders struggle with concepts. Their classroom teachers report that they are unable to follow basic directions in the classroom. This is often due to the fact that they do not comprehend the vocabulary in the verbal directions. 

This product may be used as an assessment or progress monitoring tool. It has 25 spatial/location vocabulary cards and 25 quality/adjectives vocabulary cards that may be used to elicit their comprehension of these specific concepts.  I have also included 2 forms to record your students' understanding of the terms with ample space for additional progress monitoring administrations and recordings as well. 

Here is a preview:







This is available for purchase in my TPT store at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Basic-Concepts-Baseline-Data-Progress-Check-Activity-843349


I have 2 additional forms available to assess students' knowledge of quantity, sequential, temporal, and social-emotional/feelings language concepts as well. Check back for product availability for that time saving resource for student baseline data check and progress monitoring. 

****Product Update October 2015. I've added 3 additional levels of vocabulary elicitation cards. The spatial and qualitative concepts now include pictures that illustrate the concepts. When giving this informal assessment, you should give the student 1 step verbal direction paired with objects or pictures. These are the 4 levels of elicitation cards: 

1) receptive ID- school themed illustrations with text
    *pair with classroom object prompts

2) direct instruction- concept picture prompts with text

3) receptive ID- concept picture prompts only

4) expressive naming- concept picture prompts with cloze sentences


Thanks for visiting my blog today! Have a great day!


Tamara Anderson, M.S., CCC-SLP




Monday, August 12, 2013

Common Core Standards Vocabulary Giveaway!!!

I am having a back to school giveaway over the next 7 days of my 4th grade English/Language Arts Common Core Standards Vocabulary Activity. This packet has 60 multiple choice questions that assess several English/Language Arts standards that are relevant to what speech-language pathologists instruct during language therapy. 

It is important that language therapists integrate these national standards in our weekly therapy sessions with our students. The students' IEP goals and objectives should of course relate to their needs, but they should also relate to curriculum standards. 


These questions have been used in my language therapy sessions with my students last school year. I paired it with my basketball challenge game (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Basketball-Challenge-Speech-Language-and-Academic-Skills-717131to maintain my students' engagement. However, it may be paired with your students favorite turn taking game during therapy or used as a stand alone activity in a literacy center in a regular or special education classroom.

This school year, I plan to give my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade English/Language Arts Common Core Standards Vocabulary packet questions to my students in order to collect baseline data at the beginning of the year. I will note my students' areas of mastery and needs so that I may effectively plan and implement future speech-language therapy lessons. These learning packets/task cards may also be used to review skills throughout the year and then as a reassessment prior to end of year state testing. 

In order to enter the contest for a chance to win, you are required to "like" my facebook page, follow my blog on Blog Lovin, or follow my Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) page. Best of luck to you!!

So, head on over to my Facebook Page and sign up if you are not currently following BSL Speech Language there. Once there, click on the blue giveaway box for further details on entering the contest. 

Best of luck to you!!

https://www.facebook.com/BSLSpeechLanguage


Thanks for stopping by! 

Tamara Anderson, M.S., CCC-SLP

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Launch into Literacy

The beginning of the school year is an ideal time for speech language pathologists, teachers, students, and parents to intentionally launch into literacy. We are surrounded by the four essential areas of literacy on a daily basis: listening, speaking, reading, writing. I wonder how many moments a person could be observed engaging in one of these four domains. I'm sure the number would be quite high. Imagine what it would be like to have a literacy pedometer that counts how many "literacy interactions" you have everyday. Hmmm...something to ponder! Ha!

Anyhow, I love assisting my students who have speech language disorders and other special education needs improve their literacy skills. I love using children's literature in my students' speech language therapy sessions as they practice their receptive and oral language skills. Books are a great way to target most if not all speech language areas of need. I also encourage my students to practice their oral story retell abilities with fiction and nonfiction narratives. 

The first week of school, I always ask my students to tell the language group about an exciting or interesting event that they experienced over the summer. I encourage them to describe the event using as much details as possible. A SLP or classroom teacher can gather baseline data of students' oral language abilities during their story retell. You could use a rubric to determine the level of mastery of specific skills.  Here is an example: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Oral-Story-Retelling-Rubric-819201

The SLP or teacher could extend the activity by having them write and record their story using an I Pad, I Phone, or other digital recorder.  Here is a realistic fiction story I wrote and recorded today inspired by my recent vacation to Mexico. I am a firm believer that SLPs and teachers should provide models so that students have a clear example of the desired outcome. 

Coming soon....once I learn how to upload a file to my You Tube channel that I created! :) The title of the story is: Yikes! I saw a Barracuda! A Summer Snorkeling Adventure.

Other oral and written language samples can be taken during the school year and rubrics used by the educator to measure students growth or mastery of skills.


Tamara Anderson, M.S., CCC-SLP
SLP Back to Work