Valentine's Word Associations

Today, I worked on Valentine's word associations with some of my speech-language students during an arts & craft activity. They chose either red or pink construction paper and traced a large heart. I explained to them that word associations are words that go together or are related. I told them to share words they know that are related to Valentine's day.

Here is an example of the heart my kindergarten student who has a significant fluency disorder made:

I then used the First Words Valentine IPAD application by Learning Touch to review the word associations. This application has cute graphics depicting each key word and then provides an opportunity for the students to drag each letter to spell the word. My kindergarten student was eager to place the letters in the correct spot as the background had a faded letter that told him how to spell the words and voiced the letter as he did so. He seemed to enjoy the game as it reinforced some of the words he stated when making his heart. Since he is a student with a fluency disorder, I directed him to practice saying his words in slow and easy sentences using his fluency strategies. He did a great job using his fluency strategies in structured sentences.

Here is another picture from a 3rd grade language therapy session today. The top left was an example I made. The remainder here are the beginning of my students' word associations work. This group will write their associations on the back and practice using the words in oral sentences. I plan to read a short story to them later this week related to Valentine's Day and have them identify word associations and also practice verbally summarizing and sequencing the story events.

Baseball Themed Baseline & Progress Check Data Forms

I am excited to share that I have completed receptive and expressive language packets that include baseball themed data collection forms to address synonyms & antonyms, associations, multiple meanings, and irregular plural nouns/irregular past tense verbs. I decided to create these materials because I have several activities to use when providing speech-language services for my students.  Although my students love when I use different games and activities to target their vocabulary and grammar activities, the words elicited are not always the same each session and I needed a way to effectively measure their language progress over time. 

My solution for this dilemma was to make a quick way to keep track of my students' knowledge and use of specific vocabulary and grammar targets versus solely using data from a variety of question probes each session.   I love my new data tracking forms and have already starting using them to record my students' accuracy with each skill (baseline data) and will recheck their percentage of accuracy after additional language therapy sessions.

In my school district, we use an online documentation system to create Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). SLPs and other special education teachers are required to enter a percentage for baseline data at each annual review and then update progress online each 9 weeks for each goal/objective using a percentage of accuracy.

These forms will be great to record data for my elementary school aged children and I am sure other SLPs can utilize them as well!! You can administer the probes across 4 data collection days with this informal assessment tool. This will make your data collection much easier and reliable.


Here is a picture of the materials that I used with my students recently: 

I first used the synonyms data tracking form during a "baseball game" with one of my students who has mild autism and receptive/expressive language disorder. He was eager to play the game by naming synonyms as we have been practicing this skill for a while in therapy. He liked getting to put the mini baseballs on the field when he answered questions and made his way around the bases. After the student finished answering his questions, I wrote his score on a large baseball with a note about what language skill he practiced during therapy. He thought it was awesome that he got to take home a baseball ! You would have thought  that it was a real baseball and NOT just a paper version. He left my speech room with a big smile!! Small joys! :) 

These resources are available at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store at:http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Synonyms-Antonyms-Baseline-Data-Progress-Check-Forms
Here is what you will receive in the Synonyms & Antonyms Packet:

1) Cover page
2) Instructions page
3) Boy and girl baseball players; custom made illlustrations for BSL Speech Language
4) Baseball field custom made graphics for BSL Speech Language
5) 2 pages of different size custom made baseball graphics for BSL Speech Language
6) 2 Synonyms lists
7) 2 Antonyms lists  

Kindly leave your feedback in my TPT Store.

Thanks for reading the blog today, 

Tamara Anderson

Baseline & Progress Check Data Forms.....coming soon!

Apps, Apps, Apps Oh My!

I have recently started using my I PAD in my speech language therapy sessions with some of my elementary school students. They LOVE LOVE LOVE the animated and interactive activities!  One of the first questions that I got last week was "Ms. Anderson, are we going to use the I PAD today?" to which I replied "Sure!" I do my best to vary my activities so that my students will be excited to practice their IEP goals.

My current favorite apps are the Common Core Vocabulary and Wh questions apps by Super Duper Publications. I love that I am able to have a group of students practicing their semantic skills, that the program tracks progress, and that I can view/email/print a graph with their percentages of accuracy.  I review language arts terms with my students with the app. However, there are also science, social studies, and math practice available as well. I think this application is a great way to take baseline and progress check data.

For grammar practice, I recommend the Grammar Wonderland app by McGraw Hill to address practice with types of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The students really like that they have the chance to maneuver the I PAD as if it is their favorite Wii game while they practice their language skills related to common core curriculum standards. I also like the irregular plurals and irregular verbs by AbiTalk although the graphics and cloze exercise layout is a bit basic. There are no data tracking available with these, but I would definitely add them to your speech language therapy toolkit.

I also like the Buddy Bear series of applications for younger students especially the Associations & Comparatives interactive books. When I worked with toddlers and preschoolers, they really liked the original hand held books so I am sure that these would be a hit. I used the Comparatives app with a 3rd grader to review the concept before instructing him with more advanced comparative adjectives and he was engaged as well as excited about completing the tasks.

There are so many I PAD apps that I believe SLPs, teachers, and parents can use in small group or individually with a student or child. Visit the blog another day to learn about other apps that I recommend.

Welcome to BSL Speech & Language!

It is my desire that you enjoy this journey via the blog with Building Successful Lives - Speech & Language Services. I have worked as a speech language pathologist for the past 8 1/2 years with both children and adults in the medical, home health, private practice, and school settings. I have thoroughly enjoyed providing therapy services for my patients, clients, and students. As you other SLPs know, effective communication skills are essential for social, academic, and overall life success. I truly believe that SLPs have one of the BEST jobs in the world because we have the opportunity to teach people how to speak and understand language whether it be a child with a developmental speech & language delay, a teenager who stutters, or an adult learning to regain language and cognitive skills after a stroke.

The mission of BSL Speech & Language Services is to promote knowledge about pediatric communication disorders, interventions, and neurodevelopmental disabilities while also sharing success stories about children's progress as a result of speech-language therapy. Another goal is to provide therapists, special education teachers, and parents with valuable resources that they can use with children who have speech/language delays or disorders.

I encourage you to bookmark this blog so that you can easily access it for new information. Please also check out and "like" the Facebook page. If you have any comments to share, feel free to do so here, on FB, or send me an email at tamaraanderson.bsl@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by!! :)