Speech-Language Success Stories # 6

I am currently in the last 9 weeks of the school year in my district and spring break is 3 days away!! Speech-language therapy progress notes and report cards went home with kids last Friday. Naturally, SLPs review our students' data and document speech-language objectives that they have mastered, made progress,  and areas that they may be struggling with learning a skill. 

My success story today is about having students celebrate their victories in the speech language therapy room. I have a poster that says "Super Speech Students- We Are Meeting Goals!!!" Students put a star sticker on the chart for each objective that they meet based on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) mastery criteria. They really seem to enjoy looking at the incentive poster and counting their stars. 

I also have many of them graph their progress and take home their graph when they meet a goal! I can not count the times that I hear "What's my score?"  or "Did I do good today?" They know that I take data regularly and that I desire for them to LEARN and improve their scores or percentages of accuracy. Many of them can't wait to get their hands on my handy Super Duper clipboard that has a calculator at the top. Occasionally, I let a few of them enter the fraction to figure out their percentage of accuracy. I teach them how to convert the decimal to a percentage too! Math in the speech-language room! Say What?!

At the end of the 9 weeks, which usually coincides with a holiday too, I bring edible treats to reward their hard work towards meeting goals. Here are some goodies that I handed out today. 

I also gave out new stickers! Remember to celebrate students' successes in your speech-language therapy sessions or classroom too!

Tamara Anderson
SLP on Spring Break Soon

Guess What? SLP Lingo & Test Prep Vocabulary

My speech-language therapy students are quite accustomed to me pulling out all sorts of vocabulary activities during their weekly sessions. I wanted a new way to help them practice saying the meanings of their key speech-language therapy and English/Language Arts words. So many of my students with language based learning disabilities struggle with verbally defining their curriculum vocabulary and many of them have memory deficits as well. After all, true mastery of a concept is when they can understand and explain the concept. 

This was my motivation behind creating my Guess What? Frequently Used SLP Lingo & Test Prep Vocabulary Game. This is the 4th in this series. I wanted a fun way for my speech language kiddos to practice their curriculum vocabulary skills. This was an instant hit in my sessions!!!

To play this curriculum game, I select one semantic map from the set to focus on during a 30 minute session. 

Research shows that the use of semantic or vocabulary maps is an excellent memory and learning strategy because it helps children successfully organize and retrieve information from their brains. Score! You can read more about that here as I did research on that as well when I completed my Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree. http://bslspeechlanguage.blogspot.com/search/label/Brain%20Based%20Learning

Then I have each student in a group choose a mystery word and tell them to make sure they don't let the others see it! 

Then I put the question prompts page on the table and a word bank. 

I love the variety of visuals available in this game because it allows you to differentiate instruction without your kids even knowing it. 
For example, some kids may just need the semantic map when it's their turn to ask a question while others will read directly from the question prompts page or another student will just need the word bank page to formulate his/her question. 

Students will take turns asking their opponents a question to try to guess or figure out their mystery word. If someone guesses their word, they pick another word from the deck. The game continues until all the vocabulary from the selected semantic map are guessed. 

My speech-language 4th and 5th graders absolutely LOVE this game and they get SUPER competitive too which I don't mind because they're practicing their learning objectives. This game will work well for middle school students too! There are 5 semantic maps with 40 Frequently Used SLP Lingo and 5 semantic maps with 40 Test Prep Vocabulary. Your students will have several weeks of language intervention to practice 80 words with this curriculum game! 

You may purchase this product in my online TPT store here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guess-What-SLP-Lingo-Test-Prep-Vocabulary-1788007

I have three other Guess What? Curriculum Games in this series that are also favorites with my speech kiddos. They are available in my TPS store as well. 

1) Guess What? Types of Literature, Story Elements, & Text Features

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guess-What-Types-of-Literature-Story-Elements-Text-Features-1623298

2) Guess What? Types of Sentences, Parts of Sentences, & Parts of 
    Speech  

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guess-What-Types-of-Sentences-Parts-of-Sentences-Parts-of-Speech-1739322

3) Guess What? Figurative Language, Prefixes, & Suffixes

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guess-What-Figurative-Language-Prefixes-Suffixes-1621952

Thanks for reading the blog today! :)

Tamara Anderson

Spring Into Literacy {Teaching Compare & Contrast}

I absolutely LOVE integrating literacy activities in my speech-language therapy sessions! There are so many skills that you can target while using fiction and non-fiction text. 


Recently, I decided to use the 2 books pictured above, There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick!  and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog!  to target teaching my lower grade elementary students the concept of compare & contrast. For them, I introduced the skill as explaining similarities and differences. During one session, I read aloud one of the stories and we talked about the sequence of events. Then we briefly talked about how that book was similar to others we read earlier in the year. For an extension activity, my students completed this book with assistance. 

Then another session, I read aloud the book, There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog! Then we talked about how that book was similar and different to the one that I read last session. Then they made their book. 

I used non-fiction text to teach my 4th and 5th grade language therapy students the skill of compare and contrast. Over several sessions, I read aloud passages from my Historical Irish American unit. Then my students selected 2 people to write down on their Venn Diagram such as Walt Disney and Ronald Reagan or John F. Kennedy and Henry Ford. I modeled for them how to find similarities and differences from the text and then write them down in the correct part of the diagram. Lastly, they took turns verbally comparing and contrasting what they learned. This is a great activity for students to practice synthesizing what they have learned. 

Here is a picture of 2 completed Venn Diagram for this unit.

You can purchase your copy of the Historical Irish Americans unit in my TPT store so you can teach this skill to your speech-language therapy or language arts students. Click here for direct access to the digital download of this product! 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Historical-Irish-Americans-Speech-Language-Therapy-Curriculum-Unit-1770313

Thanks for reading the blog today!

Tamara Anderson

Spring Time Speech-Language Activities

Spring is finally here and I am thrilled because it is one of my favorite seasons of the year. Although today is a rainy day in Atlanta, I actually don't mind it because that means my garden will look beautiful very soon! Plus, aside from going to church this morning, I had a nice day at home.  

Guess What? There are only 38 school days left for the year in my district! It is definitely full speed ahead with therapy sessions, eligibility meetings, IEP meetings, and a few re-evaluation meetings remaining. I want to share with you my therapy intervention recommendations that will carry you through the spring! Click on the pictures to go directly to the product links in my TPT store.

First, I have a freebie that I created back in 2013 to address word associations. This is an essential part of language processing. The photos are from my own flower garden. I got my green thumb from my grandmother and mom! :)

Next, I have my best selling 2nd-5th grade English/Language Arts Common Core Standards vocabulary task cards. These include a variety of skills that SLPs address in language therapy that directly relate to the standards. This is a great way to review a variety of E/LA skills with your students.  I have a bundle that is ideal for use during basketball season this spring because it has a bonus basketball game included! 

My Historical Irish Americans unit is perfect to use with 4th-8th grade students receiving speech-language therapy services or special education services for reading. This packet addresses comprehension, identifying the meanings of Tier 2 vocabulary from sentence contexts, compare/contrast, and word associations. This is the 2nd in my series of Historical American Figures. 

My newest series of Guess What? Curriculum Vocabulary Products are great for language intervention sessions with children in 3rd-6th grade. It is important that SLPs provide educationally relevant therapy and these resources do that because they are interactive games for kids to practice Tier III English/Language Arts terms. 

The SLP Lingo & Test Prep Vocabulary is my 4th in the series that will be available this week! I'll keep you posted. 

These are my recommendations to equip you with successfully leading therapy sessions and instruction with children. I wish your students and clients continued speech, language, and academic success!!

Tamara Anderson

Recognizing African American History {Children's Literature Reviews}

So many children today have a very limited knowledge about the influence of American Americans in the United States. A great way to teach students about this is by reading them biographies, historical fiction and non-fiction text. I enjoy reading aloud to children in my speech-language therapy lessons. They learn factual informational while also practicing their speech-language skills. 

Here are 3 of my recommendations that I  read and discussed with my students this month. Although Black History is celebrated during the month of February in the U.S., these books can be read at any time of the year. Likewise, students should continue to learn about African American History all year long as well. 

This is an engaging biography that describes Hank Aaron's determination to play professional baseball at a time when Jackie Robinson was the only other black player. The illustrations are excellent and truly help the story come alive as Hank Aaron beat Babe Ruth's record of hitting the most home runs. In 1974, he hit his 715th home run! The book also tells the story about how he persevered despite the discriminatory threats that he received because of the color of his skin. My speech language students enjoyed learning that he played for the Atlanta Braves, when his original professional team, the Milwaukee Braves moved south to Georgia. That detail helped them connect to the story since we live in metro Atlanta, Ga. 

Grandma's Pride is a beautifully written historical fiction book told from the perspective of a little girl, Sarah Marie, who travels to the south with her family during the summer to visit her grandmother. The precious little girl quickly learns the differences between how blacks experience life in the northern U.S. versus the southern U.S. On her journey, she experiences having to sit in the back of a bus, not being able to use certain public restrooms, not being able to eat at certain downtown restaurants, and the tenacity of her grandmother whose pride would not allow her to ride the city bus. I like this book because it gives children a glimpse into what life was like during the civil rights era of the 1960s when Jim Crow laws were enforced. Through the voice of a child, they are also able to hear how in a later summer visit, the unjust rules of the south were no more!   
                                     

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins  is another excellent historical fiction book that tells the story about a young girl, Connie, who sees first hand the boldness of four college students from North Carolina A & T. The young men, her brother's friends,  decided that enough was enough and they planned a "sit in" to quietly protest their lack of service at a lunch counter in Woolworth's, a popular downtown department store. They sat at the lunch counter and requested to order food. They were denied and asked to leave due to the Jim Crow laws. This book will evoke questions and emotions from children. Most will empathize with Connie, who wanted to order a banana split at Woolworth's the day she saw her brother's friends. This story also comes full circle as the author summarizes events that this incident sparked such as more lunch counter "sit ins", a visit to Greensboro by Dr. Martin Luther King, and additional non-violent protests for civil rights for African-Americans. I love that this story is also told through the eyes of a child who was able to sit at any lunch counter and enjoy her banana split after the Supreme Court ruling that those Jim Crow laws were unconstitutional!

There are so many great books out there to help children recognize and understand African American History in the United States! I also created a non-fiction curriculum unit so children can learn about historical African Americans. You may check out that resource here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Historical-African-Americans-Speech-Language-Therapy-Curriculum-Unit-1713341

Thanks for reading the blog today. 

Tamara Anderson

SLPs Have Ways of Making You Speak & Understand { Link up & Purchase SLP Products}

Pediatric speech-language pathologists have an awesome job of teaching children the skills they need to communicate verbally, using picture exchange, or using a communication device! We also enable them to improve their comprehension of numerous language skills that are the underpinnings for attaining communication, academic and social success! 

Guess what? Today is a special day because my entire TPT store is on sale 20 %. Plus, you will get an additional 8 % off when you use the discount code: HEROES at checkout! 

I am also linking up with Jenna, SLP at speechroomnews.com to share my recommendations of products in my store and also what I plan to purchase from other fantastic SLPs. 

From my store, I recommend these resources to ensure that your speech-language therapy sessions are educationally relevant while addressing your students objectives:

                 Non-fiction Language Intervention with Tier II Vocabulary

Tier III Curriculum Vocabulary Intervention

                                      

                                       Tier I Vocabulary Informal Assessment

Tier III Curriculum Vocabulary Intervention

                                   Tier III Curriculum Vocabulary Intervention

                        Tier III Curriculum Vocabulary Informal Assessment

Here are some items that I plan to purchase: 

                        Twin Speech Language & Literacy LLC

                                                             The Speech Space

                                                   Jenna, Speech Room News

                                         Maureen, The Speech Bubble SLP

                                                            

Kim, The School SLP

Thanks for reading the blog today. Make sure you click the link here to see other suggestions on awesome SLP resources: 
http://thespeechroomnews.com/2015/02/whats-in-you-cart-linky-party-hero-sale.html


Tamara Anderson

Speech-Language Success Stories # 5

It is important to remember to be patient and optimistic when providing pediatric speech-language therapy services. Often times, children will not immediately learn speech language strategies. It takes repetitive verbal modeling, visual cues, and tactile cues for kids to acquire new skills. 

Many children with intellectual impairments struggle with learning how to correctly pronounce various consonant sounds. When they are speaking with their parents, teachers, SLPs, and peers their speech is not readily understood. It is our responsibility as SLPs to help improve the speech intelligibility of these kids. 

I had a success story with teaching a child the correct tongue placement to pronounce her /l/ sound. This child struggled with elevating her tongue to accurately articulate this sound. Her speech was not easily understood when the context of conversation was not known. 

She was successful with auditory discrimination exercises to identify her target /l/ sound vs. other sounds. However, she initially consistently pronounced a /y/ for /l/ in words and sentences. So, I pulled out my hand held mirror and bag of tricks to get her to lift her tongue up. We practiced putting different food/candy items (e.g. smarties, cheerios) on the tip of her tongue. She demonstrated a lot of groping behaviors and eventually the food items would melt in her mouth or she would chew them. Now I know it is usually best to pair with the actual sound production, but I was having difficulty getting this child to attempt any articulation drills. So I decided to try using food. 

I also had her try to imitate lifting her tongue while saying the /l/ sound in isolation. She still said y/l or distorted the /l/ sound. I modeled for her how to practice the sound at the syllable level with vowels, but of course she was at 0 % with that because she did not have the correct tongue placement. 

I read aloud fiction text and emphasized the target /l/ sound. She really benefited from hearing multiple productions of the sound in a natural way during oral reading of a story. She loved the story, The Three Snow Bears, by Jan Brett. I must have said the words Polar Bear and Alooki, a character's name, a million times! 

Guess what! I stopped during my read aloud a few times and used a tactile prompt and verbal modeling with this child and she accurately said Polar with the CORRECT /l/ sound! I cheered for her loudly!!! I had her repeat the word several times as I touched her chin with my index finger and pushed down. This immediately prompted her to lift her tongue up! 

Auditory bombardment of target sounds is definitely an essential tool in articulation therapy. A tactile prompt was also key for this child to learn how to correctly elevate her tongue to say her /l/ sound.

This little girl also struggled with motivation to practice her speech sounds. She recognized how difficulty it was for her so I always had to pair her speech drill work with a high preference activity. 

One day, I decided to follow her lead and told her that she would receive free time to play a computer learning game. She eagerly completed all her speech articulation drill work with me. She accurately imitated the /l/ sound in isolation and syllable levels when provided with verbal and tactile prompts!  I was so excited once again and another student in her group even told her great job! She was soooooo happy and had the biggest grin on her face! We were all pleased at her progress and success!

Now, I will continue to reinforce the strategies that were successful so she can produce her /l/ sound correctly in words. She is definitely more stimuable for pronouncing these sounds in words now!

Hooray!!!!!!! Thanks for visiting the blog today. 

Tamara