Dig a Sentence

On Pinterest I saw this great idea for "digging deeper sentences." Here's the original post: Mrs. Meacham. 

Where I found it: http://mrsmeachamclassroom.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/167/ 

I used this idea on my whiteboard with 3rd grade and 6th grade language groups, and they all loved it! This idea works for: 
*grammar
*asking/answering questions
*story retell
*summarizing
*writing sentences
*organizing ideas

Since I got a good response from my students, I made it into a paper-pencil format and made a homework practice page. Download this freebie from my TpT store HERE. 4-page packet includes 1 version with visuals and 1 version without...homework for each. 

Dig a Sentence handout without visuals

Dig a Sentence Homework page with visuals

Leave a comment: what do you think? Who will you use this with? 

Mini Book artic homework

A fun artic homework activity. Students make their own "mini book" all about their speech sound.
Find this free download at my TpT store HERE.

Mini Book title page

Getting started: adding our speech sound inside.

Using a post-it note to brainstorm words that could be used in the "longest sentence in the world." 

 

Good way to practice the speech sounds as part of the giving of the homework.

creativity!

done :)

I have a goal to make a packet of mini speech books, but currently only have one to share. Enjoy at my TpT store HERE. Look for more at a later time!

Leave a comment--what do you think?  Would it be helpful to have more?

Write a Sentence Artic Homework

Simple? Yes. Effective? Yes. Quick? Yes. Helps generalize? Yes. 
Speech homework doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming to be effective.

This is a (very) simple homework assignment. I typically start it with my student then send it home with them to finish. 

 Free download at my TpT store HERE.

I can use it as part of my speech session by having them choose the words they want to practice (and saying that word 3x or in a brief sentence as I write it in), and by completing the first few sentences with them. 
For some, I find me writing and them talking most effective, but I also like to encourage their independence and practice of the assignment (some parents will write and complete the assignment with their student, other students will be wholly responsible for their homework-no matter how young!). 

writing her first sentence

 

WH "Question Wheel" Homework

I saw a circle-style graphic organizer and thought it was a great way to organize practicing WH-questions.   

Download includes a blank question wheel

I tried it as homework for both my 3rd grade and Kindergarten language groups...

 

...and they loved it! They were each very proud of their work. (It also gave me a good sample of their question writing skills!) 

So, I've made several more to pull out as homework as I work with WH-questions.

Bonus: Progress Monitoring!  I look forward to comparing student work over time and seeing if there is a change in question content as well as question grammar/conventions. 

...and I've decided to share :) 

Examples from my Free Download (found at my TpT store HERE)

(Word clipart) 


 Enjoy! Let me know how your student like it!

 

Speedy Speech (5 minutes) prize ring!

I created a "travel version" of my prize ring with activities/prizes appropriate for my speedy speech students. I clipped this right onto my basket with a binder clip so it travels with me!

Just laminate and put onto a binder ring!

Freebie looks like this!

Ready to "travel!"

Just print, cut out, laminate, punch a hole, add a binder ring, clip on, then travel!
Free Download HERE. 

My students receive a stamp for returning homework. Their stamp charts are in their homework folder (which stays in their backpack except for speech times and when working on it at home). Occasionally, I will reward an extra stamp if I hear great speech sounds during a classroom walk-through, just for fun! 

Push In Notes and Data

I often find myself taking data within the classroom setting for social skills, classroom skills, and executive functioning skills such as: 

--on-task/attending 

--interrupting/blurting

--asking for help

--following teacher directions accurately

--following multiple-step directions

--effectively organizing 

--prioritizing 

--getting right to work after a direction has been given

--volunteering answers

--initiating conversations and interactions appropriately

-- conversational turns 

I also collect classroom data for stuttering and articulation for those students who have very high skills and are needing to generalize to other settings (e.g., classroom, lunchroom, recess, center time, specials classes).  

I have the opportunity to co-teach a small life-skills focused English class at the high school level. I do several 15-minute 'walk throughs' in second and third grade. I co-teach small group 3rd grade writing/reading with the resource teacher. For each of these settings I have found Push In notes pages helpful and effective. 

I find it most effective to have a clipboard with 1 page per student with a classroom behavior. This way, data collection is as simple as grabbing my clipboard and walking into a classroom. 

You can download these pages free at my TpT store HERE

Homework: Practicing School Rules

Time to see some artistic abilities! Since starting clinicals as a speech-language pathology student, I have found many many ways to use and create stick figures...and many many ways that they come in handy! I'd guess that 90% of my caseload has seen my stick figures at one time or another!

This is an opportunity for your students to use their artistic skills...stick figures or not(!). 

I created this as homework for a kindergarten social skills/behavior intervention group. I find it useful for older students, too; they just need to be encouraged to think about the 'rules' at a deeper level.  With older students, I use the Character Counts inspired 'rule' pages I created that go with the pillar we are practicing that month. I also use them for students to think about skills such as eye contact, initiating a conversation, asking to join, and other social skills.

Here are some creative examples from my kindergarten group: 

This packet--including 8 pages of general and Character Counts-based rule pages--is a free download at my TpT store HERE. Enjoy!

Homework: Dollar Challenge Day

I created a homework page for articulation students on our monthly $ Dollar Challenge days. (Original Dollar Challenge Post here.) I recommend this page primarily for students grades 1-4. 

One parent even wrote me a note: "great practice activity!" I like it, too because it corresponds directly with the activity, corresponds with coin/money units in the classroom, and provides practice opportunities at home (the ultimate goal!). 

Students write a word with their speech sound on the line, then say that word 1 time for each cent in the pictured coin. 

Enjoy this free download at my TPT store: HERE 

Progress Notes

Generally speaking, my progress notes are completed on electronic forms that are used state wide. However, there are some students (especially those in a Response to Intervention program) or some circumstances (summer programs, for example) when a progress note template is handy! I have used several different formats, and this is the one I have ended up liking the most!

(Free download HERE) 

Sentence Starters

Got a request to share some sentence starters...HERE you go! 

*Great for speedy speech sessions (sentence practice if you follow with an artic card! Conversation data!) 

*can use for quick-write prompts

*practice answering questions in complete sentences

*formulate questions to get the desired response 

*etc!

Team Meeting Agenda-free download

With a handful of students who require additional support and who have many team members who need to be on the same page for progress and success, I have found this team meeting agenda to be a great tool! (Free download HERE)

A quick "How To" ...

• Gather information from team members about possible agenda items and areas needing problem solving
• Fill in the agenda items
• Provide copies of the agenda to team members (night before or earlier is most helpful!) 
• I try to put a copy in each team member's mailbox and I scan/email the agenda to out-of-the-building team members
• Assign roles, if not done before 
• Team members can take notes on the form, on their own paper, or a note-taker can be assigned and others can receive copies after the meeting  

Teams have included all or some of these team members: 

• classroom teacher
• special education teacher
• speech-language pathologist
• physical therapist
• occupational therapist
• autism specialist
• para-educators 
• student parents 
• audiologist
• deaf educator

 

Documentation! Teacher Initial forms

This form helps me document that all necessary staff members have received a copy of the IEP at a Glance form (and/or a full copy of the IEP if I mark it that way). 

I staple this 1/4 page to the top of the IEP at a Glance, the teacher initials and dates it, then put the 1/4 page in my mailbox (they keep the Glance for their files). 

I staple the initialed 1/4 pages to the IEP in the file so when file review comes around all documentation is present! 

Our entire sped team uses this method, so it is consistent for the teachers. Free download HERE. 

Speech Room Behavior System!

We currently don't have a school-wide behavior program (we are working towards one, thankfully, but are currently in a year of data collection), so this summer I was on the search for a behavior system I liked for the speech room that would fit my needs Kindergarten through 6th grade.

I really liked the behavior system I found at the blog Sped-ventures (her post is here), so I made my own version which I am already loving!

I made my behavior signs with these labels:

• Outstanding! (Earn 2 Stamps) 
• Ready to Learn! (Making Great Choices!)
•  Think about it. (What are the speech room behaviors?) 
• Warning (Loss of stamp) 
• Time Out (can return to the group after processing with [speech therapist] or [principal])

My students keep their picture+paperclip Behavior Chart Marker in their speech room folders and clip it onto "Ready to Learn" when they enter the speech room. Their marker can be moved up or down as cued during the speech session. 

(To make the Behavior Chart Marker: *take student picture, print and laminate *use packing tape to attach to a large paperclip.)

At the end of the speech session, I write a very brief note in their homework folder to stay in contact with parents. In the top line, I circle where they ended up on the behavior chart. (Some students can circle this themselves).

Get a free download of the My Speech Time Report at my TpT store.

Elementary Speech Folders

My speech students have 2 folders...a homework folder (that goes home and back....and may risk never being seen again, thus the second folder) and a speech room folder (that stays in the speech room).

Behavior chart marker (paper clip), stamp chart, cover page

Speech students who come into the speech room have a speech room folder. Those who are speedy speech only or inclusion only do not have a speech folder (just a homework folder).

Here's what's in each student's speech room folder: 

• Cover sheet (goals, speech room expectations, speech times)
•  Student stamp chart
• Behavior chart marker (picture) 
• The Dollar Challenge 100 tracking page (post here)
• As we work on tasks, this folder will house the different individual visuals, projects, etc. until they are ready to be sent home, posted on a bulletin board, or filed for progress monitoring (data!).  

(Click here to grab your free download of the cover sheet and sticker chart from my TpT store)

Free download

My students keep their speech room folders in their grade-bin. 

The speech room folder routine looks like this: 

• enter the speech room, find your folder in the grade-bin
• take out your behavior chart maker and place it on the "Ready to Learn" poster
• bring your folder to the table and open to the stamp chart, with your homework ready to be "stamped"
• if we are  not taking anything out of our folders, the folders "go under you." (My students love this because I don't care where it is as long as it is "under" them and not a distraction. Some students choose to sit on their folder-literally, while others put it on the floor under their chair or balance it on the metal bars of the chair. This open-ended method is a great way to get compliance without a challenge from those more 'creative' students...!)
• receive stamp (if earned) at the end of the session, re-place behavior chart marker, re-file folder in grade-bin.

This routine is faster and faster once the students are familiar with it. They like the independence and responsibility, and I appreciate the organization! 

100! The Dollar Challenge

I found The Dollar Challenge at SpeechRoomNews (post here) and immediately wanted to use it with my students! (Thanks for the idea, Jenna!)

I made companion documents to go with The Dollar Challenge (TpT download HERE).

• Articulation Tracking Graph: to use with Speedy Speech Students 
• Language Tracking Graph: to use with non-artic goals 
• Parent Note Home: so the parent can celebrate with the student for the accomplishment of 100!  

Here's how I'll use it: 

Articulation...Goal: to get 100 correct productions of the speech sound within 1, 5-minute speedy speech session. Schedule: Sporadically, at least monthly, probably every other week we will have a "Dollar Challenge" Day. Method: clicker counter to count productions; graph to track how many productions were achieved! 

Language...Goal: 100 correct goal behaviors (e.g., wh-questions, story grammar elements, grammatically correct sentence productions) Schedule: speech sessions when I take data and/or when students take their own data Method: Students will shade in a box for each correct answer until all 100 boxes are shaded!

On Task Behavior...Goal: to get 100% on task behavior during a 10 minute observation. Schedule: each time data is taken there is an opportunity (note: The students aren't aware of when I take data, since I am in the classrooms frequently) Method: on-task behavior data during classroom observation

Then, to celebrate with Parents when their student meets The Dollar Challenge, a note will be sent home. 

Homework!

I am in the camp of SLPs who believe that homework is very important for practice and carryover into other environments (generalization). 

We all have students who have their sound down pat when the "see our face," then walk into the classroom door and it all goes out the window! Because of that, I'm working on a variety of generalization strategies for the classroom (like classroom walk-throughs when possible, visuals on the desk, a special 'remember my speech' pencil top eraser, secret signals between the classroom teacher and the student) and for home (homework...that's really the only way I get "into" the home!). 

I use some homework that I find from SpeakingofSpeech.com. Check out their Materials Exchange HERE if you haven't before! Materials are made by SLPs for SLPs and downloads are free .pdf files.

First Free Homework Download! 
Ice Cream Articulation Homework

Packet includes the following sounds: L, S/Z, SH, CH, TH, S-blends, L-blends, vocalic R, CVC words, and a bank page you can individualize. I used Word clipart.

Language Bingo!
My Summer Homework looked like this. This could also be adapted to be done for a month (e.g., November Language BINGO!). Made one for older elementary, and one for younger elementary/preschool.

Grab this free download HERE.