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? 

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!

 

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!

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!

Dollar Challenge 2

Finally posted my Dollar Challenge Bulletin Board! (see my first post HERE)

Students are enjoying putting their dollars up and working towards putting up a speech room dollar! This is an activity enjoyed by my language, articulation, and social skills students! 

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.