Uncategorized – Page 2 – In Spontaneous Speech

Summer Games For Speech

26 Jun

June 26, 2021 Cindy 0

Summer is here and thankfully we are getting back to normal for summer play. The age old question may be coming up now. “What can I do?” Take advantage of that boredom to review language concepts. Students may be interested in participating in their own Summer Olympic Games. Just go into that toy closet and bring out the beach or nerf balls, balloons, pool noodles, frisbees, and jump ropes for some fun. Students won’t even know they are reviewing concepts at the same time. These items can be adapted for almost any ability level. Here are some ideas I have used in the past.

For a game of badminton, tie a jump rope between two chairs, trees, or poles to make a net. Use the pool noodles to hit a balloon over or under the net in a game of balloon badminton. Review vocabulary such as over, under, beneath, high, and low. Best of all, the noodles won’t hurt anyone who is accidently hit in the enthusiasm. Also the balloons are slower moving for individuals who need a slower pace. Make sure you have back up balloons for when they break.

Take a few of the noodles and bend them in an arch. Fasten them to the ground with dowels, sturdy sticks or lawn stakes. Use the center holes in the tubes to fit over the sticks after you pound them into the ground. Make a course similar to the one used in a game of croquet. Use other noodles to hit nerf balls or balloons through the arches. The dog may even let you use his frisbee. Count how many hits it takes to get through the course and use comparison vocabulary such as less, least, more, and equal.

Make circles with the pool noodles by joining two ends. with a dowel. Fill juice or milk jugs with water to make good sturdy targets for a ring toss. Practice throwing the circle or hoops around the jugs as you would at a carnival. Use distance vocabulary such as close, further, near, and far.

Fasten rings to chairs, trees, and poles with bungee chords, or tape. Make an air golf course. Use straight noodles to hit balloons through the hoops. This may not work with a breeze but you can change to nerf balls or a frisbee You can also switch it up by throwing the noodles like spears through the hoops. Review vocabulary such as almost, close, far, near, and through.

I hope you enjoy your summer and come back refreshed. Hopefully these ideas give you a good start for making your summer games a success.

Sentences with Semantic Errors can Promote Meta Linguistic Skills

1 Jan

January 1, 2021 Cindy 0

Using sentences containing semantic errors is a great strategy for enhancing vocabulary and comprehension skills. A few posts back I reported that reading comprehension and meta linguistic skills are strongly linked (Achugar, Schleppegrell, & Oteíza, 2007). Tasks that require a student to read and think critically enhances their ability to remember and integrate what they have learned and not just read words. Students enjoy the challenge of finding and correcting errors and learn at the same time. In the process they will use critical thinking and draw from their knowledge of the world to correct the errors in the sentences.

Students doing distant learning — https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Illumismart

With our current pandemic, many teachers and speech and language pathologists (SLP) have had to embrace digital teaching and learning. I decided to help out by upgrading “Silly Sentences” that can be used in a digital form. There is a text only version currently located under the Vocabulary heading. I took some of the sentences, added a few new ones, and added visual cues to make a Teachers Pay Teachers product called Sentences with Semantic Errors.

The Sentences with Semantic Errors can be presented a number of ways. They can be printed out, cut, and used as flashcards. They can be given out as worksheets. They can also be assigned digitally. They are available as a Digital Download on the Teachers Pay Teachers site. With this program they can be assigned to students using Google Classroom. Students complete pages digitally and return them digitally to a teacher for feedback.

The vocabulary is appropriate for 3rd through 6th grade levels. Picture cues help to convey meaning as well as make the cards more appealing if they are displayed on a screen. Using the TPT overlay, students can fill text boxes using the tools provided. Students can provide written or typed answers.

I am linking a free sample of the first two pages pictured. Click on the button below. I am not working directly with students at this time, so I do not have a trial group. I would appreciate any recommendations or comments you may have. This free download will not include the digital overlay which is offered with purchase through TPT and is on their platform. Comments can be made by clicking on the comment cloud located in the post heading.

Semantic Sentences Sample Download

Click on the button above for the free 2 page sample. Click on the cover below for a direct link to TPT and the full product.

Comprehending and Answering “How” Questions

30 Aug

August 30, 2020 Cindy 0

The task of answering “How” questions is often difficult for students. Students who have language delays, autism, or are second languages learners often have trouble answering with the correct information. The answers are often not as predictable as other question forms.

“How” questions are especially important in upper elementary grade levels and beyond. Many programs are science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) oriented. Students are required to integrate their knowledge and figure out how it all works together. It requires a higher level of thinking and language skills to figure out what information is being asked for to answer a question. Students often need the ability to problem solve or take on another perspective to answer a question correctly.

In case you haven’t recently thought about the variety of “How” questions we use in our daily lives, following is a refresher list of examples and the types of expected answers.

How questions that ask for amount: How much is it? It is one dollar
How questions that ask for a quality: How does it taste? It tastes sour.
How questions that ask about a condition: How cold is it? Very cold
How questions that require a procedural answer. How do you get toothpaste from a tube? You take the cover off and squeeze the tube.

I created a set of task cards to work specifically on comprehending and answering “How” questions. They were created to help students become aware of the different varieties of “How” questions they may encounter and what information they need to answer them. I am providing a free preview that you may print out and make two sided task cards to try with your students. If they work for you, I have the full set of 22 cards on Teachers Pay Teachers which you can purchase.

The TPT set is available for printing out or can be used with TPT Easel. With the TPT tool you can place text boxes over the answers. Students can use a variety of writing tools to complete an assigned assignment before submitting it back to a teacher. This creates a digital assignment. Good luck to all as we return to in school classrooms.

Click on the cover for a direct link to TPT

Morgan the Magician is now Digital

10 Aug

August 10, 2020 Cindy 0

Morgan the Magicia teaches irregular plurals in an interactive slides and digital story book form. It can be used via Google Slides. This gives a few extra benefits for teachers. They can use and assign it through Google Classroom for distance learning, and easy lesson preparation. Students won’t need to manipulate pieces. They just need access to a computer or tablet.

The original book template is also provided. Students, with teacher or parent help, may want to construct their own hands on book to review at home.

You can find it at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. click on the cover below and it will take you there.

In the digital version, you do not need to cut and paste pieces to make a book. The book is ready to go in Google Slides after downloading from Teachers Pay Teachers and clicking on the link provided in the product. If you purchased this product previously, you can download it without purchasing again to get the link.

Students and teacher can click though pages like a slide show. Animation is included on some of the pages which is motivating for some students. It covers 10 irregular plurals in a rhyming format. There is a total of 34 slides. There is a logical story progression that keeps students engaged and motivated until the end.

Keep scrolling for a bit of a preview of what you would be getting.

Here is an irregular plural checklist for your use. Just click on the checklist and there will be a free download of the list.

This book has been a pet project of mine for a number of years. It keeps evolving over time. I hope you have students who will enjoy the story and learn irregular plurals in a fun way.

Are You Teaching Digitally? It’s a Game Changer

2 Aug

August 2, 2020 Cindy 0

Humpty Dumpty on the Wall — Humpty Dumpty Balancing Act

The school year is beginning and many of us are waiting to see how it will look with Covid 19 safety requirements added. SLPs and Teachers just can’t continue to use teaching methods of the past. Requirements of maintaining distance, students not meeting in groups, switching teachers or rooms, and not sharing materials make it impossible. Many of us feel like Humpty Dumpty sitting on the wall. If we can’t keep ourselves balanced meeting all the requirements, we will end up in a thousand pieces and directions.

However, there is some good news. Teaching methods are starting to catch up with the circumstances. Digital learning can help differentiate instruction and fill the gaps in the classroom setting, as well as with distant learning. A real juggling act if you have to do both. Last Spring, many of us scrambled to learn new technology and create our own lessons that would work for long distance learning. This was a huge learning curve. This year there are alternatives to creating your own lessons from scratch.

Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) has stepped in and made some significant changes to their platform. There are now new digital options. On TPT, you now have an option to place a digital overlay on a PDF download for use with Google Classroom. With this digital overlay a PDF download can be revised. Options include; adding text, hiding information such as answers, adding answer boxes for students to write or print in, highlighting, and adding teacher directions. The original product remains intact. The lessons can be assigned to multiple students and assigned through Google Classroom. You can keep your own file of the revised lessons you make. Talk about a time saver!

If you have bought products from TPT in the past, you need to find out if the past product can now be used in this way. Products from a previous purchase, will continue to be free downloads and now you will be able to use them with the overlay. Teacher authors have been working hard to update their products to make them user friendly. You owe it to yourself to check it out.

I went through my products to see which ones could be revised. A lot of mine are task cards with answers. I think a lot of them are used by SLPs and some teachers to do specific remediation and teach concepts in short segments. I decided making fill- able answer blocks on top of the current answers would be the most useful. I made this available on a number of the products so you won’t need to do that revision yourself. A few of the products that I did this with are listed below. If you find different ways to revise them , I would like to know. I can adjust the template of my products in some cases. you can contact me by writing in the comment cloud above each post. I monitor these for spam so they don’t always get published on the site. If you don’t want it visible, just let me know.

Here is wishing everyone the best possible start to their school year.