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.
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.
COVID 19 has created an educational challenge for providing a home school education program for non verbal students. Many educators, teaching virtually, are trying to provide lessons using materials available in a student’s home environment. I have decided to highlight some of the lessons I have used in the past that would meet that need. If the student is participating by virtual means, you may need the help of a caretaker to prepare materials, model responses, and help the student. Most of the materials are common objects available to students at home.
The original posts for these activities can be found by searching in the archives of past posts under the tag Therapy Activities from Scratch and Communication Boards. The search tools can be found in the right column.
Does your student have goals such as maintaining focus, taking turns, increasing vocabulary and increasing sentence length? Many play activities only need visuals such as communication boards and props to make them into structured learning activities to address these goals. If a student has physical difficulties and is not able to manipulate objects, they can still participate by directing and making requests with a partner using a communication board or system.
There are a number of reasons to use communication boards and systems. They lead to more natural social communication with mutual turn taking. They can add structure and provide cues for repeating key phrases. They also provide visual support for children who have limited oral speech and understanding.
Educators can easily adapt to a students learning level and needs with the use of a communication board. An educator begins by providing full verbal models and pointing to the icons while providing a verbal model. They can then use the icons as prompts by pointing to the icons and waiting for the student to provide the verbal output. Eventually the student will prompt themselves by pointing to the icon and providing the verbal output independently. Finally they will no longer need the communication board during the activity and participate verbally without it. If a student’s intelligibility is poor, you will still know what he is attempting to say because the student can use icons as a visual cues. Hopefully you will avoid interactions such as “Say what I say” or ” I don’t understand, say it again.” Many students become frustrated when they find themselves in this type of communication exchange and then refuse to participate.
I have posted pictures of boards I have made in the past, for examples. You will need to adapt the icons for the materials and objects available to your student. There are a number of sources of pictures for making communication boards. Some of my sources include Open clip art, clip art from Teachers Pay Teachers (some are free samples) and Pictoselector which is a free program for Windows users. It can be found at https://www.picto-selector.eu/about/freeware/. Pictoselector allows you to use grid templates for icon placement and a number of icons. Boardmaker is another program that many schools have subscriptions too.
Wind up toys with grab bag
A grab bag with toys is an easy item that can be made in the home environment. This one was made by cutting the sleeve off a sweater and sewing or gluing the bottom seam shut. You can put a number of different toys in the bag. Wind up toys are one of my favorite tools. They are always a high interest item.
The bag allows control of the objects from indiscriminate grabbing and hoarding, and facilitates turn taking. If the child is unable to wind or pull to activate a toy, all the better. That means they will need to request an action.
The Dollar store, Target Bargain bin, and Happy Meals are good places to find wind up toys. Mine have lasted a number of years. The student may also have favorite objects at home such as tops, balls, buttons, old switches, and tools.
Board made using Pictoselector
Many students have a collection of stuffed animals matchbox cars or other objects. Add a fancy box and these can be put to good use. Hide an item in the box and have a student answer questions to find out its identity. The communication board is helpful for cuing a student for appropriate descriptive questions. Begin by modeling the questions while pointing to the pictures.
Animal Questions with icons from Open Clipart
Matchbox vehicles are a favorite activity. Students often acquire a stash of different ones because they are a cheap item to get on a shopping trip. I was lucky to be gifted a pack by parents and I collected more over the years. you can use them in the grab bag also.
Question Board for Vehicles
I’ve used this map with students to work with prepositions and descriptive vocabulary. The picture is an example of a simple map that can made by students to review the prepositions across, over, through, and between. It can be used with dice or a spinner as a simple board game, but students also like just driving along and telling where they are. You can have multiple trials by having them request different vehicles for making the trip.
Vehicle Board using Boardmaker
The race game is another opportunity to use the same cars. Students choose cars and then make comparisons and prediction on which vehicles will be first or last. It is another activity that provides opportunities to use adjectives and verbs.
Caregivers may want to venture out on their own with materials. However, I recommend that you consult with your student’s Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) for constructing communication boards, and visuals to meet your student’s specific needs and goals. Although communication boards are presented here as examples, your student’s SLP will know the best vocabulary and language level for your student. An Occupational Therapist (OT) can help with setting up access to a communication board and tools so a student with a physical disability can manipulate objects. These professionals play important roles in an student’s education program and I can not guarantee results when their input is not included with a students education program.
I hope these examples give you some ideas. I would love to hear from fellow educators if you have other examples or ideas to share. If you are willing to share, I can add them to this blog post. You can comment by clicking on the comment cloud located at the top of the post by the heading. I monitor comments for spam so you will not see it posted immediately. You can also tell me if you would prefer to be incognito. Good Luck and stay healthy.
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.
How #1
How#2
How#3
click the star for sample
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.
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.
Cover for Morgan the Magician.
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.
Irregular plural check 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.
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.
Answers in bar codes
Products on TP
Direct Link to TPT
Here is wishing everyone the best possible start to their school year.
