Looking for a quick activity?!? Let's have some fun with DOTS!

I created these activities for some of my students who are working on matching and/or sorting, picture identification, and following directions. In my store I currently have the Animal Dots Set  (jungle, farm, forest, sea) and the Autumn Dots Set (Halloween, Harvest, Thanksgiving). There will be more sets coming in the future (e.g., Holiday Dots, Winter Dots, Spring Dots, Summer Dots, etc...). Check them out below and click here to see the sets in my store.

 

 

 

 

Directions: Give your student one of the dots sheets; using either the picture cards (or the name cards); have your student identify the picture, or the word on the card, and then match it to their “dot sheet”. You can have your student cover the pictures with markers, color in the dot, or use a BINGO dauber, etc…

Keep in mind; this is just one way the set can be used. It’s a great set for targeting both receptive and expressive language tasks.

 

As always, enjoy!

Speachy Feedback {LINKY PARTY}!

Once again, I'm tardy for the party...but I'm FINALLY here! I'm joining the feedback linky party hosted by Nicole Allison of Speech Peeps.

I've received so many AWESOME comments, it was SO hard picking just one...but, congratulations Stacey Kanin! Your feedback really put a smile on my face. I'm glad you enjoyed your purchase!

 

And if I didn't select your comment this month...no worries! Keep them coming. I love reading them all, and who knows...maybe next month I'll have some tricks up my sleeve! :)

 

Stacey's awesome comment was left on my "If You Take a Mouse...[[Bundle Set]]." Click here to check out this, and many other companion sets in my TpT store!

 

As always, THANK YOU all for your amazing support and encouraging words. I couldn't take this journey without you!

 

Enjoy!

DynaVox Mayer-Johnson PCS™ Say it Right™ - Articulation Flip Books {App Review}

This has to be one of my favorite PSC apps! Last week I wrote a review on the PCS BINGO and Memory Apps, so today I thought I'd follow up with my latest review of another one of their apps. PCS™ Say it Right™ - Articulation Flip Books. This app retails on iTunes for $9.99. Per the iTunes description - This app can be used "for single word practice with the first and third panels, phrase practice with the middle panel and use all three panels for sentence practice. As an added Bonus, the App is great for expressive and receptive language as well. Use the app to practice: Verb Tenses, Pronouns, Prepositional Phrases, Syntax, Sentence Formulation and Word Retrieval, Why/How Prediction, WH-Questions and Vocabulary Development." Click here to see this app in the app store.

When you open the app you'll see the home page (screen shot below)

 

Then you can touch the arrow on the right side of the screen and scroll through all of the target sounds available (The Entire World™ - AR , EAR, ER, OR, Recurrent R's and IRE, RL and Prevocalic R, R Blends, S and Z, SH and CH, K and G, TH, F and V, P and B, T and D, M and N, S, R and L Blends, and W, H and L) WHEW! A massive collection of sounds - all in one spot! Can't beat that!

 

 

 

Once you select your target set - you'll be taken to the very AWESOME flip book! (Screen shot below).

 

 

My students were able to quickly flip through the pages to create new sentences, or if working on single words, flip to their new word. The graphics were amazing, and my students couldn't WAIT to flip to the next card.

 

While this app was primarily designed with articulation in mind, I was also able to target sentence expansion, prepositions, pronouns, parts of speech, etc...So for $9.99, not too shabby. I used this app in both small groups and with individual students. Both were fairly easy to set-up (although a few of the groups took a bit more time because a few of the students were not working on the same sound - so I had to go back to the home screen, and scroll to find their sound between turns). Again, the graphics were WONDERFUL, and my students LOVED "flipping" the pages. I do wish there was a way to track data, but with all that's offered in this app - paper and pencil didn't kill me.

 

So, if  you're looking for an app that's quick and versatile. This is it! Check out my reviews of the PCS™ BINGO and Memory here. To purchase this app click here. **Please note: there is a FREE version of this app (with limited content), as well as a full version of this app ($9.99)**

 

Again, thank you to DynaVox Mayer-Johnson for providing me with a copy to review - and for providing THREE copies to my super fabulous readers! **Congratulations again to the following readers who won copies of this app last week -  Staci F, Jennifer A, and Sarah A**

Love it & List it: Vocabulary {LINKY PARTY}

P-A-R-T...WHY? Because we gotta! It's time for another linky party! I'm joining Jenna over at Speech Room News to talk about some of my favorite vocabulary activities. There are lots of great resources out there to target vocabulary I've listed some of my favorites below. Enjoy.

1. Vanilla Vocabulary (as a companion to Visualizing and Verbalizing and Talkies) created by Nanci Bell and Phyllis Lindamood; published by Gander Publishing. I've used these sets for the last few years. According to the website the Vanilla Vocabulary set "develops vocabulary through imagery. Each word is defined and then is used in sentences for the student to visualize and verbalize. Space is provided for students to write their own sentences." If students have been through the V/V program, they typically do well visualizing the vocabulary from this set. There are two books in this series (level 1 - primary level words for grades 1-3; and level 2 intermediate level words for grades 4-8). I also use the two read a long books that come with this set - "Ivan - King of the Neighborhood" and "Ivan Sleeps Over". These books expose the student to the vocabulary in context in V/V (high-imagery) text.

2. Vocabulary Worksheets - I love using story books and text books (especially my older students) when ever I can. I'll have the student read with me, and if we find a word that we don't know, or we need more information on, we'll grab a vocabulary worksheet.  There are several worksheets I've used in the past, the one I'm currently using asks the student to: write the word, use it in a sentence, find it's part of speech, define it or draw it, and find synonyms and antonyms for the word. See sheet below - grab the freebie from my TpT store here.

3. Flip Flap Definition Books - I picked these up during the last TpT BTS sale from Speech2u. Click here to check them out  My students love these!

 

Don't forget to head over to Speech Room News to check out the party!

 

Enjoy!



 

 

A strike at the zoo? Not during our zoo trip!

This week a few of my classrooms visited the zoo. So, what better time to pull out one of my FAVORITE zoo books (from one of my VERY favorite authors) - Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True! By: Karma Wilson.

My students loved talking about the zoo animals and all of their wacky demands (Do zebras really drink root beer floats?) Click on the link below to check out the book companion I created to go along with this book in my TpT Store.

Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True! (Speech and Language Book Companion)

Pages 2 – 5 target story sequencing. The larger pictures (pages 2-3) can be used for a classroom story board, or for individual students. The smaller pictures (pages 4-5) are included on a worksheet. The students can cut them out, sequence the story at the top, re-tell it, and take it home. Parents love to hear and see the story that you read with their kids during school! 

Pages 6 – 7 target story comprehension (and identifying the types of questions being asked - what, where, who, how). The first set (page 6) asks a variety of questions without picture supports for responses. So students must think of the responses on their own (or look back in the book). The second set (page 7) was made with picture supports. Each question has a choice of three responses (1 correct; 2 foil).

Pages 8 – 11 target picture identification and matching. Name (or receptively find) the animal on the first page (page 8) then cut out the pictures on the second page (page 9) and glue to the match on the previous page.  On page 10, the animals are listed by name, find the matching picture (page 11) cut out and glue to the correct name on the first page (page 10).

Page 12 – 13 are game boards. The first one targets picture identification and negation (zoo animal or NOT a zoo animal?). The second one is blank…use it for your own language and/or articulation targets!

Pages 14 – 17 target prepositions. These pages are differentiated, so you can target the same skill at different ability levels. Each page asks, “Where is monkey?” – on page 14, there are two pictures (a tree and a monkey) cut out each picture and give your students auditory directions to follow (e.g., move the squirrel around the tree, put the squirrel under the tree, etc..); on page 15, the student is given a choice of two picture responses (1 correct; 1 foil); on page 16 the student is given the choice of 3 prepositions to circle to complete a sentence; on page 17 the student is asked to fill in the correct preposition (by writing their response on the blank).

Page 18 - 24 target sorting by qualitative concepts (big, bigger, biggest, etc...). The first two pages (pages 18-19) are the sorting boards. These can either be printed out for students to take home, or printed on card stock and laminated for continued use. Qualitative concept words can either be written on the blank rectangles below the sorting boxes, or you can cut out and use the concept words on page 20. Page 21-24 are the animal pictures used for sorting (elephant, lion, hippo, tiger, zebra, giraffe, monkey and otter).

Pages 25 - 26 target expressive language and written language for older students. Both pages ask the student to draw a picture and/or write a short story, given a structured sentence starter. On the first page, the following writing prompt is provided - “If I joined the animal strike at the zoo, I would ask for…” On the second page, the following writing prompt is provided – “One animal that lives at the zoo is a (n)…”

This is one of my favorite lessons to pull out right before a trip to the zoo! My students love it!

Enjoy!


DynaVox Mayer-Johnson PCS™ BINGO and Memory {App Reviews}

The folks over at DynaVox Mayer-Johnson recently updated and re-released all of their PCS™ apps. One of their representatives provided me with a few copies to review. I had the opportunity to use them with my students last week, so I hope this review will give you valuable information on how two of these apps may fit into your therapy 'buckets'.  (I'll post one more review later this week - you won't want to miss it!)

PCS™ Bingo ($4.99)  - Per the iTunes description - This app "provides a fun, mobile way to practice vocabulary, articulation, language and rhyming and is great for general education students, students with autism, Down Syndrome and Speech and Language delays." 

When first opening the app you are taken to a home page with tabs across the top (as this app has the functionality to target both articulation and language skills). The tabs are labeled - vocabulary, articulation, language, and rhyming. As you select a tab, you are given a larger array of vocabulary categories, speech sounds (/b/, ch, /d, f, g, j, k, l/, /l/ blends, /m/, /r/ blends, /n, p, r, s/, /s/ blends, sh, /t/, th, /v/, vocalic /r/ and /z/), language concepts (e.g., adjectives, alphabet, opposites, synonyms), and word families (for rhyming - -ish, -at, -ed, -ig, -og, and -ub) to choose from. Your selection will then be included on your BINGO card (either 3 X 3 or 5 X 5). See screen shots below.

Your student moves the marker to the matching picture on the BINGO board. Once your student hits their BINGO - a statement of praise is given and then followed up by a little animated video (which you can turn on or off on the settings).  See screen shots below.

Love it - The graphics in this app are really nice. I love that it has the option of the animated "reward" at the end of each game. It targets quite a few concepts (a list of all of the concepts and categories can be found here on the iTunes description), and my students LOVED it. Again, this app can be used when targeting both articulation and language goals...and did I mention you get all of this for $4.99. AMAZING! Overall this was a great app for my students. Especially for my students working on early language skills and my students working on building vocabulary for their devices.

A little something to think about - I wish it had a data tracker, or a way to monitor a students accuracy while on the app (but for $4.99 I can't complain too much about that!)...Also, I think it would be nice to offer different colored BINGO markers - or maybe have the ability to have two BINGO boards at one time (if I had two or more students in a group working on this activity, I had to remember who put their marker in which spot because my younger students didn't always remember).

Click here to purchase this app online. **Please note: there is a FREE version of this app (with limited content), as well as a full version of this app ($4.99)**


PCS™ Memory ($4.99) - Per the iTunes description - This app "provides a fun, mobile way to practice vocabulary, articulation, language and rhyming and is great for general education students, students with autism, Down Syndrome and Speech and Language delays."



Again, as listed above - when first opening the app you are taken to a home page with tabs across the top. The tabs are labeled - vocabulary, articulation, language, and rhyming. As you select a tab, you are given a larger array of vocabulary categories, speech sounds (same as above), language concepts (e.g., adjectives, alphabet, opposites, synonyms), and word families (for rhyming - -ish, -at, -ed, -ig, -og, and -ub) to choose from. Your selection will then be included on your Memory Board (either 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, or 20 cards). See screen shots below.

Your student selects a card and tries to make a match by selecting another card on the picture board. Once your student has all of the cards turned over - another statement of praise is given and then followed up by a little animated video (which you can turn on or off on the settings). See screen shots below.

Love it - Again, the graphics in this app are really nice and I love that it has the option of the animated "reward" at the end of each game. Like the app above, it targets quite a few concepts (a list of all of the concepts and categories can be found here on the iTunes description). My students LOVED this app just as much as they did the BINGO app. (PS - Did I mention you get all of this for $4.99). Another AMAZING app from the folks over at DynaVox Mayer-Johnson! Overall this was a great app for my students and I will be using it again during our sessions.

A little something to think about - Again, as SLPs we LOVE our data. I wish it had a data tracker, or a way to monitor a students accuracy while on the app (but again, for $4.99 I can't complain!)

Click here to purchase this app online. **Please note: there is a FREE version of this app (with limited content), as well as a full version of this app ($4.99)**

Final Thoughts - Overall, both of these apps would make great additions to any SLPs therapy bucket. They are easy to use, require very little set-up time, and offer multiple therapy targets - all in one spot! 

**Congratulations to the following readers who won copies of these apps last week - Jill P., Jayne W., Angie L., Stephanie C., and Alison W.**