Back to School Favorites

Well, it's finally time for me to set an alarm clock, get dressed in the morning, and head BACK TO SCHOOL. So, I thought I'd share a few of my MUST have products for the first few weeks of school. Please note I've included a few Amazon Affiliate links for more information on each of the books in this post. Enjoy, friends! Let's make it a GREAT year!

Book Companions: 

1) Bear's New Friend, by Karma Wilson (Check out a throw-back post on this set here)

2) If You Take a Mouse to School, by Laura Numeroff (Check out a throw-back post on this set here)

3) There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Book, by Lucille Colandro (Check out a throw-back post on this set here)

Other Activities:

1) Roll and Cover BTS Set (FREEBIE)

2) Vocabulary Sheet (FREEBIE)

3) Articulation Ladder (FREEBIE - Check out a throw-back post on this set here)

4) Pirate Pronouns  (Just in time for International Talk Like a Pirate Day - Sept. 19th)

It's time for another HUGE sale!

The TpT Back to School site wide sale is BACK! Everything in my store will be marked 20% off now through tomorrow (August 5th). Add additional savings from TpT when you enter the promo code BTS14 at checkout. So now is the time to stock up on all those BTS materials you've had your eye on! I've listed links to some of my best selling BTS products below. Enjoy!

If You Take a Mouse to School - Book Companion

If You Take a Mouse to School - Add-On Language Activity

Bear's New Friend - Book Companion

Bear's New Friend - Add-On Language Activity

There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed Some Books - Book Companion

September Link Up! [LINKY]

All Y'all Need has their September Link-Up posted, and this month they're asking SLPs to post info about what they are - schooling, excited for, prepping, and trying! You all know I LOVE these linky parties, so I couldn't wait to join in! My responses are below - enjoy! (Don't forget to click the link about to see what other SLPs are saying).

 

 

Schooling - So happy to be back in my buildings. Love seeing my students, and LOVE a routine (for myself and my own kids!). Changes this school year - it's the first year that I am the ONLY SLP in one of my buildings. So, fingers crossed I can keep up! But, so far so good!

 

Excited - I LOVE all things FALL! Pumpkin spice candles, cooler weather, chili, football (even though I don't watch it much, I LOVE going to the local high school football games). This year, my daughter will cheer for middle school football, so I can't wait!

 

Prepping - Printing, cutting, laminating, and storing all of the new materials I've made and purchased on TpT. Here are a few items that I purchased during the most recent BTS TpT sale.

 

Trying - To be early. As many of you know...I am a NIGHT OWL - and early mornings are not my favorite! However, this year, I'm trying to get up early, be ready early, and get my mornings started early. So far so good. (and a little extra coffee never hurt anyone - right?!?) 

 

Don't forget to scroll back to the top and visit the All Y'all Need page to see what the other SLP bloggers are up to. Happy Linking friends!

WOW! Over 1,000 likes on FB! I think that calls for a FLASH FREEBIE!

Again, thank you all so much for making this journey into cyber space a pleasant one! I have enjoyed every minute! I just put the finishing touches on my latest book companion (Bear's New Friend, By Karma Wilson). It's one of my very favorite books to read during the first weeks back in school. So, for the next 24 hours it will be 20% off! But wait friends, that's not all! I've got an add-on language activity (targeting categories) that will be FREE until midnight tonight (CST)! So don't wait, download your copy tonight! Links to products are below. Again, THANK YOU ALL!

Bear's New Friend - Language Packet

 

Bear's New Friend - Add-On Language Activity FLASH FREEBIE

 

 

Enjoy!



Love it & List it: Organization

Speech Room News is hosting another linky! This week SLP Bloggers, participating in the linky, are talking about organization. Below are a few things I use to keep myself organized (as best I can!)

1. Monthly Planner - I start getting my planner ready at the beginning of August. I write IEP dates, re-eval dates, training dates (all color coded by event).

2. Plastic Storage Containers - All Kinds! I have tubs, shoe box sized containers, book holders (on my book shelf), and small (deck of card-sized) containers on my filing cabinet. My newest addition, this year, are my small stackable ones on my filing cabinet. They are cute, stackable, and easily accessible during my speech sessions. I printed out labels for the outside of each and I am in LOVE with them! I've filled them with my most used speech decks.

 

3. Label Maker - as you can see from some of my pictures above, I label everything. So I love my label maker!

 

4. Binders - I have a data binder, a forms binder, a team binder...you name it - it's probably in a binder! I try to make sure all of my binders are ready to go before the first day of school. It truly makes my life a little easier!

 

LAST, but not least....

5. Coffee! A trip to Starbucks helps me organize my whole world a bit better. Non-fat Peppermint Mocha no whipcream is the perfect start to ANY day!  

Don't forget to check out the other SLPs linky posts by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Moving up the articulation ladder (with a little bit of crafting)

I love the look of clip charts. I wanted to incorporate one in my speech room but, I wanted a chart that targeted something other than "behavior".  So, I decided to turn my clip chart into an Articulation Ladder!

I started with this (and some card stock)...

 

and ended up with this!

 

I love it (and I'm sure my students will LOVE it too)! I printed out each articulation level (Syllable Sets, Words, Phrases, Sentences, Reading Tasks, Conversation) on a sheet of card stock (cut and laminated), hung each sheet together with small silver book rings (through holes made with my handy hole punch), tied a ribbon to the top, hung it on a hook, and before I knew it...Articulation Ladder complete! Then I took clothes pins and wrote (with multi-colored sharpies) each student's name and the sound they are targeting on the pin. If they were targeting more than one sound, I made more than one pin.  Beside the chart,  I have two small silver containers. One says "sounds"  - this is for holding the pins of students who have just started a new sound and are not yet consistent at the isolation level.  The other says "GRADUATES!" - this is for students who have completed their journey up the ladder!

 

I posted a freebie on my TpT site with a few different versions of this chart. It really is the perfect addition to any speech room! Check it out! (Don't forget to leave feedback if you download. I appreciate it, and I LOVE reading it all!) **If you'd like a smaller chart just adjust the print size before printing in pdf. Hit print, go down to "page sizing and handling", click "custom scale" then enter a percentage (if you'd like it smaller pick a percentage smaller than 100).**

 

Articulation Ladder 

 

 

Enjoy!





Yes, this girl went shopping today too!

First I want to say THANK YOU for the awesome feedback and numerous purchases made on my TpT store today. I am truly thankful! (I LOVE reading every bit of feedback - so keep it coming!) I couldn't resist getting in on the action so I filled my cart, left some feedback, and earned additional credits for MORE shopping tomorrow! I've listed a few of my favorite purchases below.  

1. Classroom Rule Posters from For His Glory. These posters are beautifully designed, and applicable to any classroom (and/or speech room) at school.

2. Back to School Task Cards from Teaching With a Mountain View. This looks like an AMAZING back to school activity for my speech students. Can't wait to use it during my first sessions!

3. Take a Break - Behavior Management and Self Regulation from Teaching in Progress. I am not a fan of clip charts, and typically will not use them in my speech room, so I'm always looking for different behavior management systems. This one was one of my favorites (I also LOVED her blog post. Check it out: Why I Will Never Use a Behavior Chart Again).

4. Speech-Language Therapy Objective Binder (and Companion) from Queen's Speech. I can't wait to start using these with my students!

5. Curriculum Based Language Assessments for Grades K-5 Aligned with Standards and Quick Articulation and Phonology Bundle Card Pack for Speech Therapy from Nicole Allison. These are wonderful tools that every school-based SLP should look into purchasing. Very user friendly, and nicely designed! I'm so happy I found these!

The TpT sale lasts through tomorrow at mid-night (EST) so don't miss out. Use the code: BTS13 for additional savings at check out. Move those wish listed items into your cart before it's too late!

Follow me on TpT and check out my store (and the stores listed above for some truly amazing materials). Don't forget to leave feedback and earn your TpT credits!

Who doesn't LOVE a good sale?

TpT's 2-day Back to School Sale is coming up this Sunday! August 18th and 19th my ENTIRE store will be 20% off (this includes my already reduced book companion bundles). Plus, you'll receive an additional 8% off if you use the following code: BTS13. That's 28% off! So, it's time to clean out those wish lists! Make sure you "Follow Me" on TpT when you stop by this weekend to make your purchase! Click on The Speech Bucket's link below and check out the items in my store! Happy shopping friends!

The Speech Bucket (Mindy Stenger) TpT Store

Thank you Courtney Gragg for the awesome graphic! 

A few of my favorite books for back to school...

Only a few more days to go before I get to see my students again. And I have to say, I'm almost ready! A few of my favorite books to have on hand for the first couple of weeks of school are: Bears New Friend (by Karma Wilson), If You Take a Mouse to School (by Laura Numeroff), and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books (by Lucille Colandro).  I've included the links to my throwback posts for the last two books (I'm still revising my bear set...hopefully I'll get that posted before winter gets here!) Enjoy, and welcome back to school friends!

If You Take a Mouse to School

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books

Click here to visit my TpT storefront. 

If You Take a Mouse...

Laura Numeroff's Mouse books are another one of my favorite series. I posted another mouse companion today, and created a back to school mouse bundle (including companion packets for the following books - If You Take a Mouse to School, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies)! Click on the links below to check them out.

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies - Language Packet

If You Take a Mouse...[BUNDLE]

And the winner is...

Sheri Liebman! Congratulations Sheri (check your inbox), you were selected as the winner of the Old Lady Companion Sets! Thank you to everyone who entered! Keep checking back for more back to school fun!

Back to School...

Today was officially my first day back in the office. I ran staff trainings all day, which is exhausting, but one reason I love my job so much (I can talk all day long - imagine that!). I think I'm slowly getting back in to the groove of things (good thing I have a few weeks before I'll see my students - I have LOTS of new activities I'm getting ready for them). Don't forget to enter the Back 2 School {GIVEAWAY} for your chance to win an amazing bundle of book companions! You won't want to miss it. Only 2 days left to enter.

Enjoy!

New companion sets posted, and an AWESOME back to school {GIVEAWAY} you won't want to miss!

I told you all...it was quiet, but not for long! This summer has flown by and I can't believe (in just a few short days) I'll be headed back to my home away from home. So, I thought, what better way to say good-bye to summer than to offer up an AWESOME back to school giveaway! So here it is! One lucky winner will receive a copy of ALL of my Old Lady Swallowed... companion sets. There are 10 individual sets in all (I have them bundled by season: fall - books, bat, leaves, pie; winter - bell, snow; spring/summer - rose, clover, chick, shell).   To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter info listed below. Entries will be accepted beginning 07/29/2013 12:00 a.m, through 08/03/2013 12:00 a.m. CST. Good luck, and WELCOME back to school!

Here is a link to my TPT store to check out all of the individual sets!

Mindy Stenger - TpT Store Site

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A quiet week. Oh, just wait!

It's been almost a whole week since I've posted anything. School's getting ready to start back up so I took a much needed break away from things for a few days. I have, however, been working on getting some new companion packets created...be on the look out for those. Don't forget to follow my TpT store (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mindy-Stenger) and like me on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheSpeechBucket). Who knows when a Back to School Sale might get started?!?

Enjoy!

The Old Lady is at it again...

This time she's swallowing books? This is a great book to pull out for the beginning of the school year. Again, I've created a language companion pack to go along with the story! Included in this packet are activities that target sequencing, story retell/comprehension, basic language concepts, following directions, and more. Click on the link below to find this packet on my TpT site.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books - Language Packet

Pages 2 – 10 targets story sequencing. The larger pictures (pages 2-5) can be used for a classroom story board, or for individual students/small group sequencing tasks. The smaller pictures (pages 6-10) are combined with worksheets for each student to complete with guidance, independently, or with a small group. The students can cut out the pictures and/or words, sequence the story, re-tell it, and take it home. Parents would love to hear and see the story that you read with their kids during school! (Note: these activities are differentiated, so they can be used with a variety of students).

Pages 11 – 12 targets story comprehension (and identifying the types of questions being asked - what, where, who, how). The first set (page 11) 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 12) was made with picture supports. Each question has a choice of three responses (1 correct; 2 foil).

Pages 13 – 14 targets picture identification and negation (is it a school supply, or NOT a school supply?). There are two game boards.  One has pictures and directions written out for you; the other is blank and you can use it as you’d like.

Pages 15 – 17 include a picture “BINGO” game…although you don’t need to call out the BINGO letters for this one! Give each student a card (pages 15-16) and have them listen to the items being called (you can call the item by name, or you can call an item by function e.g., “this is something we can write with”). If they cover 5 pictures they WIN! Page 17 can be used for a variety of things – you can cut out and place each picture card in a bucket (or paper bag), draw out one picture at a time, and have your students place a marker on their board as you call out the pictures. Or you can use this board as a receptive identification board for item and/or function (“show me the…”, or “point to the one we write with”), or as an expressive vocabulary board (What is this?))

Pages 18 – 19 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 - “My favorite thing about school is…” On the second page, the following writing prompt is provided – “My school is the best school because…”

My students love the Old Lady sets, and I know yours will too! (If you’d like to see more pictures or get more information – visit my blog at http://thespeechbucket.blogspot.com)

Enjoy!