Tag Archives : Theme Based Lessons

Winter Land: English/Language Arts Activities

Hello there. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a nice weekend and was able to spend time with my precious niece that was born last Monday. I also had time to finalize my newest speech-language therapy/educational resource: Winter Land: English/Language Arts (ELA)Activities that is available in my TPT online store here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Land-EnglishLanguage-Arts-Activities-1057356

 

There are two levels of English/Language Arts vocabulary categorization cards included in this activity. The first is the basic level that targets Tier I or everyday vocabulary words. The second is Tier III or ELA curriculum specific vocabulary words that students are required to learn in elementary school such as types of sentences, parts of speech, and types of literature. There are a total of 32 vocabulary questions cards included. 

Winter Word Associations

I cannot believe that December 2013 is already here. I still remember celebrating on New Year’s Eve and beginning my year quest of writing down experiences that I am grateful for. I have slacked off on recording those lately though and need to write down a few more things!  

Oral and Written Story Retell: Turkey Trouble

This year, I discovered a new fiction book, Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. It is an excellent book that is perfect for students to practice retelling stories in speech language therapy lessons, special education resource classrooms, or regular education classrooms as well. 

Today, three of my groups did a picture walk with the story by looking at the pictures to gather ideas about what the story would be about. Then, we listened to the audio book and each student had their own book to actively engage in the story as it was read aloud. Next, I asked questions about the story and modeled orally retelling the story. After that, each student had a chance to verbally retell the story by expressing the characters, setting, sequential events, and why the main character did certain actions in the story. 

This is a captivating story about a turkey on Farmer Jake’s farm who disguises himself in different animal costumes in an attempt to not be captured, slaughtered, and cooked for Thanksgiving Dinner. There is a delightful end of the story that you will have to read for yourself! 

Here is a picture of my students actively writing their story summaries after practicing their oral summaries. 

I played classical music while they wrote and they were truly working with minimal need for redirection. I was pleasantly surprised that I had 1 group of students with Mild Autism and 2 groups of students with SLI and SLD actively engaged in writing in my speech language classroom! With my ASD morning group, I wrote a written summary while they wrote as well. I believe that it is important to model all expected tasks for students to increase their task initiation and successful completion.

Here’s a picture of the summary I wrote this morning. 

This was definitely an awesome lesson! On their next session this week, they will complete a turkey arts and craft activity on the other side of their summaries. I am going to make copies of their completed work to keep as a work sample. They will get to take their original home for further oral language practice at home …hopefully when they share with their family. 

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Tamara

Fall Snapshots in the Speech Language Therapy Room

This fall season, I created a game board to use with a multiple meanings (homographs) vocabulary lesson and it was an instant hit in my therapy room. My students have asked to play this game repeatedly over the past several weeks. I used the game board included in my multiple meanings unit and cut out the individual pictures to create a larger board. 

I used this with the multiple choice questions in my language unit as well as a variety of other speech-language questions to target the specific skills that my groups needed to practice. My students took turns answering questions and rolling the dice to move along the game board. Here is a snapshot of 18 out of 30 questions included in this part of the unit.  

Here is a snapshot of the multiple meanings mats that my students used to match vocabulary cards with the correct definitions. I modified this game by placing all the matching mats on the table and then my students took turns selecting a word and searched for the correct definition to place the card on. My students enjoyed playing this as a scavenger hunt activity as they had to take their time to skillfully read the definitions on various mats to find the correct match. I assisted them with orally decoding words that were
difficult for them. I was pleased to see my students improve their independence
with this activity after the initial time implemented in a language therapy
session. 

You can find this resource here in my TPT store available for purchase: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Themed-Multiple-Meanings-Vocabulary-Homographs-919412

Wrapping Up October!! Fall SLP/Language Arts Lessons

Whoa! I have been extremely BUSY in the month of October so much so that this is my first post! Yikes! Not to worry because that will change after I finish my graduate degree program for my Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction. I have 3 more weeks of assignments and then graduation on December 14th! I cannot wait!!

In my speech language therapy sessions, several of my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students have been working on multiple meaning words and attributes activities. Initially, they need visual and verbal cues to help them correctly answer the questions that I ask. It is easiest for them to demonstrate that they understand multiple meaning vocabulary when I ask them multiple choice questions and more difficult when I ask them to use the words in  two different sentences to convey the correct meanings. 

I created 2 additional fall themed products to improve my students vocabulary knowledge and expression. The first targets multiple meanings words. I decided to create three different activities with homographs vocabulary because my speech-language students tend to have the most difficulty with those terms. 

The 3 activities in this learning packet are perfect for differentiated instruction during speech-language therapy groups or language arts lessons. There is a multiple choice activity with 30 homograph questions that require students to identify the correct meaning of the underlined word.This is best used with the included fall themed board game. 

Students may also play a matching game to correctly identify 60 target multiple meaning words with the corresponding definitions. The students should be given “matching mats” that has the written meanings. Then, they take turns selecting words from the table and deciding if the word matches the definition on their mat. The student who finds all the matches for his or her mat wins the game.  

The third activity included are 30 homograph vocabulary cards. First, the SLP or teacher should guide students with verbally stating 2 sentences using the given words to convey the 2 meanings. After that, students may play a memory game to solidify their 
receptive/expressive vocabulary knowledge. 

Students with language disorders, language based learning disabilities, and general education students benefit greatly from direct instruction of multiple meanings vocabulary, especially homographs. Because these words have the same spelling (e.g. light, state, pass), students often have difficulty recalling the correct meaning in the appropriate language context. 

This resource is available in my TPT online store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Themed-Multiple-Meanings-Vocabulary-Homographs-919412

The other resource is great for students with oral language difficulties because it gives them an opportunity to orally define fall themed vocabulary and curriculum vocabulary. Students are provided an attributes cue card to help them orally define the vocabulary. The SLP or teacher can also read the included definitions and have students receptively identify the terms as well.  This is available in my TPT online store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Themed-Attributes-Academic-VocabularyIdentification-Oral-Definitions-938440

Thanks for stopping by! ~Tamara 

Fall Word Associations

Last week, the weather here in Atlanta finally began to cool off a little bit. In the mornings, the temperature has been in the 50’s or 60’s and then warms up to 70’s and 80’s. I am sure for those of you that live more in the north the weather is much cooler than that. Anyhow, the leaves are already beginning to change around here and the colors are anticipated to be the most beautiful in late October to the beginning of November. 

My students and I look forward to the change of seasons because it also means a new theme in my speech language therapy classroom!! Yeah!! I have already displayed a few of my fall themed books such as:

Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie by Herman Parish and Lynne Avril    Grades Pre K – 1

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro   Grades K-3

A is for Autumn by Robert Maas   Grades K-2

Home-Field Advantage by Justin Tuck (great football/family theme as well) Grades K-3

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson  Grades Pre K- 3

Fancy Nancy: Our Thanksgiving Banquet by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser       Grades K-3

I often like to start my seasonal themed units with a word associations activity to get my students thinking about related vocabulary words. I love this activity because it allows my students to freely think of words they associate with the season of Fall. I always let them know that it is okay that everyone does not have the same answers. In fact, I encourage them to think of different answers than those shared by their classmates. 

Here is a preview of my Fall Word Associations activity with photographs that I took. The pictures on the cover page are from my back yard about 2 years ago! I love photographs because they capture so many memories. I hope your students enjoy this activity to jump start the season!

Back to School Word Associations Freebie!!!

Hey everyone! This past week I returned from an awesome vacation in Cancun, Mexico. Here’s a picture of Chichen Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world!!

Here’s a picture of me in front of one of the Mayan ruins, Tulum. 

Upon checking my mail when I got home, I noticed the usual “back to school” greeting letter from the principal at the elementary school where I work. You know the letter, the one saying how much we are missed at school and how the administrative staff are anxiously awaiting our return because they are eager to start the school year or perhaps it is just too quiet during the summer. Well, that’s when it hit me that my summer vacation is pretty much over. 

In my school district, I return to work this Wednesday, July 31st and have 5 preplanning days. Students return to school on Wednesday, August 7th. As my summer vacation is still a very present and pleasant memory, I allowed this information to abruptly sink in. In anticipation of this, I created a Back to School Word Association Freebie prior to leaving for my trip to gently ease myself into the reality of returning to work. Don’t get me wrong, I love love love my job as a SLP!!  However, the summer always goes by way too fast. Anyhow, I often enjoy teaching my students about word associations because it is a great way to address vocabulary, memory, and overall receptive/expressive language skills at the same time. 

The Back to School Word Associations learning packet is ideal for students in kindergarten-third grade and targets 20 school related vocabulary words. I suggest doing a brief mini-lesson to introduce the concept of word associations before using the activity materials. Explain to your students that word associations are words that go together or are related by category, function, part/whole, synonyms, antonyms, etc and that today they will practice words that are related because they are in the same category of  “Back to School.” The purpose of the activity is to allow each student in a speech-language group or language arts/literacy center to name 2-3 word associations for each target word. Here’s a preview of this packet. 

You can get this freebie in my Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) online store by clicking the link here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Word-Associations-775946

If you want more information about the importance of teaching word associations click the link here to read one of my previous blog entries: https://www.buildingsuccessfullives.com/?p=116   

As always, thanks for visiting my page today. Check back soon for some language therapy giveaways!! 

Tamara Anderson, M.S., CCC-SLP   

SLP Back to Work This Week! 

Summer Freebie!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. I am having a great time. I have done some traveling and decided to create another beach themed language activity. One of the best parts of this activity is that it’s a freebie that is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) online store. I know that we all work so hard throughout the school year and also in private practice with our students and clients. I want to reward you all with an activity that will be useful and visually appealing.

One of my favorite places to visit during the summer is Ormond Beach, Florida that is located on the east coast, a little north of Daytona Beach and south of Flagler Beach. While there, I saw a caravan of “Monster Trucks” and decided to capture the moment. I thought, “wow, my boy students would love to see these photographs!!” Hence, I created Beach Themed Monster Trucks-Synonyms & Antonyms to target comprehension and verbal expression of the specific vocabulary listed.  As you other speech-language pathologists know, direct vocabulary instruction is essential for our students with language disorders who struggle with developing their vocabulary. They require a lot of drill and repetition as well as naturalistic ways to practice identifying and communicating key vocabulary words. Addressing vocabulary in speech-language therapy or language arts/literacy lessons is critical to increasing students’ communication, language, and overall academic development. 

You can check out more details about this product at: 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beach-Themed-Monster-Trucks-Synonyms-Antonyms-774872

Enjoy the remainder of the summer!! I have exactly 1 week left before I return to work full-time! I can not believe my summer break is coming to an end. 

Tamara Anderson
SLP on Summer Break!! 

Beach Themed Multiple Meanings Memory Activity

One of my favorite places to go during the spring and summer is the BEACH!! I love the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the shore, the smell of the salt air, the feel of the sea breeze, and even the sand beneath my feet. I created a fun resource using photographs of some of my travels to Key Biscayne, Florida (Bill Braggs State Park); Ormond Beach, Florida; Dunnedin, Florida (Honeymoon Island State Park); Ocala, Florida. 

This is a fun activity for use by speech language pathologists who are working in private practice in the summer, teachers instructing students in summer school, or as a back to school activity for teachers/SLPs to help students practice multiple meanings vocabulary. The purpose of this learning game is to increase students’ short term memory, working memory, and receptive/expressive vocabulary knowledge. 

Students will take turns looking for matches of homophone and homograph pairs. If they get a match, they get another turn. There are a total of 40 matches. I recommend that you divide the cards into a homophone set that has 20 matches and a homograph set that has 20 matches. At the end of the game, have students use their vocabulary matches in sentences to correctly convey the multiple meanings. There are 2 ways to win the game. The player who has the most matches as well as the player that can correctly communicate the greatest amount of his or her homophone/homograph pairs in sentences. 

This is available for purchase at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Beach-Themed-Multiple-Meanings-Memory-Activity-716732

Thanks for your support, 


Tamara Anderson, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist on Summer Break! 

Basketball Challenge- Speech, Language, and Academic Skills

Wow! I can’t believe it’s June already. I am thankful to have completed another successful school year. My summer break started 2 weeks ago. Hooray! The last 2 months of school was quite busy with the usual tasks of group speech-language therapy sessions, testing students, IEP meetings, special education team meetings, staff meetings, committee meetings, and tons of paperwork/computer work. Let’s not forget our beloved high stakes CRCT, the state test here in Georgia. Among all those important and urgent activities, I made a deliberate effort that my students have fun while learning and practicing their speech and language skills in my therapy classroom.

I am pleased to share with you one of my newest resources that I created and used with my students during the months of April and May. The Basketball Challenge-Speech, Language, and Academic Skills is an awesome interactive activity that kept my students engaged during their 30 minute speech-language therapy sessions. I primarily used my English/Language Arts Common Core Vocabulary questions (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/4th-Grade-EnglishLanguage-Arts-Common-Core-Standards-Vocabulary-652220) with this activity. Here is how to play this basketball challenge. Most of my groups have 4 students, so they would divide into 2 teams, and select a name for their team.

I would write the name on the statistics sheet shown here.

Then, they would choose a basketball player.

I would place the basketball court and 2 nets on the table.

I would then place all the basketballs face down on the table.

Each student took turns answering a learning question, then they would pick up a basketball, dribble the ball to the net, and shoot the ball. It was the luck of the draw if they would get 1 point, 2 points, or 3 points.

During the game, I recorded the number of basketball points each student earned and the number of learning points they earned by answering questions correctly on the statistics sheet.

The game would end when their speech-language therapy session time was over. I would then calculate the accuracy percentage for answering their speech, language, and academic questions.

My students were so excited to see if their team won the game and also what individual player had the most basketball points and learning points.

This activity is definitely a win-win for both the students and the SLP. You can purchase it here to use with your students: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Basketball-Challenge-Speech-Language-and-Academic-Skills-717131

Thanks for visiting my page today!! I will have several new posts and therapy/educational products available next school year.

Tamara Anderson, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist on Summer Break!