Finals Week

This week is final exam week, and I must admit that I am excited that it is my last final exam week ever! It is a great feeling. Unfortunately, I have some papers I need to write, and I need to focus on graduation (on Friday!), so I am going to have to take a small break from this blog. I am sorry to say that I will not be back for about two weeks (hey, I gotta enjoy my break), so please check out the other blogs I have listed on my Favorite Blogs list on the left-hand side of this page.

I just want to say thanks to all of my followers! I have plans to upload a camping barrier game and some summer speech and language activities when I come back!

Materials Monday - Behavior Chart

Dealing with bad behavior is a difficult part of working in the schools. At some point or another, every child on your caseload will probably display bad behavior of some sort. When I was an undergrad, I was working with a student (2nd grade) who had a hard time staying on task and remembering to use good behavior. I really struggled until I found a system that worked great for him. I have decided to share it with you in hopes that it can work for your students, too!

All I am uploading is a really simple behavior chart. I'm sure most of you have your own behavior plans, but maybe this one can give you some different ideas.

How it worked best for my student was if at the end of the session he followed all of the rules on the chart, then he would get a sticker. If at the end of the week (I only saw him a few days a week) he had stars all across the board, then he would get to choose the game (from a selection of three that I pre-approved) at the end of that session (crocodile dentist, Uno, fish game, etc.). 

Check out the picture below:

What do you think? Is this something you could use during therapy? If so, download it by the link below!

Behavior Chart

How do you eliminate/prevent bad behavior in the classroom? What works best for you?

Feel free to leave a comment and/or share this page with a friend!

Smart Apps for Kids Giveaway

Smart Apps for Kids is giving away a fantastic app. They are giving away four copies of Articulation Station. The giveaway ends in 8 days, so enter soon!

Check out Smart Apps for Kids on Facebook here.

A fellow SLP also reviewed this great application. Check it out here.

This seems like a great app for articulation. It's regular price is about $50 from the iTunes store, but you can get it for free if you enter in the giveaway!

Have fun!

Materials Monday - Pirate Unit

Arrrrr ye ready to be walkin' the plank there, matey?

Okay, so that was my best impression of a pirate. Good thing this isn't a video blog because my pirate voice really needs some work.

This Materials Monday features a lot of activities that have to do with pirates. I love pirates. I love the pirate theme, and all school children that I know love pirates just as much as I do.

Most of the activities included in this blog post could be used to target similar goals. However, the point of this is to give people a lot of options, so while you can target prepositions during the barrier game activity, I also uploaded a separate prepositions activity that focuses simply on prepositions (plus, the pictures are bigger). That way you don't have to bother downloading and printing the barrier game if you only want to target prepositions.

1. The first activity I am featuring is the Pirate Barrier Game. This barrier game is played just like any other barrier game. It allows you to target a bunch of speech and language goals (for example - following directions, describing pictures, articulation, prepositions, etc.)

Pirate Barrier Game picture - shows all materials included in the download.

Most SLPs know what to do with a barrier game, but for those of you who don't have much experience using an activity like this, I'll describe what you should do.

First, print all of the pages (except the title page of course) and laminate everything. You will want two copies (or more) of this activity. Then select the background you want. I included the plain blue to be water and the brown is similar to the side or deck of the ship. You could even cut these pictures to create your own background (if you're extremely creative and want to create a landscape, then hey, share it with me). 

Next, cut all of the pictures out. You'll want to give each student playing (or if you do this activity with one student then you should be the one to play along) their own copy of the pictures and background.

Finally, target whatever language or artic concept you want. Have the child following directions and place each picture wherever you instruct him/her to. Use prepositions, describing words, etc. I included some pictures that are the same except for a color or a gender so that the children can learn to be more specific. Then have the child tell you where to place your pictures! Make sure you compare both of your pictures at the end to make sure they match up!

2. The next activity is the I Have, Who Has? Pirate game. Now I did not use a template for this, so I do apologize in advance if the pictures don't line up as they print out. You should print these out front/back so that one side has the I Have pictures and the backside has the Who Has pictures. The printing worked with my printer, so I hope no one has any issues with this.

3. My third activity is a Pirate Prepositions activity. Look at the picture below for the instructions:

Now obviously you can target prepositions during the barrier game activity (as I mentioned above), but this activity is more focused on only prepositions (and I suppose following directions). The same clip art is included but with only five or six (?) pictures that are bigger in size.

4. My fourth activity is the Articulation Pirate Coins activity. Now this took a long time to complete but only because I wanted provide you all with ALL of the phonemes that you need. That is why I took the poll two weeks ago.

Example of /r/ articulation coins.

Included in the download is phonemes /r/ and /l/, /k/ and /g/, /s/ and /z/, /f/ and /v/, and "sh", "th", and "ch". Of course at the end is two pages of blank coins so that you can create your own artic cards or activities using these coins.

Simply use these coins and a treasure box. You can have the student pick their coins out of the treasure box and say the word a specific number of times, use it in a sentence, rhyme, etc, or you can place all of the coins in front of the student and have him/her place the coin in the treasure box once they successfully completed their turn.

5. My next activity is a Language Treasure Hunt activity. This targets following directions, WH-questions, and describing things. The instructions are included in the download, but I'll highlight them below.

6. My last activity is a game board activity. It's called Cannonball Craze! It is great to use during a therapy session during drill or when using those old picture cards. It's pretty fun, too! Yes, you will need some little pieces to play with, but you can use just about anything (old Monopoly pieces, Sorry pieces, scraps of colored paper, etc.).

Note: ALL of the clip art used in these activities is from Scrappin Doodles! Check them out!

Now, some of the materials do require additional materials. I know for the artic coins activity and the language treasure hunt activity you should have a treasure chest/box (depending on how you use these materials). I found this (click) great treasure box from Oriental Trading for $4.25 for a dozen. Then you would have a bunch of small treasure boxes for future pirate-themed materials (or even a child's birthday party).

Example of treasure box from Oriental Trading.

Also, I was working with some students on turn-taking skills, and we would often play a simple board game to target this goal. We would obviously work on describing the board game pictures, and I would ask the students to tell me how to play the board game (after we had played it a few times before) for sequencing skills. Amazon.com has a great pirate board game. It's called Pirate-Opoly. I haven't had a chance to play this game yet, but the reviews on Amazon are promising.

Finally, Speech Room News featured some pirate activities a few weeks ago. Head on over there and see what Jenna cooked up!

Download all of the freebies here:
Articulation Pirate Coins
Cannonball Craze Board Game
I Have, Who Has Pirate Game
Language Treasure Hunt
Pirate Barrier Game
Pirate Prepositions

Note: Please be patient as these documents load. Some documents (especially the articulation pirate coins download) is extremely big, so it will take some time to load.

Please leave a comment or share this page with a friend! What do you like on this page? What else should I create with the pirate theme? Are there any additional activities I should create? Let me know!

Application Giveaway

I have a free code to give away an app today. I will be giving away an app by @Reks called Memory Game Spelling Words.

Check out the app here for more information.

Do you think you could use this app? Then enter to win the free code. Follow the instructions below.

1. Like Let's Talk Speech-Language Pathology on Facebook. You can find the Facebook page here.

AND

2. Leave a comment on the Facebook page OR on this blog post stating why you want this app and who you would use it with.

The comment with the best answer will be selected by Monday at 8:00 PM. If you leave a comment on Facebook, then I will message you the free code. If you choose to leave a comment on this blog post, either leave your email address with your comment, or check by on Monday at 8:00 to see if you won!

Hurry! Time is running out! :)

Fish Game

I have decided to post another free download today! Today I'm sharing with you the Fish Game (yeah, I don't have a special or fun name for it, so feel free to rename it if you would like). I came across a game similar to this when I was completing my observation hours for ASHA years ago, so I decided to recreate it using my own pictures and ideas.

Check out photo below for the instructions:

There are three fish in the game: rainbow fish, goldfish, and sharks.

Example of Rainbow Fish

Example of Goldfish - I love how lazy and calm they look!

Example of Sharks

The game is so simple. It's great to play this after a session of drill or even taking turns after each student does their work. However you want to play it is up to you! I usually like to play games like these at the end of sessions (last 5 minutes) so that we can all concentrate on our work during therapy.

Here is how the scoring works. Counting is always good for school-age children. :)

Feel free to download this game here: Fish Game

Like this game? Feel free to leave a comment or share this page with a friend! How do you plan to use this game in your therapy sessions?

Materials Monday - Pronoun Campers

I've been working on developing my theme schedule for next year, and that has been hard to do since I don't know where I'm going to be placed. I'm working on quite a few activities related to a pirate theme, and I will soon focus on camping and summer (in May/June).

I really try to upload all of my theme materials and activities at one time, but I just can't do that if I'm going to be uploading free materials every week. Look forward to next Monday when I upload a bunch of materials that are pirate-themed! Today I bring to you a pronouns activity.

He is fishing. She is fishing.

This activity does has a camping theme, but you could honestly use these pronouns cards the whole year.

The instructions:
1. Print and laminate all materials. Note: You could print each picture twice to have a larger selection of pictures, put them all in a pile, and mix them up. Repeat cards encourages correct productions!
2. Cut the cards apart (in half).
3. Place 1 card in the front of your student and ask him/her to read the card aloud using the correct pronoun.

This activity targets he, she, and they. In my sessions I do also target "it" and "I", but I did not have the correct clip art for "it", and "I" is quite difficult to target using cards. I plan to create a further activity to target the difference between "I" and "me" and using these correctly.

Included in the download is 16 cards to target "he" and "she" and 6 cards to target "they".

The clip art was taken from Scrappin Doodles!

He is eating a marshmallow. She is eating a marshmallow.

They are roasting marshmallows. They are chopping logs.

Grab the freebie! Camping Pronouns Activity

Note: Please be patient as it loads. The clip art takes a little while to load on google docs.

As always, please leave a comment or share this page with a friend if you decide to grab the free download!

How do you target pronouns in therapy? Feel free to share your ideas here!

Poll - Language

I would like to thank everyone who voted in my previous poll. Check out the poll results on the right side of the page. There were 56 people who voted in the poll, and I can honestly say that I was not surprised with the results. It seems like many of you are targeting the harder sounds - /r/ and /l/, /s/ and /z/, and "th", "sh", and "ch". This knowledge will help me as I continue to create activities in the future.

I have uploaded a new poll on the right side of the page. It is a language poll. This asks you to select your most common language goal/area that is targeted in the school amongst your language students. What do you work on most frequently - following directions, inferencing, categories, etc.?

You can only select one answer during this poll. I know it may be hard, but just choose the best answer you can.

The poll is scheduled to close on Saturday, April 14 at 8:00 PM so get your vote in soon!

Thanks everyone!

As always, if I forgot to include an answer in my poll choices (as I am sure I did), then leave a comment or e-mail me!

Free Unus Tactus Promo Code - Contest

Who's in the mood for a contest for a free giveaway of the application Unus Tactus? I recently reviewed this application, so check it out here!

I was contacted by the developer of this app, and she is giving away a free copy of Unus Tactus.

Here are the rules:

1. First you must "like" Unus Tactus' Facebook page. Here is the page!

2. Next, leave a comment/story on Unus Tactus' Facebook page and write about a loved one who could really use and deserves this application.

3. Finally, tell your friends to "like" your story on Unus Tactus' Facebook page. The story with the most likes will win a code!

Note: The only way a like on a story/comment will count is if the person first "likes" Unus Tactus and then "likes" the story.

All stories must be submitted by April 14 and voting is closed on April 21. The promo code will be given out on April 23.

Good luck to everyone! I will be voting on my favorite stories, so make sure you submit yours before April 14!

Unus Tactus App Review

I was recently contacted by the developer of a new application called Unus Tactus, and she asked me if I could do an app review on her application. Of course I agreed, so I present to you Unus Tactus.

*Please note that while the developer did ask me to write a review, all these thoughts are my own and are not influenced by the developer.

Unus Tactus is an application that has T.L.C. or Touch.Locate.Call.

This application was developed for individuals of all ages with mild cognitive and/or motor impairments, and it allows them to easily use a cell phone without having to press a bunch of different buttons.

This is a view of the application with one contact entered (no I did not add a pic of myself, but you do have the option to add a picture of the contact).

You have the option to create new contacts by importing them from your contacts list or creating a contact manually. For individuals with impairments, it would be best if a caregiver set this up first.

This is the "add a contact" screen. As you can see, it is extremely easy to input information. You just put in the contacts first and last name, phone and email information, and select a photo. Finally click "save" to save the information. Then it will look like picture #1 once it is saved!

At the bottom of the main page of the application, there is a large, red HELP button. I was curious as to what this button did, so I selected it. This is what it showed:

It is simply a button the individual can press if they need their caregiver's help. All you have to do is enter the emergency contact information from the settings screen (see picture below), and the application will call the emergency contact person immediately once the button is pressed.

This is the settings screen. You can input the individual's information as well as the emergency contact information. You can also turn on the button below the emergency contact information that will send the emergency contact an email every time a phone call is made from that phone (even to people other than the emergency contact). 

So what happens if you enter a contact but their information changes? Don't fret! You can edit every contact by selecting the "edit" button on the upper left corner of the main page of the application. Your screen would look like this:

You can tell it is the edit screen because the background turns black instead of white. Then you simply select which contact you would like to edit and click done.

The application also has a Geofence Alert. This alert will send emails to the emergency contact when every phone call is made and includes a map location of the phone. This alert can be turned on or off depending on the user and can also be configured to a specific radius. You can change the radius to 1 mi, 3 mi, 5 mi, 10 mi, or 15 mi, so there is obviously a huge range that the user can choose depending on their individual preferences. 

Some pros of this application:

1. It is extremely easy to use. It's easy to import contacts, change settings, turn alerts on and off, and use the application.

2. You can input an unlimited number of contacts.

3. The application features both a picture and a name display of each contact so that if an individual is unable to read, they can still use the application by viewing pictures.

4. The emergency HELP button is fantastic and easy to use.

5. Automatic email alerts (if the user chooses) including location information (google maps) are sent to the emergency contact with each outgoing phone call.

Cons to the application:

1. The only con I can think of is the app requires a lot from a caregiver to get everything set up and get it ready to use. Set up isn't so easy that an individual with moderate motor impairments could do it by themselves, so it is fairly dependent on a caregiver. However, use of the application itself is simple, and I suspect that an individual with moderate motor impairments could use it independently.

This seems like an extremely useful application overall. I would highly recommend it for individuals with cognitive and/or motor impairments. This would be a great app to use for those clients with Dementia, Parkinson's disease, TBI, etc.

The application is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, as well as the iPod Touch (3rd gen) and the iPad (but obviously you cannot make calls from these last two devices).

It's also only $9.99 from the app store! What an amazing price for such a great app!

Check it out here!

Have any of you used this application before? If so, what do you think about it?

Materials Monday - WH-Questions Rain Clouds

It's another Materials Monday! It's officially spring, and Easter is right around the corner.

I created an activity that focuses on "Wh" questions. I know a lot of school-aged children have difficulty with "Wh" questions, so I created a little game that targets all of the "Wh" questions - who, what, where, when, and why.

Take a look at my "Wh" Questions Rainclouds!

The activity is fairly simple. The instructions are on the second page of the download, but I'll highlight them here for you. See below for the instructions.

As you can see, it's pretty easy to play. You can play using the suns and the lightning bolts or with just the rain drops.

So start out by placing the rainclouds on the board or in front of your group of students.

Then put all of the raindrops, lightning bolts, and suns in a baggie, or give each student an equal number of raindrops if you decide to play without the suns and lightning bolts.

Example of lightning bolts.

Example of suns.

I hope you enjoy this freebie! I'm also working on a more versatile freebie that is similar to this game. I have so many ideas running through my head (not to mention I was up until 1 AM working on some of this stuff), so I'll probably be posting some freebies throughout the week. I'm just too excited to wait!

Download the item: WH-Questions Activity

Feel free to leave a comment or share this page with someone if you decide to download!

Poll - Articulation

I created a poll (on the right side of the page) to determine what phonemes you all target the most in the schools. I think this will make creating materials easier so that I can supply you all with what you need!

You CAN select more than one answer.

The poll will close on Saturday, April 7 at 5:00 PM. Get your votes in quick!

Also, if you have an answer that I have not provided in the poll options, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail (this can be found in my About Me section at the top of the blog).

Thanks!

Updated: April 8 at 10:40 PM - The results are in! It seems like many of you are targeting the difficult phonemes.

/r/ and /l/ - 46 (82%)
/k/ and /g/ - 29 (51%)
/t/ and /d/ - 1 (1%)
/m/, /n/, and /ng/ - 0
/b/ and /p/ - 0
"th", "sh", and "ch" - 34 (60%)
/s/ and /z/ - 40 (71%)
/f/ and /v/ - 13 (23%)