TenseBuilder App Review & Giveaway!

I knew when I heard about the new app TenseBuilder that I had to try it and review it. TenseBuilder is an app created by Mobile Education Store that targets grammar and verbs!

The first page you will see when you open TenseBuilder is the settings page. This page allows you to create individual profiles for your students, determine if you want to use audio instructions and correct and reinforcement during the session, as well as decide if you want the app to keep correct answer data during the session. You can also choose between two levels of play, the number of choices provided to the student when playing level 2, the specific tense and verb that you want the student to focus on, as well as the lesson type (long or short). I will explain more about these individual sections.

One great part of the app is it allows you to select specific verbs to work on. See the picture below to see some choices. If you want the student to work on any/all verbs, then select the "all" button!

Level 1 and Level 2 Play:

Both level 1 and level 2 play have animations. The animations are colorful and captivating to students. Each individual animation targets a specific verb. Look at the picture below. This is an example of an animation (only paused for the picture) and it is targeting the verb "draw".

Once the animation ends, the student can select from an array of pictures the correct answer. The audio instructions will ask a question like "Which picture below shows "the girl is drawing a picture". The picture below is an example of a picture/question from Level 1 play. Level 2 play is a bit more complicated.

Level 2 play asks the student to select the correct verb from a specified number of choices (you can choose the maximum number of choices for this level on the settings page). See the picture below.

The student is instructed to drag the correct verb to the sentence. The audio instructions will say the word as it is being dragged. Then, the audio instructions will say the entire sentence using the word the student selected. The student can then choose "completed/submit" to submit his or her response.

Lessons:

When a student gets an answer wrong, a lesson will play to tell the student WHY he or she got that answer wrong. You can choose to have a long or a short lesson on the settings page. A long lesson will describe each individual tense (future, present, past) and show the specific verbs that accompany those tenses. The short lesson does not go into each individual tense but instead shows the verb and tense that the student selected and describes why that tense in incorrect for that sentence. See below for an example of a long lesson.

The long lesson will describe each individual tense:

Keeping Data:

One great pro for the app is it keeps data for you. If you look at the bottom of the app screen, you will see a page called "Stats". This is where you can access the data for each individual student. I love this because it gives you the option of emailing the data which is great for when parents and/or teachers want updates on a student!

Recording Sentences:

Something else I really like about the app is it allows students to record sentences. After the student selects the correct choice after being prompted a question, the student has a choice to record the sentence using the correct verb. You do not have to record the sentence, but it is a nice option to have.

All of the records are saved in the "archive" section of the app. You can find this section right next to the "Stats" section. The archive allows you to play a sentence, share the sentence (again, awesome), or delete the sentence.

Overall I think this is a really great app for working on verbs. I love that you can select individual verbs to work on or work on any verb. You can select a specific tense which is great for students working on individual tenses. You can also target other grammatical forms using this app! I would highly recommend this app to anyone working on grammar and verb goals!

TenseBuilder is available at the iTunes Store for $14.99!


Giveaway:

Mobile Education Store was also nice enough to provide me with two copies to give away! Enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Online Speech Therapy Webinar Information

Has everyone seen those commercials on TV talking about online schools for K-8 grade (and higher, I think)? I've seen these, and that has caused me to about my future in the SLP career as a school speech-language pathologist. I can eventually see everything happening online, which would drastically change what I do in the schools. I was contacted by Catherine from PresenceLearning. She told me that they are having an online little webinar to discuss online speech therapy for these students. I wanted to share this information with you all in case you're interested in attending this webinar.

From Catherine:

Every month PresenceLearning hosts free interactive webinars under the "SPED Ahead" series to provide a forum for speech-language pathologists, aspiring SLPs, and parents to discuss the latest innovations in the field.

This week, PresenceLearning is hosting their latest webinar, "Online Speech Therapy for Virtual School Students: When, Where and How?", and I'd like to invite you and your readers to attend and participate in the discussion. 

About the Webinar: Online Speech Therapy for Virtual School Students: When, Where and How

• Date: Thursday, September 27th, 2012
• Time: 1-2 pm ET (10-11 am PT)
• Cost: No Charge
• These webinars are interactive and all participants are encouraged to submit any questions they may have. 
• Registration Link 

Major Talking Points: 

• What are the benefits and limitations of SLP telepractice?
• What are the roles and responsibilities of the special ed administrator, the SLP, teachers, and other virtual school personnel in relation to telepractice?
• How effective is online speech therapy?  

Additional Information: 

• To help promote the webinar on your blog, I have attached a call-to-action asset with all the details. 
• If you'd like to feature a recap of the webinar on your blog, please let me know and I'd be happy to assist. 
• "SPED Ahead" Webinar Channel - Video recaps of past webinars - Enjoy! 
• PresenceLearning Website
• Follow @PresenceLearn on Twitter
• "Like" PresenceLearning on Facebook

If you decide to attend this webinar, please let me know what you think of it! I will be unable to attend unfortunately because my school is very strict about internet access, but I am hoping to receive some information from Catherine regarding the webinar.

I hope some of you find this useful! What do you think about our future as school SLPs?

Materials Monday - GTKY Cootie Catcher

I have a fun freebie to share with you today! It's a get to know you cootie catcher, and my preschoolers just love it! I'm still getting to know some of my preschoolers (okay, I'm still just meeting some of my preschoolers), so this is a fun way to get to know some of those new kids on your caseload!

The cootie catcher that I use was actually already there when I moved into the school's speech room. I just loved the idea so much that I had to create my own and share it with all of you!

The instructions on how to fold the cootie catcher are on the download.

The goal is basically just to get your kids talking! Observe their speech and language. What do they need work on? What goals have they met?

You can also target a lot of goals by doing this activity! Ask them to name the colors, describe the pictures, answer WH-questions, expand sentences/MLU, etc.

Download it here: GTKY Cootie Catcher

I got this cootie catcher template from www.downloadablecootiecatchers.wordpress.com.

Enjoy!

Bucket Fillers in the Speech Room

Carrie from Carrie's Speech Corner is bringing us a great post about using bucket fillers in the speech room! She has some wonderful ideas! Take it away, Carrie! :)

Bucket Fillers in the Speech Room

Ah, Fall!  My favorite time of year! The time of year when the weather turns cool, when pumpkin spice coffee makes its triumphant return!  Fall brings apple and pumpkin picking, corn mazes, and hayrides.  Most importantly, fall brings a fresh crop of new faces into our schools and speech rooms! 

You may be planning your lessons based on the common fall themes:  “back to school,” “apples,” “Johnny Appleseed,” “pumpkins,” etc.  If you haven’t already heard of this book -

- you may want to consider adding it to your fall repertoire.  “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud offers a wonderful way to establish your behavioral expectations with your students.  The concept is simple – each and every person carries an invisible bucket.  In that bucket we hold our good thoughts and feelings about ourselves (represented by colorful hearts and stars).  When we are happy, our buckets are full.  When we are sad, our buckets are empty.  When you are nice to someone else, you not only fill their bucket, but your own as well.  Conversely, when you are not nice, you dip from the other person’s bucket…and your own. 

Using the “Bucket Fillers” Philosophy in Speech

I found this really cute tin bucket (with a chalkboard label on the opposite side) in the dollar section of Target.  I drew a face on it and hung it on my bulletin board.  The plan is to fill it with cut out hearts and stars as kids do nice things for each other.  Notice the sign above?  There are actually two that I created by scanning images from the book.  Get copies of the posters by clicking the links below. 

Don't Be A "Bucket Dipper!"

Be a Friend... Fill a Bucket!

Other activities I do with this book:

I created little popsicle stick dipper/filler signs.  I give one to each child in the group and tell different scenarios (e.g., “I helped my grandmother bake a cake” or “I tripped my brother on the way to dinner”).  The children have to determine whether the action in the scenario would fill a bucket or dip from a bucket.  They indicate their choices by holding up the corresponding image.  Download the signs by clicking the image below.

I also created this sentence fill-in.  Children in higher grades (1-3) are able to fill in the sentence by providing their own examples of activities that are bucket filler and bucket dippers:

There are a TON of cute Bucket Filling Activities on the internet as well. 

Here are some of my favorites:

Teaching Heart – Lots of printables!  I use the pocket chart activity with my students.

Bucket Fillers 101 – Sign up for their Free E-newsletter with bucket filling ideas!

Speech Lady Liz – Compilation of ideas to reinforce the story.

Pinterest Boards – Check out all the Pinterest boards on Bucket Filling!

Do you use this book in therapy, or do the teachers in your school use it?  If so, what are your favorite related activities?

Materials Monday - Apple Articulation

For today's quick freebie, I am uploading an articulation activity. It's called Apple Articulation, and it's a great activity for those young students.

It's really simple. All you do is cut out the apples and have the student label the picture on the apple (as many times as you want) while they glue their apple to the tree.

This is the empty tree. It's lonely without apples, so the students should add as many apples as they want! Yes, they still have to label the apples that they do not glue on the tree at the end of the session. :)

I include four blank apples at the end of each section so that you can create your own! Simply print, laminate, and attach any picture or write a word with a dry erase marker and use this activity again and again!

Included in the download are phonemes /k/, /g/, and /s/ in all positions.

Enjoy!

Get your freebie here: Apple Articulation

Remembering 9/11/2001

There are no freebies or giveaways today.

Today is simply a day for remembering September 11th and those who are no longer with us.

Where were you eleven years ago today?

I was in 8th grade. I don't remember much about the day, but I remember being confused, sad, and unsure about how to react. My teachers were nonchalant and continued with the day like normal. I heard rumors about the terrorists coming to our air base in town and became scared.

I was one of the lucky few that was picked up from school early that day. My mother thought I would be scared, so she decided to pick me up and bring me home, and I was able to go home and watch the news with my father who was sick with cancer. I remember sitting on that couch with him, eating lunch, and just watching the news all afternoon. It was such a terrible day, but yet, for me it was one of the most important days of my life. That is one of the last few memories I have of sitting with my father before he passed away on October 1.

So remember this day. Don’t forget about those who died, and thank those who continue to protect your freedom every day.

Materials Monday - Delicious Descriptions: A Fall Activity

I created this activity quite some time ago, and I kept forgetting to post it. This is an activity geared more for older students as I think my preschoolers and young students would struggle with this activity.

I created it more to go with the EET, so if you have one of those, it would be great to use that tool with this activity!

To learn more about the EET, visit here!

The activity begins with a variety of objects, foods, animals, etc. on baskets. It would be best if the SLP organized the baskets and the accompanying apples ahead of time and display 2 or 3 baskets and apple sets at a time.

Here's an example of the apples:

As you can see, the apples are in order according to the baskets. So obviously the first row of apples would apply to basket number 1 - the dog basket and etc.

For this activity, I only included three descriptions. Some of the descriptions are similar to other descriptions (if two baskets both showcase green objects, then obviously two apples will say "green"). This is why the SLP should organize the baskets and apples ahead of time and have a plan.

Since there are three descriptions already provided, the student would then use the EET to talk more about the object and describe it further.

So if the SLP is presenting the baskets in pairs, the student would have two baskets in front of him or her and would have six apples. The student would then organize the apples according to the correct baskets. Preferably use baskets and apples that are not too similar to each other (especially in the beginning stages of describing).

See, now the basket with the peas could be described similar to the basket with the watermelon (both green, both foods, etc.). This is to help the student go further in their describing to include some rich descriptions that would help an outsider understand what specific object the student is describing.

Included in the download are a few blank baskets and a few blank apples. Feel free to print those, laminate them, and use dry erase markers for the apples and velcro pictures onto the baskets to use this activity over and over again!

Download the freebie here: Delicious Descriptions!

I also created a small worksheet to go with it. You can print it out front/back to save some paper, but use a worksheet for each basket or for just a few. It's your choice!

EET Worksheet

What do you think? Will you use this with your older students (you could even use this with middle schoolers depending on their abilities)? Please share this page with a friend/colleague if you download the freebies. Thanks!

Going Bananas for Categories!

The start of a school year is always extremely busy, but it feels so strange to be working full-time instead of going back to graduate school! I have to admit that I like working better. :)

After going through some of my files, I noticed that a lot of my preschoolers have category goals. So I am providing all of you with a freebie today called Going Bananas for Categories!

This activity is great for preschoolers and kindergarteners. I've noticed a few different category activities around on Pinterest and Facebook, so I tried to use different categories.

It goes perfectly with my speech room monkey theme!

Visit the link here to download the freebie: Going Bananas for Categories!

The clip art was from Scrappin Doodles.

What do you think? Share this page with a friend/colleague if you download the freebie! Thanks!

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game Review

I was browsing Amazon the other day, and I came across a game that is perfect for preschoolers! I was so excited that I had to buy it right away.

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

The game features a hungry squirrel who is preparing for winter by collecting his acorns. The object is to have your students help the squirrel forage for food by filling the "log" (see the picture below) with tasty acorns.

The empty logs

How to play:

1. Place all of the acorns inside the tree (see below)

2. Give each player his or her own log.

3. Pass the squirrel spinner (see below) to the youngest player and let him or her spin.

The Squirrel Spinner

4. Once the student spins, he/she would follow the directions.

• If the wheel stops on a color (green, yellow, purple, red, or blue), then the student would grab a matching acorn from the tree using the squirrel squeezer (see below) and place it in the hole in his/her log with the matching color. If the hole is already full, the student would skip his/her turn.
• If the spinner stops on 1 acorn, the student would choose any acorn from the tree and use the squirrel squeezer to place it in the hole in the log with the matching color.
• If the spinner stops on 2 acorns, the student would choose any two acorns from the tree and use the squirrel squeezer to place them in the hole in the log with the matching color.
• If the spinner lands on the sneaky squirrel (the squirrel holding the acorn), then the student would steal any colored acorn that he or she needs from another player's log.
• If the spinner lands on the sad squirrel, then the student skips his/her turn and passes the squirrel squeezer to the next player.
• If the spinner lands on the squirrel storm, then the student has to put back all of his/her acorns on  the tree and skip his/her turn.

The Squirrel Squeezer

5. The player who fills his/her log with all of the matching acorns first is the winner!

The benefits of this game:

Helps preschoolers with matching skills, developing fine motor skills including pre-handwriting skills because the squirrel squeezer requires a pincher grasp, developing social skills like taking turns and being a good sport, as well as strategic thinking skills.

The cons:

The spinner can get quite complicated, and I found myself having to reference the cheat sheet frequently during the first play. After a few games the students will get used to it. It just seems a bit complicated at first.

The game can go either really fast or really slow. It depends a lot on the spinner. The fact that there is no specific time length makes it more difficult to plan (although I suppose if it is a quick game then you can just play again).

Overall, I really like this game. I can see using it a lot as a reinforcer game while targeting goals. You could even use the game to target language and articulation goals. You could ask a lot of WH-questions during this game, some predicting ("why do you think the squirrel needs to collect acorns?"; "what would happen if he didn't collect acorns?"), describing (describe the acorns, the squirrel, the tree), expanding language ("the squirrel is eating the acorn"; "eat the acorn"; "green acorn"). 

The game is recommended for ages 3+ and it's ideal for 2-4 players.