Learning core words- one letter at a time
Have you ever had a student with almost no words but you knew that they had a lot to say? These are the students that fascinate me the most. I desperately want to know how…
Life Skills
eMerging SLPs: Merging into the self-contained classroom
As far as speech pathology jobs go, I have a tough population. I wear Kevlar sleeves as part of my uniform. I have developed wicked fast reflexes. I get drool, spit, and occasionally blood on…
Work Systems for Early Learners
I’ve been having a rough year with some of my early language learners in a self-contained classroom. Keeping them engaged for a 30 minute speech session was just not working. Instead they would protest by…
Engaging Early Language Learners
If there is one thing I have learned, it is that my earliest language learners will NOT just sit nicely at a table or at circle time and say their words/sounds. They need to move…
Circle Time in a Minimally Verbal Classroom #3
All long time ago and very, very far away from my current location, I got my first job as an SLP. In addition to many students in the general education setting, I served two severely…
Circle Time in a Minimially Verbal Classroom #2
Circle time! Last month, I went through how I do circle time in my Kindergarten self-contained classroom. The students there are minimally or non-verbal. You can read the post here. Today, I am explaining how…
Circle Time in a Minimally Verbal Classroom #1
Circle time is my baby. When I started my current job in 2002 and had one class of highly-impacted and self-contained students, I knew I wanted to lead the class in some way. Circle became…
Alphabet Based Concepts for Learning Language
Three days each week I merge into my self-contained classes. Both of these classes use a “Letter of the Week” model to help their students learn the alphabet. Several years ago, I decided to take…
More singing!
If you thought my six File Folder Songs would keep me satisfied for a while, then you were terribly wrong. Within days of completing those songs, I had created more. Many more. I just kept…
File Folder Activities for Early Language Learners
Our entire state has developed a new “teacher evaluation system” which requires countless hours of determining student-driven and personal goals that will be assessed through statewide assessmentsย among other pieces of evidence. Although I haven’t…
Language Learning Through Songs
At a very young age my lyric-writing skills began. I would write song after song after song on sheets of paper and then store them in my drawers. The problem? They kinda stunk. And…
Expanding Sentences and Vocabulary
I love my expanding non-traditional Picture Exchange therapy! I love it when I get to work with my life skills kiddos on adding descriptive words to toys that they already enjoy. And then even adding…
Super Sack!
Alternately known as the: Awesome Bag Beautiful Bag Cute Sack Darn-good Bag Excellent Sack Bag of Fun Bag of Goodness Bag of Happiness Incredible Bag Bag of Joy Kind Bag Bag of Love Mighty Sack…
Gingerbread Man Under and Over
Chapel Hill Snippets makes the best basic concepts books. I love using them with my Life Skills students, so I decided to return the favor (thank you Ruth!!!). Oh, and you can benefit too I…