Presently, Literacy Speaks! comes in 3
separate kits, each covering a wide range of phonemes. Each kit costs
$197.00, and contains all the materials you need to support the 7
learning steps outlined above. The hefty, spiral-bound book and CD for
each unit contain letter-tracing and coloring pages, simple sound-loaded
books, plus suggestions for "going on a letter hunt" and joint reading
activities. All playfully illustrated pages are reproducible. Each kit
also comes with a sturdy box of colorful, laminated cards, color-coded
for easy sorting into initial and final target sounds related to the
kit. I've had the opportunity to use these materials with my own
caseload, and have been very impressed with the high quality of both the
content and the presentation/packaging of the materials.
In addition to the
resources in the Literacy Speaks! kits, I would highly
recommend that you check out the Literacy Speaks! website:
www.literacyspeaks.com.
There you will find online games for students, lists of sound-loaded
books and other materials for SLPs and teachers, plus information for
parents to aid them in literacy development. You will also find
information about Keli Richmond's superb workshops and can view video
demonstrations of the materials. I'm sure you'll find Literacy
Speaks! a great addition to your therapy "bag of tricks!"
June 2010
Product: SLP FIELD KIT - Consonants
Author: Tutor-Apps
For more information: www.tutor-apps.com
To purchase: go to the apps store at iTunes
Target Audience: all ages for articulation and accent reduction
- SLP Field Kit aids the Speech and Language Pathologist in the field with testing and building phonemic awareness and
auditory discrimination (this module covers consonants).
- Going beyond just replacing card decks and flash cards, SLP Field
Kit incorporates 8 powerful interactive activities that add dynamic
training experiences that challenge and focus your clients. Traditional
card decks have been difficult to sort into multi-card activities. Now,
at the touch of a button, the cards are presented in powerful
combinations that truly focus the client.
- In addition, SLP Field Kit incorporates phoneme buttons as part of
the activities, something cards could never do.
- The recorded speech provides stability of pronunciation that
promotes consistency in testing.
- 361 audio word cards, which are spoken words illustrated by
photographs and drawings along with the text of the words (the text is
hidden when appropriate)
- 8 progressively difficult activities to
build and to test phonemic awareness
- 198 lessons
- Over 3000 exercises
- Records scores and sends them to email
- Select between International Phonetic
Alphabet and the English /sound/ notation
Activities
1 PRACTICE: REVIEW THE WORDS
2 WHICH PHONEME IS IN THE WORD?
3 WHICH WORD CONTAINS THE PHONEME?
4 IS THE PHONEME AT BEGINNING, MIDDLE OR END?
5 CHOOSE SIMILAR WORD BY HEARING THE WORD
6 WHICH PHONEME IS IN BOTH WORDS?
7 WHICH SIMILAR WORD CONTAINS THE PHONEME?
8 FLIPBOOK FOR YOUR ACTIVITY
To the standard 24 consonant phonemes of American English, /nk/ and
/hw/ have been added for the purpose of creating minimal pairs with /ng/
and /h/ respectively.
This application is available for both the iPod Touch ($29.99) and
the iPad ($49.99). The graphics are and spoken target words are very
high quality, and the choices for therapy are great. Students are
motivated to practice on this quick and attractive alternative to flash
cards. Progress can be stored and emailed. For SLPs who typically have a
car trunk or wheeled cart full of materials, this inexpensive app for
your iPod or iPad will certainly lighten your load!
August 2010
Product: 5 Minute Therapy
Authors: Sue Sexton and Linda Eve Seth
For more information: www.5minutekids.com
Target Audience: articulation practice for all ages
The very talented ladies who brought you the "5 Minute Kids"
articulation therapy program and the "G.R.O.W.S." ("Get Rid Of
Worksheets Now") series of language and basic concepts lessons for
classrooms have joined forces to produce an exciting new series of
articulation therapy books called "5 Minute Therapy." Each of the six
volumes in this series is devoted to single or groups of phonemes: /r/,
/s,z/, /sh/ch/, /l/, /k,g/, /f,v,th/. Each volume contains the
following:
-
Data sheets at the word, phrase, and sentence levels
-
Word bank lists of words containing the target sounds in the initial, medial, and final positions
-
Reading lists of words, phrases, and sentences containing words with
the target sound in the initial, medial, and final positions
-
Quick and easy games for therapy and homework
-
A variety of activities to promote carryover in school and at home
-
Charts for calculating percentages
Whether you are using the innovative "5 Minute Kids" therapy approach or
delivering services in a more traditional model, you will find these
materials to be a fantastic resource -- a "must have" for your therapy
bag of tricks! I have used these materials very successfully in
conjunction with
Artic-U-Checks and
Speech on the Go (see below for description), and highly recommend them!
Each volume (80+ pages each) sells for $18. The entire set is available for a discounted rate of $99.
January 2011
Product: Think-ets Teacher Edition
Author: Randy Compton
Source: Think-a-Lot Toys, 1600 Zamia Avenue, Boulder, CO 80304
For more information: www.think-ets.com
Target Audience: articulation, language, fluency, memory -- ages 5+
Think-ets is a "tiny trinket game of imaginative play." The Teacher
Edition is a plastic divided box (similar to those used for sorting
beads) filled with miniature objects that can be used for a wide variety
of articulation, expressive language, vocabulary, memory, and other
therapy goals. Also included is an activity booklet with lesson plans,
writing prompts, and directions for competitive and cooperative
activities.
My students enjoyed the novelty of
Think-ets. One group played a
"giving descriptive clues" game, a fun way to extend a unit on
adjectives. Another group used the trinkets in serial storytelling
activity that worked their imaginations and memory. A third group was
challenged to compare and contrast pairs of items. We've done similar
activities with picture cards, but having 3-D objects elicited greater
language and enthusiastic involvement. To help those "too-concrete"
thinkers, I first introduced each of the items, engaging the students in
a brainstorming session of labeling, categorizing, real-life size,
function, parts, and consideration of always/sometimes/never, etc. For
instance, the wooden goblet -- the trinket is wooden; is a real goblet
wooden? What else could it be made of? What is is used for? Where have
you seen one before? This session was a great way to tap into prior
knowledge and set us up for the next session when we started playing the
games. The
Think-ets Teacher Edition has a myriad of uses and is compact, always a plus for the SLP on the go.
February 2011
Title: Artic-U-Print
Authors: Pat Mervine and Michele Burton
Publisher: Mayer-Johnson Company
Contact: www.mayer-johnson.com or 800-588-4548
Price: $49.00
Description: ARTIC-U-PRINT is a HUGE symbol-based articulation
curriculum on CD that you print and use with students of all ages. This
CD, available in MAC and WIN versions, includes:
•Articulation Screening of all consonant sounds, blends, and vocalic /r/ in all positions,
•Probe Pages for each sound for easy baseline and periodic data collection for IEP development and progress reporting,
•Auditory/Visual Discrimination Cards of all sounds in initial and mixed positions,
•Speech Sound Posters for students’ folders and display in the therapy
room that depict the place, manner, and voicing features of each sound,
•ARTIC-U-WEAR: fun, fashionable, hands-on projects for consonant speech sounds that students can wear,
•ARTIC-U-PLAY: colorful, customizable gameboards for speech practice of any sound at any level,
•Sentence Level Practice Pages for reinforcement at home
•CALC-U-LATOR: a handy card for reporting a student’s performance in percentages
ARTIC-U-PRINT is a valuable teaching tool for:
•SLPs and Teachers of the Deaf: to work on articulation, phonology, vocabulary, and auditory/visual discrimination
•OTs: to work on fine motor skills (Artic-U-Wear) related to the early elementary language arts curriculum
•Classroom Teachers: to work on phonemic awareness and “Sound of the Week”
•ESL Teachers: to work on articulation, vocabulary, and language
BOARDMAKER is required to use ARTIC-U-PRINT.
April 2011
Title: "R" in the Car: 10 fun songs to practice the /r/ sound in the car, at home, anywhere!
Authors: Alida Engel, CCC-SLP, BRS-FD
Publisher: Center for Speech and Learning
Contact: www.CenterForSpeechand Learning.com
Price: $19.95 + $2.50 shipping within the US
Description: How many times have you heard students and even parents say
that they just don't have time in their busy lives for speech
homework? Soccer practice, dance lessons, karate competitions, baseball
games! Sometimes it seems that the only time that kids and parents are
together is when they are in the car going to and from all of these
extra-curricular activities. So, thought Alida Engel, why not find a
creative way to incorporate speech practice into today's busy lives?
And so, her audio CD, "R" in the Car, was born.
"R" in the Car" is a delightful CD of lively songs that are loaded with
initial, vocalic, and blended /r/ sounds, written and performed by Jay
Mankita and the Grooveniles. Interspersed with the 10 songs are
suggestions by Alida for producing the various target sounds. On the Center for Speech and Learning web site, you'll find printable activities for each song, along with downloadable sheets of song lyrics.
While this CD would be ideal for "on the go" speech practice for
individual students, I have also found it to be a useful tool in the
therapy room. My students
enjoyed the novelty of
singing in therapy, and the lively tunes and rhythms helped to increase
the muscle tension they needed for /r/. The printable activities were
great for auditory bombardment and discrimination practice. I shared
this CD with a kindergarten teacher in my school and she is now using it
in her classroom. I would highly recommend this CD for anyone
interested in a new way to teach and practice /r/.
April 2011
Title:
Speedy Speech Therapy Program – School Edition
Authors:
JoAnn Tuttle and Tamara Truax
Source:
www.speedyspeechtherapy.com
Price:
Volumes for /s, r, l/ are available for $179.99 each, or
$519.97 for all three. There are also Home Editions for /s, r, l/ for $179.99 each.
Description:
Speedy Speech, a “quick artic program,”
is designed to be used in 10-minute, intense
1-1 drill sessions, 3-4 times per week, to correct common articulation
errors.
The features of the
program include:
·
a comprehensive manual in a sturdy, colorful
binder
·
step-by-step instructions and expert tips
·
oral motor diagrams
·
auditory bombardment materials
·
drill sheets of more than 360 words, phrases,
and sentences per target sound, arranged in a binder, including minimal pairs
sets
·
resource materials such a parent and teacher
letters, therapy logs, caseload form, and monthly homework calendars that
encourage awareness and practice of words relevant to the student
·
therapy tools in a refillable pouch, including
toothettes, flashlight, mirror, timer, stickers and more
The binder of materials breaks therapy down into 7 stages
from Sound in Isolation to Sound in Conversational Speech. Tips are provided on identification and
assessment, scheduling, establishing a therapy routine, homework, motivation,
progress monitoring, and collaborating with classroom teachers. All of the therapy materials in the binder
are printed in color on heavy cardstock.
Samples of these materials can be viewed on www.speedyspeechtherapy.com,
along with videos that show the materials in action and an interview with an
SLP who made the change from traditional 30 minute sessions to the Speech
Speech model.
There is certainly a trend in the field to move to more
frequent and more intense 1-1 therapy models.
The materials and tools in Speedy Speech are of high quality, and are
well organized for the “SLP on the move” for what I affectionately call “hit
and run therapy.” I have found the
materials to be equally useful in a traditional therapy setting, and lend
themselves well to RtI settings as well.
August 2011
Title: Acting Out - Listen: Do & Say
Authors: Linda Seth and Debbie Hisam, illustrated by Mary Jane Helgren
Source: www.makefunoflearning.com
Price: $35.00
Description:
If you have ever attended a workshop by Linda Seth, coauthor of the G.R.O.W. (Get Rid of Worksheets) series, then you already know she is a “class act.” (If you haven’t had the pleasure, be sure you do! You can see her schedule and request a training for your district or region through the site, http://makefunoflearning.com/).
Linda’s latest book, coauthored by Debbie Hisam and illustrated by Mary Jane Helgren, is all about “class acts” that you can use in therapy. Acting Out, Listen: Do & Say is a 120-page book full of delightful, short (10=15 minute) stories that promote better listening and speaking skills in children, grades K-3. Ideal for small and large group settings, including all tiers of RtI, these stories engage students in listening, auditory memory, turn-taking, cooperation, pretending, following directions, choral speaking, vocabulary, grammar, non-verbal communication, articulation, fluency, and appropriate use of voice. Talk about differentiated instruction and hitting multiple IEP goals at once – these teacher-lead stories offer all this and more! Participation is the key to learning, and that’s exactly what these stories encourage. Each story includes useful information for the teacher or therapist: a list of vocabulary, directions on eliciting student participation, modifications to simplify or increase complexity of student responses, and the targeted communication skills.
For any SLP or special education teacher who is looking to liven up instruction and increase active student involvement learning, Acting Out is a MUST! I will be getting a new special needs kindergarten class in my school this fall, and will continue to work with other elementary students who have speech, language, and/or auditory processing deficits. I am sure this book will be an important part of my “bag of tricks” when planning lessons for all of these students.