How Do You Use It?! September: Brown Paper Bags

It is that time again...how do you use it?!  

This month: brown paper bags!  I buy a pack cheap at any supermarket or Target and they usually last me the entire school year.

One of my favorite ways of using these are for creating "paper bag books."  You can see my previous post when I described how I made them by clicking HERE!

Another favorite way of using paper bags are for sorting activities.  Just grab some bags, write on the outside and take sorting pictures!  I have used them with fishing activities by Super Duper Inc. as well!  See below, we fished for common objects then sorted by category.  I even wrote a sentence strip on each bag to promote expanded utterance length!

Another way to use paper bags are for eliciting stories.  Throw pictures of random objects or small objects themselves into the bags.  Then, students can take turns picking out a picture/object and telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end using that object.  Want to make it more challenging?  You can have them incorporate articulation targets, learned prepositions/curriculum vocabulary/question words/pronouns/any other target you are currently working on!

Stay tuned to next month!

Wondering how other SLPs/bloggers use brown paper bags?!  See below - they linked in!

An InLinkz Link-up

My Speechy Feedback! Linky!

Nicole over at Speech Peeps is hosting once again a linky to give back to great feedback.  Did you know that your favorite TpT sellers read every single feedback?!  We read to know what you are loving and looking for!

Not only are you rewarded by giving feedback by earning credits on TpT which you can redeem for discounts or even free products, but with this linky party, you can earn a free product!!!!  Check each one to see if your feedback earned you a free item!!  Who won for me this month????  Jillian B gave amazing feedback on my Comparing and Contrasting Speechpad product!!

Jillian B---if you see this blog post....email me to claim your prize!!!

How Do You Use It?! BACK TO SCHOOL EDITION: Paper Clips! (linky party)

Have you been enjoying my "how do you use it?" linky party posts?!  I decided to do a fun bonus one for back to school season.  

We learned in graduate school, that any SLP can do therapy with anything, even a paper clip...so why not have this bonus topic be what we would do with a paper clip in therapy!

If you gave me a jar of paper clips, not only would this SLP be thrilled because she loves organizational materials but I could do some great therapy ideas with it!

What would I do?!

• Following directions: I would give each student a pile of paper clips and make them follow my directions ("put a clip on your head" "put two in the jar").  You can target one step or multiple steps with this!  You can also target spacial concepts too!
• Comparatives/superlatives: you can have students connect them to make various sized strings of clips.  Which one is long?  Which one is longer?  Which one is the longest?
• Use them as a reinforcer or token system!!  For each target sound or answer given correctly, students can receive a paper clip!  If they reach a certain amount they can get a sticker/prize/reward at the end of the session!
• Sorting by color or size!!

Those are just a few examples of what I would use paper clips for if given the chance!  I can probably think of tons more too!  Now it is time to see how other other SLP bloggers would use paper clips in therapy!! See below!!

An InLinkz Link-up

How Do You Use It?! August: Sentence Strips! (linky party)

It is that time again....time for my monthly linky party!!  Check out how I use common objects in my speech room!  Keep reading and view below to see how other SLPs/bloggers use them as well!

This month's object: sentence strips!!  

There are several ways I use sentence strips in my therapy room.  I can use them on post-its, index cards, dry erase boards, on top of worksheets, or even using the following products:


Why use sentence strips?!  They are a great way to encourage expanded utterance length!!  I like to use cloze sentences on them to model how to respond or describe using expanded utterances.  Some samples of teaching the following targets:

• Possessive pronouns: "This is his _____."
• Sequencing/transition words: "First _____" "Finally _____"
• Categorization: "The _____ is a fruit."
• Describing: "The _____ is yellow." "The _______ has a wheel."

I LOVE sentence strips so much, I often include them in my TpT products!!  I often use Boardmaker symbols when I use sentence strips with my nonreaders or poor readers.  Check out below some products that use these sentence strips:

Preposition Picture Scenes (for younger students)

Back To School Early Language File Folder Activities

Cut, Sort, & Glue! Activities for the entire year

I hope you find these ideas helpful!  How do you use sentence strips?!  Stay tuned for next month's post!!

Check out below to see how other SLPs/bloggers use sentence strips!

Note: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links!

An InLinkz Link-up

What's In Your Cart?! Linky!

Have you heard, TpT is throwing a HUGE back to school sale!  And I'm participating!!  

Here are a few new items I recently added to my store:

Cause & Effect Pictures!!

Inferencing Pictures!!

Differentiated Question Scenes

Preposition Pictures Scenes for younger students for the entire year

And my newest bundles!!

Articulation Roll, Say & Color BUNDLE

Seasonal/holiday EET companion pack BUNDLE

Early Language File Folder Activities BUNDLE

Jenna over at Speech Room News is hosting again a "What's In Your Cart?" linky so all of us tpt sellers/bloggers can share what items we plan on purchasing.  This can help you get ideas!!

Nonfiction Texts with English Language Arts Targets {Fall Edition} by Nicole Allison at Speech Peeps

Prediction Comic Strips – A Focused Reading Skills Activity by Teri and Tiff's Creative Resources

and tons of clip art so I can create more materials for you!

Organization Fun!

Organization fun --- is that even possible!?  Well...every summer, I am always looking up ideas and trying to come up with new ways to be organized in the upcoming school year.  I try my best throughout the year to keep organized.  I will say, when I am organized, I definitely do a better job!  I remember to complete all tasks before upcoming meetings, paperwork is up to date and completed, and reports are written in a timely manner.  

This week, I am joining in a new linky with Busy Bee Speech.  Check out her blog to see how she and other bloggers stay organized!!

How do I stay organized?!  I use a data binder to keep everything in one place.  I use a binder with a clear insert on the cover.  In here, I put my schedule.  In this binder, I have tabs for each student.  For each student, I have an IEP cheat sheet, parent communication log, IEP goals printed out, an attendance form, and a data log for progress monitoring.  Check out my previous blog post about this binder by clicking HERE!

You can grab a FREE copy of my data collection form in my TpT store by clicking HERE!

What are my organization goals for next school year?

• Clean up my drawers filled with lesson materials so I can find things easily and quickly.
• Keep frequently used graphic organizers/worksheets in a nearby spot so I can easily grab them at any point.  I found these great magnetic holders that I can use!  Click HERE to see them for yourself!
• Not forget about some great materials and products that I have!!  Things get hidden or pushed into the back of cabinets and I forget about them!  Boo!  So not fun!
• Put things away right after I use them!  I hate the piles and clutter!
• Remember to look at my calendar and planner!

Have you seen my other previous posts on organization??  

Data, data, data!

Show me the data linky

RTI Update

Love it & list it: organization fun

Thrifty Finds Linky!

Do you spend your summers searching for cheap deals for therapy materials?!  Jenna over at Speech Room News has been hosting a thrifty finds linky party so that us bloggers can share what we have found!

Where do I go for cheap finds?  Dollar stores and Target's Dollar Spot!!  Those are my favorites!!  I know many SLPs/teachers do well at garage sales and Goodwill, but I have yet to be successful with those!  Another good place to look, RETIRING TEACHERS AND SLPS!!  They are always willing to give away or sell cheaply!  I know many SLPs have bought supplies on EBay as well!  I have recently been spotting Super Duper Inc. products as well as other great educational materials on Zulily.  What is that?  It is a website/iPhone app that has deals that run for a few days...you gotta keep checking in to see what deals pop up to make sure you catch them!

I have posted in the past some of my favorite finds.  Here they are:

Lacing Card Fun

Wind Up Toy Fun

When Book Activities

Artic Checkers

Those are just some of my MANY favorite thrifty finds!!  I hope you can use these ideas in your therapy rooms!

How Do You Use It?! July: Post-Its! (Linky party!)

It's that time again...time to find out how I (and other SLPs/educators) use common items found in classrooms/therapy rooms!!  I know it is summer but some work summer school, and others just  have fun browsing Pinterest/blogs to get ideas for next school year.  Either way, enjoy!!

This months topic: POST-ITS!!  I LOOOOVE post-its!!  Whether it is to just quickly put a memo, reminder and even use them during speech sessions!!

Here are some ways I have used Post-Its in my therapy room...

Note-Taking:
By cutting post-its into smaller pieces (or purchase them already like that), you can easily make a quick note-taking strategy for students while reading texts.  I like to have students stop after reading/listening to a paragraph at a time.  I check for understanding by asking "what was it all about?" My students know by now that I am looking for the main idea.  Then, they can write the main ideas on their post-its and stick it to the side of the page/paper.  They can easily remove all of their post-its after to help write a summary or use them to locate answers to comprehension questions without having to re-read the entire text!  They love this strategy!

Visuals:
I always have a stack of index cards and post-its near my therapy table.  It is a great way to easily create a visual when necessary.  What would make me pick the post-it over the index card?!  I can easily stick it to a page or table!  This is great for students that want to move it out of the way! Ha!  Check out below some samples of how I've used this:

I recently blogged about how I used these fun Mustache Post-its that I found at Staples.  Click HERE to learn more about it!

How do you use Post-its?!  Do you use them in therapy or more for organizational purposes?!  Check out below how other SLP/bloggers use post-its!!  Also, stay tuned to next months topic!  Gather up your ideas to use for next school year!!

An InLinkz Link-up

How to Link to a Linky Party

I have had this blog for almost two years, prior to that I had another blog for three years or so.  So.. I've been blogging a bit and I sometimes take for granted all of the things there is to know about blogging.  Now I am by no means an expert, but when I got an email from a sweet reader asking me what the deal with linky parties was (how do you find them, how do you link up, etc), I just had to help.  I wrote her back and gave her a pretty basic starter guide, but it got me thinking that maybe other people are struggling with this as well. So, without further ado... here is a quick tutorial on how to link to a linky party.

A linky party is when the author of a blog invites other blog writers to link up their blog posts on the same topic.  For example, a blog might host a book study, or an organization idea linky party.  Some popular linky parties in the teaching blog world include:

5 for Friday  from Doodle Bugs Teaching  This linky party involves posting 5 random things from your week.

Made it Monday from 4th Grade Frolics  is the place to show off the things you have made.

Saturday Snapshots from Run! Miss Nelson's got the camera! is a place to show off your pics.

Tried it Tuesday with Fourth Grade Flipper is the place to share things that you have tried.

  

Farley's Currently at Oh boy Fourth Grade is the place to share what you are Currently up to.   As you can see above, she provides a template for you to complete.  The completed one above is from her blog.  Currently happens on the first of every month and there are a few of us stalkers fans who hit refresh a million times until the new one comes up. 

I know what your next question is - How do you fill in the blanks?  So glad you asked:

1. Right click her template and copy it or save as JPEG or PNG.

2. Open up PowerPoint and paste the image or insert the image if you saved it.

3. Insert text-boxes over the open areas and type in your answers.

4. Copy this new picture and paste it into paint and save as a JPEG (you can also save as a JPEGin PowerPoint)

5. Upload your image to your blog.

If I didn't mention your linky party above, it isn't because I don't love you, I just put a few.  Feel free to leave a link in the comments section if you have a linky party we should join!

* As a blogger, joining a linky party increases your readership and helps other bloggers and blog readers to find you.

* As a blog reader, linky parties help you find more information about a topic you are interested in.

* Hello? Writer's Block maybe?  Linky parties are a great way to think of ideas to blog about when you just can't think of anything to write about.

Step 1: Write your post.  If the linky party has a "button" (a fancy word for the picture they use) copy and paste it into your blog.  They may have a grab button with a code for you to copy and paste into the html section of your blog. I have a grab button to the right on my blog. 

You would just copy and paste the info they have in the box (their info, not mine :D  )

Step 2: When you have hit publish on your blog post copy the url for THAT page (not your home page).

Correct: http://applefortheteach.blogspot.com/2014/06/five-for-friday-june-27-2014.html

Not Correct: http://applefortheteach.blogspot.com

Step 3: Visit the page where the linky party is at and click on the button that says: Add your link.

Then choose your picture from the pictures displayed.

Now that you have linked up, be sure to leave a comment for the host.  Also, visit several of the other blogs who have linked up and comment as well.  Farley advocates the rule of 3 on her Currently post.  That is, you comment on the 2 posts before you and 1 post after you.  I think this is a good practice and super easy to do.  If you have time, visit more!  It is also nice to respond to the people who visit your blog as well.