Summer Inferences

I just realized it's been a little over a month since I have blogged! Things have heated up in a big way here in Colorado. My car thermostat read 97 degrees at lunch time. I love love love the heat, so this is my kind of weather. Although I no longer live a hop, skip, and a jump from the beach, I figured I can still bring a bit of the sand and sun into my therapy sessions.

It seems like I always need a variety of "wh" activities, so I developed  continuation of my Spring Inferencing book. This mini book was developed with in the same format. The whole activity is 13 pages (each page takes up 1/2 of a standard piece of paper). This mini-book follows Mariah on her family vacation at the beach.

Suggested Directions:
Print pages on cardstock and laminate for durability.
Cut the pages in half (horizontally) and assemble the book according to the page numbers. I use a hole punch and metal rings to keep the book together.
Follow Mariah as she enjoys a family trip to the beach.
Read about Mariah'’s activities on the left side of the page.
Have your child make inferences and answer simple “wh” questions by pointing to the correct icon on the the corresponding right side of the page.

Grab this activity at the TPT store

These are some examples from Summer Inferencing:

 

 

It's a Spring Thing

I decided to kill two birds with one stone and made this mini-book. It targets inferences and "wh" questions. Also, I loved the cute spring graphic. The weather is slowly getting better, but I don't think we're out of the woods yet. So, for now, I'm living vicariously until I get my flowers and sunshine.

This mini-book is 13 pages long. I constructed the pages on half sheets to save some paper.When I worked in the schools, I remembered how precious paper was, especially during IEP season. The left side of the page discusses "Janelle's" activity during the first day of spring. The right side of the page includes 4 options, one of which will help Janelle complete her activity.

I have a few children working on the concept of answering "wh" questions and the pictures supports have been really helpful as we work on "what" and "who questions. And, as luck would have it, I also have some kids working on basic inferences.

Grab This at the TPT Store


Here are some examples of the book:

Ready, Set, Spring

We had the first day of Spring (although it doesn't feel like it quite yet). But I'm hopeful that it is right around the corner. In preparation for the warmer weather, Ready, Set, Spring is ready.! This book fits into the Ready, Set series. There are two versions. A manipulative version and an easy assembly version.

The manipulative version includes a blank template to allow your child to fill in the blanks. You can then copy the story and send it home for review. The manipulative version also requires more Velcro, laminating and scissor skills.

The easy assembly version does not have the blank story template. It also requires less time for overall assembly.

For some visual cues on how to assemble the books, take a look at my Ready, Set Christmas post. I was able to take some pictures of the final product.

Grab Ready Set Spring (manipulative version) at our TPT Store
Grab Ready, Set, Spring (easy assembly version) at our TPT Store

Here is an example of the Manipulative version

Below is the blank template where you will Velcro the various icons.

Below are some examples of the icon pages

An example of the easy assembly version is below. It does not include the blank template page.

Ready, Set......

This post is a little lengthy, but it contains a lot of great information about our "Ready, Set" speech pathology materials.

My supervisor, Martha Drake developed a wonderful series of interactive books for various holidays. The series is called “Ready, Set ”. To date we have “Ready Set Christmas”, “Ready Set St. Patrick’s Day”, “Ready Set Easter”, and “Ready Set ME!”.

These are functional materials for children with very limited language skills and short attention spans. The “Ready Set” series of interactive holiday stories has been designed and used by Martha and myself. We have used it very successfully with children who have a diagnosis of a hearing impairment, Down Syndrome, autism, cognitive impairment and expressive-receptive language delays and disorders. 

Children begin to learn language by talking about their world. In this series, children make pictures choices about things they like, and then compile their choices into a book. At the end of every book is a template where the child can place all of their selections to make their own story. You can make a photocopy and have them take it home to share with their family. 

These books can target multiple objectives and goals. Some Language concepts incorporated include WH questions, pronouns (he, she, I), sentence building, following directions, holiday vocabulary, memory, categorization and story-telling.

For easiest and best assembly you will need card stock, lamination paper, self-stick Velcro and 3 rings or a binder.

Here are the "Ready Set" books that are currently available

-Warning-

Some of these books are available in two versions. Make sure you are getting the one you want. There may be a "manipulative" version where the child can physically move the picture icons on the page. There may also an "easy assembly" version where the icons stay put and the child makes selections by pointing. While the "manipulative" version is a lot of fun, the "easy assembly" version requires a lot less laminating, cutting, and Velcro.

Grab the freebie "Ready Set Me" at the TPT store 

Grab "Ready Set St. Patrick's Day" at the TPT Store 

Grab "Ready Set Easter" at the TPT Store

Grab "Ready, Set, Christmas" at the TPT Store

Ready, Set ME!

The introductory story, "Ready, Set, ME!", is about a child’s favorite things (e.g., favorite color, favorite animal, what the child likes to eat, etc.). It is a great way to start a therapy program or social skills group. Preschool and kindergarten teachers have also used it as a way to introduce children at the start the school year.

The additional "Ready Set" books work on the concepts listed at the beginning of the post, while also incorporating seasonal vocabulary. 

Ready, Set, St. Patrick's Day:

 

 Ready, Set, Easter:

Ready, Set, Christmas:

Ready, Set, Christmas

My supervisor developed a series of “Ready, Set…” books for bunch of different holidays. I have started using her ideas to put together my own set. With a lot of help from my very talented cousin, I put together “Ready, Set, Christmas.” My cousin Rebecca did a wonderful job on all the graphics (I also snagged just a few from the mycutegraphics website too).

The book requires a little assembling. I laminate all the pages to keep everything from ripping. Cut out all the graphic squares on the icon pages and attach them to the template page (the page of empty boxes). Sticky back Velcro works perfect! I attached some photos to show how I arrange the book pages.

It has been a fun way to target various vocabulary as well as expressive and receptive language. The repetitive sentences support formulating complete sentences and sentence structure. You can also work on expressive language by matching up the correct pictures to the correct requests. If a field of 8 choices is too many, just reduce the amount of icons on a page.

At the very end, you can put your kiddo’s selections into their very own story. I have been making copies so they can take it home and share with their family. 

 

 Grab This at the TPT Store