Candy Corn Challenge!

My students are taking the Candy Corn Challenge this week! I created this activity to use with my articulation groups and it is pretty sweet. 

We have been enjoying a lot of Halloween and fall themed books in speech lately. But sometimes I want to skip the books and games and just do practice drills with my artic groups. In a fun way, of course. So, I am challenging my students to say their target sound 100 times. For each good production, they earn a candy corn to place on their Candy Corn Challenge mat: 

At the end of the session, we see who can eat all 100 of their candy corns the fastest. Just kidding!! I actually pass out ziplock bags and they take the candy home with them. I don't need anyone getting sick from excessive candy corn consumption in the speech room! 

Don't want to load your students up on sugar? No problem! They can still take on the challenge. I made a black and white version so instead of using real candy, you can just have them color a candy corn for each production. 

Fun fact: I actually made the little candy clip art myself this time! Ok, my husband helped a little. I figured candy corn would be a super easy first clip art project for me - how could I possibly mess up a little triangle with a smile, right?!

Download it FREE in my TPT store!

Welcome to the speech room, Spookley!

Spookley is visiting the speech room this week! I ordered a plush Spookley from "Books Are Fun" along with a copy of the book and my package arrived today!

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano is a great story. The round pumpkins tease Spookley because of his odd shape until a terrible storm comes (and tosses the round pumpkins through a broken fence!) and teaches them that being different can be a good thing! I love the illustrations and the overall message of the story.

I have been reading this story to all of my K-3 groups. For the students with language goals, we do a book walk and make predictions about what the story will be about. Then, we read the story and I ask them comprehension questions. With a couple groups we made a story map on the white board. Then, I have them either draw or write what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of the story on a little worksheet. (I am required to keep work samples, so these were great to stick in their folders!). We did re-telling and discussed how Spookley felt at the beginning of the story vs. the end.

For my artic groups, I didn't do a book walk or anything. In fact, I didn't even read the book myself - I have the Spookley book app ($1.99 for iPad!) and I just let the iPad read it to them. After they heard the story I gave them a Speech with Spookley worksheet and had them practice their target sound 5 times before coloring a pumpkin.

After the first group, I made the Speech with Spookley worksheet a little smaller because the kids were taking a little longer than I'd like to color the pumpkins.

Download my Speech with Spookley and Spookley Beginning-Middle-End graphic organizer FREE in my TPT store! 

What books are you reading in your speech room this month?

Multiple Choice Articulation: App Review!

If you want to spice up your articulation therapy session with an activity that will make your students giggle and snort and practice their target sounds all at the same time - this is the app for you! I recently downloaded Multiple Choice Articulation by Erik X. Raj on my iPad. After using it in the speech room, I decided to write a review with the help of my students. 

The app was $4.99 and targets /s, z, r, l, sh, ch, th/ in all word positions, so SLPs will love it. It is full of hilarious questions, so kids will love it too. 

 Once you select the sound and word position to target, you are presented with a series of "would you rather" questions. The student can read the question out loud, or press a button to hear it read to them. 

I found that sometimes these questions make the student laugh so hard that it takes them a minute to regain composure and give their answer. This question in particular caused a couple of six year old boys to almost fall out of their chair laughing: 

As the student answers the questions, they can target their sounds while working on reasoning skills and conversational turn taking at the same time. The can also press the "hear an answer" button to hear an example answer to the question. 

This app is motivating and engaging and absolutely hilarious! It sparked conversation and debates in the speech room while also sneaking in many productions of target sounds. 

Just take a look at what some of my students are saying about Multiple Choice Articulation: 

"Rats don't take baths in root beer! They take baths in puddles!" -1st Grade Student

"I had a raisin in my nose once." -2nd Grade Student 

"Can we play this again tomorrow?" -2nd Grade Student 

"These questions are silly!" -3rd Grade Student (said with a perfect /s/ sound!) 

Clearly, this app is a winner!