Archive for September 2013

Word a Day or Week Wall {Pocket Chart for Vocabulary}

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

New Product Alert! I have been inspired again and it feels so good!

I have seen math walls with prompts, but nothing related to semantics! 
Vocabulary building is a weakness of mine as it is a broad topic. Where do you even begin? How do you select vocabulary? Do you tailor it for each grade level? Do you go with themes? For such a vast area, I needed some structure; much like our students do! 
Word a Day or Word a Week!
Comes in a pack with 4 color choices! Mix and Match!
17 word prompts, plus one blank one for creativity!
Only $2.00 in my store.

Includes 1 die for each color, a vocab spinner and worksheet to track all the words your students learn! Talk about data collection! 
We had so much fun learning about Autumn today!

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Do I hear a ghost?

Saturday, September 21, 2013

It's here! The Halloween Edition of What Am I? {A Describing Game} Hooray! I LOVE playing these with all my students. Anything with the word "BINGO" in it is pretty much golden. 

Available in my store for only $2.50

Targets:A fun guessing game targeting receptive language, expressive language, and semantics!

All graphics property of mycutegraphics.com, Graphics Factory and Print Candee.

Ages: 3+
Includes: 22 pages (not all pages shown on the thumbnail it wouldn't fit!)=

Page 1 title, Page 2 Information
Receptive Language skills (pages 3-6)= 20 halloween vocabulary cards. SLP or students may lead (you decide). Use the black vocabulary cards to target receptive language! Read each clue to students and wait. See how many clues it takes for them to guess the object. If this is difficult for the students, place all the big black picture cards on the table, so the students can guess based on the pictures available.

Expressive Language and Semantics (pages7-14): use the orange cards to have students come up with descriptions and lead the game themselves. Have students think of a word for each category and let the group guess. This will expand students descriptive vocabulary skills


Bingo Cards (pages15-19): use the receptive/expressive/semantics cards to play bingo!

Descriptive Mat (page 20): To practice how to describe the object as a group, place a red picture card in the middle, as a group talk about the attributes of that object!

Want another fun way to play? 
I included a spooky Halloween Twist on the usual game! All you need is a flashlight! Purchase to find out how to play! 
 
NOW FOR A GIVEAWAY! Chance to win 2 copies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Glitter Timer Guest Post

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

CHECK OUT MY GUEST POST ON THE DABBLING SPEECHIE!
DIY glitter timer/sensory/relaxation bottle!


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Channeling Stretch Armstrong

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Having one of those days today where there are just not enough hours to get everything done! To be realistic I feel like this a lot! 
As I am sure many in the teaching world feel like STRETCH ARMSTRONG! 


How many different ways can we be stretched in a day? Therapy, screens, assessments, phone calls, IEPs, data checking, medical...the list goes on.

It's hard not to get down on yourself. When you feel like this...

Haha! I played with these Stretch Armstrong's and his dog Fetch growing up. Which is why I thought this was fitting for the day. 
 
Even though I have days like this, I eventually remember that I feel this way because I have a very important job. I take it seriously. I want what is best for the students, always. 
At the end of the day, that is what matters. AND I somehow always manage to get all my work done, on time.
 
So now I need to take a deep breath, change my thinking, and go relax for a few hours. 
*ohm*

Disclaimer:
The author of Queen's Speech does not have control over or agree with the views expressed in the content of the links associated with the images or videos in this post.

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Do you have a dialect prejudice? I bet you do!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Everyone has a personal idiolect. We also have a dialect from either where we were raised or from whoever raised us. Then possibly influence on that dialect from wherever we have lived or currently live. 
 
Okay, think for a minute...
What dialects do you find pleasing to listen to? Which dialects annoy you? 
Which dialects sound smart? Which dialects may sound well, less educated? 

Now think about this...
Our dialect rarely has anything to do with how attractive, annoying, or smart we are. Yet we all make judgements about a person's character based on their dialect. Strange right? 

I got to thinking about this topic after a conversation I had a work. We were talking about the singer Adele and how she says, "Fanks" instead of "Thanks". There was some discussion about how it made her, "seem uneducated", she has money and should get that "fixed".

Well being the nosey SLP I am I had to chime in. She is not uneducated, well maybe she is, but it has nothing to do with her dialect! She is from an area of North London called Tottenham and that is the reason she speaks the way she does. Want a great example of prejudice surrounding Adele? Check this out. I was a little shocked at the person's anger. Wow!

Now in America alone, we have hundreds of different dialects. I found a map, but it's so large and full of info, I could spend a good amount of time looking at this map. This map came from this website.

I am a California girl born and raised. I say the work "like" all too often. I also use: he was like, she was like, dude, sick!, gnarly! I also say awesome the same way I say possum. I also say California with an interdental /l/. Say California....where is your tongue when you say /l/?  For more typical dialects, check out this cool series from PBS, "Do You Speak American?"

Some people may think I am a "Valley Girl" based on the way I talk, but I'm not! I was born and raised in the Silicon Valley and I am a very well educated gal (we have to be as SLPs, Master's degree Woot Woot!).  Just like some people may think that everyone from the South must be a "cowboy" or does Rachel Jeantel (Trayvon Martin case) even speak English? YES, she does it's just not your English...read here.

WHY? Oh, why do we have prejudice about the way people speak? I found this article that had found some research behind the mystery. To quote Lippi-Green, "it is unacceptable to reject individuals based on their ethnicity, but it is acceptable to reject them based on the variety of English they speak (292). The standard language ideology is a belief that some varieties of English are "more English" than others, and there is "one perfect and appropriate kind of English that everyone should speak".

Thus, we may not realize it, but we may think that our dialect is a more "perfect and appropriate" way to speak. When in reality there is no "perfect and appropriate" dialect of English. The media and other outlets may just sway us to think so. News anchors Standard American English (SAE) anyone??

Something to think about the next time you meet someone with a different dialect than you! Don't judge them solely based on the way they speak!  

Love how vowels change everything. Just some silliness for your day....


A dialect quiz can be found here. Here is a response someone posted to the dialect quiz! Makes you really think....

What dialect do you speak? 
.......................................................................................................................................................................
References:
 Lippi-Green, Rosina. English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. New York: Routledge Inc., 2001. Print.

Lippi-Green, Rosina. "Language Ideology and Language Prejudice." Language in the U.S.A. themes for the 21st century. New York: Cambridge UP, 2004. 209-304. Print. 
 
Disclaimer:
The author of Queen's Speech does not have control over or agree with the views expressed in the content of the links associated with the images or videos in this post.
 

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My "other" home!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Joined up with TheDabblingSpeechie's Link-Up for Room Decor! 

MY OCEAN THEMED SPEECH ROOM! Check it out!!

I love decorating my Speech Room! Why? I spend the majority of my life in there people!!! haha. I want it to be a place I am happy to be in. I also really enjoy being crafty, coming up with decorating ideas and having fun with it!
Add caption
I am a little bit spoiled. I share a portable with the Special Education teacher! We have three spaces in our portable: my office, a waiting/testing room (used to be the psych's office), and the special education teacher has about half the room for her class.
Cut outs from Schoolgirl Style. I used glitter scrapbook paper for the bubbles. I used a border from LakeShore to line the bottom of my office. The seaweed is just crinkled up construction paper!
Magnetic Pockets: Lakeshore. They come in packs of 4 for 12.99. I currently have things I need to finish up in them. I plan on using them to put worksheets, cards or TpT materials for each group during the day. It's my way of preparing lesson plans! The blue tape is how I schedule my kiddos, but I just saw that Ms. Thrify SLP uses post-its! Why didn't I think of that? Notice my help box!? I write the date and the things we are going to do in speech that day. Just outside the frame is where I keep my objective binder!
I used to have a bookshelf, but last year I moved this big cabinet in. It has been awesome! I can close the door and lock them if need be. Great to have when preschoolers are around!
Green paper shredder. 2 rolling storage bins with paper in them to make them look less messy!! 3 filing cabinets: 1 student IEP files, 2 important papers, test protocols, speech folders, my stuff and 3 is TPT and other materials! Bookshelf with all my graduate school books. Common Core Cans are there too! Can't wait to use them! I also have a college bulletin board, I did not attend CSUMB (my colleges were taken already!) but it has a cute Otter Mascot which went well with my ocean theme.
Bought new containers from WalMart for 97 cents! I used them to organize all my cards! They are now organized by area: WH questions, Pragmatics, Vocabulary, grammar etc.
More of my room! The orange bulletin board is where I put my kids pictures for the year. The purple curtain is hiding tests, books and workbooks! I sewed it myself and stuck it on with velcro!
I love mermaids and snails! They are everywhere in my office if you look hard enough! I am also a bit of a gardener and my office would not be complete without my plants! I am lucky enough to have a window in my room! Hooray! The color coded thing is the schedule for lunch, recess, blocked time and other times for each grade level!
School Rules at the top. Speech Room New's "In This Speech Room" Poster! Down at the bottom is my objective binder. The green tub will be for Kagan strategies and the bottle...is a secret post coming soon.

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September '13 Link-up!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Is it September already!? I love doing link-ups from All Y'All Need!
Click the link to join!

School-ing a new SLP! I am mentoring a CF SLP this year! So far it has been fun and a bit eye opening. I have only been an SLP for 4 years.  It's hard to believe that just a short time ago I was the nervous wreak; who felt like I didn't know what I was doing! Trying my best to be available for questions which is why google chat and video messaging is awesome! I can watch her do therapy, or help with anything remotely. I also happen to be like a block away from her school, so I can get over there more than most mentors would. 

Excited for wedding photos!  Many of you know that I got married, a month ago today to be exact! We are supposed to get our wedding photos from the photographer this week. I cannot wait to see them!!!

Prepping reports. So many reports! We have a new IEP system so things are taking longer than usual, which means I am now behind on my reports. I also happen to have a large number of assessments right off the bat this year. Not sure why, but it leads me to my next point...

Trying to stay stress free! With all these reports due, a new IEP system, mentoring and just life. It's hard to remain balanced and level headed all the time. The endless running list in my head makes things a little overwhelming. I need to remember to take it one day at a time because I always get everything done on time and the kids still somehow get their therapy. I just get tired of juggling and I don't even have kids of my own yet!! 




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A Royal Affair!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Ta da! I decided it was high time that my blog got a make-over! To make things easier this blog will now simply be called "Queen's Speech".  I LOVE the new design, elegant and bright! What do you think?
Shout out to Little Web Writing Hood for making this awesome design!

Now to celebrate, how about a giveaway of a one $10 TpT Giftcard!!!??
Who will be the lucky winner!? 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Happy New Year! oh, it's not January?

Sunday, September 1, 2013

If you are a school based SLP you probably live your life like me, by school year. When everyone else in the world celebrates the start of a new year in January, educators are still working on goals they set in August/September. Am I right? In celebration of "our" Happy New Year I like to try to set personal and work related goals for the year. 
1. Plan ahead, seriously this time!  This is the first year I was not given a new assignment at work! I get to stay at my school and with my coworkers, so the year should be easy right?  Wrong. I am a clinical supervisor this year and we have a brand new IEP system. I need to manage my time well and get an early start on every single IEP. We were given a measly half day training on the new system, if that gives you any indication on how well I am doing with it right about now....

2. Enjoy my work. I get very wrapped up in panicked thinking, "OMG another initial!? I can't make it! Progress reports? I don't have time!!!!" What I need to realize (and I think every other SLP) is that I somehow manage to get everything done on time. Instead of wasting my energy on worrying, huffing puffing, sighing and pulling my hair out;  I need to realize in the end I actually really like my job. Note to self: Look at the bigger picture, am I doing what is best for the students? Are they making progress? Am I having fun? Yes.

3. Read. This is a non-speech related goal. I miss reading. I get stuck coming home and turning on the TV. This might be a "big fat hairy audacious goal" AKA B.H.A.G. (what our leadership team at school calls goals), but I want to try to read 1 book a month and blog when I am done to keep myself accountable!
4. Craft again. This is another non-speech related goal. You may not know this about me, but I used to have a blog for my crafts. Since beginning TpT I have not made any crafts (other than wedding crafts, those don't count) and I miss it.
5. Smile. This one will get me through anything. I just need to remember to do it. :)


What are your big fat hairy audacious goals for the new year?


Disclaimer:
The author of Queen's Speech does not have control over or agree with the views expressed in the content of the links associated with the images in this post.

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