Some students hate using graphic organizers because they think that they are doing double the work! However, we as SLPs know that graphic organizers are a great way to provide a visual aid and organize information. But how do we get our struggling readers on board and using graphic organizers effectively? Let’s take a look at some ways to help…
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Do any of your students have IEP goals that include using conjunctions? Conjunctions are tiny parts of speech, but they can make all the difference when students are taking their sentences from simple to complex! Let’s look at some effective ways to teach your students conjunctions.  Coordinating Conjunctions  Coordinating conjunctions are the most basic type of conjunctions. Students will learn…
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Do you find that your students have a tough time when it comes to inferencing? Me too! Inferencing is a hard skill for a lot of students. But fortunately, there are some great storybooks out that can help your students hone this skill! Storybooks are perfect for working on inferencing because they contain pictures, which can really help students figure…
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Do your high school speech students struggle with ELA? For students who already have language difficulties, the demands of high school ELA can be overwhelming! Fortunately, there are ways that we as SLPs can help to support our speech students in ELA. Let’s break it down.  Finding a Theme and Other Related Skills  Finding the theme of a passage is…
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Do your students sometimes have trouble following directions? Believe me- I hear you! Fortunately, there are some great ways to practice this skill with your older kids that will be fun for them – and useful for you!  Listen and Draw This activity is great for practicing listening comprehension. It can also be customized to include one-step, two-step, or multi-step…
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Current events are a great way to practice a variety of skills that our speech students need to work on! When kids read news articles, they can practice a variety of skills, such as sequencing, summarizing, main idea, inferencing, and more! Let’s take a look at some tips on how we can use current events in our speech instruction!  Sequencing …
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When working on reading skills and strategies with our speech kiddos, it’s sometimes hard to decide what to teach first! We know that our students need all these skills to be successful, but what’s the best order in which to teach them? Today, we are going to touch on which should come first – main idea or summarizing?  Ideas for…
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Picture this – a way for students to see connections between items, make predictions, or categorize topics that’s more powerful and more straightforward than a Venn diagram? You’re not dreaming, because this tool exists! It’s called a semantic features grid, and I’m here to show you how to use one! What is a Semantic Features Grid? A semantic features grid…
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Do you have any students with ADHD in your speech room? Chances are, you do! About 11% of children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD.  How Can We Help Our Students With ADHD?  Students with ADHD are usually creative, spunky, and fun to be around! To make the most of your time with them, here are some…
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Determining problem and solution is one of those skills that is addressed in just about every grade over the course of each year. Beginning in 4th grade, students are expected to “Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.” CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5. This concept is extended to…
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