Today, I have Sounds Like Fun sharing their ideas for organizing plans and materials. I know I just love any type of organization tips!! Don't you?!
We are thrilled to be guest bloggers today on Speech Time Fun. Hallie, thank you so much for this opportunity! Our 2016 is off to a bang! It seems like we have been busier than usual this month and by the look of our calendar for the upcoming months, there is no slow down in sight. With all the paperwork and meetings we are bombarded with right now, finding time to plan has been a challenge. That's why we've come up a way to get our plans and materials organized and we'd like to share it with you.
Planning for at least a month at a time seems to be most efficient for us. We try to plan a variety of activities that will keep the students interested and motivated. To help us stay organized and prevent falling into the trap of doing the same old activities week after week, we devised an organizer that we display in our classroom. This organizer not only keeps us prepared and on track, it also provides a great visual for the students. I don't know about you, but we usually hear, “Are we playing a game today?” at least 3 times a day. The use of the organizer cuts down on these persistent questions and allows students to know what the activity for therapy will be. Once we've completed the activity for a specified section, we close the tab.
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| We put a symbol on the top left corner of the organizer to represent the theme we are doing. |
The organizer is divided into 11 sections. I'll list each section below and tell you a little about the kind of activities we do in each category.
Story Starters – We love to use books in therapy! We have numerous book companions which go along with our favorite children's books. They are great for therapy because they address important reading instruction elements as well as language objectives and articulation targets.
Practice & Progress – This is exactly what the name implies. We practice the student's goals, take data, and track progress. We also use this as a time to update parents on their student's progress.
Game Gab – We couldn't do away with games entirely, lol! Here we use a variety of games including board games, roll & cover, Chipper Chat, Pass the Prize, Crocodile Dentist, Cariboo, etc.
Art Activity – We simply choose an art or craft that goes along with our theme for the month. This month we did several Valentine related craftivities.
Speaking Stations – Students participate in various centers stationed around the therapy room to independently practice speech and language activities.
Challenge Checkoff – This is one of our favorites because the students get so many practice opportunities! We use activities that allow students to get at least 100 responses during a therapy session. Two of our favorite activities for articulation therapy for this category are our Touch Talk sheets and the Peachie Speechie's 100 Word Challenge Sheets.
Homework Helper – For this, we have a variety of homework sheets on hand that correspond with our theme. Our younger ones love coloring while we do therapy. For our older students, we like word searches, mazes, etc.
Tech & Talk – Another favorite of ours and our students! We use different types of technology including iPad games and apps, SmartBoard games, and the computer.
Children's Choice – The kids love this day because they get to choose the activity!
Curriculum Carryover – Of course everything we do in therapy either directly or indirectly supports the curriculum or the student's ability to access the curriculum; however, on this therapy day we center therapy around an activity that is currently going on in the student's classroom.
Music & Movement – Activities in this category get the students up and active while addressing their IEP goals and objectives. On these therapy days, we start our sessions with Super Brain Yoga or other exercises that involve crossing the midline of the body. We play games such as musical chairs and hot potato (but put our special “speech” touch on them to adapt them for our purposes). This is also a good time to do oral motor exercises if needed for any students.
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| We use these bins to keep paper copies stored and ready to use. |
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| Items such as games and craft materials are organized in tubs. |
If anyone would like the editable file for the organizer, email us at soundslikefunslp@gmail.com and we will send it to you. Happy Planning!
