Syntax Workout {App Review}

Virtual Speech Center, released a new app last month, entitled Syntax Workout. This syntax app is centered around a Bowling Theme. The kids all love bowling in my room, and I’ve used a lot of bowling games inthe past, making it a great way to get their attention!

Start by adding your student’s name.

Then select their learning targets. The following are included: 3^rd person singular vs plural, is/are, was/were, do/does, have/has, subjective pronouns, objective pronouns, possessive pronouns, absolute possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns.

Your student will be shown a picture with two choices. Select the right answer and watch the percentages change. You also have the opportunity to record your answer.

Student’s earn the chance to play a bowling game after  a specified amount of trails. The app contains 1500 stimuli, works for multiple players and collects data. 

Cons: When you select two learning targets  (ie: is/are and have/has) your student will need to go through all of one type of question to get to the other. For example all 30 subjective pronouns above, before getting to the is/are prompts. I wish they were mixed. 

Pros: The app lets you select many specifics within skills. For example when working on subjective pronouns, you can select just she/he  or mixed pronouns. There is also a large amount of stimuli, which is exactly what I'm looking for in an app! 

The app is listed at $16.99 in the itunes at the time of this publication. 

Disclosure: The app was provided for the app review. No other compensation was provided and the comments listed are solely the author's. 

Carrotville: Spring Grammar Games

I've been living in Carrotville for a few weeks now. No, that doesn't mean I'm on some weird juice diet where I eat only carrots. It just means I found this amazing spring clipart and have been working on this spring grammar activity. Pack your bags and head to Carrotville! 

This 30 page download features Carrotville, a nice little town where bunnies live and play. It features homes, apartments, a grocery store and even a bunny barbershop! 

The activities center around the Carrotville board game. Two ways to play are included. The first option features specific skill development, while the second features carryover of grammar skills by targeting mixed stimulus cards.

                                   

 

Game point and score cards are included.  Each type of building corresponds to a grammar activity to complete. When students land on a building they answer the corresponding questions.

Included:

•Subjective & Possessive Pronouns (24 multiple choice)

•Irregular Plurals (18 sentence completion)

•Irregular Verbs (18 multiple choice)

•Helping Verbs (24 fill in is/are/has/have)

•3rdPerson Singular (18 multiple choice)

•Special Cards (12 includes)

                           

                       

                        

I finally got this one laminated to test it out before sharing it with you this week. The kids thought Carrotville was hilarious! Here are some shots from our game! 

You can find the full download in my TPT Store! Let me know if you download it! Leave a comment below if you'd like to win a copy and I'll pick a winner later this week!

No-Glamour Vowels {review & giveaway}

When the authors of, No-Glamour Vowels, reached out asked me to review their new book from Linguisystems, I jumped at the chance. I have several children on my caseload with Childhood Apraxia of Speech working on vowels and there is a shortage of vowel materials available.

The app was developed by 3 school-based SLPs. It features 188 pages plus a printable CD-ROM that includes an additional 176 printable pages of therapy materials! 

The book targets 13 different vowels including short, long and diphthongs. Each vowel sounds is targeted with the following resources:

• Vowel Information Page
• Word List
• Activity Ideas
• Picture Pages

The book includes a age of mastery chart for each vowel - information I hadn't ever had easily printed out to refer to! 

Start with the vowel screener. It includes pictures and prompts that the clinician has the student repeat. Score their abilities at the word, phrase and sentence level. 

The vowel information page contains information about spellings, age expectations and elicitation ideas. 

The Word List is separated by structures. 

The Activity Ideas are specific to the vowel. For example, playing a game with alphabet letter for the long 'e' sound. (9 letters of the alphabet end in the long 'e' sound.) 

Picture cards are included for CV, CVC, CCVC, CVCC in words as well as phrase/sentences. 

The book also includes extra worksheets provided on a CD. These include words sorted by syllable complexity for personalized practice.

So, what's the bottom line? 

Pros: I love that No-Glamour Vowels systematically targets the vowels with careful thought to the difficulty of the words. The book divides words by their complexity (CV to CCCVC.) There are so few vowel products, so a book with enough materials to target such a variety is a asset to most any therapy closet!

Cons: Although the book lists a page of activities for each vowel, I wish it had some simple worksheets to accompany each idea. That would be a huge time saver. For example, one 'long I' sound activity is to look at a map and talk about where you might drive.  I wish the book game with a map to use for this. If there was one activity included for each vowel those would be great ways to send home carryover work! 

The book is available from Linguisystems for $43.95. It's also available as an e-book download on the linguisystems website for 34.95 (a new feature!)

Disclosure Statement: Copy of No-Glamour Vowels was provided for this review. No other compensation was provided. 

The book authors, would like to give one lucky SRN reader a copy of No-Glamour Vowels! You can enter using the Rafflecopter below! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lucky Grammar

I'm in the middle of laminating my Valentine's Day activities, but in my down time  (wait, what's that again) I have made the second of my St. Patrick's Day activities! I asked you what you needed added on Facebook. I heard you and added 3rd person singular activities! What else is new HOMEWORK SHEETS! Or use them as recording sheets during the activities!

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  No doubt,  that even though I have these packets done right now, I'll be furiously laminating them on February 28 trying to get them ready for the beginning of March. 
  
  
  
  
  
  Lucky Grammar . The packet includes 7 different small group activities. Perfect for speech therapy or literacy groups, with a St. Patrick's Day theme! 
  
  
  
  
  Gold Coins: Pronouns (60 cards) Fill in the blanks with the correct pronoun. Collect gold coins on your pot of gold!
  
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  Over the Rainbow: Irregular Verb Cards (20 cards) Each card contains a sentence. Students must choose the correct answer to fill in the blank. They may keep their card on the box of chocolates if they answer correctly.
  
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   Sweet: Irregular Plurals (24 cards) Students read each card. Find the cupcakes that match. Develop a sentence for each.
  
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  March Monsters: IS/ARE(18 cards) Students read the sentences and fill in the blanks with is/are. Sort the St. Patrick’s Day Monsters.
  
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  Hoot Hoot: HAVE/HAS Cards (18 cards) Students read the sentence on the card and fill in the blank with HAVE or HAS. Then sort the owls onto the right tree.
  
  
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  Irish Style: WAS/WERE cards (18 cards) Students draw a card. Read the sentence and fill in the blank with the correct past tense form of ‘to be.’ Sort the card onto the flag.
  
  
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  Lucky Lou: 3rd Person Singular: (18 Cards) Students help Lou figure out how to finish each sentence! 
  
  
  
  
  Based on your feedback from other activities, I've also included 13 pages of homework activities.   These extension activities cover each grammar target covered. 
  
  Grab this download on my TPT Store! Leave a comment and I'll pick one random person to win a copy! 
  

Red Light, Green Light

I found this great game at Goodwill this week. It's called Red Light, Green Light.  I got it for a buck and it even had all it's pieces! It's made by Zwiggle, but as far as I can tell, it isn't made anymore. I did the google search with no avail. 

The game is played sort of like spoons. You put little cars in the middle of the game. Most of the light cards are yellow and green with just a few red mixed in. Students flip cards over quickly each taking turns. When a red card is flipped, they grab for the cars in the middle of the game. The student left without a car has to pick up the stop sign. Once you get three stop signs, you're out! 

Although I can use this as a quick and easy reinforcer I decided to make my own version with some goals a lot of my kids are working on! 

I'm starting with Red Light, Green Light: Plurals

I printed black x's on the back of my pictures because I was out of card stock. You really can't have the kids seeing through the paper on these! 

Red Light, Green Light:

Plurals

Print each set of cards. Keep the irregular and regular decks separate for beginning learners. If students have mastered the sets separately, combine the decks to increase the difficulty.

Place the cards and stop sign playing pieces in the center of play, so that each child can reach them.

           2 players:  1 car, 1 stop sign

           3 players: 2 cars, 1 stop sign

           4 players: 3 cars, 1 stop sign

Deal the light cards to all players equally facedown in front of each player.

To play, students take turns quickly turning over the light cards, reading the verb, placing it face up in a pile, and stating the plural form. (ie: flips over green light: reads ‘mouse’, says ‘mice’).

Other students should listen and check the verb change for accuracy. Play should continue quickly from each player. Flipping the cards quickly will ensure everyone has a fair chance to see the cards at the same time. It will also encourage fluency with the skills.

Continue flipping cards over until a red light is pulled. When a red light is pulled, the students quickly grab a car icons from the center of the table. The student left with the stop sign earns a strike.

On the trophy sheet, place the student’s name on the line. Place an X next to the name of the student who is left with the stop sign. Play with the 3 strikes you’re out rules!

This game works well with different levels of students because ‘winning’ is based on speed in reaching for cards, rather than language skill. 

Cover sheets for packets.

Score cards. 

Cards to grab for when you see the RED light! 

Game cards. 

I also made regular and irregular verb sets. Find the Verb Red Light, Green Light game on TPT. Plurals can be found here! 

Updates: 12/14/13. Based on your requests, I've added the first articulation version to TPT. It includes /s/, s blends, /l/ and l blends in all positions with pictures and words. 

Let me know what you think!