Prairieview Speech Notes

January Update

2012-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

January has been a month of listening activities in the speech room. In communication therapy students who are working to improve their articulation skills have been focusing on judging their speech production and self-monitoring. Children may rate their speech or listen for errors and correct their own mistakes. Some of the children have enjoyed listening to recordings of their voice to hear how they sound to other people. These activities help them to use clear speech and make corrections independently. Students are encouraged to rate their speech when completing speech homework.
Students with language goals have practiced listening to stories and retelling events. They have identified characters, setting, problems, and solutions in the narratives. Mrs. DeYoung may ask them questions to check comprehension and thinking skills. Students are beginning to develop their own stories with good story grammar. Other groups have worked on following oral directions and listening to descriptions. The groups have practiced listening to others and taking turns giving and receiving instructions. Children have been challenged to follow directions or answer questions without having the information repeated. Sometimes it is tricky to respond correctly on the first try!

Asperger Syndrome

2012-01-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

Asperger's syndrome, a form of high functioning autism, is an increasingly common disorder seen in school-age students. There is some dispute among experts as to whether Asperger's syndrome and high functioning autism are the same thing, Tony Attwood - an authority in this area - believes that the terms are equivalent in clinical practice. (Attwood, 2007) Children with Asperger's syndrome have typically developing intellectual and language skills, but often have great difficulty with social language. On the face of it, the most recognizable problem these children display is an absence of empathy for the person they are talking with. Other prominent features of the syndrome are a fixation or obsession for one particular topic and flat, monotone voice prosody. For more information, see www.speechlanguage-resources.com

Attributes of a Critical Thinker

2012-01-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

asks pertinent questions

assesses statements and arguments

is able to admit a lack of understanding or information

has a sense of curiosity

is interested in finding new solutions

is able to clearly define a set of criteria for analyzing ideas

is willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weigh them against facts

listens carefully to others and is able to give feedback

sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-assessment

suspends judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered

looks for evidence to support assumption and beliefs

is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found

looks for proof

examines problems closely

is able to reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant

Ferett, S. Peak Performance (1997)

Seasons Greetings

2011-12-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season

and best wishes for 2012

Mrs. Marilyn DeYoung

Speech-language Pathologist

Center Cass District 66

When Children Stutter (8 tips for teachers)

2011-12-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

More tips from the Stuttering Foundation www.stutteringhelp.org
to help children who stutter or stuggle talking.

1. Don’t tell the child “slow down” or “ just relax.”

2. Don’t complete words for the child or talk for him or her.

3. Help all members of the class learn to take turns talking and listening. All children — and especially those who stutter — find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions and they have the listener’s attention.

4. Expect the same quality and quantity of work from the student who stutters as the one who doesn’t.

5. Speak with the student in an unhurried way, pausing frequently.

6. Convey that you are listening to the content of the message, not how it is said.

7. Have a one-on-one conversation with the student who stutters about needed accommodations in the classroom. Respect the student’s needs, but do not be enabling.

8. Don’t make stuttering something to be ashamed of. Talk about stuttering just like any other matter.

Compiled by Lisa Scott, Ph.D., The Florida State University

7 Tips for Talking With Your Child

2011-12-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

These suggestions are provided by the Stuttering Foundation www.stutteringhelp.org for parents of children who stutter, but the ideas apply for any children who are having difficulty communicating.

1. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after your child finishes speaking before you begin to speak. Your own slow, relaxed speech will be far more effective than any criticism or advice such as “slow down” or “try it again slowly.”

2. Reduce the number of questions you ask your child. Instead of asking questions, simply comment on what your child has said.

3. Use your facial expressions and other body language to convey to your child that you are listening to the content of her message and not to how she’s talking.

4. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child. This quiet, calm time can be a confidence-builder for younger children.

5. Help all members of the family learn to take turns talking and listening. Children, especially those who stutter, find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions.

6. Observe the way you interact with your child. Try to increase those times that give your child the message that you are listening to her and she has plenty of time to talk.

7. Above all, convey that you accept your child as he is. The most powerful force will be your support of him, whether he stutters or not.

Compiled by Barry Guitar, Ph.D., University of Vermont, and Edward G. Conture, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Parent Teacher Conferences

2011-11-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

Mrs. DeYoung will be meeting with parents during the week of November 28-December 3. To request a conference, please contact her by email mdeyoung@ccsd66.org or telephone: (630)783-5157 by November 28th.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

English Language Learners (ELLs)

2011-11-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

ELLs are the fastest growing segment of the student population. The highest growth occurs in grades 7–12, where ELLs increased by approximately 70 percent between 1992 and 2002. ELLs now comprise 10.5 percent of the nation’s K–12 enrollment, up from 5 percent in 1990.

ELLs do not fit easily into simple categories; they comprise a very diverse group. Recent research shows that 57 percent of adolescent ELLs were born in the U.S., while 43
percent were born elsewhere.

ELLs have varied levels of language proficiency, socio-economic standing, expectations
of schooling, content knowledge, and immigration status.

ELL students are increasingly present in all U.S. states. Formerly, large ELL populations were concentrated in a few states, but today almost all states have populations of ELLs. States in the Midwest and Intermountain West have seen increases in the number of ELL students; in Illinois, for example, enrollments of Hispanic undergraduates grew by 80 percent in the last decade. Nationwide, approximately 43 percent of secondary educators teach ELLs.

ELLs sometimes struggle academically. In 2005, 4 percent of ELL eighth graders achieved proficiency on the reading portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) versus 31 percent of all eighth graders who were found to be proficient. Non-native English
speakers 14–18 years old were 21 percent less likely to have completed high school than native English speakers.

For more information see the National Council of Teachers of English www.ncte.org

Increasing Your Child's Vocabulary

2011-11-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

Helping your child increase his or vocabulary is often the first step that helps your child become comfortable with using words.

1. Ask 'Do you know what this means' when your child reads an unfamiliar word. This is critical to helping your child improve his or her reading comprehension. Too often kids are more concerned with properly pronouncing words instead of understanding word meaning.

2. Talk to your child about a variety of things using new words. Be sure to push your child by using higher level words. Try to use words in a context that will enable them to deduce the meaning of the word. Then ask them to define the word.

3. Take your child to places and talk about what you see. If you go on a tour at a museum or zoo, be sure to ask your child what they learned. This will help them to get in the habit of listening in preparation for retelling what they learned

4. Explain everyday activities using vocabulary specifically associated with those activities.

5. Play games that involve vocabulary, such as Scrabble, Boggle, Charades, and Crosswords. This investment will pay off large as your child develops their vocabulary and excels in school. Plus it's fun and the whole family can benefit.

http://vocabulary-vocabulary.com/Tips-for-Improving-Your-Childs-Vocabulary-and-reading-comprehension-skills.php

Happy Halloween

2011-10-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these Halloween Speech Games and Activities!

www.speechtherapygames.com/FREEBIE.htm

www.speakingofspeech.com/Thematic_Materials.html#Halloween

Daily Speech Activities

2011-10-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Speech therapy is most successful when parents become involved and reinforce target speech skills at home. It may be helpful for parents to pick daily routines as a good time to have their children practice using their "new" speech. Meals and bedtime occur regularly and can provide great learning moments. Associating speech with familiar routines helps children to generalize developing articulation and fluency skills. Other possible activities could include cooking, riding in the car, doing chores, and playtime.

Remind children that they will be focusing on using clear speech during the activity. Have them think of words or phrases related to the activity that they can concentrate on pronouncing. Listen carefully and praise their efforts and success. ("That was a great 's' in 'spaghetti'!") Give a gentle reminder if you hear an error and ask them to repeat the word. (" I heard 'paghetti.' Can you say it again?") Have them repeat it only once even if they still pronounce it incorrectly. Try to praise more often than you correct. The goal is to have them become aware of their speech production and reinforce the target speech pattern so it will increase. Most importantly; Have Fun!

Focus on Text Strategies

2011-10-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

All students at Prairieview and Lakeview are learning to comprehend, discuss, and write a variety of texts. The two basic types of texts are narrative and expository. The main purpose of narrative text is to tell a story. Narrative text has beginning, middle and end, characters, plot or conflict, and setting. Usually, narrative texts are written from the authors imagination. The main purpose of expository text is to inform or describe. Authors who write expository texts research the topic to gain information. The information is organized in a logical and interesting manner using various expository text structures. The most common expository text structures include description, enumerative or listing, sequence, comparison and contrast, cause and effect and problem and solution.

In speech and language classes throughout the year we will practice identifying text types and parts of narrative and expository selections, use appropriate vocabulary to describe reading passages, and develop our own oral and written texts. Academic language activities like these will provide wonderful opportunities to practice articulation and foundational receptive and expressive language skills. Comprehension and production of text is imperative for school success as well as becoming lifelong learners.

Speech Fluency Program

2011-10-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

A few of Mrs. DeYoung's students are receiving speech therapy to increase speech fluency. The speech fluency program involves six steps. In the first step children have been discussing the terms fluency and disfluency. Next we have identified different types of disfluencies. No one is perfectly fluent all the time. Some disfluencies are normal. The goal of therapy will be to reduce atypical stuttering disfluencies that interfere with communication. In the third step we are practicing easy forward flowing speech in the therapy environment. The children may need to be introduced to some techniques to begin words in an easy relaxed manner. The fourth step will be practicing easy speech in the presence of disrupters. Later the students will practice easy speech in real-life situations. Finally, students will maintain the use of easy speech with less intervention from the therapist.

Students are encouraged to review therapy handouts and practice using smooth easy speech
at home.

SQ3R Strategy

2011-09-29T13:20:00.001-07:00

SQ3R is a stategy to help learners understand and remember information in textbooks. It is a great tool for reading a text or studying for tests that parents can use with their children. SQ3R stands for

Survey: Look over titles, headings, illustrations, and summaries to get an overview of the chapter.

Question: Think of questions that may apply, that a teacher might ask, or that may appear on a test. (Students can develop good questions by turning subject headings into questions.)

Read: Read one section at a time, finding answers to those questions.

Recite: Say answers aloud (or in writing).

Review: Go over the main points by explaining them to someone in your own words.

The SQ3R strategy encourages students to think about what they are reading and focus on main ideas and important concepts. Try it!

Read Together

2011-09-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Shared book reading is a literature based language intervention that works well with children with language difficulty. Literature based intervention is an effective way of teaching students language and literacy skills. Speech-language pathologists who use this method don't actually teach reading skills, or decoding skills. Instead, they focus on the underlying language that underpins all literacy. Text-based intervention has a strong contextual base. This is important, because learning abstract language concepts within a familiar context helps to alleviate the problems associated with decontextualized language.

Shared book reading's primary goal is for an adult to use a story book as a therapeutic tool to improve language knowledge and use. This is done by using the text and illustrations in a picture book as the source of language stimulation. The language is essentially examined and parsed in detail using the text and pictures in a children's story book. The number of language goals that can be gained from one passage in a well written children's book is quite amazing.

It's enjoyable to use text-based language intervention. The students tend to enjoy it too. That's because they get to think and learn about literacy and language in a new way that is interesting to them.

For more information, see www.Speechlanguage-Resources.com

Speech RtI

2011-09-16T11:22:00.001-07:00

Students at Prairieview who have previously received Speech Response to Intervention (RtI) have been rescreened. Parents are being notified by letter if their child continues to qualify for the Speech Sound Improvement groups. Please complete the consent form included in the letter and return it to Mrs. DeYoung. Lakeview Speech RtI students will be rescreened next week.

Speech/Language Homework

2011-09-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I have begun to see students with IEPs for speech and language services. Many of the speech/language students at Prairieview will receive a Speech pocket for their binders and be expected to bring their binder to therapy sessions. Children who have IEP goals for improving articulation, grammar, or increasing speech fluency will often be assigned activities to practice at home. These students benefit from frequent repetition and reinforcement of target skills that may not be available in their regular education setting. The activities are designed to provide additional practice opportunities outside of the Speech room. Please check your child's binder each week to see if he (or she) has received any handouts from speech/language group and review it at home with your child. They will also receive a sticker chart to keep in the binder and be given a sticker when homework is completed, signed by a parent, and returned to Speech class. Upon earning five stickers, students may select a reward from our prize box.

Please contact me if you have any questions about speech therapy. I am looking forward to an exciting and successful year.

Sincerely,

Marilyn DeYoung MA. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist

Good Communication Skills

2011-09-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

In Speech-Language classes students practice good social communication and conversation skills as well as work on target speech or language goals:

Listen

Take Turns Talking

Look at the Other Person

Stay on Topic

Watch Facial Expressions

Read Body Language

Speech-language therapy: Building Better Communication

Welcome Back

2011-08-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

Mrs. DeYoung is meeting students at Prairieview and Lakeview who are new to District 66 to screen their articulation skills and determine if further speech/language intervention may be needed. Parents will be contacted if the screening suggests that further service is appropriate.

Students who received Speech/Response to Intervention (RTI)service last school year will also be rescreened next week. Parents of students who were previously enrolled in Speech RTI will be notified with the results of the screening.

Any parents of students at Prairieview or Lakeview who would like to request a speech screening may contact Mrs. DeYoung at (630)783-5157 or email: mdeyoung@ccsd66.org.

Finally, any students who currently have an IEP for speech services will also be scheduled for therapy. Those children with IEP's will begin Speech in the next two weeks.

Please email Mrs. DeYoung if you have questions regarding speech and language therapy services.

Have a wonderful year!

Carryover Activities

2011-05-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

The goal of many students in speech therapy is to maintain or improve carryover of articulation skills. Here are some activities that promote carryover. Remember to practice using clear speech as you communicate with family and friends.

Talk with friends about common interests

Call someone over the telephone

Interview a neighbor or relative

Read Poetry aloud

Have lunch with a friend and use clear speech

Order food on the telephone or in a restaurant

Introduce yourself to someone

Read your faorite book out loud

Tell a good joke

Complete some madlibs on the "Whacky Webtales" website and read it someone

Sing along with your favorite song on the radio

Proofreading Checklist

2011-05-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Students at Lakeview have been writing short essays and editing their work. Mrs. DeYoung uses the following checklist to develop proofreading skills:

Proof reading Checklist
Introduction
Does the essay have a topic sentence?
Is the topic sentence clear?

Supporting Details
Are there at least three supporting details?
Does each sentence support the topic sentence?
Do you provide examples or explain each detail?
Are there any sentences that do not relate to the topic and should be removed?
Are some transitional words used?

Conclusion
Does the essay have a conclusion?
Does the conclusion sentence use different words to restate the main idea?

Mechanics
Spelling
Capitalization
Apostrophes
No run-on sentences
No fragments
Subject-Verb Agreement
Commas in compound sentences.
Commas in complex sentences
Punctuation (end marks)

Helpful Hints for a Healthy Voice

2011-05-06T12:38:00.001-07:00

With the coming of spring, many individuals may be experiencing a hoarse voice due to seasonal allergies or cheering for their favorite teams. Here are some suggestions for taking care of your voice from www.ucdvoice.org.

Increase fluid intake 4-8 ounces of water per day

Avoid excessive or frequent throat clearing-try sipping water instead.

Frequent throat-clearing or coughing can be injurious to the vocal cords.
Excessive cough, mucus production, or throat clearing may be an indication of an underlying disorder such as Laryngopharyngeal Reflux.

Get plenty of sleep. Fatigue can cause the voice to sound hoarse.

Use plenty of breath support. Your lungs are the generator of the voice. Take advantage of them.

Minimize caffeine, alcohol and dairy intake. These can dry out the vocal cords and/or create thick mucous.

Avoid menthol throat lozenges. These can dry the throat.

Avoid smoking, people who smoke, and noxious fumes. These are irritating and damaging to the vocal cords.

Be aware of background noise. Raising your voice above others in a loud environment can cause straining and vocal abuse.

Watch volumes and posture of head/neck while on the telephone. This can cause uneven pressure and strain on the vocal cords.

If it seems speaking takes extra effort, you have throat discomfort or pain after using your voice, experience vocal fatigue or experience "cracking" of the voice, … consult with your physician.

Cause and Effect

2011-04-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

A Mini Lesson by Diana Dell, Ed.S.
A cause is something that makes something else happen. Out of two events, it is the event that happens first. To determine the cause, ask the question "Why Did it Happen?"

An effect is what happens as a result of the cause. Of two related events, it’s the one that happens second or last. To determine the effect, ask the question "What Happened?"

Practice pairing causes and effects with these activities:http://www.quia.com/mc/94601.html http://www.quia.com/mc/20632.html

At times connecting words are used to link the cause and effect. Examples of connecting words are:
because, so, consequently, therefore, due to the fact, since, as a result, the reason for, thus, nevertheless

Practice selecting connecting words for sentences with this activity:http://www.smccd.net/accounts/sevas/esl/gramcheck/8-7.html

Spring into Speech

2011-04-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Over the past several weeks, Speech/Language groups at Prairieview and Lakeview have been focusing on conversation, carryover of articulation skills, and applying vocabulary strategies. As the school year winds down Mrs. DeYoung's third, fourth, and fifth graders will be practicing speaking in front of a group. These students will share favorite poems, prepare oral presentations, and complete story-telling activities. Jr. High students will complete a final written essay as well as practice oral presentation skills.

Carryover Practice

2011-04-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some ideas for carryover activities that you can try with your child: • Ask your child to read out loud from a story book, cartoon or magazine that he chooses. • Let your child talk on the phone to a friend or relative. • Play a game together or with a group of people. • Role play an interview with someone your child admires. • Trade roles with your child and let him correct you. • With your child, choose a special time each day that he will use good speech, for example, at lunch or dinner time every day or every time he is in the car. Your child may want to tie a string around his finger or use other prompts to remind him to speak well. • Ask your child to tell a story he knows in his own words. • Have a conversation together.

Tips for Parents of Children Who Stutter

2011-03-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

You must be aware of your child’s worry and discomfort. Your child will try not to stutter. But the harder he tries, the worse the stuttering is apt to get.
You probably make remarks about your child’s stuttering from time to time. It is understandable for you to want to help. Perhaps you don’t find it easy to listen to the stuttering and would like it to stop. When you say or do something to help your child, you should observe carefully. If your help results in his becoming more relaxed and calm, you will be doing the right thing. His talking will get easier, too.
It is quite possible your child does not want to be helped when talking. Then it is no use trying to do so. He or she will only get more tense. (Maybe because he gets the message that he is not allowed to be imperfect?) The more the child tenses up, the harder it will be for the words to come through. Better than any stranger, parents know whether their child is tense or relaxed. That is why we ask for your help. Because you know your child best and can gauge his or her feelings, you give the most valuable support of all.
It is important to state that parents’ behavior never is the cause of stuttering. Your child was born with a hereditary tendency to stutter. This means the area of speech is a weak point in his general make up. Stuttering manifests itself when demands (in whatever area of life) become too heavy. This stuttering is harmless in itself. But if your child thinks others do not like his stuttering, he will try to talk “better” and to hide or stop the stuttering. That makes the stuttering worse, and it is the reason he still suffers because of it.
So remember you are not the cause of your child’s stuttering, but you are the nearest and best supporters on his road to talking more easily.Your child may feel angry as well as hurt and discouraged because of his speech problem. What he needs most are parents who allow him to be resentful or sad about it and who show they understand.

These tips are from Sometimes I Just Stutter by Eelco de Geus.

The Stuttering Foundation has many excellent books, articles, and DVDs for parents of young children who stutter. You can access their website for this and other free resources at www.stutteringhelp.org

When Children Stutter:

2011-03-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

The Stuttering Foundation Offers Tips for Teachers

1. Talk with the child privately and explain that talking is just like any other skills we learn and that making mistakes is okay, and with practice it will improve.

2. Until the child has had adequate time to adjust to the class, ask questions that can be answered with a few words.

3. Call on the child that stutters early in the discussion. Waiting and not knowing if he will be called on allows the child time to worry and tension to build making it even more difficult for him to respond orally.

4. Explain to the whole class that you want them to take their time and think through their answers, not just respond quickly.

5. Don't tell the child who stutters to slow down or "relax".

6. Don't complete words or sentences for the child.

7. Emphasize the importance of listening when others are speaking. It is much easier for everyone, especially the child who stutters, when distractions and interruptions are kept to a minimum.

8. Maintain a relaxed and accepting attitude, speaking in an unhurried way with appropriate pauses.

9. Expect the same quality of work from the child who stutters as you do fro all students.

10. Assure students you are listening to the content of the message and not just how it is said.

11. Maintain a strict no teasing rule in your classroom that addresses teasing for any reason. Don't single out teasing of the stuttering child as any different than any other form of teasing. Teasing is not allowed.

12. Reading aloud may pose problems. Many children who stutter can read fluently when they read with a buddy. Try choral reading or buddy reading with all children in the class until the child gains experience with reading aloud.

The full brochure, The Child Who Stutters at School: Notes to the Teacher is available from The Stuttering Foundation. Call toll-free 1-800-992-9392 or visit their web site at www.stutteringhelp.org to download the brochure.

The Stuttering Foundation, located in Memphis, TN is a nonprofit organization that offers books and DVDs on stuttering, including a new DVD, Stuttering: Straight Talk for Teachers, available free online with video streaming. Source: The Stuttering Foundation http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=147

Teaching Conversation Skills

2011-02-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

Developing good conversation skills is both one of the most helpful and the most difficult skills you can help your children acquire. You can help your children become better conversationalists and at the same time brush up on your skills as well. Here are some you and your children can do together.

Practice contributing to discussions by:

Looking at the people who are talking.
Waiting for a point when no one else is talking.
Making a short, appropriate comment that relates to the topic being discussed.
Choosing works that will not be offensive or confusing to others.
Giving other people a chance to talk.

Practice keeping the conversation going by:

Maintaining a relaxed but attentive posture. Nod your head to give ongoing encouragement.
Asking follow-up questions that pertain to what the other person has just said.
Avoiding fidgeting, looking away or yawning.
Not interrupting
Taking turns in the conversation and saying excuse me when interruption of others occurs

Closing the conversation by:

Changing topics only when everyone appears to be finished talking about a particular issue.
Changing to a topic that somehow relates to the previous one.
Allowing everyone a chance to talk about the current topic.
Waiting for a comfortable break in the conversation to leave.

For this and other tips for parents go to:

www.boystownpediatrics.org/ParentingTips/Pages/TeachingChildrenConversationSkills.aspx

Parent Teacher Conferences

2011-02-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

Parent-Teacher conferences for the second trimester will be held February 28-March 3rd. Mrs. DeYoung will be sending home conference letters this week. Parents who did not meet with Mrs. DeYoung after the first trimester are encouraged to schedule a meeting. The conference schedule forms need to be returned by Monday February 28th, or parents may contact Mrs. DeYoung at mdyoung@ccsd66.org, or call (630)783-5157 to set an appointment.

Using Prefixes

2011-02-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Some of the fourth and fifth graders at Prairieview are reviewing prefixes as a strategy to discover meanings of unfamiliar words. We are learning these prefixes:

Prefixes
Prefix

ir, il, im, in, un means not
aqua, means water
uni means one
bi means two
tri means three
pre means before
post means after
multi means many
co, con, com means with, together
inter means between
re means again
geo means earth, land
sub means below
dis means opposite
trans means across
mis means wrong

Oral Motor Exercises for Tongue Elevation

2011-01-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

Many students enrolled in speech therapy are working to improve articulation of the "r" sounds. The following exercises are designed to improve tongue elevation. Raising the tongue to the palate improves the child's ability to produce a clear "r" as well as other palatal phonemes like "sh" and "ch." Students are encouraged to practice the exercises at home.

Bite on a toothbrush as you move your tongue to different places in the mouth. Do not drop the toothbrush.

Practice licking popsicles or pretzel sticks. Move your tongue, not the stick!

Put peanut butter on the roof of the mouth and try to lick it off

Put a small piece of food (cheerio, raisin, etc) on the tongue. Hold it there for 5-10 seconds. Lift the item to the hard palate (roof of the mouth).

Click your tongue 5 times.

Say “kkk” “ggg” a few times. Watch the back of the tongue go up.

Brush the sides of the tongue with a toothbrush. Then raise your tongue so the sides of your tongue are spread along the top teeth. Slide your tongue back and forth against the teeth.

More Vocabulary Tips

2011-01-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some more vocabulary tips from www.improvingvocabulary.org

Making a word personally relevant will dramatically enrich your learning. Studies show that our memories are actually geared to "forget" or "block out" information that isn't perceived as relevant. The same studies also show that your memory improves when information is made personally relevant

Tips for learning vocabulary:

Make up your own examples When you learn a new word, think of common examples in your own life where the word would apply.

Define it in your own words Another way to make a word personally relevant is to define it in your own words. When you look up a word, first read the definition presented in the dictionary. After you have closed the dictionary, try making up your own definition

Encourage students to think of personal examples of new vocabulary, formulate sentences using the words, and to generate definitions. This will help them to retain what they have learned.

Vocabulary Practice

2011-01-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

The old saying "practice makes perfect", rings very true for vocabulary building. Studies show that rehearsal dramatically improves long term memory. In fact, it takes between 10 and 20 repetitions to make a word part of your vocabulary. What's even more surprising is that rehearsing a word, even after you believe you have mastered it, can double the effectiveness of your learning, greatly reducing the chance that you will forget the word in the future.
www.improvingvocabulary.org

Students at Lakeview continue to practice using adjectives that describe personality traits. This week they reviewed some words from the word wall, sorted the words according to meaning, and formed sentences using new vocabulary. We will continue to think of examples of various traits and incorporate the new vocabulary in reading and writing activities.

This week in Speech

2010-12-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

Speech and language students at Prairieview have been practicing using contextal clues to interpret the meaning of unfamiliar words while reading. They have made progress thinking of "What makes sense in the sentence?" when predicting meanings. Most of the students are feeling more comfortable attempting to figure out possibilities rather than skipping the word or giving up.

Other children have enjoyed listening to reading passages or watching a brief video and summarizing the story. They have used summary guide graphic organizers to identify characters, setting, and sequence of events. They are improving story-telling and expressive language skills.

Lakeview students enjoyed writing on Mrs. DeYoung's "Word Wall"
to list various character traits and synonym and antonym pairs. They generated lots of adjectives to describe emotions and personal attributes. This activity is helping to increase vocabulary and develop comprehension and reasoning skills.

Lakeview Speech and Language Groups

2010-12-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

This week Speech/Language students at Lakeview have been finishing up extended response activities. The children read an article about high school students in Oakland, California who work at a coffee cafe to earn high school credit and useful business skills. The student employees raised money for a local youth project while earning a salary. Our Jr. High students were asked to write an essay on "Should high school students be allowed to participate in a work program rather than go to school?" The young writers had to use evidence from the article to support their opinion. They practiced citing facts from the text and interpreting them to draw conclusions. The students used graphic organizers to outline
their ideas and explain cause-effect relationships. Many of them were challenged to extend their thinking to explain how working at a job may or may not provide a valuable educational experience. In the process they were encouraged to recognize an author's point of view and elaborate on ideas. They often needed assistance thinking of words to describe character traits of student employees. Many of the students used laptops to type and edit their essays. These skills will continue to be addressed in language group in the coming weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

Conference notes have been sent home to parents of Prairieview Speech/ Language students. Parent-teacher conferences are being scheduled for the week of November 29th. Mrs. DeYoung will be available to meet with parents and discuss student progress in Speech/Language therapy. Please return the form by November 23rd or contact Mrs. DeYoung to schedule an appointment.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2010-11-12T13:31:00.001-08:00

Parent-teacher conferences are being scheduled for the week of November 29th. Mrs. DeYoung will be available to meet with parents and discuss student progress in Speech/Language therapy. Conference schedule forms are being sent home this week. Please return the form by November 23rd or contact Mrs. DeYoung to schedule an appointment.
mdeyoung@ccsd66.org
(630)783-5157

MAP

2010-11-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

Students at Prairieview and Lakeview have taken the "Measures of Academic Progress" (MAP) tests over the past few weeks. The MAP assesses student achievement in Reading, Math, and Language Usage. It is used to measure growth over the school year. On Tuesday November 2, teachers attended an inservice training session to learn how to use MAP data to evaluate student performance and set instructional goals. This information is useful not only to classroom teachers to determine how their class is performing and what to teach, but it also provides specialists like Mrs. DeYoung diagnostic tools to help identify students' individual strengths and weaknesses. The data can be used to determine which students may benefit from remediation. The reports from the MAP will also allow professionals to choose appropriate activities and materials
at a child's reading level.

Building A Stronger Vocabulary

2010-10-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

Speech/Language lessons in November will focus on building vocabulary skills. Vocabulary development is a basic building block of reading comprehension and written expression. According to Linda Diamond and Linda Gutlohn (2006): Instruction in vocabulary involves far more than looking up words in a dictionary and using the words in a sentence. Vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words and intentionally through explicit instruction in specific words and word-learning strategies.

Components of vocabulary instruction
The National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that there is no single research-based method for teaching vocabulary. From its analysis, the panel recommended using a variety of direct and indirect methods of vocabulary instruction.

Research shows that there are more words to be learned than can be directly taught in even the most ambitious program of vocabulary instruction. Explicit instruction in word-learning strategies gives students tools for independently determining the meanings of unfamiliar words that have not been explicitly introduced in class. Since students encounter so many unfamiliar words in their reading, any help provided by such strategies can be useful. * *

Therefore, Mrs. DeYoung will focus on word-learning strategies that can be applied to a variety of contexts. Word-learning strategies include dictionary use, morphemic analysis, and contextual analysis. In language groups we will be using context analysis to infer meanings of new words and morphemic analysis (identifying meanings of root words and suffixes) to define unfamiliar terms). Students will will also receive explicit instruction to identify synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to acquire new vocabulary.

* *For more information, see "Teaching Vocabulary" by L. Diamond and L.Gutlohn in http://www.readingrockets.org/

This Week in Speech/Language Classes

2010-10-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

This week language groups at Lakeview have been reading articles and preparing an extended response. Using a graphic organizer, they have written key idea statements and located evidence in the text to support their opinions. They are practicing interpreting the text to explain the significance of the author's comments. Interpreting involves not only explaining the meaning of information in the passage, but making inferences about why it is important. The students are being urged to elaborate on their ideas and explain cause-effect relationships to draw their own conclusions.

Speech groups at Prairieview are making good progress in articulation skills. Students have reviewed the "speech helpers," (parts of the body used to talk) and been taught how to produce target sounds. They are performing oral motor exercises and word drill activities to improve muscle memory for their target phonemes. Many of the children are beginning to use their target sounds in sentences. They are also urged to
monitor their own speech production and correct errors independently. Kudos to the children and their parents who have been diligent about completing home activities each week. The practice outside of school is definitely paying off.

Several Prairieview students have individual goals to improve grammar, listening, and vocabulary. Fourth grade language students have learned about verbs and adverbs. They are writing descriptive complex sentences to increase vocabulary and written language skills. Other students are focusing on question formation and writing complete sentences. Some third graders have finished a unit on the story of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter and made their own book about the classic tale. Other third graders have used online activities to practice listening and following directions.

Language Basis of Reading And Writing

2010-10-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

As Alan Kahmi has written, "Reading and writing share a common link with talking and understanding. The knowledge and skills your child acquires as part of oral language development will affect the learning of reading and writing. To be literate-that is, to read and write-is to be able to deal with language on paper. "

As human beings, we are born to communicate with each other- wired for oral language. Speaking and listening are part of every culture. We all learn to talk through social interaction. This is not the case with reading and writing. People are usually specifically taught how to read. Children learn to read and write after they have learned to listen and to speak their native language. In western cultures, they need to develop the ability to recognize and identify speech sounds of their language to be able to make sound-letter associations. Children with oral language disorders are at risk for learning disabilities that interfere with reading and writing.

Children who are acquiring English as a second language need sufficient time to learn to understand and speak English before they will be able to comprehend and produce written work. It takes most people about six or seven years to begin to learn to read. It can take the same length of time for a second language learner to acquire enough skill in the new language to be able to use it for written communication.

Spending time talking and listening to others is vital for acquisition of language. Especially in this day of television, computers, and video games, social interaction is key to language development. Children also benefit from experiencing the power of the written word in daily activities. Writing notes, sharing books, and reading mail (or email) together every day can promote reading and writing in the home. Parents can encourage literacy skills in their children by exposing them to formal and informal speech styles and various types of texts (books, magazines, non-fiction articles, etc.)

So, as a speech-language pathologist, I urge parents to Talk with your kids. Write to them. Enjoy communicating with eachother by any means possible; be it at the dinner table, in the car between soccer practices, or through a note on the refrigerator. Read with them. And most importantly, Take time to listen. You are your child's most important teacher and role model for meaningful use of language.

Mrs. DeYoung

Story Telling Activities

2010-10-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Using the narrative structure or story frames (see last week's blog), parents can help their children comprehend story telling rules by modeling narratives.

Tell stories about your day. As the child begins to understand simple stories, expand the narratives to be longer and more complex.
Tell short stories about pictures. Family photos are great for this!
Practice telling stories using wordless picture books or comic strips.
Encourage your child to retell a story that you told first. If he cannot do this independently, help him sequence the events and recall the details by asking him questions like "Then what happened?" "Where did they go?" etc.
Have your child tell stories about the day's events. Again, if he has difficulty organizing the ideas, ask questions from the story frame to help fill in the missing details.
Use a computer to write stories with your child. It allows the child to add details and elaborate and save his ideas. There are some fun story maker sites on the web.

Have fun!

Story Telling

2010-10-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

Encouraging Oral and Written Communication
Narration is telling stories. It is one of several types of daily communication that form a framework for oral and written language. Many childten with language delays or learning disabilities do not learn to use rules of narration for listening, speaking, reading, or writing. As a result, their oral and written stories are often confusing to their listeners.

All narratives have:

a beginning: The beginning must introduce-

who is involved

what happens first

where the story occurs

when it takes place

a middle: The body of the story tells

what happens next

any problem that developed

what other events occured

an ending: This explains the conclusion and how the problem was solved

Students with narrative disorders may omit parts of the story or have difficulty recalling or relating the events in order. Parents can encourage their children to comprehend and tell stories using the basic story structure and by modeling (sharing their own stories).

Tongue Thrust/ Myofunctional Disorders

2010-09-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

Tongue thrust or myofunctional disorders describe a swallowing pattern in which the tongue pushes against or between the teeth with contraction of facial muscles. It also describes the resting position of the tongue. This can effect dentition as well as speech patterns.

Factors that contribute to myofunctional disorder:

Allergies, nasal congestion, nasal obstruction, or enlarged adenoids which result in mouth breathing and cause the posture of the tongue to be very low in the mouth.
Large tonsils or frequent throat infections which cause abnormal swallowing and poor tongue/lip posture.
Short lingual frenulum
Thumb/finger sucking or tongue sucking
Abnormally large tongue
Heredity factors and growth patterns of the face (such as jaw angle)
Neurological musculature or other physiological abnormalities

William E. and Julie Zickefoose

Certified Orofacial Myologists

Oral Motor Activities

2010-09-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

This week several students who are working to improve articulation skills have begun practicing oral motor exercises with Mrs. DeYoung.

Oral Motor Activities for Tongue Elevation

Bite on a toothbrush as you move your tongue to different places in the mouth. Do not drop the toothbrush.
Practice licking popsicles or pretzel sticks. Move your tongue, not the stick!
Put peanut butter on the roof of the mouth and try to lick it off
Put a small piece of food (cheerio, raisin, etc) on the tongue. Hold it there for 5-10 seconds. Lift the item to the hard palate (roof of the mouth).
Click your tongue 5 times.
Say “kkk” “ggg” a few times. Watch the back of the tongue go up.
Brush the sides of the tongue with a toothbrush. Then raise your tongue so the sides of your tongue are spread along the top teeth. Slide your tongue back and forth against the teeth.

Cooperative Learning In Speech Groups

2010-09-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Cooperative learning is a generic term for various small group interactive instructional procedures. Students work together on academic tasks in small groups to help themselves and their teammates learn together. In general, cooperative learning methods share the following five characteristics.
Student work together on common tasks or learning activities hat are best handled through group work.

Students work together in small groups containing two to five members.

Students use cooperative, pro-social behavior to accomplish their common tasks or learning activities.

Students are positively interdependent. Activities are structured so that students need each other to accomplish their common tasks or learning activities.

Students are individually accountable or responsible for their work or learning.

Speech Therapy Sessions

2010-09-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Mrs. DeYoung has begun seeing students with IEP's for speech therapy. Parents have received a letter indicating when their child is scheduled for service.

Parents of students who are recommended for the Sound Improvement program have also been contacted. This is an intervention being offered to children in compliance with the Response to Intervention (RTI) program which allows for speech and language service without being placed in special education.

Please contact Mrs. DeYoung if you have any questions or concerns about the speech and language programs at Prairieview and Lakeview. We are looking forward to a great year!

Mrs. Marilyn DeYoung
Speech Language Pathologist
Center Cass Dist. 66
Prairieview and Lakeview
(630) 783-5157
mdeyoung@ccsd66.org

Speech Screening

2010-08-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Mrs. DeYoung is conducting speech screenings with Prairieview and Lakeview students who have transferred into the district this year. The purpose of the screening is to identify those students who may benefit from speech therapy services. She has also met with third graders who received speech intervention at Elizabeth Ide last year. Mrs. DeYoung will contact parents of students who did not pass the screening and may be eligible for speech intervention. Anyone who would like their child screened for speech services may email Mrs. DeYoung at mdeyoung@ccsd66.org or call (630) 783-5157.

Students in grades 3-8 who have an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) in place for speech services will begin therapy sessions this week (August 30-September 3). Parents will be notified of days and times their child is scheduled to see Mrs. DeYoung.

Communication is a Tool

2010-04-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Lakeview Speech/Language students are discussing purposes of communication. This week they discovered that effectivie communication can help them achieve goals:

Make friends

Ask for help

Express feelings

Get needs met or get something you want

Plan an activity

Build a relationship

Share information

Solve problems

Think and Learn

Change behavior

Exchange ideas

Have fun!

Oral Presentations

2010-04-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there is an Illinois state learning standard for school children to "speak effectively?"

As the school year draws to a close, many students in District 66 will be giving oral reports and speeches in their classrooms. Mrs. DeYoung will be visiting various classes to observe students speaking in front of a group. Several speech and language groups will be practicing oral presentation skills during speech therapy sessions.

Oral Presentations

Look at the audience-Eyes on the listeners, not your notes!

Stand up straight- Try not to slump or sway

Speak up- You want to be heard

Speak slowly- Not too fast, you want to be understood

Use your clear speech

SMILE-You will do great!

Writing stories

2010-03-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

Using online resources is a great teaching tool for children to improve written language. This week students in the self-contained classroom at Prairieview learned about story elements (setting, characters, plot) while writing and illustrating a story on the computer. Using the tools on www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/ the students selected animated characters, identified a setting for their story, described actions, and explained their characters' emotions. The picture icons in the program help students to add detail to their stories, which they may not think of during ordinary paper and pencil activities. Next week the children will continue to write narratives with the storymaker website and practice developing a problem, solution, and ending for their narratives.

Have a fun Spring Break!

Understanding vocabulary

2010-03-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

By Francie Alexander (www.scholastic.com)

Knowing what words to teach is the first step in providing effective vocabulary practice. I have a favorite mnemonic device that helps me remember the types of words I want to teach explicitly:

Type A Words: These words are like Type A personalities. They work hard in order to convey the meaning of the text being read. There are two sources for these words: Academic Language and the Content Areas. Academic Language describes the language of schooling — words used across disciplines like genre and glossary. Content Area words are specific to the discipline — words like organization in social studies and organism in science. If you want your students to “get it,” these are the must-know words.

Type B Words: These words are the Basics. There are hundreds of high-frequency words. The basics make up a large percentage of student reading and writing. Students must be able to read words like the, is, and, are, been and because — well, because.

Type C Words: The Connectors act as signal words. There may be some overlap with the basic words. Students need to understand the signals for cause and effect relationships, sequence and other important indicators of how text is organized.

Type D Words: D is for Difficult — words with multiple meanings are challenging for all students and may be especially so for English-Language Learners.

Type X Words: X is for the eXtras. These are the words that will not be encountered frequently but in a certain story or context are important to meaning. Tell the students what it means without teaching explicitly.

Language Skills

2010-03-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

In March third and fourth grade language groups at Prairieview have practiced identifying synonyms. Naming synonyms is a great way of increasing vocabulary. Students have taken pride in learning new words and rapidly listing synonym pairs. They have also used context cues to infer synonyms of unfamiliar words while reading.

Prairieview students have also listened to stories and summarized the narrative by telling who is in the story(characters), when and where it occurs (setting), and what happened (plot). We have used graphic organizers to list elements of the narrative and sequence important events in the story. Mrs. DeYoung uses the summarizing strategy to improve reading comprehension as well as active listening skills.

Fifth graders and students at Lakeview have reviewed how to write an extended response essay. This week they read a passage and answered questions dealing with cause-effect relationships. Mrs. DeYoung reviewed signal words ( because, since, so, the reason, therefore, as a result... etc). often used in cause-effect paragraphs. Students are practicing writing cause-effect statements and short essays using these transition phrases.

Suggestions for Auditory Processing

2010-03-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

Things That Can Be Done in the Home for Children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)

At mealtime, include your child in family conversation by encouraging your child to talk about what happened in school and listen as family members talk about their experiences. Cue your child to look at the speaker’s face. Eliminate as much background noise as possible. If your child has difficulty following or adding to a conversation appropriately, recap by speaking in short sentences with expression.

Play games that require the players to use logic, strategies, and problem-solving. Spelling and vocabulary games are good. Games in which no one “loses” are best.

Encourage the habit of making lists for a variety of purposes such as groceries, chores, and homework assignments. This helps to develop planning and organizational skills.

Play the telephone game. One child whispers a secret to the next child, who whispers the secret to the next child, and so on.

Watch good ½ hour television programs that involve characterizations and plot development with your child. At the end of the program, discuss with your child opinions, solutions to problems, sequence of events, character flaws, poor choices made by characters, and alternative endings.

Talk to the child about listening for words that give order clues, words such as “now,” “later,” “after,” and “before.”

When reading stories, ask the child to recap what was heard, after a page or two. At the end of the story, ask the child to summarize the entire story (Kelly, D.A., 1995).

Parent-Teacher Conferences

2010-02-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

Mrs. DeYoung is scheduling conferences for the week of March 8. She will meet with parents of students whose annual reviews are due in March, and parents who did not have a conference first trimester who would like to discuss their child's progress. Please contact Mrs. DeYoung this week to request an appointment.

RTI Articulation Groups

2010-02-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

As a result of recent speech and language screenings it has been determined that a handful of Prairieview students, while functioning well in the classroom, could benefit from Sound Improvement Training. This is an intervention being offered to students in compliance with the government's new Response to Intervention (RtI) program.

The program allows students to benefit from speech and language service without initially being placed in special education. RtI is a preventative measure that provides the student an opportunity to possibly reduce his/her risk for articulation difficulties that may negatively affect his/her educational performance.

In the Sound Improvement Group, the speech pathologist will meet with students with similar needs in small groups to 1) check for stimulability of sound production, 2) provide interventions to develop correct articulation, and 3) track data to interpret future needs of each student. This is a preventative measure used for a specific amount of time (up to 12 weeks) to see how the child's sound production develops. Participation at home is warranted for the duration of this program. Homework will be given and each child is expected to practice while in this group.

The next Sound Improvement Group at Prairieview will be offered March-May. Parents may contact Mrs. DeYoung if they are interested in their child participating in a group.

A Strategy for Interpreting Text

2010-02-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

This week as students in language groups practiced reading and making inferences, Mrs. DeYoung demonstrated how to use starter phrases to formulate a response. Students were directed to highlight a fact from the text and then generate a Therefore.... or This tells me that... statement to elaborate on what they had read and explain what they learned or interpreted from the passage. Younger children were encoouraged to predict what might happen next or discuss why events in the reading take place. When provided with a starter phrase that focuses on cause-effect relationships, the students were able make an appropriate inference and word their thoughts in a way that would make sense to their audience.

Understanding Expository Text/ Helpful Websites for Parents and Teachers

2010-01-29T13:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some useful resources when introducing expository text to students. For further information, go to http://www.literacymatters.org/content/readandwrite/expos.htm

Reading Expository Text: The Choice for Some, A Challenge for Others

This article explains why reading expository text is difficult for some students. It discusses factors that affect students' success with reading expository text, including reader and instructional factors. www.big6.com/showenewsarticle.php?id=248

Expository Reading

This site includes links to sites with strategies and activities related to expository reading.www.beavton.k12.or.us/jacob_wismer/resources/expository_reading.htm

Reading Expository Text (Textbooks, Essays, Articles, Reports, Workplace Documents)

This site provides basic information that students need to know in order to read expository text. .www.englishcompanion.com/room82/readexpository.html

Language Groups

2010-01-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Third grade language students are practicing formulating and writing complete sentences using correct noun-verb agreement. The sentences need to contain a subject and verb (predicate). The students will organize their sentences in the correct order to form a brief narrative. They will be introduced to transition words (first, next, last, also) that help them to sequence ideas.

Older students continue to focus on support and elaboration. The fifth graders have used graphic organizers to brainstorm reasons, examples, and supporting details in response to a prompt. Next week they will be introduced to various strategies for putting these ideas into words when writing.

This week students at the jr. high discussed text related to topics they are studying in science and social studies. For example, seventh grade students read notes from Mr. Little's blog and listed reasons that colonists settled in the New World. They gave the reasons and then provided evidence or examples and interpreted their significance. This group identified how the early settlers were able to accomplish their goals. The groups used colored post-it notes to differentiate between evidence and interpretation, and organize ideas.

Articulation Groups

2010-01-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

In speech therapy sessions this week, students with goals to improve articulation skills have begun using the audio recorder to record their speech and practice listening to themselves and self-evaluating. They pronounced sentences or read passages aloud and rated their speech (good, fair, poor) and identified words that were unclear. Some of the children are very adept at recognizing their own errors, while others have a difficult time perceiving their mistakes. They may have attention deficits or weaknesses in auditory discrimination that interfere with self-monitoring. Children who are unable to discriminate their own errors will be reminded to focus on oral kinesthetic cues and tongue placement to improve self-awareness. In some cases, using the mirror can be a helpful tool for self-correction. These are great activities to do at home to practice carryover skills. Speech homework second semester will continue to focus on self-assessment and carryover.

Mrs. DeYoung's New Year's Resolution

2010-01-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

Many people resolve to make changes and improve their lives in the new year. As we have returned to school after winter break, I am reconsidering how I hope to improve the lives and skills of my students in 2010. They will be expected to perform at a higher level this coming semester than last and I need to figure out how to help them meet that goal.

For example, just this afternoon, a sixth grade teacher came to me asking if I would assist one of our students with his persuasive essay. It is an assignment that prepares students for the upcoming ISAT exam. As I looked over the graphic organizer that the sixth grade team provides for students and began to instruct the particular student and other members of his language small group, I realized that they were not able to complete the activity for numerous reasons. First of all, the level of critical thinking and interpretation required to pass the sixth grade Illinois writing assessment is above the developmental level of a typical eleven-year-old. Students are rarely exposed to the type of expository text that they are being asked to produce. Sixth graders generally do not read extended persuasive articles like those found in letters to the editor or scholarly journals. Also, most adults (myself included), do not use the style of writing that is expected on the Illinois achievement test. In this blog I have hardly begun to provide the thesis statement, evidence, transition statements, or interpretation outlined in the expository writing rubric for middle school students. I wouldn't score well on the ISAT.

Before mid-March, Lakeview speech and language groups may get the opportunity to "grade" Mrs. DeYoung's blog according to the Illinois standards. In the meantime, they will be reading examples of expository writing that approach the standards, practice elaborating and forming meaningful associations, list reasons, benefits, or advantages, brain storm types of evidence, and be encouraged to interpret or explain how the evidence supports their reasons. They will present their opinions orally and in writing. Some of the children may not "meet standards," but all of us (myself included) will make progress and improve our reasoning and writing skills. I will have met my annual New Year's resolution.

A Poem

2009-12-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

by Nol K. Martin-tungpalan
When you speak your mind
From genuineness and integrity
Acid tongues matter little
When you speak your mind
From your truth
Respect is earned
When you speak your mind
Without venom
You inspire conversation
When you speak
It reveals some truth about you
Speak your mind from who you are
And not from who you would like
To be perceived
And speaking your mind
Will always be your
Homage to the real self

Rolling Right Along...

2009-12-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

This week articulation groups monitored their speech and practiced fluency/automaticity while playing games. As the competition mounted, they needed to listen to themselves and focus on target sounds. Even though they were excited, they still had to speak clearly.

The third and fourth grade language group reviewed the True Story of the 3 Pigs by sequencing events from the story. Then they listened to the traditional version of the fairy tale and compared the two versions using a large Venn diagram. The students wrote sentences describing events from the stories to explain how the versions are the same and different.

Fifth and sixth grade students continued the debate; Books vs. Movies. They completed graphic organizers listing their preference and explaining their reasons. The students continue to focus on providing valid support and elaborating on their responses. They are developing critical thinking skills as well as written expression. Each week they need fewer prompts from the teacher. Mrs. DeYoung is very proud of their progress.

Spotlight on Language Groups

2009-12-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

After Thanksgiving break the third and fourth grade language group enjoyed listening to The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. They drew portraits of A. Wolf and then composed character descriptions on the computer. The students were developing details in their sentences.

Fifth graders continue to learn about expository structure in writing. They read an article about Hawaii to practice using context to infer meaning of unknown words and used a graphic organizer to identify key ideas, supporting details, and elaboration in the passage.

Students at the junior high practiced stating an opinion, providing support or reasons, giving examples, and making a personal connection to the topic. They were challenged to not only express a viewpoint, but to justify their response.

All of these activities encouraged students to elaborate! We will continue to focus on support and elaboration in the coming weeks.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2009-11-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

Mrs. DeYoung will meet with parents during the week of November 30-December 3. Please contact her if you would like to schedule a conference to discuss your child's progress in Speech/Language class. Parents of students enrolled in District 66 special education programs, including speech therapy services, will receive progress reports from the special education office in the next two weeks .

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Helping Your Child

2009-11-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

Speech-language experts agree that parental involvement is crucial to the success of a child's progress in speech or language therapy.
Parents are an extremely important part of their child's therapy program, and help determine whether it is a success. Kids who complete the program quickest and with the most lasting results are those whose parents have been involved.
Ask the therapist for suggestions on how you can help your child. For instance, it's important to help your child do the at-home stimulation activities that the SLP suggests to ensure continued progress and carry-over of newly learned skills.
Amy Nelson, MA, CCC-SLP kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/speech_therapy.html

Suggestions for Parents
At Prairieview, children working primarily on articulation skills are given assignments to practice at home. Please listen to them as they complete the homework and sign it to indicate that someone listened to them. Students should return the speech work to school in the speech pocket of their binder.

Parents can help students with receptive and expressive language deficits by discussing stories that they are reading or programs that they watch on television. Ask the child to explain the main idea from a page they have read, or 5-10 minute television episode. Encourage them to list one or two details from the selection. Older students should be able to tell how they feel about what they read/saw or how it relates to their own lives. This will help them to interpret what they read.

Writing Skills

2009-11-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

In preparation for the ISAT tests, our district is focusing on written language skills this year. Teachers have met during inservice training sessions to review how to effectively teach writing. Recently district staff received a handout on research-based practices for teaching writing by Steve Graham of Vanderbuildt University. Professor Graham highlighted six best practices for improving student writing:

Teach Writing Processes: "The first and most effective practice is to explicitly and systematically teach kids strategies for planning, drafting, editing, revising, and regulating the writing process."
Have students work together. Students give each other feedback.
Create clear expectations.
Have students write on a word processor. Research shows that using the computer for writing (and editing) can make a significant difference from second grade onward.
Teach complex sentence structures. Modeling sentence combining and having students practice using complex sentences in their essays improves writing.
Establish writers' workshop where students are provided a supportive environment to engage in the writing process on a regular basis.

The small group setting of speech and language groups offers a natural opportunity to develop written language skills. Over the next several months, Mrs. DeYoung will be utilizing these practices to improve written and oral communication with many of her students grades 5-8.

Halloween Happenings

2009-10-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

This week speech and language students enjoyed reading Halloween Mad Libs stories to practice oral reading while monitoring their speech production. Many of Mrs. DeYoung's students played holiday Bingo; forming sentences and definitions for Halloween words. Students in the self-contained class made potions and performed experiments to predict if various substances would sink or float and dissolve in water. They learned to form a hypothesis and collect data. Some students drew pictures of friendly monsters and then gave directions to their peers so that they would draw an identical creature. The children had to describe their illustrations and listen carefully to come up with drawings that looked alike. Students at the Jr. High used detailed descriptions and asked clarifying questions to produce similar drawings. Other seventh and eighth graders continued reading and writing activities that were begun last week. They have worked on inferential reasoning, practiced readers' theater, and written rough drafts of their book reviews.

Spotlight on Speech Groups

2009-10-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

This week some of Mrs. DeYoung's third grade students have begun learning about methods of inquiry in Science. Mrs. DeYoung reviewed the five senses and had the children describe an apple using lots of descriptive adjectives. They were able to observe, describe, classify, and compare the apple with other foods, using their senses. The group completed a graphic organizer about the apple and a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast apples and apple juice. Students engaged in several language tasks while learning methods of inquiry! Next week they will write a paragraph about apples.
Other third grade students used computer games to identify categories and practice /r/ sounds, while fifth graders completed vocabulary activities that correspond to last week's reading passage. Jr. High students listened to a short story online and answered comprehension questions to develop auditory processing . A different group read a short narrative and used the "Think Aloud" strategy to improve inference skills. Eighth grade students are preparing a book review to be published online.
It has been an exciting and productive week.

Another great website for teachers and students

2009-10-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

www.literacymatters.org is a website for students, teachers, and parents that provides information on adolescent literature, content literacy, and technology, as well as student activities and lesson plans. The following article on Listening describes one of several strategies that the site features. There are also several links to other online resources.

Listening
Improving students' ability to listen is a good first step for cultivating strong study strategies. The resources below help students tune in and reduce distractions while listening in class. These techniques encourage students to become active listeners by having them evaluate what they hear and interact with the speaker.

TQLR Listening ProcessTQLR (Tune in, Question, Listen, Review) can help students improve their listening skills—whether they are listening to a lecture, story, or conversation. The four steps of TQLR are:

1. Tune in: Have students prepare by tuning their mind to what they are about to hear.
2.Question: Ask students to formulate questions on what to listen for. "Who, what, when, and where" are good questions to start with.
3. Listen: Encourage students to think while they listen.
4.Review: Have students review what they heard, answer questions, and consider areas that were not clear.

Below we have provided recommended resources that describe listening strategies.

Sites That Matter
The TQLR Process This web site provides a summary of the TQLR process with a list of the characteristics of effective and ineffective listening. www.byu.edu/ccc/learning/listen.shtml
Reading Aloud to Students This is a guide for reading aloud to students, including a description of the TQLR process. literacyleaders.com/Early_Literacy/Reading_Aloud/body_reading_aloud.html
ListeningThis web site provides resources such as a listening guide, an assessment of listening skills, and sample notes taken while listening. www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/ela102030/teach3.html
Strategies for discussion in the classroom This web site provides interactive activities for students to practice their listening skills. members.aol.com/ReadShop/640discuss.html
Paying attention in the classroom Although developed for college students, this web site provides basic advice for strengthening concentration skills that can be applied at the middle school level. studygs.net/classr.htm

Happy Halloween

2009-10-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

Find Halloween games, puzzles, word searches, story starters, and more at www.squiglysplayhouse.com/Games/Holidays/Halloween.html

We will be using some of these fun activities and scary stories to reinforce speech and language skills during the rest of October.

Speech/Language Therapy is More Than Just Talk

2009-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

This week fifth and sixth grade language groups have focused on reading and explaining main ideas from a paragraph or selected passage. Sometimes the main idea may be stated right in the selection, or it may be implied. Students have practiced inferring the main idea, identifying supporting details, and then writing it in their own words. The Lakeview students were challenged to interpret the significance of the details and make further inferences. The children are using all of their language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking.

Other Lakeview students participated in cooperative activities to practice speech skills. Sharing a map of the Chicago lakefront, they gave and followed complex directions.

Third and fourth grade social communication groups watched a DVD featuring students who use good eye contact and body language to show others when they are interested and want to talk. Effective communication involves more than what we say. Mrs. Westra and Mrs. DeYoung co-teach some groups at Prairieview to help students improve social communication skills.

Students in articulation therapy reviewed how to formulate their target sounds and completed oral motor activities to strengthen the speech muscles. They continued to listen to each other and evaluate their articulation.

All of the students have shown good progress during the month of September.

Speech/Language Screening

2009-09-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Mrs. DeYoung has begun observing students at Prairieview in their classrooms to identify children who may benefit from speech and language intervention. She has listened to students read aloud, speak in front of the class, and complete cooperative activities with partners. Teachers or parents may contact her to request speech and language screening for any child in the building.

Auditory Processing Disorder

2009-09-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

The following article for parents and more information about APD is found at www.kidshealth.org

What is Auditory Processing Disorder?
Auditory processing disorder (APD), also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is a complex problem affecting about 5% of school-aged children. These kids can't process the information they hear in the same way as others because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, most notably the sounds composing speech.
Kids with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. These kinds of problems typically occur in background noise, which is a natural listening environment. So kids with APD have the basic difficulty of understanding any speech signal presented under less than optimal conditions.

Detecting APD
Kids with APD are thought to hear normally because they can usually detect pure tones that are delivered one by one in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). Those who can normally detect sounds and recognize speech in ideal listening conditions are not considered to have hearing difficulties.
However, the ability to detect the presence of sounds is only one part of the processing that occurs in the auditory system. So, most kids with APD do not have a loss of hearing sensitivity, but have a hearing problem in the sense that they do not process auditory information normally.
If the auditory deficits aren't identified and managed early, many of these kids will have speech and language delays and academic problems. Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem with how he or she processes sounds, consider these questions:

Is your child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
Are noisy environments upsetting to your child?
Does your child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?
Does your child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated?
Does your child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?
Is abstract information difficult for your child to comprehend?
Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for your child?
Is your child disorganized and forgetful?
Are conversations hard for your child to follow?

APD is an often misunderstood problem because many of the behaviors noted above can also appear in other conditions like learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and even depression. Although APD is often confused with ADHD, it is possible to have both. It is also possible to have APD and specific language impairment or learning disabilities.

Please contact Mrs. DeYoung if you suspect that your child may have difficulties with auditory processing, or if you have other speech and language concerns.

Week 3

2009-09-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

This week Mrs. DeYoung met with students and began assessment with children who are working on improving articulation. Third graders were introduced to ways to be a good communicator:

Listen
Take turns talking
Stay on topic
Look at the person you are talking to
Use facial expressions

4th, 5th, and 6th grade articulation groups are focusing on monitoring their speech production and rating their own speech. They practiced evaluating their articulation using evaluation charts.

Language groups at Prairieview have either reviewed classification skills to identify categories/similarities between items, or used a graphic organizer to identify the main idea of a paragraph. Fourth and fifth grade language groups identified details in the reading passage that support the main idea. These activities help students develop reading comprehension, increase vocabulary and use specific language.

Finally, middle school students participated in cooperative activities to practice effective listening and communication.

As the semester progresses, Mrs. DeYoung will be visiting classrooms at Prairieview to observe and identify children who may benefit from speech and language intervention. Please contact her if you know of a student who you would like to have observed or screened.

Week 2

2009-09-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Children enrolled in speech/language therapy services have begun Speech classes and should have brought home a note stating the day/s and time they are scheduled for Speech. Students will be asked to keep Speech handouts or assignments in their binders. I will be giving them an extra pocket for their binder to hold the Speech work. If you have any questions or concerns about speech and language services, you may contact me at (630) 783-5157 or email: mdeyoung@ccsd66.org. I am looking forward to another great year!

Mrs. Marilyn DeYoung
Speech-language Pathologist

Week 1

2009-08-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Teacher's Prayer
Author Unknown

Lord, Please help me,
To strengthen their voices, bodies and minds,
To express their feelings and control them sometimes,
To explore what's near and venture afar,
But most important to love who they are.

This has been a great beginning of the school year. I have completed my schedule and am looking forward to meeting with all of my students next week. Parents with questions or concerns about their child's speech and language skills may contact me at mdeyoung@ccsd66.org.

Mrs. DeYoung

Friends

2009-06-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

by Crystal Bowman

A friend is someone who listens,
A friend is someone who cares.
A friend is someone who understands,
A friend is someone who shares.

It's nice to have a special friend
To tell all your secrets to.
It's nice to know that someone you like
Is someone who really likes you.

A friend is someone you can call on the phone
To talk about nothing at all.
A friend is someone who cheers you up
And makes you feel ten feet tall.

Everyone would like to have
A special friend, it's true.
But if you want a special friend,
You need to be one too.

To all my friends at Prairieview and Lakeview,
Have a wonderfully fun summer!
See you soon.

Mrs. DeYoung

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!

2009-05-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

May has been a busy month as speech and language classes are winding down for the school year. Many of the students at Lakeview have been working on research projects and oral presentations for various classes. Therapy sessions have focused on practicing oral communication skills including speaking slowly and clearly, using good eye contact, and organization skills. Students have been encouraged to check their speech production while practicing their speeches.

Mrs. DeYoung has been conducting end-of-the-year assessments at Prairieview. Fourth and fifth graders have been introduced to the" Repeated Words" strategy to identify main ideas. The students search for important words that are repeated in a reading passage and use the words to formulate a main idea sentence. This process helps the children to read carefully and recognize key ideas. They have done a great job expressing topic sentences in their own words!

Parents-
Some of you have received messages if your child is due for an annual review of speech therapy services. Please contact Mrs. DeYoung to schedule an appointment if you still need to meet with her this year. Thank you.

Therapy Activities

2009-04-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Students with language processing goals at Prairieview and Lakeview continue to practice applying comprehension strategies that have been introduced this month during therapy sessions. Third grade learners began listening lab activities on the computer to practice visualizing and following directions. They listened to instructions and drew pictures of what was described. Other students are reviewing grammar concepts and forming appropriate sentences with target sentence structtures. Fourth and fifth graders continue to utilize vocabulary strategies to infer meanings of unfamiliar words in reading passages. They use context cues to think of synonyms, apply the cloze (fill in the blank) strategy, analyze root words, and define new vocabulary.

Seventh graders at Lakeview were introduced to "Fix It" strategies to use when they do not comprehend what they are reading. They read an allegory related to the American Revolution and discussed the underlying meaning of the poem. These students continue to work on written language skills as they answer essay questions about the reading selection.

Finally, Mrs. DeYoung's articulation groups have reviewed story-telling skills and have been reading aloud from picture books to practice reading with expression and clear speech.

Strategic Learning

2009-04-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

This week Prairieview speech/language students tried some different strategies for listening, reading, and comprehending. Third graders were introduced to visualization thru "picture stories." They listened to a short narrative read aloud to them and then helped Mrs. DeYoung to construct illustrations of the story. Students had to focus on descriptive details such as spatial words and size concepts to form accurate pictures and be able to draw conclusions. (This required some of the children to learn new vocabulary concepts.) Students were able to summarize the narrative, make predictions, and answer comprehension questions using this strategy. Next week they will continue to use the "picture story" strategy more independently.

Fourth and fifth grade students are reviewing ways to infer meaning of unfamiliar words while reading. They used context clues to understand vocabulary with multiple definitions and identified root words, prefixes, and suffixes to decifer unknown words. Students were also able to use their background knowledge of the topic to infer meaning. While Mrs. DeYoung focused on vocabulary comprehension, the children also were given practice in writing definitions in their own words. For future sessions, students will be encoouraged to explain meanings and to use new words appropriately.

Enjoy Spring Break!

2009-03-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Spring break is a great time to have fun and review speech and language skills. For links to online speech and language activities, go to Mrs. DeYoung's webpage (accessed thru the Prairieview homepage) or try these websites:

Listening activities: www.elllo.org/english/Games.htm

Whacky Web Tales (similar to Madlibs): www.eduplace.com/tales/

Games for vocabulary and grammar skills: www.quia.com/pages/havefun.html

More Strategies

2009-03-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Now that most students have completed the ISAT tests, Mrs. DeYoung has returned to teaching comprehension strategies to improve reading, listening, and thinking. Third grade students are reviewing summarizing and questioning. The fourth grade language group practiced using context cues to comprehend unfamiliar words. Fifth graders are completing listening labs on the computer to develop the ability to recall information and answer comprehension questions. Many of these students have recognized their need to have information repeated and to ask for clarification. Finally, students at Lakeview have been introduced to the INSERT strategy.

The INSERT strategy helps students to monitor their thinking as they read. Students use the following symbols to code the text:

check mark Author confirms what you already knew- "I knew that!"

- Contradicts what you thought- " I thought differently."

? Confuses you- "I don't understand this!"

+ New Information- "I didn't know that!"

Students can write the symbols in the margin of the reading passage (in pencil if it is a text book) or use the symbols while taking notes. This strategy will also help to prepare for class discussions and to check their own understanding of curricular content.

March 3-6

2009-03-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Conferences:
Parent teacher conferences will be next week, March 9-12. Conference notes have been sent to parents of students whose annual reviews for speech are due this trimester. If you did not receive an invitation for a conference and would like to meet with Mrs. DeYoung, please contact her by telephone (630)783-5157, or email mdeyoung@ccsd66.org

ISAT Testing
This week students at Prairieview and Lakeview are taking the ISATs. Mrs. DeYoung will not meet with students if they are testing at their regularly scheduled time for therapy.

Thinking and Problem Solving

2009-02-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

Solving online puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers are a great way to increase reasoning and problem solving. Discussing the problem and possible solutions boosts your brainpower and expressive language skills. Here are a few of Mrs. DeYoung's favorite brainteaser websites:

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/brainboosters/

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/braint.htm

http://www.mindbreakers.com/

http://kids.mysterynet.com/

Reading Between the Lines/ Interpreting Text

2009-02-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

In preparing for the ISAT assessments, this week language groups focused on interpreting what they read. The students read stories similar to passages on the ISAT and discussed how the author used details to convey meaning. (For example, when a writer describes the character's actions, the reader can interpret how the character is feeling. ) Group members were asked to summarize what the passages said and then explain the significance of the story events or tell why certain facts in a nonfiction article are important. Students with comprehension deficits often have difficulty making inferences in order to understand the writer's intent. Other children may be able to understand implied meaning, but struggle to put their thoughts into words. This activity provided an opportunity for pupils to develop critical thinking and then to express their conclusions.

Parents can help their children improve these skills by discussing reading selections with them and focusing on the inferences. Encourage your child to "read between the lines" to discover what the author is trying to communicate. Discussion questions may include:

What does the author mean?
What does this section tell you about the character?
Why is this fact important?
What is the purpose of this story? and most importantly...
What can you learn from this passage?

At the recent American Speech and Hearing Association convention, one speaker told the audience of school speech-language pathologists, " Make the implicit explicit!" It was good advice- not only for those of us who teach students with language disorders, but also for parents who want to help their students comprehend and produce meaningful language.

February 2-6

2009-02-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

Artic. Groups: This week students who are focusing on speech carryover skills handed in their January calendars in which they rated their speech last month. They have received new calendars and are setting speech goals for February. Some of the students have found it challenging to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses. They are thinking of specific ways they can improve their communication at home or at school.

Other artic. groups continue to practice self-monitoring. They are making progress listening to themselves and identifying their own errors. Many of these children are beginning to need fewer reminders during small group discussions as well as when they practice word and sentence lists. At this point, students often speak at a slower rate in order to enunciate. Mrs. DeYoung is encouraging some children who are doing well with self-monitoring to increase their rate of speech and speak clearly so that they sound more natural when they talk.

Language Groups: Third graders have enjoyed playing "The Guessing Game" (similar to playing 20 Quesitons) to practice describing critical attributes and forming questions. This activity helps to develop analytical thinking skills as well as improve grammar.

The fourth grade language group reviewed science vocabulary about the animal kingdom. They are comparing and contrasing different types of animals and learning the terminology of classification. Next week students will complete a worksheet using the new vocabulary.

Older students have read a sample extended response and identified the necessary parts of the essay (main idea, text proof, interpretation, and extension). Mrs. DeYoung is showing them actual examples of student writing to demonstrate how they can apply target skills in their own work.

Using Graphic Organizers

2009-01-30T07:24:00.000-08:00

"Graphic organizers are valuable instructional tools. Unlike many tools that just have one purpose, graphic organizers are flexible and endless in application. One common trait found among graphic organizers is that they show the order and completeness of a student's thought process - strengths and weaknesses of understanding become clearly evident. " (writedesignonline.com)

Graphic organizers can help students to summarize and comprehend information they have heard or read as well as assist them in preparing to write. All students, including children with language processing deficits, benefit.

Below is a list of ideas taken from http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature/graphicorganizers.html on how to use graphic organizers with students.

Provide a graphic organizer tailored to a specific reading assignment in a content area textbook, such as science or civics. The students can use the graphic organizer to take notes. The notes can be used as discussion starters in the content area class or as study guides for an upcoming test or quiz.
Provide graphic organizers for your students to use as alternatives to book reports. Graphic organizers can be created for comparing characters, identifying the setting, mapping out the plot, etc.
Provide graphic organizers that your students can use to organize thoughts during brainstorming or pre-writing exercises.
Provide graphic organizers that your students can use to create the rough draft of a writing assignment.

Graphic Organizing-A strategy that works!

Making Progress

2009-01-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

Artic(ulation). Groups
This week students working on articulation skills reviewed their speech calendars and/or practiced forming sentences using words containing their target sounds. Students have been focusing on their speech production and monitoring their speech while they are talking. Next week they will rate their own speech and identify if they are unclear.

Language Groups
Fifth, sixth, and seventh graders finished reading passages related to social studies and began writing another extended response about the articles. We are practicing writing extended responses in preparation for the ISATs in March. The reading portion of the ISAT requires students to read a selection and then write an essay in response to a question, or prompt, about the passage. Students are expected to formulate a key idea sentence stating their position, provide evidence from the text to support their key idea, interpret the information from the text, and then draw a conclusion and explain what they learned from the author. Mrs. DeYoung takes students through the writing process step by step to develop their essays.

Third grade language groups read and discussed a story. They enjoyed describing the characters and learning new vocabulary. Fourth grade students read about the causes of the Civil War and practiced using context cues to infer meanings of unknown words and define familiar vocabulary.

More on "Think-Alouds"

2009-01-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

Language Groups: 5th-7th grade students have continued to participate in "Think- Alouds" to practice reading strategies and self-monitor their comprehension. This week we looked at which strategies they rely on and what other strategies they can also try to gain further understanding of text. Most of the students found that there are one or two strategies that they use frequently, and chose another skill to practice to add to their reading "tool box." Third and fourth graders have written short summaries and focused on vocabulary skills.

Here is a list of the Strategies that we have been practicing:

Make a Prediction
Ask a Question
Clarify something (especially useful for unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts)
Make a Comment (form an opinion)
Make a Connection
Figure out if I need to reread
Ask myself if I understand what I've read
Make mental pictures (Visualize)
Compare what is being learned now to what has been learned previously

Articulation Groups: We begin each session with oral-motor activities and then proceed to practice individual phonemes. Students who are focusing on carryover received letters to take home to parents explaining the carryover unit. Please encourage the children to listen to their daily speech and record their observations on their speech calendars.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

Speech therapy students who are acquiring various phonemes kicked off the new year with exercises to strengthen the speech muscles and improve control of oral movements. Although we practiced these exercises earlier in the fall, this week has been a good time to review and reassess oral motor skills. Just like with any exercise program, oral motor activities need to be repeated frequently to remain strong.

The children who have been focusing on carryover are being given calendars to keep track of their speech production outside of the speech room. This week students will be listening for times when their speech needs to be more clear. The goal is to become more aware of one's articulation and to take ownership of communication skills.

Finally, Mrs. DeYoung's language groups have completed another Think Aloud activity to apply various comprehension strategies to reading expository texts. The groups read articles related to their social studies curriculum and discussed their thinking. Most of the students were able to identify the strategies they are using. They will continue to self-monitor their comprehension to check for understanding and determine if they need to reread for clarification.

Next week (Jan. 12-16) Prairieview and Lakeview will be administering the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Mrs. DeYoung will not see students if they are being tested during their regular therapy time.

Speech/Language Holiday Hints

2008-12-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

This month many of the students in speech and language therapy have enjoyed practicing their target sounds using computer games. The Speech webpage on the Prairieview school website has links to Internet sites that feature games and activities for articulation practice. To get to Mrs. DeYoung’s page on the Internet, go to www.ccsd66.org , click on Prairieview Elementary, then scroll to the bottom and click on SPEECH. Winter break is a great time to try some of the games at home. (You may need to remind your children that if they are practicing talking, they will need to play the games aloud.) You can also find lots of vocabulary activities at www.quia.com/pages/wordowords.html.

Teachers remind us that chorale reading promotes reading fluency. It also is a great tool for speech practice. You can encourage students to use their best speech while singing carols or reciting holiday poems. Your family can have fun reading or singing your holiday favorites together.

Wishing you all
a joyful holiday season &
health and happiness in
2009.

Mrs. Marilyn DeYoung
Speech Language Pathologist
Center Cass Dist.66

Elaborating

2008-12-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

Making Your Writing More Interesting

Add Details
Use Describing Words
I wore my coat.
I wore my new red coat.

The girl ran.
The girl ran slowly.

Appeal to the Senses
Mom served brownies.
Mom served warm chewy brownies from the oven.

Tell Where
Tom left.
Tom left for his friend’s house.

Tell When
Tom left for his friend’s house.
Tom left for his friend’s house after dinner.

Identify the Characters
The boys played outside.
Steven and James played outside.

Mrs. Jones sang in the choir.
Our next door neighbor, Mrs. Jones, sang in the choir.

Describe Emotions
Susan went to the party.
Susan was thrilled to go to the party.

The firemen searched for the victim.
The firemen searched desperately for the victim.

Explain Cause and Effect
Charlie stayed home.
Charlie stayed home because he was sick.

It was snowing outside, so Charlie stayed home.
Our team had to forfeit the game when Charlie stayed home.

Include Dialogue
The umpire yelled.
The umpire yelled, "Strike three. You’re out!"

Mrs. Most told us to wait.
Mrs. Most told us, "Wait until the bell rings to go outside."

Focus on Learning Strategies

2008-12-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

In Speech/language classes we are continuing to read and discuss various passages using the "think aloud" strategy. Students at Lakeview have read articles or web pages that relate to their Science or Social Studies curriculum. The sixth graders compared the lives of people from Athens and Sparta in ancient Greece, while seventh grade students reviewed vocabulary from an article on heredity and genetics. Next week they will draw conclusions and answer essay questions about what they have read. Prairieveiw students have read a modern version of the Three Little Pigs and discussed different characters' points of view. They inferred character traits and found details in the story to support their conclusions.

Third graders are learning to summarize using a "who, what, when, where" strategy. This is also a great strategy for sentence formation. They had fun describing pictures and asking WH questions! Children with articulation goals are focusing on evaluating their own speech while they make up silly sentences or answer questions. They are being encouraged to take responsibility for their communication.

Parent Conferences- Dec. 2-4

2008-11-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

Conference notes for Speech/Language will be sent home on Monday Nov. 24. Please return the note by December 1, to schedule an appointment. If you are unavailable to meet in person you may contact Mrs. DeYoung to set up a telephone conference. (630)783-5157 mdeyoung@ccsd66.org

Better Than Google!

2008-11-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

www.Internet4classrooms.com/k12links.htm

This is a terrific website for finding age appropriate internet activities for students at any grade level (K-12). The site lists links according to various subject areas and learning standards. Mrs. DeYoung uses this page constantly to search for online exercises for her students. It is a wonderful resource when searching for review material or practice activities for any concept or skill. Many of the sites feature interactive quizzes that students can complete online.

Encourage Critical Thinking

2008-11-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Some of Mrs. DeYoung's groups at Lakeview are answering essay questions about a passage they read. They are stating their key idea, giving evidence from the text for their opinion, and explaining the significance or interpreting the evidence. Students are focusing on critical thinking and use graphic organizers to express ideas and plan paragraphs. This is challenging for many students since writing essays involves comprehension, abstract reasoning, expression, organization, and composition.

Groups at Prairieview continue to practice using clear speech while playing games or discussing current events. Fourth and fifth graders talked about the voting process or answered questions about a reading selection. Like the older children, they are learning to give reasons for their answers and explain their ideas.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Many of Mrs. DeYoung's students played Spooky Bingo this week to practice their articulation and vocabulary skills. They had fun defining words like jack-o-lantern and masquerade. Some third graders were explaining similarities between common objects to develop expressive reasoning and vocabulary. Other students played articulation baseball or continued discussing stories that they had read last week. Fourth grade children used context clues to infer meanings of unknown words from the passage. Jr. high groups have begun to work on answering essay questions using supporting details from the text. All of the groups focus on improving vocabulary and thinking skills in oral and written language activities.

This Week's Highlights

2008-10-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Speech and language therapy students at Prairieview have been practicing their speech sounds and completing activities to develop vocabulary. Some of the fifth graders made a list of spooky verbs and adjectives to use writing a scary story. Next week many third, fourth, and fifth graders will play Halloween Bingo and monitor their speech while thinking of sentences with Halloween words.

Language therapy students at Lakeview are beginning to use the "Think Aloud" strategy to understand and discuss what they read. They are encouraged to ask questions about the text and increase abstract thinking skills. Next week they will write a response to Casey At The Bat,
which we read this week in group. Students working on articulation skills have been focused on monitoring their speech during conversation and small group activities.

This Week's Strategies

2008-10-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Using Context Cues, Forming Sentences, and Questioning

This week many of the speech and language groups at Prairieview reviewed target vocabulary from a story they had read. They used context cues to infer meaning of unfamiliar verbs and adverbs and then made up their own sentences with the new vocabulary. Mrs. DeYoung gave examples to help students think of original sentences. For homework the children will be thinking of other descriptive words to use to write scary stories.

Students at Lakeview continued to practice the questioning strategy while reading from a novel. They thought of questions to anticipate characters' feelings and predict events. The sixth and seventh graders were encouraged to think about themes in the story as well as the plot. An author may use a narrative to teach a lesson while telling the story.