More on "Think-Alouds"

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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.