Thank you! Thank you!

Thank you to all the students/parents who returned the Medicaid form I sent home with report cards! If you still have them, please still send them in.

***If you do not have Medicaid, please still fill it out and send it in. On the line that asks for Medicaid number just write N/A.

Theme for the Week of November 14th

Hi guys! Here is this week's theme. It is a little tricky, so think very hard.

I grow on a vine. 

I am normally green or yellow.

You can make me in a casserole for Thanksgiving.

My name rhymes with "wash."

What am I?

Theme for the Week of October 31st

Give this week's riddle a shot.

I occur once a year in November.
On this day you make an important choice.
You must be 18 years old to participate.
What am I?

Theme for the Week of October 24th

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and made it to the fair before it closes up for the year! Here is this week's riddle.

I am round with seeds inside.

You can carve me.

I can be happy or scary...

You decide.

What am I?

New Fall Bulletin Board

I wanted to share a picture of our new fall themed bulletin board. Hidden in the leaves are 4 different items that belong in the fall category. See if you can find them. Leave a comment below with all 4 items and receive a special prize!

Theme for the Week of October 17th

Hey guys! Check out this week's riddle. We will be working on a cute craft to go with our theme this week.

Birds are scared of me.

I live high in a cornfield.

I am made of straw.

What am I?

Importance of Modeling Language (even on a device)

I found this amazing video that depicts the importance of modeling language not only with our verbal students but also our non-verbal students. Our students learn language from others whether it is by hearing their language (for verbal students) or seeing language built (for non-verbal students). Check out this animated video!

Sign Language - STOP

To go along with our new core vocabulary word - STOP - here is how to make the sign for this word.

Core Vocabulary - STOP

Our first core vocabulary word is STOP.  Here is a handout that gives more ideas on how this word can be used naturally. A copy of this was also sent home with your student.

Other ideas include:

• Pointing out the stop sign as the car comes to a stop. You can contrast with the opposite GO as the car starts to move again.
• When they show they are done with an activity, model STOP _______ (whatever the activity is) and pair with the visual if needed.
• When putting water in the bathtub, say STOP when there is enough water.
• If a sibling or a friend is doing a behavior that is "annoying", model using the word stop for them to discontinue the "annoying" behavior.

Core Vocabulary is Back!

For my students who are working on building their language, utterance length, or assistive technology, we are excited to start back up our core vocabulary of the week.

Here is a little more about core vocabulary and why it is important:

Theme for the Week of October 10th

Hi guys! I am glad everyone is safe after Hurricane Matthew. Try this week's riddle!

I live in a patch.

I have seeds at my core.

You can carve me and much more.

What am I?

Theme for the Week of September 26th

Hi guys! Here is this week's riddle...

I have seeds at my core.

I am delicious and round.

I hang out in a tree.

What am I?

Pirates Treasure Game

Hi Parents! Last week, we talked about pirates and read the book "How I Became a Pirate." We also played a simple pirate treasure game this past week that is easy to recreate at home. The students would close their eyes as I hid gold coins (gold coin chocolates) under the cups with pirate ship cutouts attached. For each piece of gold found, the student had to practice their speech targets that many times. 

This activity was also used with my students who use PECS. The students were able to use their PECS book to tell me which pirate ship they wanted to look under.  For the students on a higher level of PECS, they could comment by saying how many pieces of gold they found. 

Apples on Top Speech Groups

Check out all our fun last week focusing on the book "Ten Apples up on Top".

We started out with a song version of the book. See the video below to watch it at home. Each student got to hold an apple and place one more on top of the different animals as more apples appeared in the story.  Once the book was finished, we counted the apples on each animal and made comparisons (which had the most or least?).

Then, we completed the motor lab with our OT, Mrs. Ellis. After the motor lab, we broke into different stations.  

At one station, we picked apples (made of pipe cleaners) and a magnetic magical want in a sensory bin of beans. We were then able to tell how many apples we picked or what size (example: "I pick big apple"). We also got to put on apple scented lotion if we wanted and smell it.

At another station, we made an apple craft to go with our story using the letters in our name. We were able to request what color apples we wanted and then tell how many apples were "on top" of our head. 

At our last station, we worked on core strength with Mrs. Ellis by reaching and picking apples from a tree while sitting on a therapy ball and making apples using theraputty to stack on top of each other.

We had a great time with apples this week in our speech and OT groups. We will continue with our apple theme next week!

Theme for the Week of September 19th

Ahoy Matey! Try this week's riddle.

You can find me at sea.

I have a hook for an arm.

I love collecting coins (especially gold).

Who am I?

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping

So far this week, we have had so much fun reading Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping and talking about the things we would need to bring for a camping trip.

****Please comment below with 2 things you would bring on your camping trip.  

Also, you can check out our story at home using this video LINK.

                          

Here are a few of our Scaredy Squirrel drawings.

Welcome Letter 16-17

Just in case anyone missed getting a copy of this year's newsletter or misplaced their copy, click HERE to download it or check out the picture below.

Theme for the Week of September 12th

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!  Check out the riddle below for this week's theme.

I am an adventure you go on outdoors.

You use a sleeping bag and lantern of me.

You may go fishing and make a fire.

What am I?

Sweet Speech Groups!

Today, we had an amazing time building language skills while working with all things sweet!  Our school's awesome OT, Mrs. Ellis, helped out too.  First, we started out with a fun song with different sweets.  Watch this video at home and practice answering YES or NO.

After the video we completed a motor lab with Mrs. Ellis.  Then, we began our different stations of sweet themed activities.  See the pictures below to see all the fun tasks we completed.

Station 1: Scooping ice-cream (cotton balls) and using tongs to pick out sprinkles (sparkly pom-poms) while working on the language targets more + sprinkles or more + ice cream.

 Station 2: Practice writing our name, spreading puffy paint (mixture of shaving creme, glue, and glitter) on our cupcake as icing while targeted asking for icing and help.

Station 3: Writing our name in the gumballs and requesting which color dabbers wanted to make our gumball machine.

It was truly a great and busy day in SPEECH!

Chick-fil-A Night

Chick-fil-A is definitely one of my favorite restaurants. Don't forget Langford is hosting a Chick-fil-A Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A on Killian Road - Tuesday, September 13th.  This event is from 5-8.  All you have to do is let the cashier know you are there to support Langford before you order!

Langford's PTO is hosting a contest to see which classroom has the most participation.  The winning 2 classes will get a popsicle party during recess.

Theme for the Week of September 6th

It was so "sweet" to see so many of you at open house last Thursday and enjoy sweet snacks.  Here is this week's riddle.

I fit in a tin plate.

I am crusty.

My inside is made of fruit.

What am I?

It Would be "Sweet" if You Dropped In

Just a reminder that tomorrow night is open house! In honor of our sweet theme, I will have a couple of sweet treats! As always I will be free to chat. I have new business card magnets for each family to share my contact informations and helpful handouts! Hope to see you tomorrow night!

Theme for the Week of August 29th

Welcome back everyone! Here is our first theme riddle for the 2016 - 2017 school year.

I am sweet 

with icing on top.

I come in a wrapper.

What am I?

(P.S. I am one of Miss Clark's favorites!)

Social Detective - Personal Space

First, check out the poster below for more information on personal space.

Next, use your best social skills detective lens to check out this picture from Despicable Me.

Finally, try answering these questions.

1. Is someone violating personal space?
2. What clues do you see?
3. What can Gru say if his personal space is violated?

App Review - ChatterPix Kids

I wanted to share a cool app I found that will make practicing your speech sounds or working on language concepts such as retelling stories more fun.  It is called ChatterPix Kids (Apple app).

You can choose images and make them come to life by recording your voice practicing your speech goals.  As you play back your creation, you can listen and monitor your speech or response.  Click HERE for the link to find out more about this cool app.  See below for an example and more features of this app.

Playground Olympics

Create your own Olympics with your friends using this playground Olympics.  Follow the directions on the sheet below and see if you can get a perfect score.  Take turns with your friends.  While one person completes the course, everyone else gets to judge their performance and rank it from 1-10.

Olympic Mad-Lib

Try this Olympic mad-lib out for fun!

Summer Olympics

I know I am very excited for the summer Olympics to kick off later this week.  My favorite events to watch are swimming and gymnastics.

Leave a comment with your favorite event to watch and two verbs (action words) used in this event.

   

"WH" Questions of Summer

Hope everyone is having a relaxing and fun-filled summer!  I want to challenge you to answer these "wh" questions about your summer.

What did you did?  With who?  Where? When?

Here are my answers:

What? - I went on vacation to the beach where I played putt-putt, went shopping, floated down the lazy river, and went to the ocean.

Who? - I went with my family (mom, dad, sisters - Amanda and Brooke)

Where? - Ocean Lakes Campground at Surfside Beach, SC

When? - July 7 -16th

Summer Mad-Lib

Fill out this Mad-Lib with your family and friends for your very own exciting summer story.  Click HERE for the link.

Making Mad-Libs can be a great way to practice your speech goals.

• If you are working on speech sound goals, find all of your speech sounds in the story and practice those words.  
• For my friends with language goals, have someone else make up a story and you can try to retell the events of the story or have the other person ask you questions about the story.

Craft Time - Fireworks

Hey kids!  I found this super cute craft just in time for 4th of July. If you want to try it with your parents, all you need is a recycled toilet paper roll, paint, paper, and scissors (get your parents to help you with the cutting part).  Dip the cut toilet paper roll into your paint colors and then push it down on your paper to make your very own fireworks display! Happy 4th of July!

Sweet Summertime!

Hope everyone is having a terrific summer!  I have an activity for you to try.  I am attaching a picture of a describing activity you can do while eating your favorite summer popsicle.  You can also download a copy of the sheet by clicking HERE.

Guesstures

One of my new favorite games to build language for 2nd to 5th graders is .... Guesstures!  The game makes you act out different words that may be adjectives, verbs, or nouns.  Meanwhile, their teammate is having to use context clues and great vocabulary knowledge to figure out what the person is acting out.  This is a great family game too!

Here is where you can find it: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Guesstures-Game/42068997

Summer is Coming!

Summer is on the way! With summer coming, I plan on sharing resources for practice and just for fun.  First, I wanted to share a summertime themed Would You Rather activity.  Check it out below or click this LINK.

Theme for the Week of May 2nd

Give this week's riddle a shot to figure out our new theme.

I live underground.

I like to eat through apples.

You can bait a hook with me.

Who am I?

Sign Language - MORE

Try this sign to ask for "MORE".

New Word of the Week - MORE

Our newest word of the week is "MORE".  We ask for "more" all the time, so this will likely become a very useful word for many of our kids.  We may ask for more snack, more time, more rest, more soap, to play more, etc.

Check out the handout below for ways to incorporate this new word into your home routines.  A copy will be coming home as well.

Sibling Story about Autism

Please take a couple of minutes to watch this video where a little girl talks about how special her sister with autism is to her.  Leave a comment with something you found very cool!

Autism Night at Columbia Fireflies

Hey parents!  If you are looking for a fun night out with the family, tonight is the Columbia Fireflies night celebrating the Autism Academy of SC.

Here is a link if you want to check it out: FIREFLIES

Nature Walk

In honor of Earth Day, try taking a few minutes to go on a nature walk.  There are so many rich opportunities for language that we can find outdoors.  Also, there are lots of speech sounds.  After you go on a nature walk, leave a comment with one of the following things:

1. Describe something you saw.
2. List three words with your speech sound that you saw.
3. List three things you saw that fly that you saw.

This is a great handout for your nature walk!  Happy exploring!

Theme for the Week of April 18th

I am so excited for this week's theme.  Try out the riddle to figure out what our theme is.

I live in a pot or the ground.

I love a spring rain shower.

I grow from a seed.

Who am I?

Language at the Ballpark!

Parents, I wanted to share some ways to make a trip to the ballpark a language rich experience.  Check out these ideas:

1.  Discuss basic concepts such as high or low ball, fast or slow, players are tall or short, loud or quiet, over the fence
2. Compare scores using more and less
3. Core vocabulary - tell players to "go" when they need to run, catch the ball "in" the glove, "different" teams
4. Practice greetings with the mascot
5. Ask for "more" ballpark snacks
6. Describe the different teams mascots or other common baseball items such as a bat, jersey, ball, or helmet.  You could even make it into an iSpy game by describing something and having someone guess what you are describing.

Most importantly have fun!

Columbia Fireflies

So excited for the Columbia Fireflies! The opening game of the first season is tonight.  On Monday 4/18, the Fireflies are celebrating Autism Awareness month.  Click HERE for the link to the Fireflies website.

Don't Forget it is Chick-fil-A Night!

Don't forget that tonight is Chick-fil-A Night on Killian Road! I will see y'all there!

Awesome Autism Ipad Video

Hey guys! We are continuing to celebrate Autism Awareness Month.  Check out this amazing video of a guy with autism using an ipad.  Leave a comment answering this question - Why is he using an  ipad?

Theme for the Week of April 11th

Hey everyone! Try this week's riddle to figure out our theme.

I fly high in the sky.

I love windy days.

I wear ribbons on my string.

Who am I?

Practice, Practice, Practice!

I am planning on sending home a practice sheet that will be filled in with practice words.  If you bring it back in after practicing and getting your practice partner to sign it, you can get a bonus Class Dojo point for Responsibility.  See an example of the sheet below.

Light it Up Blue!

Just a reminder to Light it Up Blue this Friday for Autism Awareness Month!

Autism Bulletin Board

Hey guys!  I worked with Ms. Dever to make an Autism Awareness Month bulletin board on the front hallway near the bathrooms and cafeteria.  Please take a minute to answer the questions by moving the yes or no pictures to the velcro and tell your friends to try.  If you leave a comment with something you learned about autism, you will get a special treat.

Autism Awareness Month

This is a very special month because it is AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH.  There are a lot of people all over the world, in our community, and our school who have autism.  It is important for us to learn more about it, so we can find a way to help them.

My challenge for you is to click on this LINK and try to learn 3 things you did not know about autism.  Post those 3 things in the comments section and I will give you 5 bonus points on Class Dojo.

I hope to post new things throughout the month with more opportunities to build more awareness and to gain extra points.

Cute Chicks

Check out our super cute chicks that we made so far this week!  We have been working hard on our speech goals while making this cute craft for our chick theme.  It has been an exceptional activity for my students working with PECS (picture communication) by allowing them request different pieces and colors.

Cool Sunglasses!

I wanted to share our "cool" sunglasses from the week before spring break.  They should be coming home this week.  The lenses of the sunglasses had different things in them depending on each child's goal.  Some had pictures of things with their speech sounds, items in a given category, or favorite things to describe.  Along with the sunglasses, the kids completed a sequencing activity with picture cues to go along with our book - Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses (see a few posts below for a video of the book).  Rock on in your groovy, cool sunglasses!