Back To School Boost: TPT Shining Stars Linky Party

We are so excited that TPT is having another sale, especially since we start back to school in two weeks!  Eek!  We've spent the last few weeks gathering new materials (who doesn't love a few trips to the thrift store?), organizing our rooms, and preparing for a year of working some amazing students and colleagues.  There are just a few things left that we need to round up and can't wait to showcase it here!

We are hooking up with Jen at TheSLPRunner to highlight some of our shining star products and other's shining star products.  Let the fun begin....!!!!

Interactive Calming Plan For Students
This is the newest product to our store, and one that we will be using Day #1 of the school year.  We used several strategies over the years, and we have now turned it into a comprehensive lesson!

Auditory Memory Game Bundle

Our students love these two games: Rolling for Robots and Ant Attack! They include a combined 324 stimulus cards that can be used in a group but easily tailored to meet individual student needs.  

Visual Supports for Emotional Awareness

These supports are easy to assemble and have been extremely helpful with improve students'  emotional awareness in themselves and identifying feelings in others.

Here are some of our favorite shining start products from other TPT sellers!

Inference Investigators: Inferencing Activities for Primary Students by Eva Robinson is a great resource for learners who are new to inferencing.  

Foldables: Functional Folding Fun! Flip-Flap Books and Elementary Lapbooks! by Irene Hines is the jackpot for interactive, hands-on, visual activities for students.  They are useful for any content or specialty area.

Can You See It My Way: A Perspective Taking Activity by The Speech Bubble SLP 

Our social skills groups can always use more practice with perspective-taking!

Happy shopping at the Back to School Boost!  Our store will be also be on sale.  Use the code: MORE15!!!

What's In Your Cart Linky!

We are hooking up with Jenna at Speech Room News for her "Whats' In Your Cart" linky party!  School is still a month away for us, but we are already in our classrooms and starting to gather materials.  We have a lot of changes this year and are trying to be proactive...maybe a bit early, but who cares.  We LOVE sales!

Here's what we are most excited about in our store!

We have just posted several nursery rhyme theme activity packs.  So far, we have seven of the ten posted.  The others should be active in the next day or so.  Each activity pack includes activities focusing on language skills, letters, numbers, writing, and then a different "extra" in each!  Right now, our favorite "extra" is an identifying feelings activity

If you're not interested in the nursery rhyme pack, we also listed the Identifying Feelings activity separately.  It is designed for students who have difficulty identifying emotions in social situations.  It includes an emotion continuum and 18 feeling card scenarios.  Emotion words are not provided so students can begin/continue developing emotional vocabulary.

Another product that we have used a lot and will continue to use at the beginning and throughout the year is Conversation 101: Comments and Questions.  It helps to improve students' understanding and use of comments and questions.  It's scaffolded so that students first learn to identify comments and questions, practice using them in a structured social scenario, and then during conversation during preferred and non preferred topics of conversation.

Now what's in our cart???  Can't wait to share these awesome activities!

Snack-tivities Bundle by Speech2U!  This is a progressive bundle that includes a large range of speech and language activities that can be used with a wide range of ages!

Beginning of the Year Math: Figure Me Out by Amber Thomas.
This is a fun back-to-school activity that incorporates numbers and computation into a page about each student.

Happy TPT shopping!

Weekend Warriors 3-2-1 Teacher Bio

Its been another happy summer week off and I am enjoying catching up on blog reading, summer reading and some fall planning. As I was blog reading yesterday, I came across the Weekend Warriors  Linky, put out by Bright Concepts 4 Teachers. This month's theme is the 3-2-1 Teacher Bio. After reading and enjoying several, I thought it would be fun to also participate.

Here is how it works:

So not to confuse, I am the "Annie" half of the 2speakright team:) and here are 3 things about the teacher me:

1. Organized, yet Flexible-I have worked for the past decade with pre-k to High School, switching every few years. In every setting I have had to have a daily plan, but often the plan has to change based on students level of engagement, behavior or what is going on in the school. I cannot plan to pull a student from class when they are having a party, assembly, taking a test, or when they really need to be there for something new. I learned to have a schedule that can be switched, rotated or flopped so every student gets the speech/language intervention they need. 

2. Technology: Like my students I am a bit apathetic to lessons that are not interactive. I am fortunate enough to work in a district that is 1:1 based and so I have had access to some amazing learning tools. Currently I work in a 4-8 building and service students who are in 4th and 5th. I find that my students need less fidgets as they are using their fingers more on their own device. I can link to videos in a safe way through Zaption or other sites and it keeps the kids engaged and I feel empowered when I create learning in a new way. Technology brings me nerdy joy!

3. Teamwork: As it states above, I work best in a collaborative team. This is true for most effective teachers and speech pathologists. Our ideas get better when we talk together. I have been lucky enough to be a part of strong teams for most of my career. The past two years I have been able to blog, create and collaborate with my office and blogger friend Angie. I would say I am a much stronger SLP as a result of this alliance.

Next......

1. Trivia: I am a bit wild about Trivia, especially pop culture, movies, celebrities or news. I also love playing any trivia based game. 

2. Summer: I love all things summer including (but not limited to): Reading, going to the cabin, free time, my patio garden, camp fires, grilling and relaxing. It gives me time to reorganize, reflect and recharge to be better at my speech school game. 

Next......

If I could choose an amazing thing to do, it would be to see and climb the great wall. It has always been my travel dream.

Click the photo below if you also want to link up and give your 3-2-1 Teacher Bio-

Currently: June

It's officially day #2 of summer break for me, and my world has not been this happy in a long time!  It was a crazy, adventurous, and challenging year, but the relationships with students as well as the academic and social growth of students was all worth it!

We are linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her "Currently" linky party.  She is supporting  the Wimberley Adoption Group (WAG) after their devastating flood.  If you would like to donate, please visit her blog and click on the donate button.  Every dollar helps!

LISTENING: I love the silence when my daughter is napping.  Hearing the AC run, a car driving down the street, the neighborhood kids laughing, or a dog barking is a reminder how lucky I am to do what I do and have a bit of time to myself during the summer.

LOVING:  I love, love, love hanging out with my daughter ALL summer.  Swinging at the park never gets old, neither does baking cookies or watering flowers.  How much luckier could a person be?

THINKING: Is it crazy that I'm already thinking about next year?  I'm sure some of you already are, and some of you don't even want to think about it for a very long time!  Whatever works for everyone, right?

WANTING: I really want to be outside all day today!  It's so beautiful...the sun is shining, no humidity, and there's a light breeze.  It's a perfect day for planting flowers or going for a bike ride!

NEEDING:  Every summer lands us in St. Louis so we can visit my husband's family.  Trying to coordinate schedules with everyone and make sure we take in every site we can is a little bit trying.  We never miss the elephants at the St. Louis zoo, though.  That's a must in my daughter's book!

SUMMER LOVIN': No alarms to be set, an afternoon cup of coffee, finding garage-sale treasures, and organizing closets and toys are the little things about summer that I love.  

Teachers Are Heroes: What's In My Cart Link-Up!

If you are teacher or SLP you probably already know by the smiles you get everyday that you are a Hero! To help your everyday super powers or just to give you a little extra super when planning lessons, TPT is holding a Hero Sale this Wednesday, February 25th. If you use the code HEROES you will get 28% off site wide. To celebrate Mrs. D's Corner is hosting a "What's in My Cart?" Link-Up to showcase some great teacher and SLP products. If you want to know what is in our cart, check it out below. 

This great resource is made by Mrs. Van Meter's store and I am so excited to try these attention getters with my younger students to change things up. You can get yours here.

Running around most days I feel like I need one of these. You can get yours here.

Many summers I have filled in for my district's preschool assessment team and many times I have wished for a handy resource. I am eyeing this beauty for this summer and you can get it here.

I love this idea and cannot wait to buy this articulation resource by Speechy Musings.  This is the perfect activity to spice up my therapy sessions!  (Pun intended.)

This activity was a huge success and very popular with our social skills groups.  The students loved categorizing the size of the problems found in the social scenarios and used and the size-of-the-problem continuum to support them with the activity.  It is one of our newer products that you can find here at our 2SpeakRight store. 

This product is also found at our store, and it is a popular one for our students.  It's a great manipulative presented in two different ways that accompanies the Zones of Regulation® curriculum by Leah Kuypers.

That's what's in our cart.  What's in yours? 

TPT Blogger Swap

Erin at Learning to be Awesome hosted a fun TPT blog swap.  The purpose of this was to swap a product with a fellow TPT seller, use the product, and write a review of it.  What a blast!  I was so lucky to be paired with Amy Mezni at TeachingIdeas4U.  Amy's products are interactive and engaging.  (Keep reading to find a way to win this product!!!!) It was difficult to pick just one product to use!  I chose Amy's Book of Donuts Book Report Craftivity Project.  It fit so well with the current targets for my fourth grade intervention group.

So, what exactly is this project?  Students read a book at their reading level at home. (We modified this part so that the students could read the book with me, and I could support them with their fluency and decoding.) Students then create a book report by using a variety of text structures including characters (protagonist and antagonist and identifying their traits), theme, conflict, point of view, and book review.  Definitions of protagonist and antagonist are provided as well as a visual for differentiating character traits and character emotions.  (Also included is a list of 25+ traits and emotions each.)  Upon near completion of the project, the students complete a checklist to ensure their projects are finished in their entirety. When the projects are finished, a rubric is filled out by both the student and the teacher.   

My particular group read the book Chrysanthemum together as our focus was also on decoding and fluency.  We reviewed and talked about what is meant by protagonist, antagonist, point-of-view, etc.  Next, we started our project, beginning with the rough draft and citing evidence from the text.

With a bit of guidance, clarification, and feedback, they revised their work. They cut out their donuts and began writing complete sentences to share their thoughts.

Before beginning the messy, gluing process (yes, messy even in fourth grade but still fun!), they were asked to triple check their responses using the rubric as a guide.  Finally it was time to glue!

And … the finished project!

This activity was a perfect balance of instruction and engagement.  It reinforced targets the students are working on this trimester but in a way that was motivating.  They are so proud of their finished projects.  They are perfect for our winter conferences coming up next week!

On a personal note, I really enjoyed working with Amy.  She shared great ideas and resources with me and offered tips to this "newbie" blogger and TPT seller, none of which she had to do but did because she is just that awesome.  I am so thankful and very appreciative!

TeachingIdeas4U and I are each giving away the set of products that we swapped.  You can check out her blog here to read more about the Winter Prefix Practice activity that she used from our store.  Enter on our blog.  Enter on TeachingIdeas4U's blog!  The giveaway starts at midnight tonight and runs through Sunday at midnight.  Good luck!

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Why SLPs Need TpT!

Speech Time Fun is hosting a great Linky Party!  Why SLPs need TpT!

Although we are not new to the world of creating therapy materials like most SLPs, we are still relatively new to TpT.  We started our store in March of 2014, and couldn't have asked for a better experience!  Why?  Here's our take on why SLPs need TPT.

• Sharing Ideas  Sometimes we get stuck.  Really stuck, and it's hard to change your thinking.  We love TpT for that reason.  It helps us to see what others are doing and try new activities.  It is a fanatic way to get out of the same-'ole same-'ole way of thinking.  
• Supporting Colleagues  It's a nice way to support each other.  By purchasing others'  products, you're letting them know that what they are doing is important and liked.  Giving feedback is a bonus!  It's a nice way for SLPs to support each other.
• Learning from Others  We have purchased so many products that are not just made by SLPs.  We have found valuable materials to support students with what is happening in the classroom and aligned to learning targets.  It has made a difference in students' generalization.
• Therapy in a Pinch   In a fast-moving profession, you have to be on your A-game, and sometimes paperwork and meetings can be all-too time consuming.  I sometimes felt like I was in a "rut," trying to re-invent the same idea or pulling something off of the shelf.  (You know, one of those days when your meeting runs late and students are standing outside of your door.  Yeah, great feeling, right?)  It's so nice to have go-tos that are fun, unique, and engaging.
• Let's get real…the money is nice!  I don't know of any SLP who doesn't like to make a little extra money.  We all work hard but sometimes a little extra cash is nice, especially when you put your hard work into it!

Here are some of our favorites finds!  (The first three are ours…but we really love them!)

Winter Prefix Practice  This activity was a huge hit with my intervention group, which focuses on decoding.  It was designed with an extra focus on vocabulary.  

Visual Supports for Emotional Awareness  I use these visuals almost daily within each one of the four social skills groups I facilitate as well as the DCD group.  The kids have really done well using them.

Articulation Number Run for /R/, /L/, and /S/

Our students love this game.  It's quick, easy, and targets the sounds most commonly found in the fourth and fifth grade population we service.

We have a countless number of TpT favorites, but here are a few of our favorites that we have used in the last few months!

Who is Telling the Story Point of View Activity by Beach Bun Literacy Chick

Main Idea Task Cards by Teaching With A Mountain View

Articulation Deep Test - R by Gold Country SLP

Articulation Menus by Speechy Musings

SUPER Thankful Linky Party

November has to be one of my favorite months.  Maybe it's the fall colors, the smell of fallen leaves, or first snowfall of the year.  Maybe it's the feeling of wearing a nice, warm sweater or the official start of the hot chocolate season.  Whatever it is, I love it.  I wish that I could hold on to the feelings that Thanksgiving evokes and make it last throughout the year.  It's a wonderful time for reflection before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season takes over.  Primary Powers is hosting a link party to do just that!

Cliche as it may sound, it's impossible to adequately share everything I'm thankful for, but this is a start!

What are you thankful for?  Link up at Primary Powers and share!

Bringing the concepts of gratitude and thankfulness into the classroom is sometimes difficult to do with trying to keep up with the demands of teaching content, but here are a few ideas for you to use in your classroom!

Thankful Jar by Camping Teacher
Designate who the jar is for, and then write reasons why you are thankful for that person.  Students  write notes of thankfulness to their teacher, principal, parents, etc.  Simply decorate the jar and include the notes inside of it.

A Thankful Heart: A Thanksgiving Activity for Kids from Lasso the Moon

This activity involves a little bit of sewing, but it could be easily modified to include paper hearts, heart stickers, etc.  The purpose of this activity is to give away as many hearts as possible by noticing something that a person does to show that they care.  The hearts are given, and the people/persons are thanked.  Love, love, love this idea!

What Are You Thankful For?  by Rachel Lynette 

This free printable activity includes fun worksheets.  The first asks children to list what they are thankful for by meeting certain criteria, and the second has an ABC format. 

A Thankful Thanksgiving Activity from Blue Cricket Design

This activity also involves a jar but with a different take.  Write a "thankful idea" on a piece of paper.  Place them in a jar.  Students can take one out card and do what it suggests.  

There are so many great ideas out there, but I thought I would share a few in case you are in a time crunch like myself!