Cozy chats about speech, language and learning
Have you been to a movie lately? What happens before the main movie? You typically are watching movie previews. Why do movie theaters do this? They want to entice you to want to see the movie that they are previewing. The same thing should happen…
 The internet has allowed us as clinicians to have research-based resources at our fingertips but sometimes finding these resources can take a treasure map. Here are some great resources: Reading Comprehension: Readworks The nonprofit ReadWorks provides K-12 teachers with what to teach and how…
Learning vocabulary is a more complex skill than just remembering the definition of a word, you need to have an understanding of the concept being taught. Â One way to teach concepts then is to give examples and non-examples of the words. When one gives an…
What do you think of when you think of popsicle sticks? Does it bring up memories of enjoying a summer day with your friends while you ate a cool treat? Do you think of the pleasure of splitting a double pop to share with your…
I have been working with great children’s literature within the whole classroom environment to develop student’s Tier Two vocabulary, understanding of story grammar and listening comprehension skills. I have always embedded some social language skills into these lessons with the set up of class expectations,…
Common Core curriculum recognizes the importance of vocabulary in learning. Refer to this blog to learn about the three tiers Blog on three tiers of vocabulary. Background knowledge of the topic being taught in the classroom is a key component of learning. It becomes the foundation…
I love using literature to teach. It gives me a jumping off point to teach vocabulary and story grammar. It Takes A Village by Jane Cowen-Fletcher Book Companion is a great story that is set in an African village. Yemi is given the responsibility…
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed This is a fun poem about five monkeys jumping on the bed! The first part is appropriate for those children that are readers or to can be read to the child. The second part has a pictures and…
As part of my group work within the special education room, I have a story as part of the routine. I have a variety of students in this room who are all are different levels of expressive language and who have different goals. In order…
Often the students that we are trying to teach tenses to are very young so that they are not readers. This can complicate how we teach them regular and irregular verbs. One way is to display pictures and to teach the tenses as a sequence.…