Review of Pocket Artic and Language Forest

Here are two more great apps by Pocket SLP for artic and language.

First up, is Pocket Artic!

This app includes over 1,000 stimulus cards at the word, phrase, and sentence level for 29 different phonemes!  It allows for a therapist to work with multiple students at one time and records data to monitor progress.  (Here, I just put my name in, but there is no limit to the amount of students that you can add!)

Work on just one sound at a time or multiple sounds by tapping the sounds that the student is currently working on!

The slide below shows the screen that each picture card and word is present on.  The left side of the screen

allows for repetition of the verbally presentation of the word.  Students can also record their production of the word, phrase, or sentence in order to provide them with auditory feedback.  It also gives an opportunity to track correct vs. incorrect responses and also includes a yellow button for approximate responses.  The bar at the bottom is without a doubt my favorite part of the app.  Within the set of flashcards, you can switch from the initial, medial, and final positions or mix the flashcards.  You can also switch between the "word", "phrase", or "sentence" level which makes catering to each student's needs easy and efficient!

Last but not least, this app makes tracking data easy and even indicates which words the student said correctly and which ones need a bit more work.

What I love about this app:

* It's thorough: This app covers every different sound and even breaks up the /r/ sound into 9 different sound categories.

* Different levels: Easily switch between words, phrases, and sounds, depending on what each student is working on.

* Pictures: The picture cards are great for younger students and allows them to be more independent.

* Recordability: (Yes, I just made up my own word!) Students can record their own words, phrases, and sentences to critique their productions.

What I would add to this app:

* /s/-blends broken up into specific clusters (e.g. /sm/, /sn/, /sk/, etc)

You can find this wonderful app for $9.99 through iTunes or at Pocket SLP's website.

Last but definitely not least is Language Tree.

This app is awesome for language students working on a variety of goals.  It offers picture flashcards for: associations, categories, describing, texture, emotions, functions, guess the word, if...then statements, color naming, shape naming, transportation naming, root words, synonyms, and wh-questions.  Text-only flashcards are provided for: adjectives, definitions, irregular past tense verbs, and opposites.  In all, this app comes with over 50 decks and over 1,300 cards!

Because there is so much variety, I would definitely suggest hitting up "tutorials" under the "info" tab first to understand how the app works, so that you can get the most use out of it.  The instructions in the tutorial sections are short, but easy to follow.  Here's an example of the association cards.  This is the "study" section, where data isn't necessarily recorded, but the "quiz" section allows for easy recording of correct, incorrect, or approximate responses.

Simply tap the "flip" icon at the bottom of the screen to see the correct answer to the prompt.

This app also allows you to record specific data and notice certain questions/prompts that may be difficult for your students.

What I love about this app:

* It's thorough: This app touches upon so many of the goals that my students are currently working on and I can use it with a variety of groups.  I think you'll agree!

* Data collection: Not only does this app allow for data collection, it also points out specific flashcards that were difficult for the student. 

* Versatility: This app can be used for a wide range of grade levels.  I used it with kindergarteners working on the function of objects all the way up to 5th graders working on understanding emotions.

What I would add to this app:

* It would be great if the answer cards also had picture cues on them.

This app is currently $3.99 and can be found on iTunes or at Pocket SLP's website.

I hope that you might find these great apps useful in your therapy room!

Disclosure statement: WordNerdSpeechTeach was provided with a copy of these apps for review.  No other compensation was provided.

Describe It App Review

Here is a review of yet another great app by Pocket SLP, called Describe It!

This app provides children with a great opportunity to learn how to describe items in seven different categories using taste, touch, function, sight, hearing, smell, and category!  Three different "games" are included in this app, that differentiates for varying levels of proficiency.  It provides tons of support for students who are just learning how to describe, but also allows for the assistance to be decreased as well.

This app provides a short, but efficient tutorial that makes getting started easy!  The tutorial provides the purpose of the app as well as a quick description of each activity.

Study
I used this feature of the app for a group of younger students that need a little bit more support in their understanding and usage of attributes.  They passed that app back and forth, pointed to a "describing category", tried to guess the right answer, and then tapped the icon to see if they were correct.

Pass It

This game really gets the competitive juices flowing!  This feature is very similar to "Catch Phrase".  It allows students to break into two teams and describe objects to their teammates while the clock is ticking.  The team that is not caught with the iPad when the time runs out is the winner.  As with "study", students are provided with the "describing categories" at the bottom of the screen in case they are stuck and need a little bit of help.

Guess It

This feature of the app gives clues about a specific item, while the students get to guess the item being described.  This game is really neat because it's almost like "describing in reverse".  It provides examples of how to describe and shows students that they must be specific with their descriptions, while providing multiple clues when describing their own objects.

What I Love About This App:

- Versatility: I used this app with Kindergarteners all the way up to 5th graders.  Each student was able to work at their own level.

- Large amount of stimulus cards to choose from which means that this app can be used over and over.

- "Describing Categories" icons:  These icons are simple, yet self explanatory and easy for students of all ages to understand.

What I Would Add To This App:

- I'd love to see more "describing categories" such as where the object is found, parts, etc.

This is another great app by Pocket SLP!  At $6.99, it's a fantastic addition to any SLP's arsenal when working on describing with attributes.  You can find out more about this app through iTunes or at Pocket SLP's website.  

Thanks for reading about another useful app!

Pinwheel WH-Questions Giveaway!!

How about a giveaway of my newest product, "Pinwheel WH-Questions"?  

This product includes:

24 "where" questions,

24 "what" questions,

24 "who" questions, 

24 "when" questions, 

and "why" questions!

Enter the rafflecopter giveaway below for a chance to enter!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My PlayHome Companion Pack Review

I recently got the opportunity to use and review Teach Speech 365's "MyPlayHome Companion Pack".  I LOVE this product and I'm sure that you will too!  Read on to find out what this product is all about!

This product is SO useful that I actually decided to bind it together to make my own little "book"!

It includes:

- 6 sheets with every object in each room (bathroom, parents' room, kids' room, living room, kitchen, and outside)
Students can either point to the item after the adult names it OR point to an object themselves and name the object.
- 6 sheets of 1-step directions for each room
Students follow the direction stated by the adult.
- 3 sheets of 2-step directions 
Students follow the direction stated by the adult.
- 2 sheets of 3-step directions
Students follow the direction stated by the adult.
- 6 sheets of concepts for each room
Students follow directions related to the following concepts: on, off, closed, open, near/next to, in, above/over, full, empty, in front and behind.
- 1 receptive activity: "What am I thinking of?
Students listen to a description of an item and then find a word that matches the definition.
- 1 expressive activity: "Find something that is..."
Students find objects that have various attributes.
- 1 additional activities sheet 
The sheet includes 6 additional activity suggestions to do with this app!

So many different activities packed into one product!

What I LOVE about this product:
- I have had this app for quite awhile and my students really enjoyed this app; however, I never felt like I was able to take full advantage of it.  Now with this packet, I really feel like I can.  I can use every object in each room in many different ways.  It also makes therapy sessions so much easier because I can work on many different goals and/or levels at one time.  I used this packet with a group of students where one was working on 1-step directions and the other three were working on 2-step directions and it was so awesome!  I also used it to work on basic vocabulary with another group of students who loved it just as much and were so excited to get a turn to name pictures!
- Another great thing about this packet is that it creates an easy way to keep track of growth.  I printed out the vocab sheets for each room, dated the sheet and then just put pluses and minuses by each of the items as we went through the activity.  Now when we review the vocab words, I can see the new words that each student knows.

What I would change about this product:
Truthfully, nothing!  I would highly recommend this product for anyone working on basic vocabulary, 1-step directions, 2-step directions, 3-step directions, concepts, and attributes!

You can pick up this awesome product HERE!  Please also consider "liking" Teach Speech 365's facebook page for awesome freebies and sales!!

Teach Speech 365 reviewed my "Spring Monsters Inferencing Pack".  You can find her review here and you can find the packet HERE!  Please also consider "liking" my facebook page for awesome freebies and sales as well!

I hope that our reviews shed a little more light on these great products for you!

One Step Two Step App Review

Recently, I got the chance to review an awesome direction following app by Pocket SLP, called "One Step Two Step".  

This app is wonderful and very versatile!  It includes 23 different "scenes" to choose from for direction following, including "Grocery Store", "Pool", "Camping", "Pet Store", and "Amusement Park", to name just a few.  I only got through 2 "scenes" in a 30 minute session, so I'll continue to get tons of use out of this app and I'm sure that you will too!

Once you've chosen a "scene", it gets even better!!!  The "Caterpillar" difficulty level includes 1-step directions and the "Butterfly" difficulty level includes 2-step directions, so there is a lot of versatility in one app.  (Great for groups that include students working at various levels!)  

Each scene includes eight 1-step and eight 2-step directions that are verbally presented and easy accessible at the bottom of the screen.

Students follow fun directions, such as "Put a triangle on the bus driver."  Because the app includes colors and shapes to complete directions, it was able to hold a student's attention throughout an entire session.  They never seemed to get bored of this app.  Instead, I had students asking when it was their turn next!  

Here's a look at a completed 1-step direction sheet!  So much fun!

The "activity" at the end of the app is a great "break" for students and provides a different direction following format.  I used this part of the app to allow students to give me directions to follow, which is an important task as far as generalization of this skill is concerned.

Last but not least, this app includes an easy way to keep track of incorrect vs. correct responses (on the left side of the screen).  It also provides reports from session to session in order for the therapist and student to see progress.

What I love about this app:

* Versatility - This app has both 1-step and 2-step directions.

* Tons of usage - With 23 scenes, 2 difficulty levels, and 8 directions in each level, that's 368 directions!!

* Data - With the reports part of the app, it's easy to track progress!

* A different perspective - The "activity" portion of this app allows students to give directions as well as follow them.

What I would add to this app:

* I would love to see 3-step directions included in this app as well.

Overall, I would highly recommend this app.  At $3.99, it's an inexpensive app to target 1-step and 2-step directions in an engaging way!  You can find out even more about this app through iTunes or at Pocket SLP's website!  Please also consider "liking" their facebook page to stay up to date with special offers!  

Thanks for reading about this fantastic app!

Up, Up and Away!

I can't believe it's getting so close to the end of the school year already!  This week's speech room theme was "kites"!

Here is an activity that we did this week with kites, colors, requesting, syntax, and attributes!  

First, I made kites in different colors and created pictures in Boardmaker of things that were that color.  Then, I hot glued the object pictures to clothespins.

Each student received a full "set" of kites (all colors). Then, they took turns drawing picture clothespins and putting them on whichever kite matched their color.  (Targets here included colors, requesting, and syntax.)  In addition to stating the color, students who are working on attributes also had to state 1-3 more attributes of the item.  The person who "won" was the first to put a clothes pin on each kite.  This activity is really useful because it can be used for so many goal areas!

If you're looking for additional activities to complete your spring or kite themed unit, I have a few additional items available at my TpT store.

Kite Synonyms and Antonyms

Target synonym and antonym pairs with this packet that includes 18 synonym pair sentence cards and 18 antonym pair sentence cards.  Students must select the correct word to replace the underlined word in each set of cards.

Here's a sample of the synonym cards.

Here's a sample of the antonym cards.

You can grab this activity here!

"Let's Fly A Kite" by Stuart Murphy Companion Pack

I love book companions because they allow for so many goal areas to be targeted at once!

This pack includes: 

48 antonym pair cards (24 pairs total)
Students take turns selecting a card with a boy flying a kite and matching it with a purple kite card in order to create an antonym pair.

30 synonym pair cards (15 pairs total)
Students take turns selecting a card with a girl flying a kite and matching it with a yellow kite card in order to create an synonym pair.

18 regular past tense verb sentences
Students take turns selecting a sentence card and determining how to change the verb into a regular past tense verb to complete the sentence.

12 irregular past tense verb sentences
Students take turns selecting a sentence card and determining how to change the verb into an irregular past tense verb to complete the sentence.

18 find the adjective cards
The adult starts by explaining that adjectives are words that modify or tell more about a noun (e.g. “spicy food”, “red shirt”, etc). Students take turns selecting a sentence card and determining which word in the sentence is the adjective.

18 vocabulary word and definition cards (9 pairs total)
Students take turns selecting a card with a boy flying a kite (vocabulary word) and matching it with a purple kite card (definition).

18 basic yes/no question cards and 1 yes/no cue card
Students take turns selecting a card with a question about the story. Then, the child uses the cue cards to respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question.

12 multiple choice listening comprehension cards and 12 open ended listening comprehension cards
Students take turns selecting a card with a question about the story. Then, the child answers the question independently or answers the question following the multiple choice options.

18 “I Spy” attribute cards
Students take turns selecting a card with an “I Spy” statement on it. Then, the students can use the book to find an item that matches the description on the card.

You can grab this activity here!

I will also be doing a giveaway of "Kite Synonyms and Antonyms".  Comment with your favorite "beach activity" and I'll choose a winner for this item tomorrow!

If you'd like to follow me on facebook to stay up to date with freebies and sales, you can do so HERE!

Happy Spring!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I love activities that I can use for a large variety of groups.  That's why I was so happy when I found an activity that was similar to the following one on Pinterest and decided to recreate it.

Introducing... Umbrella Color Matching!  I used this activity to target colors, request, syntax, etc with my younger students and it was a fun reinforcement activity with my older students.

Start by making umbrella "tops" and "bottoms" in whichever colors you choose.  Put a small "swatch" of color on the umbrella handle to create the matching part of the game.  Place all of the umbrella parts in a container.  After the child has completed a task related to their goal, they can select a "top" and "bottom" (with their eyes closed, of course) from the container.  If the match is a true match, they get one point.  If not, they hang on to their umbrella parts because they may create a pair with those parts later in the game!

My students LOVE anything that somewhat resembles a game, so they loved this one!  I hope your students do it!

If you're looking for any additional "rainy day" activities, check out my TpT store!  (Or read on!)

I have so many students working on describing with attributes, which was the inspiration for "What's Under My Umbrella: Describing Fun!"  

In this activity, each child receives a cloud with describing raindrops.  

As the umbrella card is read, students put the raindrops under their cloud that match how the item was described.  

You can grab this activity HERE!

Next up is Rain or Shine Functions!

In this activity, students take turns drawing a sun with a function description and matching it with a picture raindrop!

You can grab this activity HERE!

If you have students working on categories, the next activity is for you!  Spring Shower Categories helps students learn how to sort items among twelve different categories!

Students take turns drawing a rain drop and placing it under the correct "category umbrella".

You can grab this activity HERE!

Last up is "Rainy Day Go-Togethers"!  

In this activity, students take turns selecting an umbrella and finding an item that goes with the picture on the umbrella.

You can grab this activity HERE!

Well, that about does it for all of my rainy day activities.  If you'd like to follow me on facebook to stay up to date with freebies and sales, you can do so HERE!  I hope April showers have brought you May flowers!