I wanted to create an entire blog dedicated to therapy ideas. However, I tried to set it up and Blogger flagged it for spam and then erased it! So, I will just post on my normal blog.
Our school measures progress in six week increments. I can't believe the first six weeks has already gone by. I'm not going to lie...it wasn't easy. The amount of paperwork that is involved in unreal. It was either therapy or the paperwork; it was hard to do both. Also, my school district requires new SLP's to attend meetings like they are going out of style. I got so behind on some of my therapy so I'm having to do double time this six weeks.
Another hard thing for me to get used to is the fact that therapy sessions are 50 minutes. I'm used to doing 30 minutes (really 25). But, 50!!!! That is where I started coming up with these ideas. My groups are large as well and I don't generally get to pair kids up with peers who are working on the same thing. I will have a group of half artic, pragmatics, fluency and then a voice kid. That's where 50 minute therapy sessions get tricky! Plus, we have to log all of our data electronically as soon as it is taken. So, imagine doing therapy with groups ranging in diagnoses, ranging from as little as 2 students to as big as 8, logging data electronically, for 50 minutes!!!!!
Here are a few ideas. Please be patient with my pictures...I'm not so good at this part. If anyone has any tips, please feel free!
1. "Describing Area and Describing Bags"
Our school is an "open concept" school. That means, no doors or walls. So, I've designated an "area" in my space as the "describing area." The kids can sit on their bean bag chairs (which I bought at various garage sales) ! On the wall, I have different things you would talk about/ask, if you were describing something/needing a clue. It is a great way to combine language, articulation, voice, pragmatics, fluency, you name it! I go over each thing I have posted with my kids. Then, I have bags filled with various items (I put 5 items in each bag). The outside of the bag can be decorated with whatever "theme" you may have going on that week. This weeks theme was "supersonic speech." Each kid gets their own bag. They are instructed to look inside, but not to say what is in it. Each kid picks one item out of their bag that they want to "describe." The other kids have to use the questions on the wall to help them "guess" what the mystery item is. It is so much fun and it is such a great way to incorporate all of your goals and even teach them kids something new!
The best part is that you don't even have to spend any money doing this! All of my materials I got from home. I printed off the rocket ships online, cut them out and glued them onto the paper sacks I had lying around the house. All of the items inside the bag were found either in my therapy area or were random things I found. One of my favorite items (kids too) is a doctor's glove that most of us should have in our oral motor areas! They had the most fun describing that one!!!!
I hope you enjoyed this idea. I definitely have many more and will post them soon.
