Sweet Southern Speech

Engaging ideas and activities for busy Speech Therapists!

Literacy-Based Speech Therapy

Winter Book Companions For Speech Therapy

Skiing, penguins and snow, oh my! So many fun narrative themes to incorporate into our speech therapy activities during the winter months. My winter book companionsย will help you and your students dig into the text using evidence-based strategies and activities. Learning To Ski With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Duesen - a charming book about Mr. Magee and his dog Dee who go skiing but it does not go … [Read more...] about Winter Book Companions For Speech Therapy

Christmas Book Companions for Speech Therapy

  Merry Christmas! 'Tis the season for Santa, decorating, caroling, giving, and serving! Do you have books you like to pull out for the Christmas season? Seasonal books offer opportunities to target specific goals with themed vocabulary content. Iโ€™ve created made-for-you lesson plans and activities to download and use with each of these books. They are ideal for use with Kindergarten … [Read more...] about Christmas Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Thanksgiving Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Do you have books that you like to pull out for the Thanksgiving season? Seasonal books are so fun and offer opportunities to target specific goals with themed vocabulary content. My Thanksgiving book companions for speech therapy will help you and your students dive into the text using evidence-based strategies and activities. They were created to make literacy-based speech therapy easy and fun … [Read more...] about Thanksgiving Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Articulation Road Map for TH, SH, CH, and J Sounds

I love implementing a literacy-based approach in my articulation therapy sessions. However, it is not always easy to identify books with a heavy load of the target sound. I created a "Road Map" that provides a list of books for targeting TH, SH, CH, and J sounds. It also includes tips for sound production, play-based activity ideas, and bookmarks. I have highlighted a few of my favorite books … [Read more...] about Articulation Road Map for TH, SH, CH, and J Sounds

Halloween Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Spiders, and monsters, and witches, OH MY!! This Halloween season, dive into some really sweet, spooky stories centered around kindness and friendship using my Halloween book companions! I love using the literacy-based speech therapy approach with my students. However, it's more than just using stories to go with your theme-based activities. My Halloween book companionsย will help you and your … [Read more...] about Halloween Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Fall Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Fall. There are so many great books out there about the leaves changing color and falling to the ground. I chose 3 of them to dig deeper into for these fall book companions for your speech therapy sessions. Theseย print-and-go lesson plans were created to make implementing literacy-based speech therapy more simple and enjoyable for you and your students this fall. Here's some of what's included … [Read more...] about Fall Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Back to School Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Let's start this year off right using literacy-based speech strategies in our therapy sessions! I have made this simple to use with your students in K thru 5th grade with my back-to-school speech and language therapy books. Myย book companions are book-centered and filled with: lesson plans activities speech sound word lists sticky notes- for quick references digital copies … [Read more...] about Back to School Book Companions for Speech Therapy

Valentine’s Day Book Companions For Speech Therapy

Love is in the air! Do you have books you like to pull out on Valentine's Day? Seasonal books offer opportunities to target specific goals with themed vocabulary content. I've created made-for-you lesson plans and activities to download and use with each of these books. They are ideal for using with Kindergarten through 6th-grade students. Over the years as a school-based SLP, I've found so much … [Read more...] about Valentine’s Day Book Companions For Speech Therapy

Books To Diversify Your Speech Therapy Bookshelf

Books For Diverse Speech Therapy Bookshelves As Speech-Language Pathologist working with young children, we must be committed to having diverse bookshelves. ALL students deserve to see themselves reflected in the toys and books we have in our Speech Therapy rooms. The lack of POC represented in children's books is profound and long-lasting to Black children, but equally profound is the message it … [Read more...] about Books To Diversify Your Speech Therapy Bookshelf

Using Nursery Rhymes In Speech Therapy

As SLPs, we know there is extensive evidence that Phonological Awareness ability predicts reading and spelling success. One of the many ways we can facilitate strong phonological awareness skills is by reading and reciting nursery rhymes. This is especially critical during the toddler and preschool ages. Researchers concluded that knowledge of nursery rhymes enhances phonological awareness … [Read more...] about Using Nursery Rhymes In Speech Therapy

Free Articulation Sound Book Activity

As many of us are looking for speech therapy activities we can send to families at home during this time of distance learning, I wanted to create an activity to encourage parents and kids reading that would also support articulation and language goals. I made the bookmarks for kids to use while reading or listening to books they already have. These can absolutely be used for in-person therapy as … [Read more...] about Free Articulation Sound Book Activity

L Book List For Articulation Therapy

The Best /L/ Books for Articulation Often times, selecting books to use in speech therapy can be time-consuming and productivity is lost. I want to create lists to make articulation therapy more efficient. Using a literacy-based approach to articulation therapy is essential in my therapy room. As you know, many of our kids have language goals as well. Books offer a great way to monitor the … [Read more...] about L Book List For Articulation Therapy

Using Cumulative Storybooks In Speech Therapy

With their wide-reaching abilities to address multiple goals, cumulative storybooks can be an effective therapy tool. Using a literacy-based approach, we are automatically aligning to the classroom curriculum. Incorporating cumulative storybooks in speech therapy is particularly beneficial to students with Apraxia of speech as the repetitive text takes the burden off their motor-planning system. … [Read more...] about Using Cumulative Storybooks In Speech Therapy

Using Book Companions In Speech Therapy

  Using Book Companions in Speech Therapy After many, many requests, I have finally created book companions that address the deeper reading comprehension issues our kids have with narratives. Most of what is on the market for book companions are heavily-themed activities RELATED to the book topic. Don't get me wrong, there is a place for that. However, I set out to create an easy lesson … [Read more...] about Using Book Companions In Speech Therapy

VOOKS Animated Storybooks To Improve Reading Comprehension

This post is written in partnership and sponsored by VOOKS. This review is honest and completely my own. They are generously offering educators a FREE YEAR subscription! See below for details. VOOKS is the first ever streaming service that brings children's books to life with animated illustrations, read-a-long text and narrated story. Aimed at kids 2-8, it offers a better alternative to screen … [Read more...] about VOOKS Animated Storybooks To Improve Reading Comprehension

Books with Repetitive text for Apraxia of Speech

Books with Repetitive text The text of picture books may be an important source of vocabulary for young children, and findings suggest lexical diversity in picture books that underlies the language benefits associated with reading to children (Montag, Jones, Smith, 2015). We should be selective, however, in the picture books with repetitive text we use in our treatment of Childhood Apraxia of … [Read more...] about Books with Repetitive text for Apraxia of Speech

R Book List Articulation Therapy

The Best /R/ Books for Articulation Oftentimes, selecting books to use in therapy can be time-consuming and productivity is lost. I want to create lists to make articulation therapy more efficient. Using a literacy-based approach to articulation therapy is essential in my therapy room. As you know, many of our kids have language goals as well. Books offer a great way to monitor the carry-over of … [Read more...] about R Book List Articulation Therapy

Pre-Reading Strategies for Comprehension

Strategies For Reading Comprehension Admittedly, as a young SLP I worked on reading comprehension like this: read a cute seasonal book, then ask recall questions. Yes, I would work on vocabulary, but my methodology was weak. After diving into the research, my strategies have changed. If you find yourself unsure about WHY pre-reading strategies are vital or HOW to implement them, then this post is … [Read more...] about Pre-Reading Strategies for Comprehension

SH Book List For Articulation Therapy

Book Lists For Articulation: SH words Without a doubt, my passion is literacy-based speech therapy. I LOVE children's picture books; they are an endless wealth for targeting articulation and language concepts. When I select books, I'm not just looking for the target sound in the book title. I only recommend books that contain the sound with high frequency or a word containing that sound is … [Read more...] about SH Book List For Articulation Therapy