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Literacy-Based Speech Language Therapy Activities
1. Planning for Literacy-based Intervention Sessions
Cumulative Speech Therapy Planning
Before we even begin to start talking about planning, we need to have a conversation that we wish
that someone had with us on day one. Year after year, we gear up for the new school year or a new
clinic caseload. And, it seems like our job should get easier, right? Math is not my forte; however,
the following Equation-of-SLP-Ease should be applicable:
According to my algebra, for every year of SLP-service I put in, my effort should feel less....
difficult. However, based on the input of SLPs, this is far from the truth. This is because our daily
endeavors are not cumulative. Each time you put efforts toward creating materials, you need to
organize, label, and keep the materials forever. I promise that you will have another student or group
that will benefit from the same materials in the future. Keep the materials in one of the following,
awesome therapy-keepers:
Option #1: A filing cabinet or foldering system
Most speech pathologists have stacks of books full of reproducible activities. The problem is, they
are not typically divided by theme. For example, last week I was putting together materials for a
book called Growing Things. I couldn’t remember if a really cool sunflower activity that I saw was in
the articulation book under “S,” in a book on outdoor activities, or none-of-the-above. I never
found it. Keeping one extra copy of the materials that you use in a themed-folder will allow you to
easily access it for years to come.
Option #2: A clear box labeled for each storybook or unit
Many storybooks require physical items or bulky materials used to garden, create puppet shows, etc.
The younger your audience, the more engaged they will be with physical manipulatives. As an
example, my first-year supervisor had a closet full of clear bins labeled for each book she used. When
it was time to use her box for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, she just pulled her box off the shelf, and
she had her materials for an entire month.
Option #3: A shared drive
SLPs in several districts near us share all of their materials with each other on a shared drive. This
puts the efforts of dozens of professionals at your fingertips. If you already have a space like this, it
just might need some organizing or you may need to build a section dedicated to storybooks and
alphabetized by title.
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