Hi All! Have a fun July 4th! I’m looking forward to playing tennis with friends and walking with my husband. How about you? Here’s a July 4th FREEBIE for you! Click on image for link.

Watch this video about Summer Story Sequences BOOM Cards. i There are four 4-step sequences. Students move numbers 1-4 to the correct picture. There is a gif for each sequence!

This week I’ve been thinking about how children learn Sequencing. Have you ever included a sequencing goal for your students? (Everything in purple is linked.) As I researched this topic I found a Super Duper Handy Handout called, The Importance of Teaching Sequencing To Young Children by Becky L. Spivey. Sequencing is an importance skill for understanding the relationship of actions, language expression, reading and writing. We break down an event into simple steps and put the steps in order. We sequence all day long! Experience is an important component. Has the child physically experienced a sequence or read it in a book? Modeling and repetition are helpful strategies for facilitating a sequence. Children learn that one event may follow another. Their daily routines at home and at school are a perfect way to introduce two to three-part sequences. Pair with photos of the actions and make a book for the child. Using predictable stories is another form of repetitive sequencing. Here’s a list of 71 Predictable Books I have used throughout the years. Eventually ,children learn left-right, predictions, recalling details of a story, cause & effect, size concepts, temporal concepts and more. Check out some awesome Super Duper Publication Sequencing Sets HERE.

There are other types of sequences as well. Children as young as 15 months learn to sequence size using rings and stacking cups. I use either a toy or the Stack Up build a tower app. It’s a simple way to assess the child’s ability to put items in order. Children also learn to imitate actions to rhymes, e.g. Wheels on the Bus. It’s fun to see if they can fill in the rhyme too, e.g. The Wheels on the bus go ___________. Counting and rote singing, e.g. ABC’s is a sequence too.

Reading Rockets is a great resource for pre-reading and reading skills. Here’s a helpful checklist:

Enjoys listening to and talking about stories and books.
Knows how to hold a book and turn pages, and can identify the front and back covers
Understands that print carries a message, and that print is read in stories.
Participates in rhyming and alliteration games.
Makes attempts to "read."
Identifies familiar signs and labels.
Can identify 10 or more alphabet letters, especially the letters in own name.
Begins to recognize beginning sounds in spoken words and other letter-sound matches.
Speech is understandable but makes mistakes pronouncing long, difficult, or complex words such as hippopotamus.
Uses new vocabulary and grammar in their speech.
Has fun with language. Enjoys poems and recognizes language absurdities such as, "Is that an elephant on your head?"
Uses verbs that end in "ing," such as walking or talking, and uses some irregular past tense verbs such as ran and fell.
Understands and follows oral directions.
Understands and recalls simple sequences of events in stories.
Understands complex questions, and can answer "why" questions.
Connects information and events in stories to life experiences.

Click on images below to check out the Previews!

Seasonal Game Ideas

Principles of Motor Learning in the Treatment of Motor Speech Disorders by E. Maas 2008, has been a huge topic of interest these days. Get to know these 2 terms: 1. Knowledge of Performance - structure, practice & movement of targets & practice conditions - basically helping the student understand what their jaw, lips & tongue are doing to produce a motor sequence through a multi-sensory approach 2. Knowledge of Results - giving student specific feedback (NOT GOOD JOB) about motor movements to achieve retention (generalization) of the target.

Treatment of CAS from Sydney School of Health Sciences- Interesting Article which discusses ReST (Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment), NDP3 (Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme), IPA (Integrated Phonological Awareness. ) I am an advocate of PROMPT which is not mentioned in this article. I thought you might find it interesting! Click on image below to get a copy of the 3 pages. Also check out the website! rest.sydney.edu.au Once on the website scroll down to Resources for Clinicians. I found this article under Evidence Brief. All this ReST info and more is FREE.

ENJOY!! Ricki