I gathered my back to speech routines, organized them into 5 categories, and linked some products to provide you with tips for starting the school year off right!

With over 20 years as a school-based speech language pathologist, I would like to think that after all these years I would have back to school mastered; however, there is always so much to do it’s easy to forget steps. 

1.  CREATE

• BULLETIN BOARDS:  If you are lucky enough to have a bulletin board in your speech room, fill it up with evergreen decor, perfect for the entire school year. Add some modern rustic decor or abstract colors found within my Back to Speech product.                                        

• PARENT LETTER:  Consider writing a beginning of the year parent letter. I like to have this initial contact to remind parents about their child's participation in therapy, to share my expectations and any logistical information, as well as encourage home practice. I have a sample parent letter and template in my Back to Speech packet.

• IEP AT A GLANCE:  Prior to the first day, I make sure to share with teachers and staff an IEP at a glance for each student. This summary of goals, services, and accommodations will give the teacher a quick reference regarding speech and language needs of their students. I use one generated from our IEP software.

• FIRST SESSION ACTIVITY:  I always plan a first day in speech activity that includes goal setting and gathering of baseline. You can check out my Speech and Language Snapshot or Goal Setting Foldable Activity within my Back to Speech packet or my Back to Speech Lap Book.

                                         

                                          

2.  ORGANIZE

• CASELOAD:  I always go through files to create a caseload list with student names, date of birth, grade, teacher, IEP and evaluation deadlines, type of service delivery and minutes. I use this information to create my own caseload spreadsheet in Google Sheets™️ so I can update it live throughout the year.

• BILLING:  Whatever I can do to add information into billing software, I do! SLPs know how time consuming billing can be and how easy it is to get behind. Every little bit of organization helps.

• LOGS/LISTS:  I organize paperwork for logging lesson plans, testing, and screening. I keep these in a binder and add to them during the year. Check out my SLP Planner and Workload Forms packets for a variety of logs. My favorite is a my digitally fillable weekly checklist. I never start a week without it completed!

 

• DEADLINES:  For those IEPs and evaluations that will expire quickly upon the start of school, I add the student folders to my working file and attach sticky notes as flags to remind me of deadlines. The start of a new school year is always fast-paced and staying on top of deadlines is a must.

• ASSESSMENT:  I also organize folders for screenings and testing. I keep different colored 2-pocket folders for quick grab and go. For screenings, the tools I use are right in the folder. The testing folder is a working folder with assessment protocols.  

                                         

• THERAPY BAG/BIN:  Since I often push into classrooms, I organize my therapy bag with must have supplies. Many of my go to materials stay put all year, including this Speech Sound Board which you can grab for free.

3.  COPY

• KINDERGARTEN SCREENING:  We screen all kindergarten students in my district, so I copy kindergarten speech and language screening forms to immediately tackle this task at the start of the year. You can find my kindergarten screening tool here with both printable and digital options!

• WORKLOAD FORMS: I restock copies of my most used forms, including homework logs, observation forms, 100 word samples, screening permission, parent communication logs, as well as baseline and progress monitoring tools. You can find some of these in my Workload Forms packet.

                                            

4.  PREP

• STUDENT FOLDERS:  I prep student folders for my youngest students. I print labels for name, therapy day/time, and to-do and finished for the inside pockets. I also add a home communication session update log. You can also find these materials in my Back to Speech packet.

        

• SPEECH TIME REMINDERS:  I also prep student reminder cards to encourage my pull-out students to show independence in coming to therapy. These are FREE in my TpT store.    

        
                                            

• VISUALS: Never start the year without visuals! I prep behavior icons and essential visuals to support all speech and language goals. Grab my carrier phrases for FREE.

• SLP WORKING FOLDERS:  I use working folders for organizing groups. The plastic folders with prongs hold up for years. The folders are numbered to match the group number on my schedule and contain data sheets, IEP at a glance sheets, individualized student visuals, and materials for students in that group.

                                           

5.  EXPLORE/REFRESH

• MASTER SCHEDULE:  Before the school year starts, I explore the school master schedule, so I can anticipate a draft of my therapy schedule.

• DATA TRACKING:  I am always exploring more efficient ways to take data and once I establish my system, I can import goals and objectives. I have successfully used a data tracker app over the past 4 school years. Prior to that I used a printable group data collection form, which can be found in my Workload Forms packet.

• TECHNOLOGY:  Take a look at your technology and ensure everything is charged and functioning properly. This also goes for making sure you know passwords and how to log into frequently used programs. It's amazing what a summer does to the memory!

• MATERIALS:  Familiarize yourself again with your materials. I am always pleasantly surprised by the collection that has accumulated. I can pull favorites for my first weeks easily while exploring.

What have I missed? Are there other tricks I can add to make the year go off without a hitch? 

Read more »

Sparklle SLP

If you are like me, when workload tasks begin to overwhelm, I turn right to making attempts to organize (or reorganize) my spaces in order to clear the clutter from my view and hopefully my brain. Again, it is usually at these less than desirable times when deadlines are due and the clock is ticking, but nonetheless I find myself deep in the organizational trenches. So, whether you have a system for your speech therapy materials that might need a tweaking, desire a system for more efficiency, or are like me and tend to use this task to clear and propel other areas, I have a product that might be just what you need.

My Lesson and Materials Organization packet contains all the LABELS you need to set up a solid system for your speech therapy collections.

There are four (approximate) sizes:
8 x 10 Landscape
3 x 10 1/2 Strips
1 1/2 x 10 1/2 Strips
3 x 5 Rectangles

The labels are all in black & white and many include picture icons for easy identification. You can use these labels on bin storage containers, filing boxes or cabinets, binders, file folders, or zippered pouches.

Truly the possibilities are endless to organize (or reorganize) all your materials. The labels are simple, yet can add so much visual appeal to your therapy space. I chose to print my labels on white paper; however, you can also choose to print on the color of your choice to match your decor.

While labels are not editable; I have included months, holidays, seasons, a large collection of themes as well as speech therapy topics. Download the preview to see the list of all labels.

I start by taking some inventory on the materials I have and then sort them into themes or categories. I use storage containers for all my thematic materials.

Below are some Amazon Affiliate links that contain storage ideas.

I love these Sterlite containers and I was able to grab them on sale.



These Iris containers are great for themes in which I have collected a large amount of materials.



I tend to keep my non-theme speech therapy product materials in binders, bead/craft storage containers, as well as these photo storage boxes and zippered pouches.

 

While not pictured, I use the speech therapy target area labels on my filing cabinets and cabinets within my space/room.

You can also check out the other SLP organizational items to get your fill of organizing.

Read more »

Sparklle SLP

At the start of every school year, it’s VITAL to EXPLICITLY teach routines. It’s no different in speech therapy. Establishing routines and taking the time to ensure all group members know the expectations and learn the skills to follow the routine will provide a foundation for the rest of the year!

Teaching WAIT to show students how to take turns and also monitor work is critical for continued success in conversations as well as for completion of activities. I like to use a simple table top visual to teach and then cue the wait routine. I place these simple WAIT tents in front of students during group therapy. They are taught to wait their turn by watching and listening for other members to respond/take a turn. When the wait card is removed, the student is taught to take his turn verbally or non-verbally depending on the task.

FREE RESOURCE for Teaching WAIT

Read more »

Sparklle SLP

Have you thought about adding Alexa to your speech room?

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post. 






Alexa is a virtual intelligence assistant from Amazon. It is a voice controlled search device (an evolved Siri). She comes in a variety of device styles! The assistant is activated by speaking, "Alexa..." followed by a command. Now, with Amazon's Echo Show 5, Alexa can SHOW you things. It's also, in my opinion, portable and priced at a point that is possible for individual purchase for your speech room (especially if you took advantage of Amazon Prime Day:). Echo Show 5 is Alexa with visual supports! You know how I feel about visual supports and what SLP can't use a virtual assistant! You also need a power source and a WIFI connection for your device in order to benefit from Alexa.

Let's start with some ways in which Alexa is being used in classrooms:

• Playing music, especially ambient noises or 60 bpm background music.
• Setting timers.
• Setting reminders.
• Choosing students by selecting a random number.
• Rolling dice.
• Reading aloud. Alexa can read audio books or internet articles.
• Morning meeting use for checking the date, weather, and current events. You can even check out the weather in other parts of the world!
• Checking out current events or NPR (National Public Radio).
• Checking sports stats for all those future statisticians.
• Self-checking of math facts. 
• Asking Alexa to spell words.
• Providing word definitions or gaining synonyms/antonyms.
• Asking Alexa research questions. She can also read research off of any website.
• Translating languages. 
• Using a word of the day.
• Giving messages to your class.
• Playing games like Simon Says, Jeopardy, Rock Paper Scissors, Tic Tac Toe, or the Magic Door.

Alexa has skills! There are up to 80,000 skills and growing. Skills are voice-driven Alexa capabilities (think apps). You can add Alexa skills to your device. Using the Alexa App, you can view available skills and enable them. There is a skills section in the Alexa App or you can voice command to your device, "Alexa, open skill finder." to find skills. Be sure to check out the AskMyClass skill.

Now that my Amazon Echo Show 5 is on its way, I'm doing a little planning for ways in which I will use her within my speech therapy sessions. I was hoping she would accept a name change, "Hey Sparklle..." has a nice sound to it, but since she can only accommodate Alexa, Echo, Computer, or Amazon, I will keep her as is!

Here are some initial ideas for using Alexa in my speech room and speech therapy sessions:

• Above all, my students are working on effective communication, which involves clear articulation, organized messages, and precise use of vocabulary. Since she responds to voice commands, my students must continue to improve their communication skills in order to effectively communicate with Alexa. They may be required to slow rate, adapt the structure, and rephrase what is initially spoken. We are all a work in progress and while communication breakdown may be encountered, having a breakdown with Alexa may be perceived better as she has such a sweet disposition.

• Listening to jokes. Jokes are a great way to teach conversational turn taking, especially using knock knock jokes. I also like to use jokes to work on multiple meaning words. Jokes are great for articulation in conversation, too. They are highly motivating for students, as well!

• I envision using Alexa to help with self-regulation. My room is adjacent to the sensory room and I co-treat social skills groups with the OT. By setting a timer and having students choose a tool that might help with calming down (music, ambient noise, games, counting, etc.), it will reduce the adult to student verbal interaction and allow more student independence of choosing calming tools.

• Visually and auditorily displaying word definitions. I work a lot on defining Tier 2 vocabulary with my students as words are encountered in their everyday texts within the classroom. Asking Alexa to define and SHOW the meaning will reach a new level in vocabulary therapy.

• I am certain Alexa can support my students with their syntax. I'll be looking for a skill that will provide another way to say a sentence or a spoken grammar check.

• Having conversations with my students while using Alexa for conversation starters or to gain more knowledge on a topic to help add comments and questions to conversations is also a way I see Alexa being a great SLP assistant.

• The Echo Show can display YouTube videos from the web browser. I love using books in therapy sessions and I have pinned several online read alouds on my Pinterest page. While I know my other devices are great for this purpose, creating student independence as well as efficiency when pulling up stories may be another SLP assistant job of Alexa.

• Let's not forget the value of setting timers and reminders. Timers for therapy sessions, incentives /earned time or within games/activities would be helpful. How often am I forgetting to print a homework sheet or get a new sticker chart or parent contact page. Alexa can help with the memory for sure and my students can tell her to remind me!

Here are some Alexa Skills I plan to enable right away on my Echo Show 5:

Heads Up-Great for describing vocabulary.
Categories-Name items in categories.
20 Questions-Answer yes/no questions.
Question of the Day-Use for starting conversations.
Would You Rather Family-I love to use Would You Rather activities for articulation at the conversation level as well as baseline gathering.

Here is a FREE resource that I created to help with teaching routines for using Alexa.

You can check out this tutorial for using the Echo Show 5 that I found when researching for this post (no affiliation). I have a lot to learn; however, the possibilities seem endless and I look forward to enhancing communication with technology even more during this school year.
Are you an experienced Alexa user? Have you used Alexa in your speech room? What do I need to know?

As always, you must protect your student’s privacy in the classroom. Make sure you do your part to ensure you are aware of privacy issues with using Alexa and follow your district's policy on introduction of any technology within the classroom. You can read this article for more pros and cons about using Alexa in the classroom. With anything, knowledge is power and setting clear expectations will support your endeavor.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  All opinions are my own.

Read more »

Sparklle SLP

Whether you love to peruse the aisles or scroll online, this back to speech list for the school-based SLP may help make your experience a bit more efficient. I'm sharing my shopping cart of many items I routinely buy to stock up my speech room (Amazon Affiliate links included). You will also find a collection of my favorite speech therapy resources from my TPT store.

*This post was updated in July, 2024.

Velcro Dots-Little explanation is needed for these gems if you are a speech-language pathologist. These are quick and effective for prepping your behavior visuals to start the year off right. I use them to prep my visual schedule and token reward charts.

Use Velcro dots to create behavior support visuals.

Laminating Sheets-These help with prepping behavior visuals, task cards, or other interactive therapy materials. I like to buy the 200 count pack as I know I will go through these sheets quickly. My Scotch laminator has been serving me well for a very long time.

Sheet Protectors-I am obsessed with using sheet protectors for organizing my materials. I will use them for keeping originals safe in binders like these (no affiliation). Using sheet protectors and binders is one way I organize my book companions. I also use sheet protectors for student use to make worksheets interactive and reusable.

Use sheet protectors in binders to create interactive materials.

Document Holders-I have a collection of these document holders/job ticket holders that I keep handy to turn any worksheet into an interactive or reusable material. I also use one to hold my story dice and companion sheets.

Happy Paper-Worksheets look so much better on "happy" paper! It's an effective way to add color without using color ink. Plus, if you use sheet protectors or document holders you can reuse the materials printed on your "happy" paper!

Zipper Pouches-I now use clear plastic mesh zipper pouches for interactive materials, such as my barrier activities, where small pieces need to be contained. I've also started using the larger sizes for my games. Game changer! Just throw all the contents into the mesh pouch for easy clean up.

Magnetic Hooks & Rings -I have several metal filing cabinets, a metal storage closet, and a metal rolling cart (similar, no affiliation) so having magnetic hooks is perfect for hanging visuals and task cards on rings. I have both 1" and 2" rings. Check out my FREE Carrier Phrases and my Essential Visuals product.

Highlighters, Black Dry Erase Markers & Magic Eraser Sponges-I keep highlighters handy for having students highlight their target speech sounds encountered in text. I also write on tables all the time. I never go anywhere without black dry erase makers and magic erasers!



Tempera Paint Sticks & Paint Markers-Worksheets can instantly be engaging when using paint sticks or paint daubers. My students love them! Paint sticks are nice because they dry instantly. Paint markers last longer though.

Clear Spinners-I created no prep spinner activities for articulation and language targets. While a pencil and paper clip work just fine, my students really enjoy using these clear spinners.

If you want more storage organization ideas, check out this post. It shows my 10-Drawer Cart, Small Materials Organizer (similar), Thirty-One Fold N' File, and my toolbox with FREE labels.

Two additional storage items that has been purchased multiple times for my therapy room are these Photo Storage Boxes for corralling all my task cards and these Bead Organizer Boxes for my articulation cards. Check out these FREE labels here and here.

What are your back to speech essential buys?

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  All opinions are my own.

Read more »

Sparklle SLP

Back to school is coming soon. What better time to talk about bulletin boards in your speech room. I've never been one to change bulletin boards throughout the year, so choosing something that lasts the year (or several years) is very important. Though I spend most of my time pushing into classrooms, I'm still fortunate enough to have a speech room and bulletin boards. Let's start with some ideas for decorating your bulletin board and then I will share some items I include.

Decorating Elements

I do not have an eye for decor at all. What has worked for me includes the following staples.

Thick wrapping paper for the background.
Bulletin board border for the edges.
Thick heavy or wired ribbon to add some dimension to the top.

SLP Bulletin Board Elements

I am lucky to have a bulletin board over my desk; however, even when I didn't, the side of my filing cabinet or wall contained some go-to SLP items. Here are my suggested items.

Showcase your favorite school SLP quotes!

• Be a mover and a shaker not a whiner and complainer!
• Blessed are those who are flexible for they shall not break!

Display your credentials.
Include speech and educationally relevant norms.
Post checklists for workload tasks.
Keep handy the school calendar.
Ensure important contact information for those you reach out to most is available.
Save room for any student gifted artwork or notes!

Speech Room Bulletin Board Elements

My bulletin board in the main area of my room always contains somewhat functional decor. Here are my suggested ideas.

Post I CAN statements with common core links for each area of speech and language. You can find my current targets within my Modern Rustic Speech Room Decor pack. I also have the same posters with different decor within my Back to Speech pack.

Secure therapy materials using utility hooks (I have a nice metal edge around my bulletin board) or heavy duty tacks for hanging tasks cards on rings.

Make the bulletin board interactive. In my former speech room, I hung a pocket chart with monthly thematic words. Once a month, students would get a chance to choose words to use in a sentence and attempt to find words with secret stickers hidden on the back. This predictable game was a favorite in my therapy room and made good use of a large bulletin board!

Display speech room rules, behavior charts, brag tags, or student goal tags/cards.

Ensure important visuals are in clear view for your students. I recently made my Essential Visuals into signs which would be perfect for this purpose.

There is still a little bit of summer left for me. Before you know it, I will be back looking at my boards. Luckily I left up most of my elements from last year! What are your favorite items to include on your bulletin boards?

Read more »

Sparklle SLP

You either love or loathe back to school shopping. As a school girl, I always looked forward to back to school shopping. As a mother of three, any type of shopping is a bit more stressful these days. It's often a fill up the cart (in real life or virtual) and hope for the best! By nature, I consider myself a bargain hunter and generally very frugal when spending money. Add in the hectic lifestyle and these traits are difficult to maintain. I thought I'd share a few of my suggested stores and items to help you on your back to speech shopping journey.



First off, at no surprise to many of my readers, I shop almost solely at Teachers Pay Teachers for therapy resources. You can find an overwhelming (in a great way) amount of materials from SLP authors with prices that fit every budget. If you haven't yet taken the plunge and made your first purchase, by all means, go for it!

Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

You guessed it! Amazon provides my speech therapy office supply staples, including laminating sheets, sheet protectors, metal rings, and colored folders (I use these for TPT purchases, color-coding areas of speech and language.  I also order a box of grey folders for my book companions!) What saves me time is I can go back into my past orders and just reorder when my supply runs low!

                 

I also shop Amazon for games, books, and other therapy or organizational finds, like these:

Erasable Highlighters (I'm using these in 3rd grade novels to highlight Tier 2 vocabulary.)

Plastic Drawer Storage (This just makes me smile when I walk into my room.  The drawer labels are free here.)

 

Digital Tally Counters (SLPTalk turned me onto these beauties. I own quite a few 'old school' tally counters that my students love, so these will be a novel item. The bonus, they are super tiny for easy transport to classrooms or hallways.)

Target is my stop for seasonal containers. I have a little addiction. The good news is, I really do use these containers regularly in therapy. Most often one just sits in the center of my table with a reinforcement activity inside.































Shopping at half-price book stores is something I do a few times a year. I find treasures for my own children as well as my therapy lessons. While this takes a bit more time searching, you can always bring a list and have the reference clerks do a little search if you are pressed for time.

I also frequent my local dollar store, due to sheer convenience of its location near my son's karate studio. I mostly shop for prize box items as I only buy school supply items for my prize box. I can pick up pencils, erasers, mini-notebooks, markers, gel pens, grippers, and many other school supply items at my local dollar store. Now that I have dabbled in sensory bins (thanks to The Dabbling Speechie), dollar stores are a perfect place for purchasing supplies.

Thrift stores are ideal for inexpensive board games. I am still searching for Cariboo. (Yes, I donated my copy that my own children had before I realized the speech therapy adaptation.) Through my trips, I have found several other games I use in therapy, so that's at least something!

Now let's talk about my go-to places for school SLP clothes. Let me start off by saying, I am not a fashionista and I don't even attempt to try. I don't have an eye for fashion at all. I know what I like on others and I have no idea how to make it work for myself. Well, I'm really selling these suggestions, right?! Regardless, here are my favorite places for school SLP clothing.

Thred Up is an online consignment shop. You can find tons of name brand clothing items with new items arriving daily. I can shop early in the morning or late and night and my items will arrive at my doorstep. I love how you can shop within categories of clothing, sizing and fashion trends.

Remember the convenience of the dollar store above? TJMaxx is in the same shopping center and I have a slight addiction. I find most of my clothing, shoes and accessories at TJMaxx. I can also snag gifts for just about anyone on my list here as well, so that's very effective for saving time!

My new favorite pants are from Athleta. They are in the Midtown line. Remember what I said about being thrifty, well here is the exception.  These pants are priceless. I have been wearing the shorts from the same line all summer long and they are the best shorts I've ever worn! If you are into Project 333 or creating a capsule wardrobe (see my Pinterest board here) these pants would be a staple! I absolutely do recommend a capsule wardrobe.  It will save you time and money!

If you are feeling a little less than excited about back to school shopping this year, I suggest you create a list of those items you need frequently and find your go to places. Make the trips fit into your schedule (online early morning or late evening or that shopping center near to that extracurricular activity). Maybe even try a capsule wardrobe. It's never too late to become an SLP fashionista (#dreamer)!

Read more »

Sparklle SLP