By:  Caroline Musselwhite

This month's tip includes a tracking form for teachers, parents, and therapists to use to build accountability by recording observations relating to when and how AAC systems are being used.  The pdf documents include a more indepth write up on this process, a blank tracking form and a sample of a completed form.

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Moving and Grooving and Talking!

Movement Activities to Support Language Learning

These activities are set up to support students in engaging in motor activities to enhance motivation, support language learning (especially vocabulary and concept development, and direction-following), and serve as a valve for excess energy! Enjoy!

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Talking Everywhere The idea for this tip is from Pam and Josh Harris. Pam has created innovative light tech displays that are located throughout the house. This includes backup displays of the main board for her son’s communication device and/ or activity-based displays. Two ideas for affixing displays are to print them on stickyback decal paper (mount in shower, on bathroom wall, etc.) or on magnetic backed paper (mount on refrigerator). Happy talking . . . everywhere!

March 2006

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This is a tip to support initiating simple conversations for individuals with significant cognitive delay. Collections are great because:

• they support developing a sense of belonging (we ALL have collections!)
• they support changing perceptions of partners
• they are very concrete
• they are FUN!

Initial Letter Cueing Tip

Initial Letter Cueing is an idea from David Beukelman and Kathryn Yorkston, first published in (1977). Initial letter cueing is an alphabet supplementation approach intended for people whose speech is currently difficult to understand, but who would be more intelligible if the speaker indicates (e.g., by pointing) the first letter of each word s/he says. This tip is a great example of the adage that ‘Everything old is new again.’ If you havn’t tried it, you’ll be amazed at how well it works for some students!

Fire House Stories

Get out your lights and sirens! Hot off the press! Here are some more simple stories. These were written by teachers & therapists at Buckeye Elementary School in Arizona on a Friday afternoon after a long week!  (And they are still wonderful... proves what a combination of determination, imagination, collaboration, and inspiration will do!)    Enjoy!!

A "Halloweeny" Version

We know you love ‘Wheels On the Bus’ . . . but isnt’ it ready for a MAKEOVER?? This tip shows how to adapt ‘Wheels’’ for Halloween. Instead of wipers and babies, this bus has black cats and ghosts!! It’s a great example of repetition with variation.     Enjoy!!

October 2006

High Frequency Words!

This month’s tip is a list of high-frequency words developed by the Start-to-Finish team, who have developed the Start-to-Finish book series (www.donjohnston.com ). High-frequency word lists abound in the world of education, but this one is useful for three reasons:
 

• The list is large enough to support readers beyond first grade, but small enough not to be too daunting

• It presents the top 50 and top 100 most frequently occurring words in order of frequency

• Knowing this list means knowing about 60% of the running words in any book.

Download this list, plus Do’s and Don’t’s for using it!

(Word List included)

Regional Geography Writing

This tip comes from workshop participants in Baton Rouge, LA and Whitby, Ontario. They wrote simple ‘transitional’ stories about the geography of their regions. Read these for ideas for story-writing for YOUR region! See the January, 06 Tip of the Month for more story-writing ideas!