BETTER SPEECH & HEARING MONTH
by Marianne Bylo

INCORPORATING SPEECH & LANGUAGE GOALS INTO EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES

May is "Better Speech and Hearing" month, so why not incorporate your child's speech, language and listening goals into your springtime activities?  Children love picnics and a picnic theme is a fun way to work on skills without making it seem like “work”. 

First, talk about what a picnic is, where you might have one, and games people play at picnics.  You can discuss weather, bugs, or other things that may ruin a picnic.  Then, fill a picnic basket with a variety of items, including snacks, paper plates, pickles, bread, peanut butter and jelly.  Also, include such items as metal silverware, a ceramic mug, or a can of soup.  If your child is working on hearing or producing specific speech sounds, you may also include items that contain those sounds.  Have your child choose one item at a time and sort the items into two piles: items that belong on a picnic, and items that don’t belong. See if he or she can figure out why certain items, such as a can of soup, aren't appropriate for an outdoor summer meal.

Next, work on auditory memory and sequencing skills by listing and recalling the items needed to make a sandwich (2 slices of bread, peanut butter, jelly, a knife, and a paper plate).  Then follow the steps in order.  Make “mistakes” during the activity to encourage your child to use specific language for giving directions.  For example, “forget” to take the top off the peanut butter, or use a fork to spread the jelly.  Encourage your child to use language to describe what should be done and how to do it. 

Use and repeat new vocabulary related to picnics: PICNIC BLANKET, SHADE, ANTS, SLICE, SPREAD, FRUIT SALAD.  Sing a picnic song, such as "A Tisket A Tasket".  Make "Ants on Log" using a celery stalk, cream cheese, and raisins. You may have an indoor picnic on a rainy day.  Some preschool books related to picnics include:  A Picnic, Hooray! by Franz Brandenberg, Babar's Picnic by Laurent de Brunhoff, and We're Going On a Picnic by Pat Hutchins.  Go to www.PreschoolEducation.com for some great activities to go along with your picnic theme.

SPEECH & LANGUAGE WEBSITES

The Internet provides a wealth of resources for supporting speech and language activities at home.  Middle and high school students enjoy reinforcing their skills on the computer.  Here is a sample of websites that support speech and language activities for the older student.  Encourage students to log on and demonstrate what they are learning.

Grammar Sites:

These sites are full of grammar activities that support language learning at the middle/high school level.  Search for a specific grammar form, print worksheets, take on-line quizzes, and much more.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/

http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/

http://www.englishpage.com/

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/index.html#handouts

Reading Comprehension and Current Events:

Use these sites to learn about what is happening today.  The articles are short, yet informative. They provide follow-up activities and links are given for additional resources.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK

http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/reading/main/index.htm

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com (This site also has a listening component.)

Listening Activities:

This site provides good examples of language that is used in everyday social situations such as in a restaurant or in a store.  Students can read the dialogues, role-play, and listen to the actual text.

http://www.focusenglish.com/dialogues/conversation.html

General Speech & Hearing Sites:

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing  http://www.agbell.org/ 

American Academy of Audiology  http://audiology.org

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association   http://www.asha.org/default.htm

Auditory-Verbal International  http://www.auditory-verbal.org/

John Tracy Clinic  http://www.jtc.org/index.htm

League for the Hard of Hearing  http://www.lhh.org/

Learning to Listen Foundation (AV teaching video and lesson plans)  http://www.learningtolisten.org/

Listen-Up Web  (parent support, listening materials, learning to listen pictures) http://listen-up.org/

Oral Deaf Education  http://www.oraldeafed.org/