Crossword Puzzles

In teaching vocabulary & semantic skills such as synonyms and antonyms, I like to use some fun worksheets and activities in remembering what they have learned. Crossword puzzles are a wonderful way to work on these.

There are many websites that will create crossword puzzles for you. All you have to do is enter the words that you want included. My favorite that I have found is at:

http://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword.

This can be used for any subject that you want to work on with your kids. If you want some that I have already created, look in the Worksheets section. There are crossword puzzles for semantics, syntax and articulation.

**Note: You don't need to change any of the settings, although you might want to change "remove spaces in words" to "no."

Hmmm, not so sure

I tried the hula hoop thing and it didn't work so well. Granted the student doesn't have great basic concept skills and basically language difficulty across the board. I think I'll try working on the concepts of "more," "less," "most" and "least" first so that she can understand that opposites are the most different from one another.

 Any other suggestions?

Happy talking :-)

Defining "Opposite"

How would you define opposite? It needs to be simple and understood by young kids. Here's what I've got so far:

Opposite = the most different

Give visuals. For example, have a hula hoop on the ground. You go on one side and the kid go on the "opposite" side. Have them move around the circle and you stay exactly opposite of them. Show them that if you are not directly across from them, you are different but not the most different. Then have them stay opposite from you as you move around the hoop.

Any thoughts on a good definition or teaching ideas?

Ideas for Teaching Opposites

1. Matching Game
2. Have the kids draw pictures of opposites and make a book out of them.
3. Demonstrate opposites on a continuum.
4. Opposites Basket - have a basket with different opposite things and they pick out the 2 that match.
5. Have an opposites coloring book. Each color is used for different opposite pairs.
6. Opposite Bingo
7. Make silly sentences then change the opposite word to make it make sense.
8. Fill in the blank book for opposites.

Opposite Books

Here is a list of books for opposites. I haven't yet seen all of them but I will be going to the library to assess how wonderful or ridicules they are.

The Opposite - Tom MacRae
Clifford's Opposites Board Book - Norman Bridwell
What's the Opposite, Piggywiggy? - Christyan Fox
Kipper's Book of Opposites - Mick Inkpen
Maisy Big, Maisy Small - Lucy Cousins
Black? White! Day? Night! - Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Black Cat, White Cat - Chuck Murphy
Skippyjon Jones: Up & Down - Judy Schachner
Night Monkey, Day Monkey - Julia Donaldson
Curious George's Opposites -
Eric Carle's Opposites - Eric Carle
Two Little Trains - Leo & Diane Dillon
Slide 'n Seek Opposites - Sandra Boynton
Olivia's Opposites - Ian Falconer
What's Up, Duck? - Tad Hills
Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs - Sandra Boynton
Big Dog, Little Dog - P.D. Eastman
Opposites - Sandra Boynton
The Foot Book - Dr. Seuss
Popposites: A Pop-up Opposites Book
Dinosaur Roar - Paul & Henrietta Stickland
No No, Yes, Yes - Leslie Patricelli
Big, Little - Leslie Patricelli
Yummy Yucky - Leslie Patricelli
Inside Outside Upside Down - Bright

Thus it begins

Hi there world! Guess what!? I love to talk. I think that might be a requirement when you decide to become an SLP. In 2005, I graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelors in Audiology Speech-Language Pathology... and I got a job as a receptionist in a doctor's office. What?! Didn't I just go to school in order to have a career in speech/language? Luckily, a few short months later, I was blessed to be directed to a job as a speech therapy assistant. Yipee!! On the right path again.

      For 2 years, I worked as an assistant in an elementary school, learning hands on and applying to graduate school.

     In June 2007, I began my graduate work at Northern Arizona University in a summers only program, which I loved. For 3 summers, I went to Flagstaff, Arizona (don't be fooled - the weather is beautiful there, not scorching hot like Hades (Phoenix) a few hours south) and took intense courses for 2 months and then internet classes during the year. All the while, I worked as a speech/language intern in the school district. This was exactly the program that I needed. The hands on was critical to my understanding and retaining the information I was gaining in grad school. 

   In the summer of 2010, I did an externship in a rehabilitation center and officially graduated in August 2010. Yeah!!! 

    So I can officially say that I have been working and learning as an SLP 7 1/2 years. That's not even a long time compared to many. I've learned a lot and I have some good ideas, but I know that there are so many SLP's out there collaborating with one another and I want in on it. I had twitter,  pinterest, and blogs suggested as places to find you all. Who really wants to reinvent the wheel (great idiom, huh?). Let's work together.

    My hope for this blog is to share my ideas, get yours, to learn and to grow. I have many, many, many therapy manuals and tests. I hope to give an evaluation of these as well as enlisting fellow SLP's to give their input. Eventually, my hope to have a cache of ideas easily accessible to SLP's looking for new tools to try and for parents to have a resource for home study activities. 

   If anyone has any specific requests for what they would like to see on this site or topics they want addressed. Please let me know.