Hit the Pattern

Pick three different spelling patterns within a broad category (long vowels). For example, choose 5 spelling words for long a silent -e (crate, rate, lane, frame, ate), 5 spelling words for long ai (paint, faint, rain, main, train), and 5 spelling words for ay (day, Monday, pay, fray, clay).

Work on these patterns earlier in the week so that the kid is familiar with them. For the game, print off the three patterns (-aCe, -ai-, and -ay) on large paper and make them big & bold. Lay next to each other on the floor. Give the child time to look over the patterns and think about words that fit. Explain that you will tell him a word and he needs to toss the spike ball onto the right pattern.

Imagine these cut out and even bigger

Call out spelling words one by one. "Crate" and the child should throw the ball onto the correct pattern -aCe-. If he lands on the wrong one (intentionally), ask him to write the word on the whiteboard. If he spells it wrong, tell him to correct it by using a different pattern. If he gets it right, he gets a point. If not, correct the spelling on the board. Repeat activity.

Extra activities:

• add the words onto his long vowel a word wall poster
• write a sentence using each of the words
• draw a picture of the word (if possible) and make up a story about it 
• "The bunny crawled into the crate for a rest but then he got carted across the ocean..."
• have him find the words within curriculum text 

This is an easy activity to use to see if teaching is being generalized to other words. It is also easy to take data on: if he spells it right, you know the pattern is known. If he gets it wrong but then can apply the right pattern when he spells it out, then he needs more scaffolding. If he gets it wrong each time, he needs to be re-taught the pattern.

My spike "ball"

Homemade Bouncy Balls

My science experiment for tomorrow comes from www.sciencebob.com again. I'm moving away from the vegetable oil/vinegar/baking soda concoctions and into more direction involved experiments. It might be a little difficult but tomorrow we are making:

Bouncy Balls!

I went on a mad goose chase this afternoon looking for Borax and finally found it at Safeway. Kinda expensive but hopefully I'll get some more use out of it than just tomorrow. The ingredients for this project are:

• Warm water
• Cornstarch
• Borax
• White glue
• Food coloring

The directions are on the link that I listed above so I won't waste your time going over the whole experiment. Here is the typical science worksheet:

Rationale behind this activity:

• Reading instructions
• Making predictions
• Motivation (for each activity that he finishes during therapy he earns an ingredient)
• Following directions
• Thinking about first, then, finally
• Using compare and contrast thinking 

WHOOPS:

So I just tried this. 5 TIMES. From 5 different recipes. And it didn't work. My hands are now covered in glue, stained blue from food coloring, and have a weird smell. So I wouldn't recommend doing this. However, since it is the night before my lesson and I have a full day tomorrow, it is either do this experiment or nothing. And I think my kid would riot if I didn't have science. So... I think we'll probably do it. Then, I might tell a white lie and say that the ball needs to dry over the weekend. Since I know it won't work, I'll just go buy a bouncy ball and give it to him on Tuesday and explain that the experiment didn't work. I'm not a horrible person, right? Yay, failed science for everyone! 

The mess I got left with...

Bouncy ball fail

Catch and Tell Me...

So tomorrow is the day-- first day of clinic! I'm pretty nervous which is funny because all week I felt completely confident. I just want my client to like me and respond well to my activities. If he doesn't, I might hide under the table and cry. How's that for an effective practitioner? Tears streaming down my face, making "llama" noises, and snot dripping... it's quite the mental picture.

Anyway, I had two tests today so I haven't had time to post another activity that I worked on yesterday. It is still a little rough... it's one of the ones I'm most concerned about. But, hey, I'll try it and if it goes poorly I'll just move on to the next activity.

I can't think of a creative name for this one so I'll just call it "Catch and Tell Me." It's another get to know you activity. Just to preface: I have been looking for the perfect ball for this game. I wanted a miniature, all-white soccer ball so that I could color each surface. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the perfect ball (believe me, I tried). Mark & I went to the Dollar Tree to pick up (very) random fall/Halloween decorations and I found a semi-perfect ball. It is already colored in, the right size, and it was $1. Still not completely pleased though... ugh, there is that type 1 personality again.

The $1 ball... it looks a lot perkier in person, promise

So, back to the activity, this game involves tossing a ball. Whichever color your thumb lands on correlates with a comment you must make. E.g. if my thumb is on the green, I have to say something that I like about the category, if it lands on red: I say something I dislike, green is my favorite thing or memory about it, and yellow is something I want to do or accomplish in the future... confusing, right? Here is an instruction page:

I'm planning on using a magnet to hang on the whiteboard so that it is easily viewable while we throw the ball

I'm going to do an example so that the child can see how each color works with a category. I wanted to start with summer because it is something that he/she will have easily-accessed schema about (it just happened, summer is fun, and it is a broad theme). I also threw school & therapy in there because I want to find out the things that are motivating and things that are not. The fall/autumn category will help me see what ideas I can use in the next month or so. And we'll finish with another easy one: being a kid.

So it is pretty easy:

• Toss the ball
• Thumb lands on blue: "I like _____ about summer"
• Continue throwing until you get a new color (for instance, if you get blue again, don't go onto school, instead just throw again and hope to get a different color-- this makes it easier for the child to access the schematic knowledge) 
• After hitting all of the colors for a category, move onto the next round and repeat
• I plan on doing two and judging the time & engagement level. If there is time and the child is loving it then I'll keep going. If not, we can always come back to it another time.

Other ways you can use a colored ball:

• Each color represents a different "shake it out" activity if the child needs a 1 minute break
• Blue: 5 jumping jacks, red: run in place, etc.
• Use for vocabulary words
• Blue: read definition, red: name a word with similar meaning, etc.
• There are a lot of options, just get creative!