Books Arent Just For Reading

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Books Arent Just For Reading

• Diane Green
• Speech Language Pathologist
• Speech Services Niagara

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Incorporating early literacy into therapy
sessions...

• Why?
• Research is recognizing the importance of
  emergent literacy skills in later reading success
• With our training in language and speech sound
  development, we have unique skills and expertise
  in this area
• Children with speech and language delays are at
  risk for later reading difficulty

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What are Emergent Literacy skills?

• There is evidence that there are three main
  domains of emergent literacy - skills in these
  areas will determine how well children will be
  reading in Grade 1
• Oral language (vocabulary, syntax, narrative
  understanding, speech intelligibility)
• Print knowledge (identifying print vs. picture,
  letter identification, symbol recognition)
• Phonological awareness (rhyming, alliteration,
  blending/segmenting syllables/sounds,
  manipulation of sounds)

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• Fluent reading requires
• Comprehension x decoding
• Emergent literacy skills leading to fluent
  reading must be explicitly taught (e.g., rhyming).

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Using books in theme-based group therapy
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Acknowledging the Speech Pathology staff at

• Peel Memorial Hospital (William Osler)
• St. Josephs Health Centre (Toronto)
• St. Josephs Healthcare (Hamilton)
• Speech Services Niagara
• all of whom contributed to the ideas presented
  today

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How are the groups organized?

• 45 to 60 minutes in length usually once per
  week
• 2 to 3 children/group
• 3 or 3 ½ years old and up
• Children are grouped based on similar targets

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Some typical groups are

• Final consonant deletion
• Stopping
• Fronting
• Early language development
• Grammar development
• Receptive language (wh questions, sequencing
  skills)

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Every therapy session has
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Story Time!

• Finding a good book is the most difficult part
  the book is the cornerstone of the whole session
• I look at books to see if they
• Have many opportunities to hear the target
• Have a good story
• Have pictures that complement the story
• Are short and age appropriate
• Have rhyming, interesting print, or
  repetitive/predictable text

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What does story time offer?

• introduces the target words or sounds
• provides auditory bombardment of the target(s)
• introduces the theme and vocabulary and a
  hook to get the kids interested in the
  activities
• ANDshows parents that their child is capable of
  participating in book reading

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Plus

• Early Literacy opportunities
• Using print salient books (e.g., Spot)
• Directing childrens attention to the print
  (tracking print with finger, pointing to
  interesting print, commenting on letters children
  recognize)
• Identifying print vs. picture
• Discussing words that rhyme
• Increasing book knowledge (front, back, turning
  pages following sequence)

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What books to use?

• I like to find books that can be used for a
  variety of targets/group types
• These are some of my favourites
• Spot (Wheres Spot, Spot Bakes a Cake, Spots
  First Walk, Spot Goes to the Park/to the Beach)
• Rosies Walk
• Rabbit Stew
• Snake Supper
• I Spy
• Mrs. McNosh Hangs up Her Wash
• Stella Star of the Sea
• Chatty Chipmunks Nutty Day
• Bubble Bubble
• The Napping House
• Goodnight Gorilla

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Circle Time!

• A game or activity that directly relates back to
  the book
• Children have the opportunity to produce the
  target(s) they have heard during the story
• A structured and repetitive activity that lets
  everyone participate

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Plus

• Activities may provide opportunity to incorporate
  emergent literacy through
• Discrimination tasks
• Emphasizing rhyming words
• Sequencing and story retelling
• (an opportunity to enhance comprehension)

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Circle time ideas

• lotto games (matching) with photocopied
  pictures from the book
• sticky-tac pictures on a background picture to
  make a scene
• Listen for target sound in vocabulary from the
  story (discriminate between two sounds)
• Retell the story using pieces tacked to the wall
• Play a game (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Swinging Snakes,
  Pop Up Pirate) that relates to the theme of the
  story

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Table Time!

• We all move to the table usually to make a
  craft
• Provides opportunities to use the targets that
  they have been practicing in a natural setting
• By this point in the session, the children should
  be quite familiar with the target words and, with
  lots of repetition, are starting to carry them
  over

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Table time

• The naturalistic nature of this activity
  motivates children to try the targets to make
  themselves understood
• Craft activities must be easy enough for little
  hands to do and not take more than 10 to 15
  minutes to complete (with a minimum of adult
  assistance) Kids really like the 3-D crafts!
• Often this craft is used to help the children
  re-tell the story to their parents and it becomes
  part of the homework provided

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Videos

• Logan and Ally Goodnight Gorilla storytime
  mutual target is velars
• Santi and Lyla reading/circle time for Chatty
  Chipmunk receptive language (yes/no, wh
  questions)
• Jacob/Joseph/Roxie Rabbit stew circle craft
  language skills (narratives, questions,
  sequencing)