One question I am asked a lot is, "What are your favorite games and activities to use with middle school students in speech-language therapy?" Today, I would like to share with you my top 13 favorites! One

Check out these middle school (and high school) speech therapy activities and materials for effective and motivating sessions in secondary!

Speech therapy for older children with articulation disorders can be challenging. Here are some tips for assessment, treatment, and carryover.

Check out these middle school (and high school) speech therapy activities and materials for effective and motivating sessions in secondary!

The Ultimate Guide to High School Speech Therapy Activities provides Speech Language Pathologists a reference point for easily locating educational resources for older students. Many children are able to master their speech goals in elementary or middle school and no longer require therapy services. But all too often w

Teach students how to build their own vocabulary skills through vocab exercises. This packet includes activities to teach/practice 10 target vocabulary words that may be appropriate for students in grades 6-12. Use it to practice reading and matching vocabulary definitions, using context clues and developing connections between words. Included in the packet you will find: -->word cards that can be used for flash cards -->corresponding definition cards (including some multiple meanings) -->passages for using context clues to determine word meanings -->crossword puzzle -->Graphic organizer (Frayer Model) to help students better understand each word Activities may be used for vocabulary development, using words in context, practice using context clues, test prep, remediation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some additional resources great for older students: • Simple and Compound Sentence Packet - No prep - FREEBIE! • Seasonal Bundle for Simple, Compound & Complex Sentences • Print and Go Language Sudoku - No Prep Language Practice • FREEBIE - Print and Go Articulation Sudoku - No Prep • No Prep Articulation Sudoku MEGA BUNDLE for Speech Therapy Click here to visit me on Facebook Click here to follow me on Instagram Questions: Email [email protected]

Middle/High School and Transition Students: Boom Card activity - Life Skills, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy/Language Development Life Skills - Laundry Sorting and Washing Sequence with Following Directions Hands-on errorless activity with an audio recording of directions on each card. This digital task card deck has eight slides with moveable pieces that allow students to actively go through the steps for doing the laundry. Each card has either 24 or 12 moveable pieces that when moved to the right place "disappear" out of sight to resemble putting laundry into the washing machine for example. These cards are errorless to allow for the teaching of concepts during participation. Each card has an audio recording of the directions. Card 1 - Directions and Intro Card 2 - Sort 24 clothing items into light or dark by dragging/dropping them into labeled laundry baskets. Card 3 - Drag and Drop 12 clothing items into the washing machine Card 4 - Turn the washing machine on Card 5 - Drag and drop laundry into the dryer Card 6 - Turn dryer on Card 7 - Take the laundry out of the dryer Card 8 - Drag clothing into the folded pile Card 9 - Great work! How to Use: These digital task cards would be great on a laptop, desktop, Chromebook, tablet, or any other mobile device that can access the internet.  They can even be used on your Smart Board or class projector. The Boom Cards record data on accuracy to help with progress notes.  They are no prep which means no printing, laminating or storage. This product includes: A link to access 9 Digital Task Cards on the BOOM Learning℠ website Take a look at the thumbnail images and the preview file above to get a better idea of what the digital task cards look like. More about BOOM Learning… To use Boom Cards, you must be connected to the Internet. Boom Cards play on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge). Apps are available for Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. For security and privacy, adults must have a Boom Learning account to use and assign Boom Cards. You will be able to assign the Boom Cards you are buying with "Fast Pins," (play provides instant feedback for self-grading Boom Cards). Fast Play is always a free way for students to engage with Boom Cards decks. For additional assignment options you'll need a premium account. If you are new to Boom Learning, you will be offered a free trial of our premium account.  Read here for details:h ttp://bit.ly/BoomTrial.

My best tips for teaching story grammar elements, plus my packet of visual supports and 13 no-prep short stories for story grammar practice.

5 ways to help keep your middle and high school aged students engaged while working on conversational skills in speech therapy.

Teach students how to build their own vocabulary skills through vocab exercises. This packet includes activities to teach/practice 10 target vocabulary words that may be appropriate for students in grades 6-12. Use it to practice reading and matching vocabulary definitions, using context clues and developing connections between words. Included in the packet you will find: -->word cards that can be used for flash cards -->corresponding definition cards (including some multiple meanings) -->passages for using context clues to determine word meanings -->crossword puzzle -->Graphic organizer (Frayer Model) to help students better understand each word Activities may be used for vocabulary development, using words in context, practice using context clues, test prep, remediation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some additional resources great for older students: • Simple and Compound Sentence Packet - No prep - FREEBIE! • Seasonal Bundle for Simple, Compound & Complex Sentences • Print and Go Language Sudoku - No Prep Language Practice • FREEBIE - Print and Go Articulation Sudoku - No Prep • No Prep Articulation Sudoku MEGA BUNDLE for Speech Therapy Click here to visit me on Facebook Click here to follow me on Instagram Questions: Email [email protected]

Social communication skills are some of the most valuable skills we can teach our students.

Do you want to find motivating games for the older students on your caseload? Although I do not work with that age group now, I have worked with them in the past. It is a very difficult group to work with. Curriculum expectations are getting more intense, self awareness kicks in, and planning can be a nigh ...

Social skills blog post about perspective-taking activities with middle high school students, including youtube links and a Halloween freebie!

Hi! So, if you have been following me, you know that I have stepped into the world of middle school this year. Two days a week I hang out with the "I'm too cool for school" crowd... just kidding... sort of. While my middle school students are mostly sweet and funny, sometimes I am just one more person trying to make them do work and speech is just one more thing taking away their study hall time. Some days, I can tell that speech is just NOT where they want to be. I get it. Many of them have to have extra reading classes, constantly have working lunch instead of getting to just hang out with their friends like other students, their study halls are taken away to go receive extra help (or speech), and some even have after school resource time. On days where I can tell that my students have just had too much, I set my plans aside and pull out something a little less stressful: a board game. Now mind you, the games still allow the students to practice their language skills - it's just a little more low key and more fun. Here are some games that I have found to be a hit with my middle schoolers while still focusing on language and pragmatic skills. {Affiliate links provided for your convenience} I play this game the traditional way, as well as backwards by having the students give adjectives to label the noun. It's a great game for working on descriptions as well as defending opinions. I love In a Pickle! It's a fun way to talk about word relationships as well as more defending opinions. Keep your eyes peeled fro Cranium's Whoonu at a thrift shop - it is a fun game for a social skills group. It helps students get to know each other and gets them talking about topics other than Minecraft and video games (which I now know far more about than I ever wanted to know). Bubble Talk is a fantastic game for students working on understanding facial expression, perspective taking, and making inferences. Definitely an essential for your middle school supply arsenal. You've Been Sentenced was another great thrift shop find. Students must use the words on the pentagon shaped cards to make a grammatically correct coherent sentence. The other players act as judges and must give a yay or nay to the sentence, which means everybody is actively involved. I first played Man Bites Dog when another SLP brought it into the office at the rehab facility I work at part time. After playing it, I had to have it for my middle schoolers! Students work on creating headlines using the cards they are given. It is great for targeting word order and vocabulary. I also add a rule that the students must state 3 details that could be included to target main idea vs details. I recently purchased Funglish and it has been a big hit with my competitive students. Students must use word tiles to describe a word while others attempt to guess the word. The only thing I don't like about this game is the timer can be a little short for some of my students who are low readers. I just used the timer on my cell phone to give them a little bit more time. I lucked out and found Moods already in my therapy room at school. It is great for my students working on understanding and expressing emotions. Students are given a sentence and must say it with a given emotion (which usually the sentence does not match the expected emotion). The other students try to guess the emotion based on the student's tone of voice and body language. Another lucky find from the SLP who was at my middle school before me: Blurt. This game is great for word finding and vocabulary building. Students are given a definition and then must come up with a word to match the definition. I take away the racing component and have all students write down an answer they think works and then give points. Otherwise I find that some of my students just cannot keep up. Say the Word is a different style game in that it is a cooperative game. The students must work together to win the game instead of playing against each other. I like this because it forces my students to communicate with each other and work together as a team. In this game, students must create a story using words on a cards that are drawn. Each person must start from the beginning of the story and then add on a part of the story when it gets to their turn. If they forget a part of the story, the other students can give clues (the directions say to act out the clues, but you know - its speech. I have the students give clues without saying the word). I also add a rule that the students must include story grammar elements to form a complete story instead of random events with no clear story line. This game is great for working as a team, auditory memory, and narrative language. Do you work with older students? Comment and share what your favorite language games are! ~Erin Follow

Blog post with ideas for running social skills groups with middle and high school students with ideas for how to provide structure to the sessions.

My best tips for teaching story grammar elements, plus my packet of visual supports and 13 no-prep short stories for story grammar practice.

Help your students practice categories and divergent naming with this 64-card word ring! Also included is a graphic organizer for listing responses. This resource was created for upper elementary and middle school students, but could also be used for language arts (ELA), elementary, or high school s...

Speech therapy compare and contrast examples, worksheets, and teaching tips, plus my best speech therapy IEP goals for classroom success!

Check out these middle school (and high school) speech therapy activities and materials for effective and motivating sessions in secondary!

Working on conversation skills with older students? The January social skills lesson plan for middle and high school students is full of activities for speech therapy!

Are complex emotions difficult to understand for your speech therapy or special education students? Try this resource! It's appropriate for older elementary, middle and high school students! Download the preview for a FREE SAMPLE! -Match the situation with the correct complex emotion! When students have mastered basic emotions, these will help them identify and understand more complex emotions that are harder to describe. -2 different scenarios for each emotion including: Angry, Anxious, Ashamed, Confident, Confused, Greedy, Frightened, Guilty, Exhausted, Jealous, Annoyed, Frustrated, Lonely, Distracted, Shy, Suspicious, Bored, Content, Embarrassed, Worried (total of 40 crackers) -Self - correcting: match color of cracker as well as shapes on end If you like this resource, check these out: Back to School Social Language Game Polar Bear Pragmatics Language Prompts with Real Pictures No Print Higher Language Skills Here's what buyers have said: Sarah said, "This is exactly what I needed! I have a first grader with high functioning autism. This has been great for working on more complex emotions! My 4th graders with AU are also benefitting from it!" Lisa said, "I have a student on the autism spectrum who is really struggling to use feeling words other than "happy, sad, mad." This was a fun game to help him learn more complex emotions!" Don't forget to leave feedback on your purchase; you earn TPT credits you can use on future purchases! © Teach Speech 365

Check out these all-in-one speech therapy worksheets. Cover your whole caseload with one awesome worksheet (elementary and middle school)!

Working on conversation skills with older students? The January social skills lesson plan for middle and high school students is full of activities for speech therapy!

Check out these all-in-one speech therapy worksheets. Cover your whole caseload with one awesome worksheet (elementary and middle school)!

The Ultimate Guide to Middle School Speech Therapy Activities provides Speech Language Pathologists a reference point for easily locating educational resources for older students. Many children are able to master their speech goals in elementary school and no longer require therapy services. But all too often we have s

Must have apps for the SLP in middle school Let’s face it, you often feel as if all speech therapy apps were created for the elementary school children. As an SLP service older student you feel left out of the technology revolution that came sweeping our profession. Over the years, Smarty Ears hear from hundreds of speech-language-pathologists just like you. We have created some of the best speech therapy apps to overcome the speech sound disorders that not only have the feel as if they were meant to be used by older students, but they actually were created specifically for areas where middle schoolers are struggling with.We compiled a list of our favorite apps for speech impaired to be used by your middle schoolers. Check them out: 1. PrepPositions Prep Positions by [...]

My best tips for teaching story grammar elements, plus my packet of visual supports and 13 no-prep short stories for story grammar practice.

These sound loaded newspapers are perfect articulation carryover activities! Great for both articulation and language practice!

Free printable self advocacy scripts for kids, teens, and adults who are autistic, hyperlexic, and/or disabled

FREE Getting to Know You Activities for Middle & High School SLPs

Speech Drama Unit This 56 page unit plan + 19 page PowerPoint includes everything you need to teach your students about speech. This unit has students exploring speech through a variety of activities, assignments and presentations. The skills and objectives that will be met through this unit include: - Vocal technique - Expression & vocal qualities - Articulation - Parts of the body associated with vocal technique This is a unit I have experience teaching successfully at the middle or senior high school level. The activities and lessons are simple and easily understood. The unit covers basic speech terminology and practice. You don’t need to have a degree in Dramatic Education to teach this unit! You could print off this entire package and teach the first lesson today! This unit includes: - 12 lesson plans for 60 minute classes (which could easily be extended) - 12 circle time discussion questions - 12 journal prompt posters - Speech PowerPoint presentation (for information & student notes) - 2 page speech quiz and answer key - Rubric & assignment sheet for reader’s theatre project - Rubric & assignment sheet for lifetime achievement speech project - Rubric & assignment sheet for radio play project - Participation rubric - Attendance list - Approximately 20 games/activities - and more! Activities can be easily adapted to meet the needs of your classroom. For instance, if your class period is shorter or longer, activities can be eliminated, and many activities can be repeated, or played for a longer period of time. There are ample activities per lesson plan and you may choose to leave some out. ***************************************************************************** Check out my other Drama Products! Music & Movement Unit. Introduction Orientation Drama Unit. Improv Unit. ***************************************************************************** Customer Tips:How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you. ☺ Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches: • Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. Voila! You will now receive email updates about this store. ☺ *****************************************************************************

Help your speech students finally graduate with this FREE articulation carryover activities set that focuses on self awareness!

Trying to think of an ice breaker for the first day of speech therapy with a group of older students? Finding a back-to-school speech activity for middle school and high school students is about as easy as, well, actually breaking a block of ice with your bare hands. You need something that achieves your goals of: getting to know your students (and vice versa) facilitating connections between the students helping students feel comfortable eliciting speech and language... naturally maybe taking a

Working on main idea isn't just a reading skill, but a very important language skill as well. If you're overwhelmed or unsure about where to start when teaching main idea in your speech classroom, this blog post was written for you! I've also included my free resources to help you save time and teach main idea better!

Looking for a fun vocabulary activity? This extension is perfect for middle and high school to help encourage critical thinking and associations.

It's all about spotting the context clues in this worksheet!

If walls could talk, what would they say? Well, for the case of my classroom and the other language arts classrooms in my middle school, our walls do, in a sense, "talk." They hold a story and document a year-long learning journey. As a literacy coach, the very first thing that I do when I enter any classroom is look at the walls because they cue me in on the language that is used in a classroom, common understandings students hold, and what the teacher values and wants students to be able to transfer into their reading, writing, and classroom behavior. I am going to defer from my traditional blog posts and do a blog post centered on pictures of my classroom at the end of the school year. I will let the walls speak for themselves. If you'd like to see pictures of my classroom at the beginning of the year to see how it has transformed during the 2014-2015 school year, check out this link: beginning of the year pictures. Reminiscing always brings a hint of sadness to me. Pictures tell a story, and when I look at the pictures from my room, I know that we have documented their story as readers and writers at every turn. Next year, my students will begin with another blank slate without anything on the walls, and we will be able to dedicate our wall space to a new story as it unfolds.

Conversation scripts in social language therapy improve conversation skills & gives students time to analyze & dissect conversations before practicing them!

This Boom Card Deck is an easy tool for explaining and practicing analogies with high school students and advanced students in middle school. There are 25 slides that have a multiple-choice answer. Each slide also has an additional multiple choice question asking what TYPE of analogy it is. This step is a great way for students to solidify their reasoning behind their choice. This can be used in Speech-Language therapy for building receptive vocabulary or in the classroom for analogy practice. To use Boom Cards, you must be connected to the Internet. Boom Cards play on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge). Apps are available for modern Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. For security and privacy, adults must have a Boom Learning account to use and assign Boom Cards. You will be able to assign the Boom Cards you are buying with "Fast Pins," (a form of play that gives instant feedback to students for self-grading Boom Cards). For assignment options that report student progress back to you, you will need to purchase a premium account. If you are new to Boom Learning, you will be offered a free trial of our premium account. Read here for details: http://bit.ly/BoomTrial.

Check out these all-in-one speech therapy worksheets. Cover your whole caseload with one awesome worksheet (elementary and middle school)!

Spring Weather activities are a great theme for speech therapy and you will find several helpful ideas in this post, along with 2 free downloads. This post contains Amazon Affiliate links

Using Simon’s Cat videos in speech therapy can help plan therapy for mixed groups and cut lesson planning time in half!

Are you looking for an easy and fun no-prep game to target describing skills for your students or children? This game is perfect for you!

Are your students struggling to stay on topic or understand important details while summarizing? Are you sick and tired of saying, “is that detail important?” or “Is that the correct sequence?” or “T

A blog post written by a speech language pathologist with intervention ideas during speech therapy for working on the social filter of students with autism, ADHD or mental health challenges.

In many ways, strong executive functioning skills are the foundation for success. These are the mental processes that help learners plan through assignments, organize materials, initiate a task, manage time well, stay focused, try new strategies when stuck, and persevere until the completion of a go

The cognitive behavioural approach to pain management is marked by not just working through ‘education’ or ‘information’, not simply being about ‘psychotherapy’ …

Are you a traveling SLP who has to go to multiple sites? Do many of your students need visuals to help suppor their language development? Are your upper elementary students or junior high students always grumbling about coming to speech? Are you TIRED of using worksheets in therapy to target language development? Whew……that’s a lot […]