Super Students
WOW!!!What a great group of students!!! You are all so eager to learn and that will take you far in all of your endeavors. Just a little about what our wonderful speech students are learning:
Articulation groups are up and running. Many of you are working on your sounds in conversation. Congratulations!!! You have come a long way. Continue to read aloud and practice those sounds at the same time. Remember, you have to replace those old habit patterns with new ones.
For those of you working on sounds in syllables, words, phrases....keep it up. You too will advance and be producing sounds in conversation. Pick a time of the day and work on those sounds. This can be while you are in the shower or even, instead of counting sheep while you try to fall asleep, say your sounds in words, etc. You will be surprised at your progress.
Language groups are learning new strategies for acquiring vocabulary, finding context clues, and understanding inferential information, just to mention few. We are learning that our brains organize words by linking them to other words using synonyms, antonyms, part to whole, location, actions, time, and categories. Parents, call your child's attention to inferences that occur every day. Explain the meaning of words that are heard on the radio or television. Our lives are rich in language and there are opportunities to enrich the vocabulary of our students every day.
Students who want to be more fluent in conversation are encouraged to try taught strategies in a variety of situations. Some of the strategies include reduced rate of speech, location of stress, and releasing sound with soft touch. Practice reading aloud, remembering to pause when you see commas, periods, or question marks.
Hearing-impaired students continue to learn how to determine how many syllables are in a phrases, then practicing the phrase with the correct stress. Students are learning how to use their residual hearing to determine stress, intonation, number of syllables. They also work on vocabulary used in academic classes to clarify pronunciation and meaning.
WHEW!!!I am tired just thinking about it. Your students are wonderful and an asset to our school. Encourage them to use their best speech in all situations. Call attention to vocabulary you use, giving simple synonyms, to ensure understanding.
Lastly, feel free to call or email me with questions or concerns. I welcome your interest.
Sincerely, Ms. Sharron
