A New Year, a New System

You know what I love about being an SLP? I never do anything the same way twice! Imagine if I was in a classroom proper and I was bound by the same curriculum year in and year out!

Each year I find myself taking stock of what worked, what didn't, and what might with a little tweaking. This reevaluation keeps things fresh for both me and my students.

At the beginning of this school year I was thinking about how to modify my room and my positive behavior system, at the same time as I was unpacking my materials. I was also thinking about how I could encourage my students to be more invested in their speech program and to have more autonomy. As I was unpacking my materials and my thoughts I came upon the new Test of Word Finding-3. I typically remove my tests from the boxes because they take up less space. Now understand, I have a difficult time discarding things and garbage is no exception (check out this post). The TWF-3 box was just awesome and I wondered how I could use it.

This is what ensued. I first painted and decorated the box to match my owl-y room decor.

I then added "poly-pocketed" dividers. Using washi tape I indicated the grades on each tab, K-8. I can then keep any relevant grade level materials in the pocket.

Last year I gave each student a library pocket to store their speech bucks. The speech bucks were made by The Dabbling Speechie, but unfortunately, I cannot find the link to purchase them. I had them taped to a cabinet door, but they kept getting ripped and the speech bucks fell out. I gave each student a file folder and taped each library pocket on the inside. The pocket also has a name tag that is placed on a clip chart for behavior management. Initially, each student personalized their folder and was given an explanation as to how we would be using them this year. 

Personalized Folder by a kindergarten student :)

When students enter the speech room, they grab their folders. Inside I placed everything we might need for speech.  

I add two months worth of homework. The students can select the page they would like for the week. This gives them autonomy and I am not scrambling for homework every day.

Having students keep track of their own data helps with carryover and ownership.

Each student with articulation goals has a copy of Mia McDaniel's "steps to good speech" in their folder. I also placed a copy of my letter of introduction in each folder for the first week of school (thanks to Natalie Snyders).

Each folder contains a graph where students can plot how they are progressing in a particular goal area. This a great motivator and provides them with some accountability.

I keep several copies of Teach Speech 365's ISIP sheets to send home with students. This is a great way to communicate with parents about what you have worked on as well as letting them know that their child has received their services that day.

I am loving this new system and so are my students. They are so cute when they walk in and grab their folders, look to see if there is anything new in there and place their name tag on a clothespin! They are particularly excited about choosing their own homework. I have one student who faithfully NEVER completed homework. Since being able to choose his own he has completed EVERY one!

I wonder; am I the only SLP that changes things every year? Comment below and share some of your reinventions.