Communication Connects

Do you click on links, and then wonder how you can productively use the resources you have found, in therapy, in the classroom, or at home? If so, this page is for you! I have reviewed each link, found useable areas of interest for speech/language development, and provided functional goal ideas.

You and your student can enjoy the activities while developing improved communication skills. Choose the links that target skills needing strengthening, or try any of the activities for general language development. If you let me know about your favorite website by posting it in our forums, I will review it and provide functional speech/language goals to assist in meeting the child’s individual educational goals and objectives.

Our Favourite Nursery Rhymes
Target Goals:

To summarize an orally presented story. What happened first, next, last
To answer questions about an orally presented story
To describe character's actions
To compare two different characters. How are they the same/different
To explain the reason for a problem which occurs in orally presented story
To predict an outcome if details of story are altered
(A super resource to help meet the above IEP goals is this beautifully illustrated book loaded with nursery rhymes, fairy tales and Aesop fables. Even high school students enjoy these materials as they develop their critical thinking skills.)

Muffy's Wardrobe
Target Goals:

To name multiple items in a given category
To choose a picture to match a given activity
To name multiple parts of a given category
To tell how two objects or pictures from the same category are the same or different

The Un-Matching Game
Target Goals:

To develop vocabulary by categorizing objects and ideas
To find the word that does not belong in a given category
To group words of objects or ideas by attributes
To group objects or ideas by a given name or description

Flattery
Target Goals:

To feel better about yourself
To practice appropriate responses to compliments
To discuss reasons why someone might make these statements about you
To recognize true/false, real/make-believe, exaggerated statements

Thank You
Target Goals:

To attend while listening to books read about Thanksgiving
To learn vocabulary for Thanksgiving
To be introduced to cultural diversity. To discuss same/different
To understand/identify shapes
To understand/demonstrate knowledge of half and whole (cut cranberry in half)
To use politeness markers
To listen to/follow directions for Thanksgiving craft activities

Virtual Refrigerator Door
Target Goals:

To correctly articulate a list of words/phrases containing speech/language target
To draw a picture, using these words, or other picture objects/activities which contain target
To describe each object in the picture, naming at least two attributes
To tell a story about the picture you have created, to an adult
To "hang" picture on the virtual refrigerator door. View other pictures that were submitted, and talk about them, using good speech

Children's Storybooks
Target Goals:

To sit quietly and attend while being read a short story.
To practice mouse control by clicking to turn the pages of the story
To answer riddles about orally presented story
To identify main characters in the story
To tell what happens first, next, and last
To practice target sounds while reading aloud

Flashcard Exchange
Target Goals:

To practice various speech/language skills through use of existing flashcards or creating own (miscellanous examples follow)
To practice beginning /r/ and /r/ blends in words-Link
To practice beginning signs-Link
To practice simple conversation skills-Link
To understand/demonstrate use of describing words-Link
To understand/express the various components of my IEP-Link
To practice concept of cause and effect-Link

Concentration
Target Goals:

To locate the objects/pictures that have the same middle sound
To identify two rhyming words from a spoken list
To pick out the common vowel when presented with an orally presented list
To identify the vowel in a spoken word, and then change it to make a different word

Sound Match
Target Goals:

To increase vocabulary by labeling common objects/pictures
To listen to different words beginning with common sound, and then identify the beginning sound
To identify the beginning sound in picture names.
To identify two words that begin with common sound, from a list of orally presented words

Annie's Rhyme Time
Target Goals:

To improve listening discrimination
To build vocabulary
To improve phonemic awareness skills
To develop critical thinking skills. To find "clue words" to solve riddles
To demonstrate use of reference materials, such as a dictionary and thesaurus

Language Development (Free Downloadable Songs)
Target Goals:

To understand/demonstrate correct use of past tense verbs ("Mary Had a Little Lamb",”The Bear in Tennis Shoes”, “Hickory, Dickory, Dock”)
To understand/demonstrate the meaning of action verbs-clap, stomp, stomp, or add others),("Happy and You Know It")
To understand/ demonstrate correct use of present tense verbs ("If You are Wearing Red")
To understand/demonstrate question asking/answering ("Where is Thumbkin?")

Social Stories
Target Goals:

To learn appropriate ways to interact in social situations. To understand/respond to who, what, when, where, and why in social situations)
To learn a routine or activity
To appropriately ask for help
To demonstrate appropriate response to feelings of anger and frustration.

Animal Concentration Cards
Target Goals:

To identify common animals
To list two attributes of each animal (has fur, feathers, climbs trees, etc.)
To match the animal with its habitat
To identify the categories to which items belong (which animals live in the water, which are farm animals, etc.)

Animal Sounds
Target Goals:

To label common animals from pictures
To identify animal sound and match it to the correct picture
To discriminate between two animal sounds and identify each animal
To identify animal that matches each sound while listening to a story

Minimal Pairs, Listening Lists and More
Target Goals:

To acquire the set of phonemes of language and understand how these phonemes are combined into words
To increase intelligibility of speech by facilitating the emergence of phonological patterns

Tina's World - Real or Make-Believe
Target Goals:

Beginning: To understand the difference between "real" and "make-believe"
Beginning: To explain what is silly in the story
Beginning: To answer true or false questions about the story
Beginning: To correct absurdities in sentences
Advanced: To apply critical thinking to comprehend and describe situation
Advanced: To apply facts to given situation and discuss what is wrong in a given situation or story.
Advanced: To correct absurdities, using complete sentences
Advanced: To use information and imagination to form a new story.
Advanced: To discuss/give opinions of what would happen if absurd story were true?

Sign a Word
Target Goals:

To expressively label concrete objects using signs
To sign yes/no to indicate preference or identification
To produce signs to request items/activities
To combine two signs in modifier-noun form (pretty girl, more milk)
To combine two signs in noun-verb form (boy run, car go)
To use not and no in combination with other signs
To combine 3-4 signs with grammatical structure aparent (Cindy want milk, want more cookie)

Story-Making Machine
Target Goals:

To silently read short story, circle all target sounds, and then read aloud, using good speech
To dictate or write short story which contains numerous examples of target sound
To produce target sound in all word positions while reading a paragraph containing numerous examples of highlighted target sounds in words
To produce target sound in all word positions while reading aloud short story which contains numerous examples of highlighted target sound
To produce target sound in all word positions in response to adult's questions about orally presented story containing target sound
To produce target sound in all word positions in sentences while retelling an orally presented story containing target sound

Zoboomafoo
Target Goals:

To develop phonemic awareness skills while identifying pictures of common and exotic animals by name
To select correct picture after listening to clues which describe various attributes of the animal
To increase speech intelligibility by connecting the dots of printed picture while producing target sound

The Grammar Gorillas
Target Goals:

Beginning: To learn the definitions of noun and verb
Beginning: To identify a noun and verb in written material
Advanced: To learn the definitions of noun, verb, adjective, adverb, interjection, preposition, conjunction, pronoun
Advanced: To identify above parts of speech in written material

Coloring.com
Target Goals:

To identify parts of a picture
To give/follow orally presented directions
To label a picture and give 3 identifying characteristics
To ask/answer simple who, what, where questions about picture

Phone Pass
Target Goals:

To improve telephone skills to include appropriate volume, speed, and clarity of speech
To increase confidence of ESOL individuals and others, when speaking on the telephone
To improve ability to repeat orally presented sentences
To follow orally presented direction
To increase ability to clearly verbalize thoughts and opinions
When given an orally presented word, will provide the word that means the opposite

Where is That?
Target Goals:

a) To improve map reading skills: to identify the country or state
b) To improve map reading skills: to identify the country or state, given the capital
c) To improve map reading skills: to identify the capital, given the country or state
d) To improve map reading skills: to identify highlighted country or state, and give the capital

Fun Match
Target Goals:

To improve short-term memory skills through matching pairs of pictures
To develop vocabulary/categorizing skills by identifying pictures from thematic groups – dinosaurs, colors, bugs, animals, musical instruments, numbers, good food, snack food, flowers, signs
To be able to tell how objects are the same/different

Whacky Web Tales
Target Goals:

To learn the definitions of various parts of speech – noun, verb, adjective, adverb, interjection, preposition, conjunction, pronoun, exclamation
To be able to give examples of various parts of speech
To be able to identify parts of speech in written material

Picture Recipes
Target Goals:

To label common foods, kitchen utensils, appliances
To teach cooking vocabulary - cup, tablespoon, teaspoon, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, ounce, gallon, liter, assemble, mix, boil, dice, grate, combine, melt, degrees, broil, pour, sprinkle, heat, stir, bake, peel, garnish, crumble, whir, fold, chill, blend, brown, low, medium, high, measure, puree, grease, divide, spread, thicken, roll, stick, chop, boil
To read from left to right on page
To sequence pictures in correct order
To give/follow directions

Yeti, The Abominable Snowman
Target Goals:

To encourage verbal interaction
To develop turn-taking skills
To model/use correct word order for asking a question
To use appropriate volume and rate of speech when asking/answering question