Summer = Reading Books on My List

I heart reading...no really.  It's one of my absolute favorite things to do, especially now that we keep getting these summer rain showers almost every other day.  There's something about rain that makes me want to curl up with a good book and cup of coffee and climb into someone else's world for a bit.

I thought I'd share a little peek at what's on my Kindle just in case you're a fellow book-lover.  Be sure and check out last year's book list post as well to get even more ideas!  A couple of disclaimers:  These books are not all speech related - just a good mix of what I'm wanting to read.  Also this post contains Amazon-affiliate links for your convenience.

1.  Bridge to Haven ~ Francine Rivers

I have been waiting for this one!  It's Francine Rivers's new book and I just know it's gonna be amazing like all of her other ones.  It tells the story of a small town girl in the 50s who's trying to be a movie star.  Of course it will have an underlying spiritual element with grace and redemption at the forefront.  Yay!




2. The Selection ~ Kiera Cass

This book is supposed to be something like The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games but much less violent.  It's a futuristic setting where 35 girls compete for the heart of the prince.  Just a fun easy read.






3. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism ~ Naoki Higashida

This is the first book in the SLP book club hosted by [simply speech.].  It gives a glimpse into the mind of a 13 year old boy with autism and how he struggles and responds in different situations.  Sounds fascinating!





4. Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem ~ Kevin DeYoung

This one's a Christian book that helps to find a balance in our crazy busy world.  He gives lots of biblical principals to help us find the root of our busy problems.






5.  I Am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice ~ Elizabeth Bonker

This is another book about a child with autism.  This little girl learns to communicate by letter board then by typing and eventually begins to write amazing poetry.  Sounds right up my alley!






6. Defending Jacob: A Novel ~ William Landay

This one was recommended to me last year.  It tells the story of an attorney who ends up having to defend his son in a murder investigation.  Sounds like a thriller for sure!






7. Out of My Mind ~ Sharon Draper

Here's another one that was recommended to my by a fellow speechie.  I think it's geared toward young adults, but it tells the story of a young girl who can't walk, talk, or write.  I'm excited to give it a read.






8. Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World ~ Bob Goff

This book tells Bob's story of impacting the world by a real, faith-based love.  It was recommended by a co-worker, so I was interested in checking it out.








I usually read at least 10 books, so I'll probably read the rest of the trilogy by Kiera Cass as well as whatever other books are in simply speech's reading club.

What books are on your list this summer??  I'd LOVE to hear from you!

Therapy Fun Find: Olympic Craft!

From time to time I like to showcase a speechie product, craft, toy, idea, etc. that I've come across and found cute or useful for therapy.

For today's fun find and in honor of the Olympics starting today, I found this super adorbs Olympic-themed craft!  Check it out. . .

These are little Olympic skis made out of popsicle sticks from Icanteachmychild.com!  She attached upper and lower case letters, so preschool/kinder aged kids could match them up.

I think these matching skis would be perfect for artic words, synonyms, antonyms, words and definitions, etc.  You could even keep the letters and have the kids practice spelling and decoding skills!  The possibilities really are endless.

Anyway, you can find a whole tutorial on how to create these HERE at I Can Teach My Child website.  What do you think?  Cute, right?

Common Core RtI Assessments 3-5 with a freebie!

Last week I posted my latest Common Core RtI assessment pack on TPT.  It's definitely something I'd been working on a while, but I'm so excited to be able to use it this year to revamp my RtI.

This product is very similar to my RtI Assessment Pack for K-2, except that it addresses third - fifth grades.  Each section comes with pre- and post-tests as well as progress monitoring sheets and probing materials.

• Third grade contains assessments for wh-questions, vocabulary, grammar, and language concepts.

It also contains progress monitoring sheets for each of the 4 sections

• Fourth and fifth grade standards don't focus as much on the ability to answer wh questions, so that section is not included.  They do include sections for vocabulary, grammar, and language concepts, as well as progress monitoring sheets for each.

• The packet also contains appendices and student sheets to be used alongside the pre and post-tests.  They include original stories to be used as the basis to answer several of the questions. 

• There's also a graph to track data.

• Last, I included cards for each Common Core standard addressed in the packet.

And as promised, I've got a freebie included for you.  You can download the WH-questions section for third grade for free!  Just click the "download preview" button on the TPT product page, which you can find HERE!

I'm also ready to giveaway a free copy to a random follower!  Just make sure you follow my TPT store and/or Facebook page and leave a comment below to enter!

Biscuit Goes to School!

It's Freebie Week on the blog this week!  That means each day I'll have a different mini-freebie for you, so be sure and check back!  It all leads up to some super fun happenings on Friday, so you'll just have to wait and see! :)

Biscuit is back and he's trying to sneak off to school.  I love Biscuit books, as I'm sure you're aware.  This one is a little different than the others though.  It's an "I Can Read" book, so I'm able to use it with more than just my preschoolers.  My first and second graders can practice decoding and comprehending with this one.  Check out Biscuit Goes to School.

You can still add velcro and place the pictures inside the book to practice vocabulary.  You can check out some of my previous Biscuit posts to see how I do it.

I've got a little mini-companion pack for you to use with this book, in case you need something for that first or second week of school!  Of course, it comes with some cute vocab cards.

You can use them for simple describing or labeling or velcro them inside to make it more interactive.  It also comes with apple comprehension questions to help with both answering WH questions and story retell.

Students can also draw pictures to retell and sequence the events in the story using this chart.

Also included is an open-ended coloring sheet that can be used with any target...artic sounds, language concept, fluency, etc.

Several of my preschool and kindergarteners are working on prepositions, so the packet comes with a section to target just that.  Just cut out and have students place the puppy in different places in relation to the school house.  

Hope you can use these!  You can grab these freebies HERE!  Happy back to school for those of you just starting :)  Please leave a comment below if you download.  

10 Books on My Summer Reading List

Ahhh summer days are the best!  How many of you are officially on break??  I'm lovin' being able to take my time in the mornings and having time to read before bed.  I asked some of my friends on FB for some reading suggestions and have been filling up my Kindle with some great reads.

I thought I'd share some of them with you, in case you are looking to add to your lists.  There are a few "speechie" type books, but not all of them have to do with special needs.

1.  Carly's Voice ~ by Arthur Fleischmann

-If you aren't aware, Kristin over at [simply speech] is hosting a summer book club for speechies!  Number one on the list was Carly's Voice.  It tells the story of a girl with autism written by her dad.  It shares the struggles and daily life of living with a child with special needs.  She eventually learns to type on a computer to communicate.  Love it so far!

Carly's Voice: Breaking Through Autism

2.  Schuyler's Monster ~ by Robert Rummel-Hudson

-I read this one last week.  This is a similar book written by a father of a child with a communication disorder.  Although I didn't love some of the harsh language and didn't agree with all of his thinking, this book was a very interesting read.  It was good to be able to see through the parents' eyes and think of situations from their perspectives.

Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter

3.  A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny ~ by Amy Julia Becker

-I'm excited to read this book.  A mother tells her journey of having a daughter with Down's Syndrome and the struggles and joys that come with it.

Good and Perfect Gift, A: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny

4.  Wonder ~ by RJ Palacio

This book was recommended to me by a couple of my blog readers (thank you!).  It's a fiction story about a 10-year-old boy with facial abnormalities who goes to school for the first time after being homeschooled.  Even though it's written for kids, it definitely piqued my interest.

Wonder

5.  Kisses From Katie ~ by Katie Davis

Katie tells the story of how at 18, she moved from her comfortable life in the US to Uganda in order to serve the people and orphans in Africa and to follow God's call.  She ended up adopting like 14 kids and inspires others to touch lives - one at a time.  

Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption

6.  Is There Anybody Out There? ~ by Mez McConnell

Mez shares his story from childhood abuse, violence, and drugs to ending up in prison.  It tells of how he escaped a world of despair and discovered a hope that changed his life.

Is There Anybody Out There?: A Journey from Despair to Hope

7.  How People Change ~ by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp

The book description from Amazon says it better than I ever could: 

"What does it take for lasting change to take root in your life? If you've ever tried, failed, and wondered why, you need How People Change. This book explains the biblical pattern for change in a clear, practical way you can apply to the challenges of daily life. But change involves more than a biblical formula: you will see how God is at work to make you the person you were created to be."

How People Change

8.  French Women Don't Get Fat ~ by Mireille Guiliano

Random yes, but good.  This book shares the secrets of how French women stay slim and healthy but do not diet.  It's full of recipes and insight to help women live healthy and full lives.

French Women Don't Get Fat

9.  What Alice Forgot ~ by Liane Moriarty

Gotta have a good fiction novel in there somewhere.  Alice is 29, happily married, and pregnant but wakes up one day to find herself 39 with 3 kids and getting a divorce.  She has to put the pieces of her life together to figure out what went wrong.  

What Alice Forgot

10.  Sons of Encouragment ~ by Francine Rivers

I have read every single book by Francine Rivers.  If you haven't read any of her books yet, I recommend starting with Redeeming Love.  It's one of my favorite books ever.  I realized that I hadn't read Sons of Encouragement and immediately put it on my list.  Any and all books by her are amazing and I know this one won't be any different.

Sons of Encouragement

What's on your list?  Please share!! :) :)