It feels like Spring!

I know it isn't true of most of the country, but in the Pacific Northwest we are hitting record high temperatures. As in: The crocuses and irises are starting to BLOOM because it feels like spring. Timehop is telling me that we had snow at this time a few years ago. But not now. I have a feeling this will make the year feel EXTRA long!!

Because of this weird weather, my students are really confused about why we are doing Snowmen and Snowflake projects in speech. :) Few of them understand when I say "It is what I had planned for this month! Planning at all is big for me, so appreciate it!!!" which means I need to come up with something else. :) I'll make a Rain Page soon, but for now I have a fun snowflake and snowglobe homework sheet / worksheet to use. I've used it for /s/ and s-blends homework, but the blank one can be used to target anything. I even used it for listing items in categories (she had to tell me 3 things in that category before coloring the snowflake in). After discussing that different places had different weather, but that the season of Winter is known for snow and cold weather clothes. I've had that conversation a LOT!!!

I've uploaded the blank version here . Enjoy!!!





Graphics by Teacher's Clipart

TECHNOLOGY!!!

****UPDATE!!**** I found an error in the snowmen... One had the future and past tenses flip flopped... I have updated the link and the Dropbox file. It is the "do/did" card if you have already downloaded it... Oh, brain. AND then, while using them, I realized the data sheet had a couple of typos on it. So it is updated. Again.


I had such plans for the long weekend. And, like so many plans, they were derailed! First by family emergencies, then by an amazing football game (SEAHAWKS ARE SUPER BOWL BOUND!!!!), then a date night with my husband where we took my dad to see American Sniper. And then by contractors at my grandma's house. I was also foiled by too many memory sticks and not being able to find the right one! Because I left it at work. Fail. On so many levels!!!

So here is my latest creation! Uploaded during lunch as I drink my morning coffee and eat my breakfast. It has been quite the day.... Irregular Past Tense Verbs. Snowman Style!!

You can download them here and use them all winter long! Because that is how long some of my kiddos will take to master them... :) I'm sure I'll make more. Similar words, same process, so much practice!!!

Happy Tuesday that feels like a REALLY long Monday!!!
Sarah

Wow! Mid-January???

I have no idea how it is already the middle of January. A two-month long sinus infection (whoops!!!) plus an ear infection (I should know better) and the beginnings of bronchitis (love my asthma) made most of December into a blur. Then my 94 year old grandma's house had a flood, so that made Christmas and New Year's and the beginning of January incredibly challenging for everyone in our family (most of us live in the same small town, which meant she could "reasonably" request to sleep in her own house, even though the kitchen, front room, basement, and one bathroom were completely torn up from the dishwasher malfunction that caused so much damage... Luckily, she went to stay with my aunt 3 hours away for an extended visit while the construction goes on). Then we were back to school and more chaos reigned (like always) and suddenly it has been a month since I posted! I've made some new stuff, but it isn't quite ready to upload. I had a 2 day migraine this week that I did NOT have time for. Grr. The new stuff will be ready to go soon. Three-day weekends are helpful for that!!! And for laundry. That needs to happen, too... Anyway. Enough scattered ramblings about the many goings-on in my life!!

While sipping my coffee, browsing Facebook, and waiting for updates about my grandma (oh, I failed to mention that she's in the hospital 3 hours away due to a hip problem that she woke up with. Not a fracture, but she can't use it or walk...), I ran across CrazySpeechWorld's post about using Instagram. She shared a blog post from Allison's Speech Peeps that made a lot of sense. So I created a new username that I will use for speechy stuff. I have two currently, but one is from the wedding in July (best idea ever to get pics your friends take!! When they hashtag their pics from your event, you can find them easily!!!!!) and one from a few years ago that I think involved my name and birth year... I can't remember. But it isn't speechy and isn't particularly useful. Since I LOVE Pinterest and can spend more time than I'm willing to admit on it, along with Facebook and TpT, I figured that this would be a great way to quickly see new ideas for therapy. And I could share my activities, speech room, crazy moments with anyone who cares to follow. :)

So there's my current news, in my typical scattered fashion. Follow me on Instagram! @scatteredslp

Time to go be productive! I have two evals and a slew of IEPs to write, plus projects to do for work and around the house. Losing two days to a migraine with vertigo means I lose part of my weekend to work stuff. BUT. I get to do it in yoga pants!!

All in a Day's Work

As I'm sure everyone who works in a school knows: IT IS COLD SEASON!!! So I had many absences on my schedule today. I finished these flashcards up right before recess during one of these breaks. I love that I can hole punch them, put them on a ring, and know exactly what I have. And because these are line drawings, they take so much less ink!!! I also added a "cover page" and a list of the targeted words that you can put on the ring, too. And a data sheet. Oh my. Fancy?

I like to think I am getting better at creating these things... At least I'm getting faster! And I'm excited to use these next week. My students are SO tired of the old flashcards and of using the green box of verb pictures (you know the one!!)!

*Update* So I meant to publish these on Friday (12/11). Instead, I didn't save the activity to my USB Drive, I went home without it, and then got sick and was home from work Monday. So I'm finally publishing the activity today, on Tuesday (12/16). Ideal? No. Can I use them in January? Yes. Am I REALLY looking forward to 4pm on Friday? YES. Do I make a lot of sense right now? Not so much. :) But I still hope you enjoy the flashcards.

Hope you like these!!

Sarah, The Scattered SLP

I may have a TpT problem...

I've loved the Teachers Pay Teachers site since I discovered it last year. At first, I only downloaded the free materials. Some forms that I could tweak or use ideas from to make life smoother. Then some free activities. Then some $1 or $2 activities. It was all so benign! And handy!! So many ideas on Pinterest (another obsession...) linked back to TpT. And the materials looked so good! I'll buy one. Just one. Just one really good thing. I need some Common Core materials, I told myself. I can show solidarity with my General Ed friends. I, too, am relating activities to the CCSS. I have materials. I have signs in my office. And then, well, there were some really great planners for the 2014-2015 school year that were designed FOR the SLP... And it would be really helpful, right? I could customize and be really scheduled and on task and get lots more done! And they were cute! That makes it more efficient, right?

Then, I found grammar activities. Amazing, Awesome, WONDERFUL activities! Adorable flashcards for irregular past tense verbs! Those are the BANE of my EXISTENCE!!!! (Or, at least they were, at the time, with at least 8 kids working on them). So I had to get those... And then more, because once those were mastered, we couldn't just go back to the boring old ways... I was bored by my old flashcards! I wanted new, better, cuter!!

Now, I am downloading clip art images. Creating my own materials. I am on a Gingerbread and Snowman kick. My free time at home is spent on my laptop, with a memory stick full of images, creating new activities, while sitting in the same room as my husband. I think he is wondering what happened to me... "no, you stupid snowman! I don't want you there!" I mutter to the laptop...

So there. My confession. I just spent $24+ on TpT for clip art and some activities. I will need more ink soon. I ordered my own, extra thick, cardstock on Cyber Monday. I just had a 32GB thumb drive arrive to store my clip art on. I have an addiction. Possibly a problem. But I'm LOVING IT. So maybe it isn't so bad?

An introduction to The Scattered SLP

Hello! I'm Sarah. I'm an SLP in a low-income elementary school in Northwest Washington. I am scattered. :) I love using cute materials, but am apparently picky. And short on time. I've been using materials from other awesome SLPs (Thank you, Teachers Pay Teachers!!), and I've started making my own materials. Suddenly, while making some irregular past tense flash cards with gingerbread girls on the front, I had the name "The Scattered SLP" pop into my head. It fits me well!! My conversations are often scattered, my material needs are scattered, and my office is DEFINITELY scattered!!! I have a caseload of slightly more than 50 students, with widely varying needs. I want quick and durable materials. :) And I use my own printer and ink when I want things in color. 

All of that being said, I am still learning how to make materials that follow all of the Copyright laws and am working on adding fun graphics. I love to do themes and am working on a Gingerbread Theme for the next couple of weeks as we approach Christmas. 

Here is my first (and so far only) product. I give you: a TON of Irregular Past Tense Verb Flashcards with Gingerbread Girl!

Enjoy!!

Sarah, The Scattered SLP

Download here from Dropbox

The cover page

The flashcards