Laura's Language Lessons

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Some fun, educational books that focus on Basic Concepts:

These books can be found at:

www.berrypatchbooks.tripod.com

www.scholastic.com

Some fun, educational computer games that teach a variety of language concepts can be found at:

www.jumpstart.com

www.knowledgeadventure.com

www.education.com

www.pbs.org/kids

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K & 1st Grades

Basic concepts may seem simple, but for some children they are a very difficult skill to master.  You can help your child begin to conquer basic concepts by doing the following:

When "out & about" with your child, point out objects that are in, out, on, under, over, etc.

Have your child describe pictures in a book, using the concept words "in, on, under, behind" etc.

Ask your child to help with household chores. Have them put things in, on, under, behind, etc. 

For extra practice using Basic Concepts, have your child go to this page:

Basic Concepts Web Page

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A Note on Standards

All the activities created in this website adhere to the CA standards for language arts in the grades that they are targeting.

Kindergarten & First Grades
Language Arts Standards
Vocabulary and Concept Development

2.1  Describe people, places, things (e.g. size, color, shape), locations, and actions.

It should be noted, however, that students who receive Speech and Language therapy also have to meet eligibility requirements as stated by the state of California in the California Education Code, Section 3030 - Eligibility Criteria:  "A pupil has a language or speech disorder as defined in Ed Code section 56333, and it is determined that the pupil's disorder meets one or more of the following criteria for language disorder:   The pupil scores at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean, or below the 7th percentile, for his or her chronological age or developmental level on two or more standardized tests in one or more areas of language development."

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 2nd & 3rd Grades

As your child masters the primary skills learned in kindergarten and first grade, the curriculum becomes more challenging.  There are certain skills that he/she is expected to have, and if these skills are missing, school becomes very frustrating and difficult.  The language skills focused on in second and third grade speech therapy are ones that, once mastered, will help your child better function in the classroom as he/she begins reading and writing.  You can help your child begin grasping these skills by doing the following:

When watching the news, encourage your child to watch with you.  Together, see how many different pronouns you hear and write them down.  

Read a story with your child.  As you come across pronouns in the story, point them out to your child.  Then, have your child point some out to you.

Ask your child to re-tell an event of the day.  Encourage him/her to use as many pronouns as possible.  Make a list of the pronouns used and after your child has finished with the story, show him/her what a great job he/she did and how many pronouns were used. 

For extra practice using pronouns, have your child go to this page:

Pronouns Web page

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A Note On Standards

All the activities created in this website adhere to the CA standards for language arts in the grades that they are targeting. 

Second & Third Grades
Language Arts Standards
Pronoun Development

1.2  Identify subjects and verbs that are in agreement and identify and use pronouns, adjectives, compound words, and articles correctly in writing and speaking.

It should be noted, however, that students who receive Speech and Language therapy also have to meet eligibility requirements as stated by the state of California in the California Education Code, Section 3030 - Eligibility Criteria:  "A pupil has a language or speech disorder as defined in Ed Code section 56333, and it is determined that the pupil's disorder meets one or more of the following criteria for language disorder:   The pupil scores at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean, or below the 7th percentile, for his or her chronological age or developmental level on two or more standardized tests in one or more areas of language development."

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4th and  5th Grades

The curriculum for 4th and 5th grade can be challenging if the student doesn't have some basic language skills in place.  Writing and giving oral reports is an activity that requires good grammar skills.  If the student doesn't have these skills in place, it can be very frustrating, and even embarrassing, when trying to present a report.  You can help your student with his/her grammar skills by doing the following:

When your child is doing his/her homework (specifically a writing assignment) have him/her read out loud what they have written.  Ask your child if the passage sounds okay when read aloud...point out any areas that don't sound correct and ask him/her what would make it sound better. 

Read a story with your child.  As you come across past tense verbs (baked, walked, etc.) or irregular past tense verbs (ran, went, ate, etc.) in the story, point them out to your child.  Then, have your child point some out to you.

Ask your child to re-tell an event of the day.  Encourage him/her to use good grammar skills.  Make a list of some great grammar skills you heard and after your child has finished with the story, show him/her what a great job he/she did and what great grammar skills were used. 

For extra practice using good grammar skills, have your child go to this page:

Grammar Skills Web Page

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A Note On Standards

All the activities created in this website adhere to the CA standards for language arts in the grades that they are targeting.

Fourth & Fifth Grades
Language Arts Standards
Grammar Development

1.1  Use simple and compound sentences in writing and speaking.

1.3  Identify and use regular and irregular verbs, adverbs, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions in writing and speaking.

It should be noted, however, that students who receive Speech and Language therapy also have to meet eligibility requirements as stated by the state of California in the California Education Code, Section 3030 - Eligibility Criteria:  "A pupil has a language or speech disorder as defined in Ed Code section 56333, and it is determined that the pupil's disorder meets one or more of the following criteria for language disorder:   The pupil scores at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean, or below the 7th percentile, for his or her chronological age or developmental level on two or more standardized tests in one or more areas of language development."

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Instructional Objectives

Kindergarten & First Grades:

The students will successfully master simple basic concepts, both in auditory comprehension and in oral communication.  The seven basic concepts to be focused on in this lesson are as follows:  in, on, behind, over, under, next to, in front of. 

Second & Third Grades:

The students will successfully master pronoun development, both in oral and written communication.  The pronouns to be focused on in this lesson are: he, she, we, me, they, him, her, us, I, them.

Fourth & Fifth Grades:

The students will successfully master correct grammatical skills, both oral and written communication.  This lesson will focus on basic grammatical skills, such as noun-verb agreement, irregular past tense verb forms, and correct pronoun-verb agreement.

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All students will be assessed using standardized assessment instruments designed for speech and language development.  Specifically, the kindergarten and first grade students will be assessed with the Boehm-R Test; second through fifth grade students will be assessed with the SPELT (Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test) and with the TEEM (Testing Everyday Expressive Morphology). These three assessments are standardized  and normed on children that fall within the age range of the students being tested.  Progress will be determined by pre- and post- test scores. (students will be tested before completing the lesson and activity, and once again after completion of lesson and activity).

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Helpful Links
Here are links to two pages I've created...one for parents and their children, and the other for Teachers.  In these pages, you'll find links to other helpful websites.

Parents & Children

Teachers

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 About the Author

Laura is a Speech & Language Specialist, working with Yuba Co. Office of Education.  She has been assigned to  Ella Elementary School for the last 5 years.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact her at:

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