Lights, camera, action! Have you ever wanted to be a television newscaster? Well, today is your lucky day. Newscaster Articulation is my latest speech therapy app (iPad or iPhone) and it sets the stage for a mock television broadcast by taking advantage of video camera technology. Through Newscaster Articulation, students are able to video record themselves presenting realistic-looking television news segments.
Whoa really?!
Yes! All a student has to do is choose which speech sound he or she is working on. Pick from either /S, Z, R, L, S/R/L Blends, SH, CH, or TH/.
Let’s say your student picked the /S/ sound. Now, go ahead and get even more specific with the /S/ sound sound.
Let’s do the initial /S/, shall we? Once your student finalizes his or her choice by tapping on it, he or she will be shown a sound-specific picture prompt at random that can be used as a visual reference to talk about. For example, here’s a sailboat (/S/ in the initial position).
Oh, not the biggest fan of a sailboat? No problem! Just have your student tap on the die and he or she will be given another sound-specific picture prompt. This time, it’s a soccer ball (/S/ in the initial position). Nice!
Now your student is ready to start his or her news segment! After tapping on the check mark, the video recording screen appears with the sound-specific picture prompt in the corner (in this case, the soccer ball)! Encourage your student to make up and verbalize a story about a soccer ball (or soccer, in general) while Newscaster Articulation video records the news segment. Afterwards, review the news segment by watching it together with your student to discuss his or her /S/ articulation progress and further practice proper /S/ pronunciation and /S/ articulation strategies.
The format of Newscaster Articulation is a departure from traditional articulation drill materials and is effective for students ages 6 and up. Because of the mock television broadcast approach, students enjoy video recording news segments with their friends and classmates outside of the speech therapy room, further practicing their communication skills and thereby facilitating the sometimes difficult stage of carrying over newly-acquired skills. By talking about the news segments with the youngster, paraprofessionals in the classroom and/or parents at home can reinforce the targeted articulation skills while sharing a fun activity. Practicing these skills in environments outside the speech therapy setting increases opportunities for generalization.
My invitation to you!
I invite ya’ll to use Newscaster Articulation to spice up your speech therapy sessions. All of the sound-specific picture prompts are intended to initiate excitement and humor. And in all honesty, each news segment has the potential to spark stories that could lead almost anywhere. Even a sound-specific picture prompt that appears simple can trigger a unique thought that surprises all parties involved.
In closing . . .
Regardless of when, where, or how Newscaster Articulation is used within the speech therapy session, one thing is certain, children (as well as clinicians) will have a blast video recording news segments and talking about them . . . and in the process, all of the youngsters will continue to practice the correct pronunciation of their sounds. So what are you waiting for? Let your imagination run wild and have fun with this one of a kind video-based speech therapy material!
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