163 Search Results for karen
November 19, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, many are getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you’re looking for a way to add a prAACtical dimension to your preparations, this post is for you. Thank you, Karen Natoci, for another fabulous PrAACtically Reading contribution! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Book: I Eat Thanksgiving Dinner by Karen Natoci; Published on Tarheel Reader here. Core Vocabulary focus: LIKE, DON’T LIKE, Uh Oh!, I, MORE, IT, COMMUNICATION Matrix Level: I-VII Literacy Framework: Emergent This month, we decided to practice eating Thanksgiving Dinner by “eating” our way through this book! This has been uploaded to Tarheelreader and the powerpoint version is available there. This is shared around a table set for a feast! To prepare for this story, we were able to purchase a frozen thanksgiving dinner available at the grocery store. We heated it up and separated it into serving dishes, individualized according to the diet of each of our readers. Some... [Read More...]
September 1, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Get ready to read! Interactive storybook reading is one of my favorite ways to build AAC skills. No matter what the age or kind of disability, it seems like my therapy always includes ssome type of reading material. We are so fortunate to welcome back Karen Natoci, a Michigan SLP who shares our passion for literacy and AAC. You can explore some of Karen’s previous PrAACtically Reading posts here. In this post, Karen introduces us to a book about differences, and shares her ideas for using it to build AAC fluency. Be sure to check out her lesson plan and the video clips that she is so generously sharing. ——————————————————————————————- Book: It’s Okay to Be Different, by Todd Parr Core Vocabulary: all gone, big, different, do, don’t, finished, get, go, he, help, here, I, it, like, look, me, more, no, not, out, she, small, some, that, uh oh, want, where, who, you Additional Vocabulary-... [Read More...]
August 11, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Karen Natoci is back with some wonderful ideas for building AAC skills using the book, I Like Myself. Check out her lesson plan and suggestions for some prAACtical reading ::::::::::::::::::::::: Book: I Like Myself!, by Karen Beaumont; Illustrated by David Catrow (Scholastic Inc.) Core Vocabulary focus: I, WANT, LIKE, ME/MY, SAME, DIFFERENT, GO, IN, DO, Fringe Vocabulary focus- Body Parts: eyes, ears, nose, fingers, toes, head, Opposites Vocabulary use: wild/tame, fast/slow, Core Vocabulary focus: I, LIKE, ME/MY, Fringe Vocabulary focus- Abstract VERBS: Think, say, COMMUNICATION Matrix (Rowland, 2009) Level: I-VII ——————————————————————– School is just around the corner and the planning begins! Our school year started in mid July. During the first two weeks, we decided to focus on the shared reading of: I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont. This book is thoughtful, has great rhyme and rhythm, and is illustrated beautifully. It is a great way to think about the... [Read More...]
June 11, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Karen Natoci is back with another wonderful book and plenty of ideas for AAC implementation. Enjoy! Book: Over in the Garden, by Jennifer Ward, Illustrated by Kenneth J. Spengler Core Vocabulary focus: LOOK, IT, LIKE, NOT LIKE, IN, UH-OH OR OOPS. Literacy Level: Emergent COMMUNICATION Matrix Level: I-VII Four Block focus: Shared Reading and Working with Words (at the alphabet/rhyme level) —————————————————— It is spring at our school in Michigan and everything is green and the plants are beginning to grow, fast! I couldn’t wait to share my favorite book to sing: Over in the Garden! We found the nearest plant, gathered a few plastic bugs, adapted the book with some cut out fringe words (each type of bug) and I sang into the microphone! I decided to sing the book and play with sustaining certain words as you will see in this very short video. The rhythm, rhyme and... [Read More...]
May 7, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Who doesn’t love reading books by Theodor Seuss Guisel? Michigan-based SLP Karen Natoci is back to show us how she is using one of his most beloved books to integrate language and literacy instruction with the AAC learners in some of the classrooms she serves. Be sure to download her lesson plan and watch the video clip of Karen in AACtion. Enjoy! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: CLASSIC Book: The CAT in the HAT, by Dr. Seuss Core Vocabulary focus: LOOK, NOT, LIKE, NOT LIKE, NO, GO, DO, UH-OH or OOPS. COMMUNICATION Matrix Level: I-VII Four Block focus: Shared Reading and Working with Words (at the alphabet/rhyme level) ————————————————————————————————————————————- It is Spirit Week at our school and Monday is Hat DAY!! What better excuse to read, The Cat in the Hat!! The rhythm of the reading along with the site of all of our wacky hats made for a fun morning in room 8!... [Read More...]
March 10, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
It’s green where we live, but even our friends who’ve been battling snow and ice for far too long (!) have been seeing bits of color…IF you count the rainbows and gold-filled pots in their therapy rooms, offices, and classrooms. St. Patrick’s Day can be a fun, playful holiday to celebrate, and there are plenty of thematic materials around to build language and literacy skills. For some learners, acquiring holiday-related vocabulary. like shamrock and leprachaun, makes sense. But for most of the AAC learners with whom we work, the priorities are elsewhere. That’s one reason that I’m delighted to share Karen Natoci’s PrAACtically Reading for March. As always, Karen is incredibly generous in sharing both information and materials (such as her lesson plan and PowerPoint story). What I love most about her post, though, is that it honors the excitement and traditions of the holiday while keeping focused on the goal of building core... [Read More...]
February 17, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
We are so pleased to have SLP Karen Natoci back with the second edition of PrAACtically Reading. You can see her first post here. I love that this lesson focuses on older students, providing an age respectful activity (who else loves Mad Libs?!) and a prAACtical way for students with lower verbal skills to develop their reading abilities. Writing to Read: Mad Lib, Core Words, and Literacy Instruction Core Vocabulary focus: like, dislike, uh-oh, again Sometimes it is fun to just write our own BIG BOOK and this month, we decided to do that by using a simplified “mad libs” format. Honestly, I’m not sure who had more fun, the teachers, the student authors or myself! I was inspired by the work of Gretchen Hanser. I attended her workshop on writing at Oakland Schools (MI) in the fall of 2013. She showed us that all students develop writing and experience... [Read More...]
January 5, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
New years bring new opportunities. Today, we welcome back Karen Natoci, but this time in a new role. Karen will be doing a monthly post sharing ideas for interactive book reading with children who use AAC. In her first PrAACtically Reading post, Karen explains how she used book reading to build language and literacy skills. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: We had a wonderful time reading Where’s Spot? By Eric Hill. I had both the “big book” and a small, cardboard book. Most all of the pages contain a predictable line: “no!” Since many of my students were learning to say “yes/no” it seemed like a great way to practice this skill as part of SHARED READING. The important part is that everyone in the classroom had access to some form of AAC, including the staff. So, while I was reading the story, I paused and the whole class responded together by using their AAC... [Read More...]
November 25, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
I had the pleasure of meeting Karen Natoci Florka last month when I visited Michigan and am delighted that she was willing to introduce us to the Shared Community of Practice from the team at The Communication Matrix. Karen is an SLP who has served students aged 3-26 with various physical, sensory and intellectual challenges at Wing Lake Developmental Center (Detroit area) since 2001. She is a part time lecturer at Wayne State University where she teaches a course entitled “Communication Acquisition and Educational Interventions for Students with Moderate to Severe Impairments.” She is part of the Communication Matrix Charter group. Click on the image below to learn more. The Communication Matrix is growing into a Shared Community of Practice! I remember the first few weeks in my new job at a wonderful, magical, school for children with complex communication needs. It was time for my first evaluation. These amazing students were challenging! They seemed... [Read More...]
April 14, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts you might enjoy. Monday – Building Awareness of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Talking Mats in School Settings Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Earth Day Resources :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you are looking to do some book-related AAC teaching this week, check out some of Karen Natoci’s popular literacy-focused posts from the archives. PraAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci It’s Okay To Be Different I Like Myself Yo! Yes? The Family Book Hello Baby The Five Senses Are You My Mother? Over on the Farm (with Karen Baca)