Tag Archive: curriculum

Video of the Week: Apps Across the Curriculum

December 16, 2015 by Carole Zangari - Leave your thoughts

For some learners, AAC is essential in order for them to have access to the curriculum. Access, though, is a bit of a low bar. What we REALLY want is for them to have the supports they need in order to learn and achieve. In this post, we feature a trio of videos to help us look further into apps that will do just that. Thanks to the Center on Technology and Disability, and AT Specialists Diana Petschaue and Luis Perez for these wonderful webinars. http://www.ctdinstitute.org/library/2015-11-06/apps-across-curriculum-and-platforms-support-struggling-learners-series

Filed under: Video of the Week

Core in the Curriculum

August 31, 2013 by Robin Parker - Leave your thoughts

Core words can easily be incorporated into academic curriculum. There just needs to be systematic planning for core word vocabulary and then of course the joining of fringe words. One of the best visual explanations of core words is in the now ‘famous’ you tube video Language Stealers (HD). If you have not seen it, it is worth watching for many reasons but in the context of this post, it perfectly illustrates how you can teach about Greek and Roman history with core words. Planning for Core Words for the Classroom (& ALL School Activities) Have the core word communication board with you at ALL times– If you (SLP/Educator) have your core word communication board, you can model and teach the target core words during all lessons. A premise of this approach is that the student has access to their core word vocabulary display on a no-tech communication board or on their... [Read More...]

Filed under: Strategy of the Month

Fresh Look: AAC in the Classroom with Joan Bruno

May 2, 2013 by Carole Zangari - Leave your thoughts

We’re off to a great start for Better Hearing and Speech Month! Today’s Fresh Look post comes from one of the most experienced AAC SLPs in the United States. Joan Bruno, Ph.D., CCC-SLP has over 30 years experience working in the field of AAC. She is currently maintains a private practice consulting to schools and private agencies and is the Augmentative Communication Specialist at the TECHConnection in Shrewsbury, NJ. Joan has published and presented nationally and internationally on a variety of topics related to AAC assessment and intervention. Joan is the 2011-2013 President of the New Jersey Speech and Hearing Association, and a Past-President of the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Since 1992, she has directed Camp Chatterbox, a therapy camp for children using AAC devices. Joan is the author of the Gateway to Language and Learning© page set and the Test of Aided-Communication Symbol Performance© (TASP). In... [Read More...]

Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking

Integrating AAC Instruction with Curriculum Standards

January 25, 2013 by Carole Zangari - Leave your thoughts

Many of our prAACtical AAC friends are members of ASHA’s Special Interest Group (SIG) on AAC and are able to access their quarterly publication, Perspectives on AAC. I was fortunate to be invited to submit an article for the September 2012 edition, guest edited by Gail Van Tatenhove, on the topic of including students with robust AAC devices in general education classrooms. Access to the final publication is limited to those who are ASHA SIG members, but Gail did get clearance for authors to be able to share their original unedited works. Several of those authors have given permission for their articles to be published on the Minspeak website and also here on our site. In this post, we would like to share the work of Solana Henneberry, Jennifer Kelso, and Gloria Soto. This article describes a process of developing an AAC intervention plan that relate to the Common Core... [Read More...]

Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking

ISAAC 2012, Day 2: AAC Goes to Preschool

July 29, 2012 by Carole Zangari - 23 Comments

It was another wonderful day here in Pittsburgh at the 15th Biennial ISAAC Conference. It was a special day for me because I had the opportunity to speak about a really fun topic, core vocabulary teaching for young children with AAC needs. It was certainly a group effort! A talented graduate student of ours, Tathiane Paiva, and I shared a framework for developing a curriculum to teach core language in preschool classrooms, and used the curriculum I developed with Lori Wise (special educator and literacy specialist with UM NSU CARD) as an example. The basic principles behind the approach we shared are listed below. – •Language and literacy learning happen all day long. •Children learning AAC need high-quality instruction to learn and use basic vocabulary. •Children learning AAC need frequent opportunities for learning and practice. They need dozens of carefully planned opportunities to use their new words each day. •The focus is on... [Read More...]

Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking