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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: download, Karen Natoci, literacy, PrAACtically Reading, Thanksgiving
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Books, Karen Natoci, literacy, PrAACtically Reading, reading
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, Karen Natoci, literacy, PrAACtically Reading, predictable chart writing, Tarheel Reader
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, Karen Natoci, PrAACtically Reading, shared reading, shared writing, Where's Spot