Mark your calendar for September 19th!

This Friday, September 19th is “International Speak Like a Pirate Day”.  I look forward to this all summer, because I know it will be such an engaging way to begin my year.  There are so many resources available to help you celebrate this day (or in my case, week) that you will be able to target any goal.  Here are a few ways that I am incorporating it into my therapy room this week:

Making pirates and their treasure map!

I purchased the pirate craftivity from Jenn Alcorn at Crazy Speech World.  I love the simplicity of a template!  And with her craftivities you get some good writing templates along with the craft itself.  I pre-cut a starter set last week but am also cutting as I go along this week.  I am covering so many targets while making these pirates!  (FYI – I have combined my materials with hers to make different content on the pirate bodies-check out her blog to see the great writing templates that come with her craftivity)

Along with the skills of choice making, requesting, and labeling, we are also addressing articulation, humor, and story vocabulary.  My little pirates are targeting bilabial sounds, vocalic R, /l/, /s,z/, multi-syllable words, as well as general pirate vocabulary. Some students are writing their own, some just practice speaking while I write, and others are gluing pre-made words.  I also have some older students working on multiple meaning words and humor…they get to make the joke pirates!  Later in the week we will make our own treasure map…this is always fun!

Some students will get to create their own pirate joke book and share with staff across the school.    This is great for language, articulation, fluency, and communication groups!

I have a table full of pirate-themed books, but “Pirates Go To School” and “How I became a Pirate” are student favorites.  Today I used Jenn Alcorn’s book companion for “How I became a Pirate” to target comprehension questions and context clues as we read the story during a language group.  It was so easy to use and I was targeting classroom literacy skills along with my IEP goals.

I am also using my set, “Aarrgh!  Bossy R Articulation & Descriptive Language Game for Pirates”. This set includes multiple games to address the vocalic R sounds of “or, er, ar, air, ire, ear”. Because this can apply to speech therapy as well as the classroom, there are also traditional /r/ and r-blends thrown in for added adventure. You’ll find a little language mixed in too with synonyms, definitions, and descriptive language corresponding to Mem Fox’s Tough Boris.  You’ll notice that I use these materials to make treasure maps as well as the pirate crafts.

The two pirate-themed items of mine will be 20% off Tues 9/16 – Fri 9/19.  Now’s a good time to check them out! I’d love to hear ways that you are celebrating this week!