Speech with Lisa

Here are some words that we liked from 'Island of the Blue Dolphins:' league = 3 miles canyon = a deep valley with steep sides, often with a stream flowing through it. omen=it meansa sign of something about to happen; "he looked for an omen before going into battle"

chiste! chistoso!! Humor is a great way to work on language skills! For example, here is a joke: What's black and white and read all over? A newspaper! This is funny because the word 'read' has different meanings, depending on how it is spelled. Do you know any good jokes with word play? Post them here!!!!

Synonyms are words that mean the same thing. Can you think of synonyms for the following words? little smart strange above gift rich below annoy correct scared hare ill repair sleepy tidy skinny giggle simple

How was your summer? I can't wait to hear. Mine was great! I went camping and hiking, helped at my sister's wedding, visited Southland and Altara Elementaries in Utah and PS 154 in Harlem (other schools where I have worked), helped a friend make a movie, and spent some time at the beach! Here I am, hiking near Pawling, NY, at Camp Liahona. Have you ever been camping? What was your favorite part about it? (I liked canoeing, building fires, cooking, swimming, and sleeping in a tent!) This is an island near Santa Barbara, CA, where the characters in the book 'Island of the Blue Dolphins' lived! I was excited to find it, and decided I need to re-read the book this year. Have you ever read 'Island of the Blue Dolphins?' I'd love to know what you thought.

Hi there friends, It's summertime! I hope you are having a great one! Get some rest, enjoy family and friends, AND improve your speech and language skills by: playing sports or scrapbooking (sports are great for social skills and scrapbooking is fabulous for improving memory and recall...), re-connecting with old friends, reading a good book, or two, or three!! So far this summer I've been reading Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, and of course, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling!!!!!!! What books (or plays) have you been reading this summer?

We had our first letters from Robert Munsch!! He sent some great behind-the-scenes stories about the writing of 'Paper Bag Princess' as well as an UNPUBLISHED story just for us!!!!!! We learned that Robert Munsch likes to write down the stories he tells children, often after he has told the stories aloud many times. Sometimes he changes the endings depending on the feedback he gets!

Have been amazing! We had the Fashion Show and the musical 'Annie,' a field trip to the Bronx Zoo, and senior prom! Upcoming: kindergarten and 6th grade graduations and even more field trips to museums and plays!!! Be sure to talk with your child about all the wonderful things going on at the school for the end of the year.

by Prolifically Writing Ricky (psuedonym) [coming soon!]

We are compiling a group of short stories under the title 'The Enchanted Library.' This is going to be a book about a library where amazing things happen! For a sneak peak, read on: THE ENCHANTED LIBRARY (the first paragraph) Many of you who are reading this book have already found that a library can be an enchanting place. Not only can it be enchanting to look around in a library, with its piles and piles of mysterious books and its knowledgeable librarians and its windows streaming sunlight and its colorful displays and interesting people, but it can be absolutely enchanting to lose yourself in the pages of a book and look up only to find that hours have gone by and the world somehow stayed the same though you were in the pages of a book miles and miles away. This is a story about those times when you get lost. Sometimes when you only think you are far away, you really ARE as far as you think you are. It’s not your imagination!

We were excited to have a visit last week from Doctor Sorenson of Columbia University! Doctor Sorenson will soon be doing a residency in surgery. Doctor Sorenson told some of the sixth graders that his favorite thing about being a doctor is learning ways to help people, and seeing them smiling and happy after he has helped them! He said that he first got the idea to be a doctor because his father was a doctor and always had books about medicine around the house. Talking to people in your family and reading books can give you great ideas!

This week we are writing letters to the author Robert Munsch. We are hoping he will come and visit our school. Apparently he likes to do this unannounced! We will keep our fingers crossed and let you know if he comes, or at least if he sends us some poetry.

Today I got to attend a wonderful conference all about assistive technology in the classroom. There were lots of great ideas for helping all students feeling accepted and successful -- even if they have a disability that affects how they interact with print (blindness, physical disabilities that affect how they can hold a book/turn pages, learning disabilities/dyslexia)! Here were some great ideas/resources: -using ebooks and a collection library of books read aloud from 'Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic' (RFB&D) (you can get free devices to use with RFB&D recordings at aph.org) -www.attainmentcompany.com (they have lots of great products, including Talking Photo Albums, interactive reading books and velcro stories) -using magnets, cookie sheets, and velcro paper as tools for writing words/re-telling stories (this sounds a little weird but I am excited to try this) I also enjoyed checking out Alphasmart's new 'Neo,' a word-processor for students with fine

The Wonderful Happens by the incomparable Cynthia Rylant is Ms. Carvajal's choice for book-of-the-month in May. I hope you get to read and savor this beautiful book. I'm grateful for all the wonderfuls that happened for me this year!

We enjoyed reading this book today; it was suggested by 1st grader (code name:'spelling queen') after we read 'Raising Dragons,' in order to continue the dragon theme. Here are a few words we liked: expensive fantastic magnificent fiercest What do you think Prince Ronald should have said to Elizabeth that would have made her want to marry him? Post your answer in a comment.

"The ability to understand and express emotions is important for managing one's own emotions, understanding the feelings of others, getting along with others, early learning, and school readiness," said researchers in the April 2007 edition of 'Language, Speech, and Hearing in the Schools.' "There is strong evidence that social-emotional development in the first year of life is the foundation of language development and that social-emotional well-being continues to affect both language and literacy as the child matures" (Espinosa, 2002, The connections between social-emotional development and early literacy, The Kauffman Early Education Exchage). So what are some ways to help??? Here are a few ideas from the April 2007 article: 1) Use art therapy to help express feelings-- visual art, writing, theater/skits, etc. etc. 2) Help children notice what is going on within them, help them learn methods to calm themselves when they are upset/anxious 3) Help chil

There are several options available next year for receiving funding at our school! I encourage you to check out the options and make your feelings known to Mrs. Carvajal before the end of the week!!!! Here is a link to more information, you can copy and paste it into your web's browser, or look up 'Fair Student Funding' on schools.nyc.gov: http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=message_preview&fn=Key&type=tracking&id=bhadsykwlituvwrokxmgadnvhpmubba&link=bmrpixiplultnznpkxeytleqcgbbbgl

My favorite thing about my Mom she helps me with my homework I feel happy glad, ecstatic she explains by the easiest way by 5th grader, code name: literature boy

We discovered two great games this year that will help improve your speech and language skills: 1 Catch Phrase 2 Apples to Apples Catch Phrase will draw out your ability to deftly describe... during pressure! Apples to Apples will propel you to use your powers of persuasion. And even if you think you are the perfect persuader, you can never predict how things might progress! Other commercially available games we love for speech and language development: TriBond, Three for Me, Scrabble, Boggle, Scattergories, Password, and the game whose name I cannot remember where you have to describe word WITHOUT using certain words that are listed (if you know it, please remind me). Have a blast!

At PS 115, we love to read!!! Last week a fourth grader (code name: Vocabulary Girl) and I read some of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. We laughed and cried as we talked about the scene where Beth died-- it reminded us of people that we missed in our own families. The way Louisa May Alcott dealt with her feelings about loss was to write, so we did the same! Some of our other favorite books this year have included: High School Musical (the junior novelization), Safe at Home (by Jackie Robinson's daughter! She is a midwife and a teacher as well as an author) Who Moved My Cheese (for kids), Who Was that Masked Man Anyway. This list is only beginning. Will update you soon on other great titles.

This is wonderful, I just found out from my friend and comedienne extraordinaire Elna Baker about a theater company in New York City specifically for people who stutter. The company is called Our Time, and they are AMAZING!!! You have to check them out: http://www.ourtimetheatre.org/teenCo.htm PS Stuttering awareness week is coming up on May 10! If you know someone who stutters, make sure to be a great listener-- listening to the message and giving plenty of time to talk helps people who stutter to say what's on their mind. For more ideas, check out www.stutteringhelp.org

This is a fabulous website and has links to some amazing pieces of children's literature. You can sample many books here and see which ones are interesting to you and at your level. Thanks to Ken Campbell of Great Leaps. http://members.cox.net/gholman3/Reading6-12/index.html

Okay, so some of my 6th graders (their code names for this blog are Super Smart Kid and Brainy Basketball Boy) picked out a few of their favorite vocabulary words in conjunction with our writing about Ms. Rice, a very remarkable woman: Advisor-- someone who gives advice Cabinet-- a group of people who help the president Experience-- things that you've done National Security Advisor-- advises the president on U.S. security (safety) issues Remarkable-- worthy of talking about Research Extensively-- to really study something, like Lemony Snicket did with the Baudelaire Orphan's story Secretary of State--the member of the cabinet who helps the president with foreign affairs And while we're talking about the office of Secretary of State, did you know that former Secretary of State Colin Powell is the son of Jamaican immigrants and was raised in the South Bronx? Thanks for your service, Mr. Powell!!

Stuttering Have you every wondered about stuttering-- what it is, and why it occurs? You can find all kinds of great information at this amazing website: www.stutteringhelp.org If your child hesitates in speaking or has repetitions of certain sounds, syllables, words or phrases, he or she may be exhibiting characteristics of stuttering. There are many things you can do to help! Try to slow your own speech around the child, using lots of pauses and a relaxed way of talking. This will help your child feel comfortable with speaking, and is better than telling the child to slow his/her speech or start over again. For more ideas, check out the website or come chat!

What better way to improve expressive language skills than with writing!!! Students are encouraged to keep a daily journal of experiences. We have also borrowed from the Basic Writing Skills Program (Hochman, c. 2005, www.basicwritingskills.net) to improve our writing abilities. This month our topic of interest for improving writing is none other than the distinguished Dr. Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State. Did you know that in addition to being the first African-American woman to be Secretary of State, she is also a great piano player, an ice skater, and an avid football fan? You can read more about her at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condoleezza_Rice.

Yes, it's poetry month in April!! Take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy some great poetry with your children. Some of my favorite poets include Eloise Greenfield, Langston Hughes, Jack Prelutsky, and Mary Ann Hoberman. This year I've been highlighting poems from the books 'Love that Dog' (Sharon Creech) and 'Honey I Love'(Eloise Greenfield) with the kids. Ask them, and they might be able to quote their favorite poem! Here is a poem I wrote that was inspired by a poem by Mary Ann Hoberman: Sometimes I like to be alone, Just me, myself, and I, And listen to a lovely song Or stare up at the sky.

Parents, You may want to consider attending this seminar if your child needs technology such as an Alphasmart for writing. Word processors are great tools to improve expressive language! Tuesday April 24, 2007 Time: 10 am- 12 pm Place: Sinergia 134 West 29th Street New York, NY, 10001 (Between 6th & 7th Avenue) Travel: The #1 subway; R or W subway stop at 28th Street Walk north one block to 29th Street Spanish Simultaneous Translation is available but you must call to request it Refreshments will be served Workshop that will offer you information about these topics: v What Assistive Technology is v Common types of Assistive Technology Devices (for example, wheelchairs & computers) v Evaluating the technology needs of your child v What types of students may benefit from Assistive Technology v How to get Assistive Technology Devices written into your child’s IEP If you wish to register or if you have any questions please call: Mr. Godfrey Rivera, Sinergia a

Yesterday some of my 6th grade students and I were reminiscing about the month of March... St. Patrick's Day was scrumptious as we celebrated by eating baked potatoes dipped in green sour cream! They were even better than green eggs and ham. We learned about the St. Patrick's Day parade (did you know that more than 150,000 people march?), the Blarney Stone (now we have the gift of gab!) and the potato blight in the 1840's that initiated the exodus of at least 1 1/4 milion Irish people from their homeland. We hope to visit the Emerald Isle someday and to use our gift of gab to speak eloquently! some vocabulary that we practiced: blarney blight clad coast discover eloquently emerald famine originate participate scrumptious traditional

Favorite moment of the day-- talking to some of my lower-grade kids about the book 'Raising Dragons.' We were discussing what it means to have something "in your blood," the way raising dragons was in the girl's blood. The kids came up with better definitions than I! A boy told me it means you love something, a girl said it means something you dream about ... if love it and dream about it, it will certainly become part of you, and remain in your blood. Other words we talked about in 'Raising Dragons:' daughter opinion critter snout

Welcome to my blog! Its purpose is to create a community of students, parents, teachers, administrators,and speech-language pathologists (SLP's) to celebrate the work we all do together improving communication skills! Whether it's improving language/literacy, articulation/phonology, voice/resonance, or fluency/stuttering, communication thrives when we work together as a team. I hope you will enjoy reading about some of my activities in Washington Heights and maybe learn something that will help you to be a better communicator!