The Literacy-Based Speech Podcast

69. Deep Dive into Using The Golden Acorn in Speech Therapy Aug 27, 2024

With fall just around the corner, we know many teachers and SLPs are eager to bring in some fall-themed books into their classrooms and therapy sessions. However, not every fall-themed book is going to give you the content you need to work on a student’s specific goals. That’s why during our deep dive episodes, we like to select books that are fun and engaging while also having relevant speech and language goals and key concepts to use with your students. So, during this episode, we’re doing a deep dive into The Golden Acorn by Katie Hudson and sharing why we’re pulling this book off our shelf.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-into-the-golden-acorn

68. Our Favorite Farm-Themed Books for Speech Therapy Aug 20, 2024

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A common theme that many teachers use at some point during the school year is a farm theme. With the opportunity to talk about animals, farm life, work responsibilities, and so much more, this theme provides students with elements of fun and learning. Children’s authors also love writing about farm life and farm animals, which can be used to teach students about a new way of living while incorporating their favorite farm animals. However, not all farm-themed books are great for speech therapy. So, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite farm-themed picture books and ways to use them during your speech therapy sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/favorite-farm-themed-picture-books

67. Dive into Wendi Silvano’s Turkey Series for Speech Therapy Aug 13, 2024

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We love it when we can find a series by a specific author that meets all of our key concepts, speech sounds, and language goals to use with our students during speech therapy sessions. And one series we can’t stop using with our students is Wendi Silvano’s Turkey series. One of the things we enjoy most about this series is that all of her books are written with a different focused theme so that you can use them throughout the school year. In today’s episode, we’re diving into Wendi Silvano’s Turkey series and highlighting the different key concepts in each book and what they all have in common.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/turkey-series

66. Deep Dive into Using Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes in Speech Therapy Aug 06, 2024

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With back-to-school season upon us, we love incorporating books with that theme into our speech therapy sessions. There are so many wonderful books out there, but we always go back to a classic favorite, Pete the Cat. This fun, loveable, and fan-favorite is a classic read for a reason, but it also has great key concepts to work on with your students. In today’s episode, we’re doing a deep dive using Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by James Dean and sharing how to effectively use this book in your speech therapy sessions.
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For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-using-pete-the-cat

65. This or That: Using Our Class is a Family and School’s First Day of School in Speech Therapy Jul 30, 2024

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It’s hard to believe, but back-to-school is just around the corner. And the start of a new school year can stir up a lot of emotions in kids, especially those who are starting school for the first time. Therefore, it’s nice to have some books to incorporate into your speech therapy sessions that help relieve their stress and show how school can be a fun and safe place for kids. Two books we think do a great job of showcasing those ideas are Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen and School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex. So, in today’s episode, we’re doing a back-to-school this or that edition and sharing how we’re using these books in our speech therapy sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/back-to-school-this-or-that

64. Deep Dive into Using Neck & Neck in Speech Therapy Jul 23, 2024

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Do you know that amazing feeling of discovering a cute, engaging book that meets all your literacy concepts? That was us when we discovered Neck & Neck by Elise Paisley! Once we read this fun, zoo-themed book, we instantly loved it and wanted to use it during our speech therapy sessions. Since we love this book so much, we’re doing a deep dive using Neck & Neck to highlight the key concepts you can use and show you why we’re pulling this book off our shelves.
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For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-using-neck-&-neck

63. Our Favorite S Sound Picture Books for Speech Therapy: Part 2 Jul 16, 2024

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In last week’s episode, we shared some of our favorite /s/ sound picture books, and there are so many more books that we love, so we decided to do another episode with the same topic! However, the slight difference in this episode is that we’re sharing books that have /s/ blends, mixed, or recurring /s/ sound words. This list we’ve created has engaging books with high-frequency /s/ sounds in the content, not just the titles. We’re so excited to share more of our favorite /s/ sound picture books with you!
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/favorite-s-sound-picture-books

62. Our Favorite S Sound Picture Books for Speech Therapy: Part 1 Jul 09, 2024

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When working with students on their speech sounds, especially in a literacy-based approach, it’s important to incorporate books with those sounds for students to practice with. We spend a lot of our episodes going over books with specific themes or literacy concepts, so we wanted to dedicate a few episodes focusing on books with high-frequency speech sounds. The first speech sound is the /s/ sound. So, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite /s/ sound picture books that you can use in your speech therapy sessions.
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For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/s-sound-picture-books

61. How to Implement the Orton-Gillingham Approach in Speech Therapy with Elizabeth Doherty Jul 02, 2024

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We had so much to talk about with Elizabeth that we kept her around to talk about more things related to Speech-Language Pathologists! Elizabeth has a passion for reading and decoding, which is why she decided to specialize in those two areas, along with being Orton-Gillingham certified. Therefore, we picked Elizabeth’s brain so that she could share her knowledge and experience in those areas. So, in today’s episode, Elizabeth shares how to implement the Orton-Gillingham approach and how she successfully addresses reading in her speech therapy sessions.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/orton-gillingham-approach

60. How and Why to Target Reading in Speech Therapy with Elizabeth Doherty Jun 25, 2024

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As speech-language pathologists, we focus a lot of our time with students on developing their speech and oral language. However, an aspect that we’re starting to focus on is reading. Even though reading is in our wheelhouse, research has shown that SLPs feel less confident in teaching or focusing on it during their speech therapy sessions. Our guest on the podcast, Elizabeth Doherty, is a private practice SLP in NYC who also has associate-level training through the Orton-Gillingham Academy. In this episode, Elizabeth shares why you should target reading during your speech therapy sessions and how you can feel more confident in this area.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/why-to-target-reading

59. Dive into Kate Messner's Over and Under Book Series for Speech Therapy Jun 18, 2024

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As Speech Language Pathologists we love when we can use a book series with our students during our speech therapy sessions. Book series are typically written with the same theme in mind and structured the same way while also encompassing a variety of speech sounds and key concepts. Therefore, it’s no surprise that we love using Kate Messner’s Over and Under book series. In this episode, we’re sharing why we love this series, a description of each book, and how we’d use it in speech therapy.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/over-and-under-book-series

58. Deep Dive into Using Jabari Jumps in Speech Therapy Jun 11, 2024

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Kids are excited and eager to try new things, but they can also have an internal struggle of feeling scared, nervous, or anxious about their new experiences. Summer often brings these new experiences for kids, so it’s helpful for them to read books about characters going through the same things. Jabari Jumps is the perfect book for this because it’s a fun and relatable summer-themed book that also teaches kids lessons. In today’s episode, we’re doing a deep dive into using Jabari Jumps and showing how to use it during your speech therapy sessions.
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For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-into-using-jabari-jumps

57. This or That: Using The Little Ice Cream Truck and Paletero Man in Speech Therapy Jun 04, 2024

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What’s one thing kids love to have as a nice, sweet, cool treat in the summer? Ice cream! When it’s hot outside, and kids have been playing or at the pool all day, it’s refreshing to have a scoop of ice cream to top off their day. So why not bring that same excited feeling into your speech therapy session? By incorporating ice cream theme books, you can help get students excited about summer break while working on their speech and language goals. In this episode, we’re doing a this or that episode using an ice cream theme with The Little Ice Cream Truck and Paletero Man.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/ice-cream-theme

56. Our Favorite Beach-Themed Books for Speech Therapy May 28, 2024

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With summer just around the corner, it’s easy to start dreaming about days on the beach and playing in the sand. So why not get your students excited about the freedom and fun of summer by incorporating beach-themed picture books in your speech therapy sessions? We thought the exact same thing, which is why we wanted to give you all the best selections for this very fun theme. In today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite beach-themed books to help bring in some fun while teaching your students key concepts.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/favorite-beach-themed-books

55. The Literacy-Based Speech Podcast Anniversary: Ask Us Anything! May 21, 2024

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We’re always excited about doing podcast episodes, but this particular one makes us so excited, and our smiles are a mile wide because it’s our one-year podcast anniversary! We have learned so much over the past year and have enjoyed sharing our favorite books with y’all and hopefully have provided you with fresh ideas to use during your speech therapy sessions. Since it’s our podcast anniversary, we wanted to celebrate by getting our listeners and community involved. So, in today’s episode, we’re answering all of your literacy-based speech questions to further help you during your speech therapy sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/literacy-based-speech-questions

54. This or That: Using Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping and The Camping Trip in Speech Therapy May 14, 2024

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With the weather getting nice and families starting to spend more time outside, we wanted to bring that energy into your speech therapy sessions. A lot of families spend the spring and summer months camping and enjoying the outdoors, which is why we're doing a "this or that" episode with camping books. So, in today's episode, we've chosen the books Scaredy Squirrel and The Camping Trip and are deciphering which book is best used for your speech therapy students.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/speech-therapy-camping-books

53. Our Favorite Bug-Themed Picture Books in Speech Therapy May 07, 2024

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Doing anything in a theme immediately makes it more fun! And using themed picture books to go over speech and language goals with your students is no exception. We’ve shared a lot of these types of episodes with you in the past because we love putting together lists of our favorite books to use with different themes. With the weather becoming nicer and kids spending more time outside and exploring nature, we knew this theme was perfect. So in today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite bug-themed picture books to use in speech therapy.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/favorite-bug-themed-picture-books

52. How to Plan a Literacy-Based Summer Camp Apr 30, 2024

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With summer just around the corner, many of you might be thinking about or already planning on hosting a literacy-based summer camp. These are wonderful opportunities to do something new and fun while still helping kids work on their literacy, language, and phonics concepts. After hosting a few ourselves, we know the most effective routine, how to handle the logistics, and ways to add in some fun and engaging crafts for the kids. So, in today’s episode, we’re sharing how to structure a literacy-based summer camp, along with a few theme ideas.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/literacy-based-summer-camp

51. Dive into the Mother Bruce Book Series for Speech Therapy Apr 23, 2024

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When we find a book series we like, we consume all of the books they have to offer and find ways to incorporate them into our speech therapy sessions. One book series that’s gaining popularity and we’re enjoying right now is the Mother Bruce book series. There are 9 books in total, with 3 Little Bruce books as well. Just a heads up that we’re not discussing all of the books in the series because we believe that 4 are better to be read at home or for a fun read-aloud in the classroom. With the books we are discussing, we’re going to dive further into the Mother Bruce book series, how you can use them during speech therapy, and which key concepts to target the most.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/mother-bruce-book-series

50. Our Favorite EI and Preschool Engaging Books for Speech Therapy Apr 16, 2024

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As a busy SLP, we know that you serve a variety of students of various ages, abilities, skill levels, and interests. So, it’s part of our goal to make sure we’re providing you with the right tools and books to best serve your students in speech therapy. A group we don’t typically cover is books for early intervention and preschool-aged children. Last week, we had Jenna Rayburn on the podcast, where she shared which books are best for preschool students. This got us thinking about our own favorites, and we wanted to share them with you. So, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our top early intervention and preschool books to engage your students with during speech therapy.
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For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/early-intervention-and-preschool-books

49. Using Books with Preschool Students in Speech Therapy with Jenna Rayburn Apr 09, 2024

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When we share our picture book selections with you all, we try to pick books that target a wide variety of students. However, sometimes, you’re looking for books that target a certain age group of students. So, to help you out, we have our first guest on the podcast, Jenna Rayburn. She is an early childhood SLP, a lover of picture books, and has many helpful resources in her TPT store. Jenna has a wealth of knowledge and, in today’s episode, is sharing the qualities she looks for in books and ways of using books with preschool students in speech therapy.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/using-books-with-preschool-students

48. Deep Dive into Using The Gruffalo in Speech Therapy Apr 02, 2024

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When we discuss a variety of topics and key concepts during each episode, we like to reference some of our favorite books that are great examples of the concepts we’re discussing. Although we have a long list of favorite picture books, this book might be our all-time favorite, which is The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. After listening to our podcast for so long, you know we mention this book frequently because it targets so many key concepts we look for when working with students. Because of this, in today’s episode, we’re doing a deep dive using The Gruffalo and sharing how to best use this book during your speech therapy sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-using-the-gruffalo

47. Our Favorite Books for Targeting Vocabulary in Speech Therapy Mar 26, 2024

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We do a lot of episodes showing why we choose different books to use during our speech therapy sessions. One of the criteria on which we base a good book is its level of vocabulary enrichment. Multiple studies have shown that vocabulary is the number one factor for reading comprehension and a predictor of academic success and intellectual ability. In other words, building and growing a student’s vocabulary is extremely important. So, in today’s episode, we’re sharing a list of books that target vocabulary that you can use with students during your sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/books-that-target-vocabulary

46. Deep Dive into Using Bear Finds Eggs in Speech Therapy Mar 19, 2024

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We love finding and introducing books to our students that we know they’ll enjoy during their speech therapy sessions, and we love sharing our discoveries with you all as well! As spring is upon us and Easter isn’t too far away, we’re excited to introduce a newly released book, Bear Finds Eggs. Being part of the Bear series by Karma Wilson, this adorable book hits all the criteria - it engages students and hits the key teaching points we look for when using a book in speech therapy. So, in today’s episode, we want to do a deep dive into Bear Finds Eggs, where we introduce you to this book and share how to best use it with your students.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-into-bear-finds-eggs

45. This or That: Using How to Catch a Leprechaun and How to Trap a Leprechaun in Speech Therapy Mar 12, 2024

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Just like with every season or holiday that comes around, there’s a list of picture books related to that theme. While it’s amazing there are so many books to choose from, it can be hard to discern which ones are right for your speech therapy sessions. That’s where we come in! We’re doing another this or that episode to decipher which leprechaun book is the perfect fit to discuss during your speech sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that-leprechaun-book

44. Deep Dive: Using Fletcher and The Springtime Blossoms in Speech Therapy Mar 05, 2024

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With spring just on the horizon, we’re getting you prepared to incorporate spring picture books in your speech therapy sessions. In last week’s episode, we shared our favorite spring books list with you, but we wanted to focus on one book in particular with another deep dive episode. Our deep dive episodes show you how we go through books and pull out all of the relevant speech and language goals. From one of our favorite authors, we’re doing a deep dive using Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-using-fletcher-and-the-springtime-blossoms

43. Our Favorite Spring Picture Books for Speech Therapy Feb 27, 2024

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It’s hard to believe, but spring is just around the corner, which means it’s time to think about incorporating spring picture books into your rotation. With the changing of seasons, plants and trees starting to bloom, and more color being brought to life, spring picture books can create happiness and joy in the eyes of our readers. The seasonal changes are the exact topic we chose to focus on with the books we’re covering today. So, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite spring picture books for speech therapy and how they can be utilized in your sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/spring-picture-books-for-speech-therapy

42. How to Select Rich Vocabulary for Your Speech Therapy Sessions Feb 20, 2024

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When we do any deep dive or this or that episode and talk about the key teaching points of books, one of the main components we look for is a rich vocabulary. But why is that an important aspect to cover with a text, and how does it relate to a student’s oral language development? Vocabulary is the single best indicator of intellectual ability and the number one factor in comprehension. It’s also a predictor of success at school, which makes it extremely important! In today’s episode, we’re discussing how to select rich vocabulary for your speech therapy sessions, which includes research and effective practices.
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/rich-vocabulary-for-your-speech-therapy

41. Using the Little Blue Truck Series in Speech Therapy Feb 13, 2024

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We talk a lot in these podcast episodes about books and the value they have when you use them in a literacy-based speech therapy session. One topic we mention is that just because a book is popular amongst kids, parents, or Amazon doesn’t mean it’s best to use it with your students to work on specific speech and language goals. A popular series that many teachers like to read is the Little Blue Truck series, but do all the books meet the requirements? In today’s episode, we’re doing a special this or that episode using the Little Blue Truck series in speech therapy.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/little-blue-truck-in-speech-therapy

40. Deep Dive: Using Love Monster in Speech Therapy Feb 06, 2024

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We’re diving deep into Valentine’s Day books you can use with your students during your speech therapy sessions that focus on their goals and have sweet, kind, and loving messages. One of our favorite books is Love Monster by Rachel Bright, which not only has a great theme but key concepts that you can work on with your students. So, in today’s episode, we’re doing a deep dive into Love Monster and showcasing the relevant speech and language goals you could use.
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-into-love-monster

39. This or That: Using The Day It Rained Hearts and Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool in Speech Therapy Jan 30, 2024

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There are so many sweet, cute, and popular Valentine’s Day books out there, but not all of them are ideal to use during your speech therapy sessions. When using a literacy-based speech approach, you’re looking for books that have certain key concepts that target the speech and language goals of your students. And since we know popular doesn’t always mean the best option, we’re doing a this or that Valentine’s Day episode with the books Day It Rained Hearts and Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that-valentines-day

38. Our Favorite Valentine's Day Picture Books in Speech Therapy Jan 23, 2024

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It’s the time of year when love is in the air! So, what better way to celebrate than by using Valentine’s Day-themed picture books during your speech therapy sessions? Since you serve a variety of students with different speech and language goals, finding the right books to meet all those needs can be challenging. Therefore, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite Valentine’s Day picture books with you and the benefits of each book.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/valentines-day-picture-books-podcast

37. Our Favorite Wordless Picture Books in Speech Therapy: Part Two Jan 16, 2024

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We believe in the value and benefit of using wordless picture books with your students, so we dedicated another episode sharing more of our favorite wordless picture books with you. As we continue to mention, despite not having any text in them, you can still discuss character analysis, theme, vocabulary, and narrative structure with your students when reading these books. With this being a genre you may not have a lot of on your shelves, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite wordless picture books part two.
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For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/favorite-wordless-picture-books-part-two

36. Our Favorite Wordless Picture Books in Speech Therapy: Part One Jan 09, 2024

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In last week’s episode, we discussed wordless picture books and the many benefits of using them in your speech therapy sessions. Despite not having any text on the pages, they still provide value towards your students’ speech and language goals. But like with most genres, there are so many books that it can be difficult finding the right match for your students that provide the most value. So in today’s episode, we’re sharing part one of our favorite wordless picture books to use during speech therapy.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/favorite-wordless-picture-books

35. How to Use Wordless Picture Books in Your Speech Therapy Sessions Jan 02, 2024

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On the podcast, we share a lot of narrative picture books to use with your students, but a type of book we don’t often mention is wordless picture books. If you are anything like we used to be, maybe you were uncomfortable using these types of books when you first became an SLP because you didn’t know how to use them appropriately.
Now that we have done more research and have seen how effective they are, we love using them and value the benefits they bring students. So in today’s episode, we're sharing how to use wordless picture books in your speech therapy sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/wordless-picture-books

34. Deep Dive: Using Brave Irene in Speech Therapy Dec 26, 2023

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With so many picture books out there, we wanted to use this podcast to highlight some of our favorites and share the best ways to use them during your speech therapy sessions. The book that we’re discussing today is one of our top five favorite picture books of all time, which is Brave Irene by William Steig.
This is an amazing book that includes a lot of unique and thematic concepts to discuss with your students. In this deep dive episode, we’re discussing how to use Brave Irene in speech therapy and why we’d use it with our students.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/brave-irene-in-speech-therapy

33. This or That: Using The Mitten and A Thing Called Snow in Speech Therapy Dec 19, 2023

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As you know, there are a lot of winter themed picture books to choose from, so it can be overwhelming to pick the ones that will benefit your students and target their speech and language goals. So instead of spending your time discerning which books are right for your speech therapy, we decided to do that for you. In another round of our this or that episode, we’re showing you our process for selecting books to use during your speech therapy sessions. The two books we’re covering today are The Mitten and A Thing Called Snow.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/a-thing-called-snow

32. Our Favorite Winter Picture Books in Speech Therapy Dec 12, 2023

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With the winter season officially in full swing, it’s only fitting to provide you with a list of picture books you can use during your speech therapy sessions. Whether you live in a place where it’s cold and snowy or it’s sunny and hot outside, inside your classroom you can create a cozy and winter environment with these winter books. In today’s episode, we’re sharing our 10 favorite winter picture books and how to best use them in your speech therapy sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/winter-picture-books

31. Deep Dive: Using Olive the Other Reindeer in Speech Therapy Dec 05, 2023

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There are so many wonderful and engaging Christmas themed books out there, but that doesn’t mean they’re best to be used in speech therapy sessions. During our deep dive episodes, we like to take listeners behind the scenes on our process for how we go through books to use during our sessions. We aim to select books that check as many boxes on our key teaching points as possible, along with complete episodes. So in today’s deep dive, we’re discussing all aspects of the book Olive, the Other Reindeer.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/olive-the-other-reindeer

30. This or That: Using How to Catch an Elf and Mooseltoe in Speech Therapy Nov 28, 2023

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During the holiday seasons, it’s natural and a fun way to engage students by incorporating holiday-themed books in your speech therapy sessions. But just because they’re engaging and a cute story, doesn’t necessarily mean they’d make a good fit in your therapy sessions. So to help you out, we’re discussing our process for selecting books with two Christmas-themed books. In our this or that Christmas edition, we’re comparing How to Catch an Elf and Mooseltoe.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that-christmas-edition

29. Our Favorite Christmas Books in Speech Therapy Nov 21, 2023

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…to read amazing Christmas books! The holidays, especially Christmas, can be a happy and magical time for kids, so it’s nice to create those same feelings during your speech therapy sessions. With so many fantastic Christmas-themed books to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down to just our top 10. So in today’s episode, we’re sharing our favorite Christmas books and how to use them with your students.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/favorite-christmas-books

28. How to Use Key Teaching Points When Selecting Books for Your Speech Therapy Sessions Nov 14, 2023

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In many of our episodes, you hear us mention our Key Teaching Points when we recommend or discuss books on a deeper level. This is our method for taking inventory on books and all their relevant speech and language concepts. When using these for selecting books, it ultimately saves you time and increases the productivity time with your students. Whether you’ve used these in the past or are brand new to them, we’re taking a deeper look into our key teaching points and examining the specific language concepts that are critical to language and literacy development.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/key-teaching-points

27. This or That: Using 10 Turkeys in the Road and Turkey Trouble in Speech Therapy Nov 07, 2023

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With most of our this or that episodes, we highlight two books then eventually share which book we’d use in our therapy sessions between the two. And with holiday or thematic books, there’s so many to choose from. However, in this episode, we’re not choosing between the two because we think they both have a spot in your session and provide different academic benefits for your students. In our this or that turkey edition episode, we’re highlighting 10 Turkeys in the Road and Turkey Trouble.
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that-turkey-edition

26. Our Favorite Thanksgiving Picture Books in Speech Therapy Oct 31, 2023

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We know that if we can find books that kids relate to or go along with a holiday or occasion that’s happening, they’re more likely to be engaged in your lesson. So with Thanksgiving just around the corner, we wanted to give you a list of our favorite Thanksgiving-themed books to use during your literacy-based speech therapy sessions. The meaning and purpose of Thanksgiving is portrayed in these books, which make for special discussions amongst your students. In this episode, we also share the skills highlighted in each of our favorite Thanksgiving books and reasons why you should add them to your library.
Resources Mentioned:

For the full book list and resources, head to the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/thanksgiving-themed-books

25. How to Assess Phonological Awareness in Speech Therapy Oct 24, 2023

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As SLPs, we’re responsible for assessing language and sounds. Back in Episode 20, we discussed narrative assessment, which is the language side of literacy. But in today’s episode, we’re going to focus on decoding, which has to do with sounds. More specifically, we’re going to discuss how to assess phonological awareness, why it needs to be assessed, and the benchmarks to look for.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/assess-phonological-awareness

24. Deep Dive: Using Bone Soup in Speech Therapy Oct 17, 2023

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If you’ve been searching for a book that serves older students in upper elementary or even middle school, this book is what you need! Bone Soup by Cambria Evans is a fantastic book to use during this Halloween season while also hitting on key concepts and speech and language goals for your students. In this episode, we’re doing a deep dive into Bone Soup and sharing all the reasons why we love this book and how we’d use it in our literacy-based speech therapy sessions.
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive-into-bone-soup

23. This or That: Using Little Blue Truck's Halloween and Room on the Broom in Speech Therapy Oct 10, 2023

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There’s still time to incorporate some Halloween-themed books in your speech therapy sessions. It’s a fun way to engage your students where they don’t realize they’re actually working on their speech language goals. But with so many Halloween books, it’s hard to know which ones can serve a variety of your students while also touching on a multitude of concepts. So to help you find the best book, we’re doing another episode of "this or that" with Halloween books.
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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that-with-halloween-books

22. Our Favorite Alternative to Halloween Picture Books in Speech Therapy Oct 03, 2023

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Even though many kids love Halloween and everything related to it, we need to remember it’s not for everyone. But what do you do when you still want to incorporate that theme in your literacy-based speech therapy sessions? You use alternatives to Halloween picture books. Yes, there is such a thing and we’ve got you covered! We’re sharing eight of our favorite alternatives to Halloween books to use with your students.
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See the full book list in the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/alternatives-to-halloween-books

21. Our Favorite Halloween Picture Books in Speech Therapy Sep 26, 2023

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With Halloween just around the corner, we thought it would be appropriate to highlight our favorite Halloween themed books to use in your speech therapy sessions. We review our process for selecting books and then discuss each of our favorite Halloween themed books in depth to give you the best idea on which ones to read with your students.

Resources Mentioned:

See the full book list in the show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/halloween-themed-books

20. How to Assess Narrative Language in Speech Therapy Sep 19, 2023

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We’ve focused a lot of this podcast on the best books to read with your students that help develop their speech language skills. By now you know we whole-heartedly believe in a literacy-based speech approach for your sessions which also means that we believe in narrative language assessments. When you assess narrative language with your students, it helps you identify academic successes and communication deficits, which we’re going to dive into during this episode.

There’s an abundance of research that supports being able to assess narrative language in students. Not only does it clarify possible weaknesses in social pragmatic language, but it also bridges the gap between oral and written language. But more than just the research, we discuss the various aspects and components you’re looking for when you give this assessment, and then ultimately ways you would assess narrative language with your students. No matter if your assessments are provided by your district or yourself, make sure that narrative assessments are on your list!

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Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/assess-narrative-language

19. Our Favorite Pirate Picture Books in Speech Therapy Sep 12, 2023

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Working with elementary students, you get an opportunity to read picture books in your sessions that have fun themes and engage students. In another round of our favorites episodes, we’ve selected a fun category of pirate themed books to use during your literacy-based speech therapy sessions. This entertaining theme has a lot of great books that we share to help work on literacy skills with your students.

With so many pirate themed books, how do you choose which ones to use with your students? Well, we’ve done the work for you! We break down all of the literacy and speech language skills each book displays and how best to utilize them in your sessions. These 9 pirate themed picture books have unique components to them that help your students with their speech language goals in a fun way.

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/pirate-themed-books

18. Deep Dive: Using Officer Buckle and Gloria in Speech Therapy Sep 05, 2023

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If you’re looking for a picture book that has all the important literacy and language skills that also has a few challenging aspects for students, this is your book! Officer Buckle and Gloria is an engaging picture book to use during your literacy-based speech therapy sessions. With so many books to choose from, we often get asked why we choose certain books. If you have the same question, we’re doing a deep dive into Officer Buckle and Gloria to explain why it’s helpful for your students.

When we do deep dive episodes, we like to share basic information about the picture book and the high frequency words and sounds your students can practice with. We really enjoy this book for the theme and message it displays, the use of practicing character analysis skills, and how the illustrations are a critical component to the story.

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/officer-buckle-and-gloria

17. This or That: Using Leaf Man and The Leaf Thief in Speech Therapy Aug 29, 2023

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When you finally choose a theme of books to use in your literacy-based speech therapy sessions, it can be difficult to narrow it down to the book that covers all learning concepts for your students. Since the process of picking a book can take some time, we’ve decided to do the work for you! With fall just around the corner, we’re doing another round of our this or that episode with the theme of leaves with the books Leaf Man and The Leaf Thief.

In our this or that episodes, we like to talk through our process for selecting books to use in our speech therapy sessions. We dive into all the different aspects of the books and ultimately make our decision on which book we’d focus on with our students. Leaf Man and The Leaf Thief each highlight major learning concepts, but one ultimately is the complete package that includes a complete episode. Find out which book is best to use with students in our this or that leaf themed episode!

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that-leaf-theme

16. Our Favorite Fall Picture Books for Speech Therapy Aug 22, 2023

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With the season beginning to change to fall, it’s time to start adding some fall picture books to your speech therapy sessions. There are so many to choose from, so we’ve done the job for you! As you know, we love picture books that are complete episodes and can be used to practice and improve a variety of skills for students. We’re sharing our top 10 favorite fall picture books to use with your speech therapy students this fall!

Our goal is to always give you an overview of each book, key concepts to teach with, which age level it’s best used for, and high frequency words and sounds. Another thing we love about all these books is the wonderful lessons and themes each book displays. These kid-friendly fall picture books are fun, engaging, and are sure to be a fun addition to your literacy-based speech therapy sessions!

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15. This or That: Using Apple-Themed Picture Books in Speech Therapy Aug 15, 2023

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With fall quickly approaching, adding some apple themed picture books into your therapy sessions helps everyone get excited for every fall-related activity. There are countless books with an apple theme, but which one fits the needs of the majority of your students? We’re diving into another edition of a this or that episode with apple themed picture books.
During the episode, we’re sharing our process for selecting books and giving insight into what each book offers so you can best serve your students. What’s fun about this particular this or that episode is that each apple themed picture book is completely different!
They each have a wide range of skills to focus on but with varying key differences. While each book serves a different purpose and need for your students, we do select our favorite of the three. Listen to the episode to see which apple themed picture book we chose!
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/apple-themed-picture-books

14. How to Form Groups and Collect Data in Your Speech Therapy Sessions Aug 08, 2023

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Part of the work as a speech language pathologist is collecting data and forming groups for your therapy sessions. But based on where you’re located and your own preferences, those two things can vary depending on the SLP and school. So what’s the best way to group students and collect data? We’re sharing our own tips and strategies for forming groups and ways to collect data that benefits your students and their goals.

Even though we’re cognizant that each SLP’s situation is different, we believe forming groups by goals is the best way, if possible. If grouped by goals, we discuss ways that decision can make your preparation and therapy sessions easier for you as well as your students. Additionally, we share strategies for collecting data and why it’s effective to show your students their progress and data rather than keeping it from them. Forming groups and collecting data is a hot topic that we’re excited to dive into!

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/forming-groups

13. Our Favorite Picture Books with Repetitive Text for CAS in Speech Therapy Aug 01, 2023

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In preparation for back to school, creating lessons, and finding resources that align with your literacy-based speech approach, we thought we’d help provide you with a list of books to use in your sessions. Working with students who have childhood apraxia of speech, it’s essential to expose them to repetitive phrases in texts. So, in today’s episode, we’re sharing 25 books that have repetitive phrases and why we like to use them for childhood apraxia.

Along with our list of books to use, we break down why these repetitive texts help with childhood apraxia by developing phonemic awareness and pre-reading skills. Additionally, we discuss 4 strategies to implement with your students during your sessions.

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/childhood-apraxia

12. Deep Dive: Using The Invisible Boy in Speech Therapy Jul 25, 2023

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With back to school season coming up, we want to make sure you’re starting your speech therapy sessions off with books that have positive and inclusive themes. One book that we think has good character growth and message is The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. We’re doing a deep dive into this book to share our process when selecting books and how you can use this with your students during your own speech therapy sessions.

To give you a better idea on how to effectively use this book, we outline all the different concepts and skills to work on with your students, which range from theme, high frequency sounds, and character analysis. A unique aspect of The Invisible Boy is the way the illustrations provide meaning alongside the text. Additionally, it provides excellent real life conversations that can be had with your students regarding inclusion and making friends. For more engaging strategies, join us on our deep dive through The Invisible Boy.

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/the-invisible-boy

11. This or That: Using David Goes To School and Clark The Shark in Speech Therapy Jul 18, 2023

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We’re back with another "this or that" episode! This time we’re comparing the books David Goes to School and Clark the Shark.
With back to school season just around the corner, these books are popular to start with your speech therapy sessions for the year with. However, we believe that one book is more complete and a better message to use with your students. Tune in to hear our thoughts!

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that-2

10. Our Favorite Back to School Picture Books for Speech Therapy Jul 11, 2023

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Although it’s still summer, some of you might be at the beginning stages of planning for the beginning of your school year. If that’s the case, we’ve got an episode for you! Heading back to school or transitioning to a new school can be intimidating or scary for some students, which is why we’ve compiled our favorite back to school books to use in speech therapy.

Each of the 10 books we chose have common themes of acceptance, kindness, inclusion, and self-confidence that will help ease the minds of nervous elementary students. Additionally, we share a brief summary, skills to focus on, and high frequency sounds for your students. We also love how each book is a complete episode with a plan and actions to solve it. Bring some fun, laughter, and lessons in your speech therapy sessions with these back to school books!

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/back-to-school-books

9. Setting the Tone Using Picture Books in Your Therapy Sessions Jul 04, 2023

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We get a lot of questions regarding how to set up a therapy session that has a literacy-based approach. It can be intimidating just starting out or wanting to transition to this kind of approach. One of the first things you’ll need to do is build up your personal library. Don’t worry, we’ll share tips for getting inexpensive or free picture books! Additionally, we talk about tips for setting the tone using picture books during your therapy sessions.

It can take time to grow your personal library of picture books, so we’ve come up with creative ways to get you started. Whether these suggestions include your local library, using social media, various media sources, or the classic borrowing from a friend, it’s going to help get you comfortable using picture books in your sessions.

If setting the tone using picture books is new to you, we also share how to make books a focus in your classroom, ways to make them interactive, and picking books they’re familiar with to engage them. These tips will for sure make your therapy sessions literacy-based in no time!

Resources Mentioned:

Half-Priced Books
Thrift Books
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library - check availability in your zip code!
Book Search Link
Chalk, by Bill Thomson
Follow us on Instagram @literacybasedspeechtherapy
Write your review on Apple Podcasts!

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/setting-the-tone-using-picture-books

8. Our Favorite R Sound Picture Books for Speech Therapy Jun 27, 2023

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In our speech therapy sessions, we like to choose books that help our students work toward their language goals. So we're continuing our "favorites" series with another round of picture books that helps with a popular articulation problem. With a lot of kids struggling with the R sound or R-blend words, we’ve compiled our favorite R picture books to share with you all!
For each of the R picture books we chose, we include a brief summary, its targeted audience, literacy skills to practice with your students, and the many benefits it offers your students. Along with working on a student’s goals, all the R picture books we share have high-frequency words throughout the story to ensure that your students have multiple opportunities to practice these word sounds. Make sure to check out our list for an academic and engaging reading during your literacy-based speech therapy sessions!
Resources Mentioned:

Free notes download - includes a list of the books we mention!
Book Search for Speech Therapy
Articulation Road Map for R Sounds
R Book List Articulation Therapy
Follow us on Instagram @literacybasedspeechtherapy.
Write your review on Apple Podcasts!

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/R-picture-books

7. How to Get Older Students to "Buy Into" Picture Books for Your Speech Therapy Sessions Jun 20, 2023

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In our speech therapy sessions we have students of all ages, so when we use a literacy-based approach, our older students can sometimes feel like picture books are too babyish for them. However, we know that research supports using picture books for oral language skills, which is what our students are in our sessions for. That's why we’ve come up with some ways to get older students using picture books in their speech therapy sessions.

Throughout the episode, we highlight a variety of things to consider on how to get older students using picture books plus some helpful tricks if pushback occurs. Regardless of your approach to getting older students using picture books, remember it’s about having and showing respect for your students!

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/older-students-using-picture-books

6. Deep Dive: Using Ribbit! and Dude! in Speech Therapy Jun 13, 2023

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If you’re new to incorporating a literacy-based approach in your speech sessions, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to use picture books effectively. To help get you started or give you ideas, we’re doing a deep dive on two of our favorite books, Ribbit! and Dude!

By going page by page through each book, we show you the process we go through when using the books during our speech sessions. We provide sample questions to ask, discussions to have, when to pause and have students reflect, and more. Both books also have themes that are relatable to kids in the classroom, school setting, and friend groups. By taking a deep dive into Ribbit! and Dude! your literacy-based speech sessions will be engaging and informative.
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/deep-dive

5. This or That: Using There was an Old Lady... and Sharing a Shell in Speech Therapy Jun 06, 2023

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When using picture books during a literacy-based speech therapy session, you want to make sure that the book you choose is impactful and helps reach the goals of each of your students. However, determining which books to use out of your long list can be overwhelming and difficult. To help you make the best decision, we’re doing a this or that episode that compares the books There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell and Sharing a Shell.

Since we know that language goals can be solved through narratives, we want to make sure that the books we are choosing assist in that goal. We share a brief summary of each book, relatable concepts to discuss and activities to do during therapy sessions, and literacy skills you could potentially practice. Time is limited and you often work in groups during your sessions, so we want to find the right books that are most impactful for your students in our this or that episode.
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/this-or-that

4. Our Favorite Summer Picture Books for Speech Therapy May 30, 2023

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With summer quickly approaching, we’ve decided to combine our two favorite things in one episode: summer and picture books! Whether you’re gearing your students up for what’s to come during summer break or a parent who’s looking to keep literacy skills sharp while school’s not in session, we’ve compiled the perfect summer themed book list for you. In the first of our favorites series, we’re sharing our top 10 favorite summer books for speech therapy.

Each of the books we share are a complete episode, meaning they have a plan that includes action steps, how to solve the problem, and a resolution. We’re providing various topics and themes that could be discussed, literacy skills to practice, the target audience, and social emotional components to work with your students or children on. We’ve also included ways to incorporate crafts for storytelling or parallel story ideas. These books are fun, quick, and engaging, just in time for summer!
Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/summer-books

3. How To Implement A Literacy-Based Speech Approach in Your Speech Therapy Sessions May 23, 2023

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You might know that you want to start incorporating literacy into your therapy sessions with students, but are struggling with what that would look like and how to do it effectively. We always want to give you the most accurate information and provide you with ways to best support your students through literacy. That’s why in today’s episode, we’re walking you through the steps we take on using a literacy-based speech therapy approach with one of our favorite books Doctor De Soto.

To celebrate the launch of this podcast, we’re doing a giveaway! You can enter to win one of ten Amazon gift cards by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Before submitting your review, screenshot the episode and send it to us in a DM on Instagram @literacybasedspeechtherapy or via email to podcast@sweetsouthernspeech.com. The giveaway closes June 6, 2023.

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/literacy-based-approach

2. The Why Behind Literacy-Based Speech Therapy May 23, 2023

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Being in the educational field, we know that the use of books and reading to children is an important part of their language development. And while the role of SLPs vary by school, district, and state, many want to use a literacy-based approach with their students. However, they feel they need to defend their reasoning for using them.

With this research heavy episode, we share how literacy is a natural context for targeting specific language skills, improves communication, and benefits all students with whom you work with. Plus, we’ll identify various books to use that help practice different skills with repetitive texts.

To celebrate the launch of this podcast, we’re doing a giveaway! You can enter to win one of ten Amazon gift cards by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Before submitting your review, screenshot the episode and send it to us in a DM on Instagram @literacybasedspeechtherapy or via email to podcast@sweetsouthernspeech.com. The giveaway closes June 6, 2023.

Resources Mentioned:

Show Notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/why-literacy-based

1. The Story Behind The Literacy-Based Speech Podcast (and What's to Come!) May 23, 2023

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Do you have a love of picture books? If so, then you’re in the right place. Welcome to the very first episode of The Literacy-Based Speech Podcast! We are your co-hosts and fellow SLPs, Ashley and Kalin. Inside this inaugural episode, we’re sharing about our backgrounds in speech therapy, our literacy-based approach, and how this podcast will help alleviate some of the overwhelm that comes with being an SLP.

To celebrate the launch of this podcast, we’re doing a giveaway! You can enter to win one of ten Amazon gift cards by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Before submitting your review, screenshot the episode and send it to us in a DM on Instagram @literacybasedspeechtherapy or via email to podcast@sweetsouthernspeech.com. The giveaway closes June 6, 2023.

Resources Mentioned:

Show notes: https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/podcast/literacy-based-speech-podcast

Welcome to The Literacy-Based Speech Podcast! May 08, 2023

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Welcome to The Literacy-Based Speech Podcast! We are Speech-Language Pathologists and your hosts, Ashley and Kalin.
We’ve created this podcast to help show you how to best incorporate picture books into your therapy sessions. Our strategies are evidence-based so you can feel confident in the information that we’ll share!
You can look forward to a new episode each and every Tuesday. Be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so that you never miss an episode.
Follow us on Instagram @literacybasedspeechtherapy. We would love to hear your questions or comments after listening!
For more helpful resources, head to https://sweetsouthernspeech.com/.

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