Story Grammar Marker {App Review & Giveaway}

SGM. Just another set of letters for the SLP toolbox! Story Grammar Marker is a MindWing Concepts  program for narratives. Developed by Maryellen Rooney Moreau M.Ed. CCC-SLP, Story Grammar Marker is a product for children in 3-5th grades for narrative development.

SGM is system I had heard about but never used. The MindWing Concepts folks asked me to review their app, so my first questions was... "Do I have to have the whole program or prior knowledge?" They indicated I would be able to use the app without any prior experience. So I started by heading over to the MindWing website and took a look at the evidence for the SGM system. I read over the program and got the big picture. Here is some info straight from the source: 

"The SGM® incorporates MindWing’s patented icons to give children a visual, kinesthetic tool for help with “WH” Story Grammar questions and common graphic organizers. The SGM® delves into the “why” question: motivations, feelings, plans – all necessary for the development of critical thinking skills. This colorful, hands-on tool enables children to externalize the macrostructure of the story so they can concentrate on literate language features (microstructure)."

 I thought it sounded like another great multi-sensory tool! So let's take a look at the app.

This is the home page. I started with the 'paper' icon so I could learn more about how to use the app. 

The app took me through this tutorial, which helped me not miss any features! 

The program moves through the different symbols used through out a narrative. 

It shows you how to find more visuals for your student in each portion of the app! 

I chose to read more information (similar to what is on the website) through the app. 

Above you can see the different developmental sequences for narratives used throughout the app. 

When you start your own story, you will see this page. 

You're given the option to password protect a story. This is great for keeping student information protected. 

I started by selecting the 'stages of story development' at the bottom of the page. If you click on one of these strands, those appropriate icons will be added to the page. 

As the icons are added to the left side of the page, you can begin to write or retell your story. 

When you select an icon, you are taken to a page to add story information. Here you choose from typing, drawing, adding images or photos. This part of the app was a little frustrating. Twice my student deleted her information because she hit the 'back' arrow instead of 'done.' I also couldn't find a way to add both images and text in the same page. My students needed both to recall all the parts of the story. 

As you click each part of the story there is a 'more info' button. This button shows a image that includes reminders for the student.  

Here is my 'hockey game' drawing for the first action in our story! 

Clearly I'm not an artist but the ability to draw makes the app engaging for my clients. 

So here was my story! About our family hockey game in Colorado a few years ago. I recorded the story using the 'record' button at the bottom of the page.

When the story replays it's done as though it's a news story. 

Save the story for later!

Here's the story list screen! 

Pros: The app fills the 'gap' for narrative development. I don't have any other apps for creating narratives skills. Those who already use the SGM program will be very excited to have another avenue for instruction. Using SGM for the very first time already increased my student's ability to include details and a cohesive sequence to their writing. Doing it on the iPad made it even more appealing! 

Cons: Since the app accompanies a whole program, I'm sure using the app independently doesn't give the user all the knowledge and skills that having the full SGM materials would create. I found that my students had difficulty adding their content when typing. They have to select 'done' on the keyboard and then 'done' on the side bar. Twice my student lost the paragraph she typed. 

MindWing is offering 3 free copies of the Story Grammar Marker App to Speech Room News readers! Enter on rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: MindWing provided a copy of this app for review. The opinions are mine. 

Fun and Functional {App Review and Giveaway}

Fun and Functional is an app produced by Smarty Ears and authored by Rosie Simms. Like you might have guessed based on the name, this app targets the expressive and receptive language for functions.

The research base for this app provided from Smarty Ears:

Fun & Functional is based on research around vocabulary and word meaning development in students. Improving vocabulary, describing ability and associations between words assists students in language comprehension and reading skills (Bromley, 2007). In particular, students have more difficulty acquiring verb-based vocabulary (Loeb, Pye, Redmond & Richardson, 1996), a skill that is targeted by Fun & Functional. The application allows for a focus on identifying and describing words within essential categories such as vehicles and household items, consistent with research indicating that categorization improves word storage and retrieval (Miller & Eilam, 2008). The application is designed to provide visual supports shown to be helpful for students with autism spectrum disorder and also targets suggested goals for this population such as expansion of word knowledge and action words (ASHA, 2006). Fun & Functional is also applicable to the instructional goals of children with language learning disorders, whose difficulties with vocabulary acquisition and descriptive language put them at risk for difficulties with reading and writing (Chanly, 1994; Gray, 2003, 2006; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986).

The app does not use multi-player options. Instead start with the settings and then start with the quick play option.

Start with choosing the receptive/expressive tasks. Then select the type of vocabulary to be targeted. 

The receptive tasks are shown with 2-4 items on the page. The prompt plays aloud. If you need to replay the prompt, just tap the words. 

The expressive tasks are rated by the clinician and marked using the buttons at the bottom of the page. 

When you're finished with a session, click the DONE button in the top corner. Then record your data and print/email. 

Pros: The app is great for multiple ages. I used it this week with 14 year olds with severe cognitive deficits and with first graders. The images are appropriate for both.

Cons: The app limits data collection to a single user. In groups both, the SLP will need to keep separate data from the app.

Smarty Ears provided a copy of this app in exchange for a review. And they also want to give a copy to a lucky SLP who enters on the Rafflecopter below.


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Basic Concepts Skills Screener {App Review & Giveaway}

Back to School, Back to School, to prove to my Dad that I'm not a fool. I've got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight..... In the immortal words of Billy Madison. It's back to school time!

If you're looking for assessment apps, this is the time to make your Smarty Ears app purchases. All their assessment apps are currently on sale until August 19th. One of those apps on sale is the Basic Concepts Skills Screener.

The Basic Concepts Skills Screener was developed as a screening tool for preschool to primary aged students.

Start on the home page. On the left side, you can add and edit students. Click New Test to start a new assessment. Select the full screening or the quick screening. The quick screening (30 probes) should take 5 minutes while the full screening (79 probes) should take about 15 minutes. 

As the student sees each screen, the student selects an answer. The app will make a confirmation 'ding' when an answer is selected (even if the answer is wrong).

The student selects the 'next' button to move on to the next stimulus probe. 

You'll also notice the number of the probe in the bottom left corner. 

When finished, you will be able to note the date of the test and the raw score. 

Each of these 3 images describe the  results. You can export these results or import them into the Therapy Report Center (a free Smarty Ears App). 

Pros: This app is great for a baseline screener. I love it for great monitoring tool. The images are clear and the app is intuitive. The simple design is very appropriate and the length of the assessments expected. All the concepts covered are age appropriate from early preschool to early elementary aged students.

Cons: No criterion scores are included in the assessment. While we can describe the screening results there are standardized scores. The included age range percentages don't have listed skills. For example, the report above said Jenna could identify 62% of the skills expected by age 4, but I wasn't able to find those expected skills by age. I'm sure if I show teachers or parents these awesome graphs and information, they're going to ask for that list!

In the future updates, I'd LOVE to be able to control which items are included on the shorter screener.

Check out the full video tutorial:

Head over to itunes to purchase the BCSS, now priced at $9.99 on sale from $19.99. If you're feeling lucky enter below on the rafflecopter to win a copy of the BCSS for yourself!

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School of Multi-Step Directions {app review & giveaway}

The developers over at Virtual Speech Center, Inc. have released another speech therapy app. School of Multi-Step Directions is developed for elementary and older students working on 2-4 step directions. VSC provided a copy of this app for review, but the opinions below are just mine!

In setting you can choose randomization, enable audio and adjust rewards.

It's important to note that background noise can be added in different levels here for Figure Ground practice. The background noise practice makes this app very appropriate for children with auditory processing disorders.

To start, add your students information and click on one of the classrooms.

Each classroom features different kinds of multi-step direction activities in the theme of the given classroom. Read the details from the developer below:

• English classroom: 2-step, 3-step and 4-step of unrelated directions with multiple levels of difficulty. Stimuli include: pictures, letters, and written words with color, size, and temporal concepts. For example, “Underline the red letter A and erase the blue letter C.”
• Math classroom: 2-step, 3-step and 4-step of unrelated directions with multiple levels of difficulty. Stimuli include: shapes, number, concepts, size, color, odd, even, bigger than, and smaller than. For example, “If 10 is bigger than 9, highlight 4 and underline 6, if not, cross out 2 and touch 1.”
• Chemistry Lab: 2-step, 3-step and 4-step unrelated directions with multiple levels of difficulty. Children will have fun “making experiments.” For example, “Set the temperature to cold, shake the flask, and add water to the cup.”

Choose different levels and learning objectives for each student. I especially loved the chemistry set! The tools in this set allow you to set temperature to hot or cold, mix, or shake.

When shown the game screen children will be read the direction prompt. There are 4 different tools at the bottom of the page. Use the pencil to underline, the X to cross out, the highlighter to highlight and the eraser to erase!

Many of the skills are really hard. For example a 2 step conditional directions with numbers and even/odd number says: If 10 is an even number, underline 3 and cross out 2. If not highlight 2 and erase 9. That's a lot for ME to recall!

Data collection is seen in the top corners of the page. You can also repeat the verbal prompt.

The app includes a ping pong game as part of recess.

The app's data collection is on par for data collection apps.

Check out this full video description for more details. 

The app is listed for sale in the itunes store for $18.99. But one lucky reader can have a free copy by entering in the rafflecopter giveaway listed below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Describe It To Me {app review}

Come on down! You're the next contestant on... Describe It To Me! 

((Are you envisioning me as Bob Barker or Drew Carey?))

Describe It To Me is the latest app developed by the app gurus over at Smarty Ears. 

This app is developed to work on receptive and expressive language skills for school age children. The app is developed by Susan Rose Simms, MA, CCC-SLP.

Start by adding your players. Avatars and pictures can be used. 

The game play page has many features. On the left spinning wheel you will notice players. Simply touch and drag the wheel to rotate between players. On the right hand side of the screen the clinician can switch between Receptive and Expressive tasks (R/E). The red buttons on the right side of the screen allow you to move to the next item. 

The top of each screen lists the type of questions to be asked. They include category, function parts, location, visuals and extra. You can see when the question is answers correctly the text turns green. The receptive language tasks in the top picture show receptive language tasks with multiple choice answers. The above picture displays the expressive task. 

From the developer: 

Designed to facilitate a deep semantic understanding, each picture stimulus has six questions designed to probe and teach a deeper level understanding of these everyday items. In addition to teaching semantic knowledge to children, Describe it To Me can be used to facilitate rebuilding semantic knowledge in adults. Perfect for all levels from beginning categorization skills to deeper level language skills. 

Print homework directly from the ipad with the included sheet. 

The report center tracks data in both the receptive and expressive tasks. 

Check out the app described in detail and shown in the video below! 

The bottom line:

Pros: The app works on a skill I target often in school based therapy.  Having homework available to print from the app is ideal. 

Cons: The app has a pretty limited function. It has only one game screen, compared to other apps SLPs may find fewer in-app options. 

Describe It To Me is found in the itunes store and is listed at $9.99 in itunes.