The Doc gets good news...

Congrats to my amazing wife, Dr. Alida Anderson, who just got tenured at American University!

SLP clinician transfer: case notes sheet

It's spring which means I am knee deep in Kindergarten transition evaluations. When I am passing the folders to different SLPs for Kindergarten I often want to write other notes that aren't in the file anywhere. I whipped up this sheet to include in their file with the most recent information the new SLP will need.

I might even make myself notes for the student I will keep. That way I can remember anything important in the fall.

Grab it for free by clicking on the picture above. How do you communicate with other SLPs when you trade students?

Art Fair dynamics

From a post almost a decade ago:

One of the more eye-opening things in attending an art fair is seeing the dynamics that go onto the decision to buy a piece of art.

Put together a few thousand people, paying an entry fee to enter the fair, an assortment of dealers, and a huge diverse variety of offerings and it's an education in people watching.

The married couple:
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, I like it- it's just what we've been looking for."
"Where would we put it?"
"We have a couple of spots that it'd fit."
"Do you really like it."
"Yeah, how about you?"
"Yeah, I kinda of like it."
"Should we get it?"
"If you want it."
(five minutes later)
"Let's think about it."
"OK" [To me] "Do you have a business card?"

The couple (not married):
Her: "Do you like it?"
Him: "Sssoright"
Her: "Where would we put it?"
Him: "Dunno."
Her: "Do you really like it."
Him: "So'OK.. Yeah, how about you?"
Her: "Yeah, I kinda, sorta, really like it."
Him: "Dunno though"
Her: "What? You don't like it?"
Him: "If you want it."
(five minutes later)
Him: "Let's think about it."
Her or Him: "OK" [To me] "Do you have a business card?"

The Single Woman (SW) with a Woman Friend:
SW: "WOW! Now, I really like this!"
Friend: "Yeah... it's nice"
SW: "It's exactly what I've been looking for!"
Friend: "I have a friend who does work just like this..."
SW: "I am really drawn to it!"
Friend: "Are you really sure you like it?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... why? Don't you like it?"
Friend: "Yeah... it's OK"
SW: "I think it's really good... I think it's the first piece in this whole show that I really like."
Friend: "There's a few more booths we haven't seen."
SW: "I think I'm going to buy this."
Friend: "Are you sure?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... It's a good price too.... why? Don't you like it?"
(five minutes later)
SW: "Do you have a business card?"

The Single Woman (SW) with a Man Friend:
SW: "WOW! Now, I really like this!"
Friend: "Yeah... Cool"
SW: "It's exactly what I've been looking for!"
Friend: "I think it's a lithograph" [it's actually a charcoal]
SW: "I am really drawn to it!"
Friend: "Are you really sure you like it?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... why? Don't you like it?"
Friend: "I have something like it... I got it cheaper though..."
SW: "I think it's really good... I think it's the first piece in this whole show that I really like."
Friend: "You like lithographs?"
SW: "I think I'm going to buy this."
Friend: "Are you sure?"
SW: "Uh - yeah!... It's a good price too.... why? Don't you like it?"
(five minutes later)
SW: "Do you have a business card?"

The Single Focus Dream Buyer:
[Walks straight up to one piece, never looks at the rest of the work in your booth]
"I'll take this"
[Me] "Thank you... it's a very striking charcoal drawing - will be that be a check or charge?"
"Charge"
[Me] "I can send you more information on this artist..."
"That will be great - I love this work - it's exactly what I'm interested in!"
[Me] "I have a few more pieces here, would you like to see them?"
"No, thanks..."

The "I'm glad you're here guy (IGYHG)":
IGYHG: "Hey! I've been looking for you!"
[Me]: "Hi, how are you?"
IGYHG: "... been walking this whole fair looking for you!"
[Me]: "Yeah... lots of dealers this year... glad you found us!"
IGYHG: "Howsa been goin'?"
[Me]: "Yes... quite good actually..."
IGYHG: "Well, let me look at what you've got!"
[three minutes later]
IGYHG: "Well... I'm glad you're here... see ya next year!"


The "I Shudda Bought It Last Year Guy (Shudda)":
Shudda: "Hey! You're here again!"
[Me]: "Hi, how are you? Yeah... It's our 7th year here..."
Shudda: "... been walking this whole fair looking for you!"
[Me]: "Yeah... lots of dealers this year... glad you found us!"
Shudda: "Howsa been goin'?"
[Me]: "Yes... quite good actually..."
Shudda: "Well, let me look at what you've got!"
[three minutes later]
Shudda: "Where's that really good watercolor of the fill-in-the-blank?"
[Me]: "Uh... I sold it last year - but I have a few more pieces by that artist."
Shudda: "Ah! - I really wanted that one! Do you have another one?"
[Me]: "Well, no... it was an original watercolor, and I sold it; but I have ---"
Shudda: "I really wanted that piece; and it was a good price too..."
[Me]: "Maybe you'd like some of his new work..."
Shudda: "I shudda bought it last year"
[Walks away]
Shudda: "You gonna be here next year?"

The "Where's That Piece Guy (WTP)":
WTP: "Hey! You're here again!"
[Me]: "Hi, how are you? Yeah... It's our 7th year here..."
WTP: "... been walking this whole fair specifically looking for you!"
[Me]: "Yeah... lots of dealers this year... glad you found us!"
WTP: "Howsa been goin'?"
[Me]: "Yes... quite good actually..."
WTP: "OK... last year I saw this piece... it was a fill-in-the-bank and I should have bought it then! "
[Me]: "Yeah... that is a nice piece."
WTP: "I've been thinking about it for a whole year"
[Looks around the booth and doesn't see it]
WTP: "Do you still have it?"
[From here there are two paths...]
Path One -
[Me]: "Uh... I sold it last year - but I have a few more pieces by that artist."
WTP: "Ah! - I really wanted that one! Do you have another one?"
[Me]: "Well, no... it was an original watercolor, and I sold it; but I have ---"
WTP: "I really wanted that piece; and it was a good price too..."
[Me]: "Maybe you'd like some of his new work..."
WTP: "I shudda bought it last year"
[Walks away]
WTP: "You gonna be here next year?"
Path Two
[Me]: "Let me get it for you... I have it in the back!"
WTP: "Great"
[I bring it out and give to WTP]
WTP: "Yeah this is it! It's great!"
[Me]: "This artist has done really well this last year and ---"
WTP: [Handing it back] "Excellent! I'm glad you still have it... until what time are you going to be here?"

Vocabulary Chipper Chat {product review}

If you’ve read my other Chipper Chat Reviews forArticulation, you know I’m a HUGE fan of this therapy tool. It’s the perfect group activity for preschoolers to middle schoolers. Chipper Chat has never let me down!

Super Duper Inc.’s newest addition to the collection is Vocabulary Chipper Chat. It’s Core Curriculum aligned and full of language activities. This one made me giddy! I love that it works on so many foundations skills of vocabulary. My IEP goals are written SO similarly to these skills that it made data collection super easy. 

Included in the game:

12 different game board designs with 5 copies for each board

360 vocabulary cards

2 foam dice

Magnet wand (THE BEST PART, DUH!)

100 magnetic chips

I have all kinds of mixed groups (I know you can relate!) so I used the included language cards a couple different ways. One girl was using sentences strips with the compare/contrast cards. The other students used the pictures on the back of another set of task cards to work on sentence level fluency. My last group member used another set of the cards to target articulation carryover.

The included vocabulary card target the following skills:

analogies, associations, attributes, categories, compare/contrast, context clues, figurative language, function, homonyms, homophones, synonyms/antonyms, and verbs.

Pros: The included cards are quite diverse in difficulty. I have been able to use this set with Kindergarteners and 4^th graders in back to back groups. I love an activity I can use all day with diverse groups!

Cons: $65 might eat up a lot of your yearly budget (if you get one at all!) I wish the game always game with two magnet wands. 

 You can find the product on Super Duper's Website for $64.99. 

Disclosure Statement: This item was provided to SRN to complete a review. The opinions expressed are only the authors. 

SF morning

Little Junes having his morning constitutional at Cafe Bellini in San Francisco while mom was presenting two papers at a conference.

Want free artwork for your non profit agency?

The Art Connection in the Capital Region (ACCR) is currently accepting applications from nonprofit community service organizations within the Greater Metropolitan Washington, DC area interested in receiving a permanent collection of artwork for their agencies.

ACCR is a nonprofit organization that enriches lives by expanding access to original works of visual at within under served communities throughout Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

By bringing art to more members of our community, we are contributing to the creation of nurturing environments and providing individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity, to experience the beauty, inspiration and hope that art enables.

The types of organizations with which ACCR partners serve their clients directly and include: homeless and battered women's shelters, children's centers, mental health facilities, and low-income senior housing agencies, amongst several others.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

* Be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization

* Provide direct services to the residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland or Northern Virginia

* Have space to place artwork in public areas of the agency that is safe and accessible (administrative offices are generally not considered unless regularly used for public programming)

* Have no funds for in-house art purchases

To learn more about ACCR, to view recent placements, or to download an application, please visit: www.artconnection-cr.org

Please direct questions to: jcavnor@artconnection-cr.org

Airborne

Heading to San Francisco for the weekend as the Professor has two papers to present at a conference there and I am hand-delivering a major video piece to one of the top video collectors in the world.

Alchemical Vessels Opens Tonight!

Join me for this exclusive benefit event at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery and add one of the 125 Alchemical Vessels works to your own collection! Opening is tonight - Friday from 7-9 PM.

This unique exhibition will feature the work of 125 artists, hand-selected by 16 invited curators (including yours truly) , to engage in a community dialogue on healing and transformation through the arts. Each artist will transform the ceramic bowl by means of his or her own personal aesthetic and medium, drawing inspiration from the bowl as a place of holding, open community, a circle of care, sacred space, nourishment, and even the alchemical vessel.  

100% of the ticket sale proceeds will go to support Smith Center’s life-enhancing work and programs for people living with and recovering from cancer.

Ticket information:

- Benefit tickets $125: 125 Benefit tickets will be sold, and each ticket holder at this level will be given the opportunity to select a piece of art. Priority will be given by the order in which the tickets were purchased—so the first to buy a ticket will be awarded first pick of the 125 works, and so on. All 125 works will remain in the show until after the closing of the exhibition on June 7, at which time the new owners can pick them up.

- Supporter ticket: $50: This price level is good for entrance to the Benefit only. Ticket holders at this level do not get to keep a piece of art.

If you have trouble purchasing tickets, please call 202.483.8600 or email them at outreach@smithcenter.org. 

See the Facebook Event for more photos from the Artists!

Benefit attendees will also be invited to the Artists' Closing Reception for Alchemical Vessels on June 7, 2013!

My donation to this event is below. I debated what to create, and in the end, I gessoed the bowl and once again delivered the visage of the most transformative artist that I know: Frida Kahlo.

The Secret Substance of Frida Kahlo
Charcoal, conte and graphite on gessoed ceramic

Seldom has human history seen an artist so transformed by destiny, events and the agony of constant pain as Frida Kahlo. When Kahlo's young body was nearly destroyed and re-arranged by a horrible accident in her youth, where the young art student was impaled on a handrail that pierced her vagina and emerged through her chest, her agony transformed her into another being who then proceeded to gift onto the world some of the most spectacular portraits of pain that we've ever seen.

The intense brutality of pain transformed Kahlo with the same intensity that a thermonuclear reaction transforms its surroundings. She became a being submerged in constant pain for the rest of her life, both physical (she underwent dozens of surgeries) and mental (she experienced many miscarriages and was never able to have a child). And that transformation was the catalyst the propelled her to paint her own image as a mirror of the pain in her life, and in the process to become one of history’s great artists.

In the process, Kahlo transformed all of us, as a little bit of her artistic alchemic powers infect all of us who become hypnotized by her portraits; the power of her gaze, the eloquence of her eye brows and the intensity of her face, all leave a little bit of the secret substance that changes artistic matter from the mundane to an aspiration to the sublime.

Next month...

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival - May 11 & 12

Saturday, May 11, 10am - 6pm

Sunday, May 12,  10am - 5pm

130 artists from throughout the United States and Canada will converge in Bethesda's  Woodmont Triangle for the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival. Along with booths of fine art and fine craft, the festival will feature live musical, great eats from Bethesda restaurants and a children's activity area. 

Join them for a unique shopping experience in downtown Bethesda. Browse jewelry, furniture, painting, photography, sculpture and more. 

Admission to the festival is free and free parking is available in the public parking garage on Auburn Avenue. This event is held rain or shine.

More info.

Two Million {a giveaway}

It's a day for celebrating! During this week Speech Room News passed 2 million views! 

Say What?

2,000,000

That's two million times you visited for products, reviews, ideas or just to see my smiling face on the side bar. Whatever made you click on over, THANKS, so much :) 

So, we just have to celebrate that! Since we can't get together for happy hour or some geeky SLP laminating party.... I'll just throw a giveaway. 

I will select two people to win a $10 TpT gift certificate! Just enter via rafflecopter below! Thanks for letting me share my passion with you here in this community! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Give a kid a camera and...

The below are Little June's first photographic experiments, which are generally focused (cough, cough) on his beloved Cars characters...

These are all available in a limited signed and numbered edition of five. All circa 2013... cough, cough.

One of sixteen vestal virgins who were leaving for the coast

We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
And the waiter brought a tray

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

She said, "There is no reason
And the truth is plain to see."
But I wandered through my playing cards
And they would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open wide
They might have just as well been closed

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

She said, "I'm here on a shore leave,"
Though we were miles at sea.
I pointed out this detail
And forced her to agree,
Saying, "You must be the mermaid
Who took King Neptune for a ride."
And she smiled at me so sweetly
That my anger straightway died.

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

If music be the food of love
Then laughter is it's queen
And likewise if behind is in front
Then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
Seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
And attacked the ocean bed

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

-- Keith Reid & Gary Brooker

Landlord orders gallery to partially cover nude photo

"A nude model who used a topless tour to convince cops not to shut down a racy photo exhibit at a Lower East Side gallery has been forced to cover up after the landlord threatened to terminate the gallery’s lease.

On the owner’s orders, the operators of the ROX Gallery have put a caution sign over a lurid picture hanging in their Delancey Street window that shows model Natalie White masturbating...

... None of the other two dozen works inside the gallery has been censored, and White has not been banned from performing the live masturbation shows that are an occasional part of her act."

Initial details here and a really good report by the HuffPost's very fair Priscilla Frank (who studied Rhetoric of Narrative and Image at UC Berkeley and has written for art galleries in California and New York, as well as being the editor of the Berkeley Poetry Review and a sex columnist for the Daily Californian) is here... (Prissie call me!).

Brilliant publicity stunt on the part of the gallery or by the even more publicity-brilliant Natalie White (channeling Vito Acconci or maybe Andrea Fraser)... whatever works!

I'd like to see her invited to perform at (e)merge and see how the DMV reacts to it! They might shut down the whole fair!

Natalie!!! You're performing in the wrong place! If you want to really get arrested for simply showing your body... DO (e)merge!!!!  ......  (and the pun is sooooooo intended!).

Describe with Art {app review & giveaway}

Describe with Art is the latest app developed by the Virtual Speech Center, Inc. The app features art and descriptions.

Get started by selecting START and adding your students. 

Then select the tasks for your students.  The choice of activities includes ‘describe it’, an expressive task, or ‘following directions’ the receptive task. 

For the Describe It task, a picture is shown. Have your student describe what they see (I see pear. A pear is a green fruit.) Then let your students use the 5 prompts below to help them come up with more descriptors. The five question prompts for food include:

What is it?

What kind of food is it?

When do we eat this food?

Describe its appearance (size, color, or shape).

What is the flavor of this food?

The app collects data and lets you record student responses as well.

For the following directions activity, the student is given a direction. Ie: Show me the object that is found in an office, is made of rubber, and erases.  Or Show me the zoo animal with a long trunk and big ears. The student’s data is collected throughout.

Data results can be found in the app, sorted, and emailed.

Like the other VSC apps, the premise of the app, is that the student completes a certain about of tasks before ‘earning’ the reward. Describe with art features the above paint sheet for free drawing. 

Cons: The ‘drawing’ is a bit underwhelming. I would love if it the app perhaps gave the student a simple line drawing to try to copy or was more like a coloring page.

Pros: I love that the app has both receptive and expressive. The app incorporates a lot of language I use regularly in my caseload. 

Describe with Art can be found in the itunes store for $9.99 at the time of publication. 

Disclosure statement: VSC provided this app for review. No other compensation was provided. The opinions are those of the author. 

Now, lets get to a giveaway! I have one promo code to giveaway! Just enter on rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Like mother, like son

We did a 5K race this weekend... cough, cough... 

I actually did the "One Mile Fun Run" before the actual race... together with Anderson, who in spite of a 3-5 minute all stop protest in the middle of the race about being ordered to take his hands out of his pockets while he ran, managed to finish the one mile in less than 20 minutes.

It's all about genetics folks... not mine!

His mom, Doctor Alida The A, came in second overall, while still noting that she had a "slow race because it was so freaking cold!"

Technical Workshop: 3D Printing

Date: May 2, 2013, 6:00pm - 8:00pm 

 

Location: ABC Imaging, 1155 21st Street, NW

Washington, DC 20036

 

To Attend: The workshop is free for WPA members, with a $5.00 reservation fee for non-members. To RSVP, contact Membership Manager Christopher Cunetto by e-mail at ccunetto@wpadc.org or by phone at 202.234.7103 x 2.

 

Seating is limited.

 

Join Washington Project for the Arts and ABC Imaging for a technical workshop covering the basics of current 3D printing technologies and techniques, discussion on the different models and types of materials used in the process, as well as a tour of the 3D printing facilities at ABC imaging. ABC team members Tom Ashley, Major Account Sales Manager, John Lee, 3D Manger, and Chris Cole, Director of Graphics, will present.

Opportunity for Artists

Call for Artists to Exhibit in the Gallery @ BloomBars: "Emigration: In Honor of Cultures"

As a participant in the “Passport DC,” an annual celebration organized by Cultural Tourism DC coinciding with the Mayor of the District of Columbia's proclamation of May as International Cultural Awareness Month, BloomBars is hosting an exhibition exploring the concept of emigration, migration, immigration and community that honors the human story. The purpose of the exhibition is to explore human stories of the emigration process, allowing viewers to engage in dialogue, a shared understanding and meaningful conversations on critical issues and public policies.

 

OPEN TO ALL MEDIA

Dates of Exhibition: May 10th thru 31st, 2013
Submission Deadline: April 29, 2013
Exhibition Description:
Notification of Selected Artists: Friday, May 3, 2013

Submission Guidelines:
Artists may submit up to 10 digital JPEG images at 200 DPI. For sculptural or three-dimensional pieces, 2 images may be submitted for each work. The images must be submitted via email to carol@bloombars.com.

Legal and Financial Education for Artists

Mind your Business!

Click here for the flyer. 

Monday, May 6, 2013

In beautiful Easton, MD 

12:30 pm - 4:30 pm (with breaks and refreshments) 

Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover St., Easton MD, 21601

View map HERE

Get the scoop on Copyright Law, Liability Insurance, Business Entities (LLC v. Nonprofit v. Fiscal Sponsorship), and Merchant Services. 

Free! But reservations required.  

Space is limited! Please RSVP to Erin @ 410.467.6700. 

Glass, glass, glass...

Three highly anticipated Springtime cultural events in the DC area will soon be underway and you are invited! Each event will feature the art glass of Robert Weiner - in case you have missed it (as most DMV area curators seem to have), the DMV has become one of the art glass epicenters on the planet.

At Art17, the Mid City Artists are kicking off the season with a special Open Studio Tour Preview. Thirteen MCA members are represented in the exhibit, including select pieces from his Colorbar Murrine Series. Stop by the opening reception Thu, May 2 to meet the artists and get the first look. This exhibit runs through June 20.

Starting May 1, Gallery B in Bethesda presents an exhibit entitled "Seven Variations" where seven artists offer their individual interpretations of "variations on a theme". On display will be mWeiner's most recent work inspired by astronomical bodies, primarily lunar phenomena. The seven vessels strive to capture the composition, energy and evolution of these natural, complex and ancient objects. Throughout the exhibit a collaborative piece, donated by the artists, will be auctioned to benefit the Edgemoor Children's Center of Bethesda. A perfect time to place your bid will be at the May 10 reception.

And certainly not to be missed is the Spring Mid City Artists Open Studio Tour. Twenty-five plus private art studios in the Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, U Street and Shaw neighborhoods will be open to explore and purchase artwork. This bi-annual event, now in its 10th year, offers visitors a rare glimpse into the artists' working space with unique locations. Participating artists represent a great diversity of work, including drawings, sculptures, paintings, photography, mixed media and, of course, art glass. 

 

Mark your calendars to attend Sat, May 18 and/or Sun, May 19. Tour Tip: DC Art Glass is within a block of several new trendy restaurants including La Diplomate and Pearl Dive. Stop for lunch, brunch or a snack and then head on over to the studio for some exceptional art glass!

MCA Exhibit Art17 Gallery 1606 17th St, NW Washington, DC 20009 Exhibit Runs Thu, Apr 23 - Thu, Jun 20 Reception Thu, May 2 Hours: 6-8pm Helpful Links: MCA Website MCA Facebook DC Art Glass Website

Seven Variations Gallery B 7700 Wisconsin Ave, Suite E Bethesda, MD 20814  Wed, May 1 - Sat, May 25 Hours: Wed-Sat 12-6pm Sun 11am - 3pm Reception Fri, May 10 Hours: 6-9pm Helpful Links: Gallery B Website DC Art Glass Facebook

Open Studio Tour DC Art Glass Studio 1322 Corcoran Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 Sat, May 18, 12-5pm Sun, May 19, 12-5pm

12 Earth Day Freebies for Speech and Language

Monday is Earth Day! I didn't have time to make anything this year for Earth Day, so I headed to Teachers Pay Teachers and found some freebies for my students. I linked 12 of my favorite freebies below! All credits go to the original authors, listed by the items! 

Earth Day Sequencing, by Maggie Lewis. This activity focuses on sequencing by different attributes. 

Earth Day Math Freebie by Games 4 Learning. These simple dice games are good reinforcers for articulation groups and while sneaking in some math skills. 

Earth Day Patterns, by D Conway. Make this a game by putting the pattern completion cards in a bucket. Children draw cards and try to find the card they need to complete their patterns. 

Earth Day Word Work, by Sunny Days. Use these vocabulary word worksheets. 

Earth Day Social Problem Solving, by CC. These social problem solving cards will leave with plenty to discuss with your social groups! 

Celebrate Earth Day Reinforcer!, by Simply Speech. This game is perfect for ALL your groups! 

Everyday is Earth Day Game, by Mary Carr. This matching game will help kids identify the best ways to help the environments! 

Earth Day Facts & Task Cards, by Sunny Days. These cards are great conversation starters. 

Earth Day Mini-Unit, by Rachelle Smith. Huge unit with tons of activities!  My favorite is 'Is it a sentence?'

Earth Day Bingo, by Jason's Online Classroom. Bingo is a great way to work on vocabulary with your students! 

Earth Day Craftivity, by The Lesson Plan Diva. This adorable craft can be used for anyone! Great for classifying types of ideas. 

Earth Day Report Card, by Runde's Room. This is a great activity for problem solving! 

I hope you enjoy the items I found! Happy Earth Day!


Edit: I missed this freebie the first time, go check it out!

Miss Speechie: Earth Day Vocabulary Activities