Lesson Plan: Speech Superstars - All About Us!

Materials Needed:

• A small, safe mirror (handheld or wall-mounted)
• Paper plate
• Paperclip and a brass brad (fastener) OR a pencil
• Markers or crayons
• 5-6 index cards or small pieces of paper
• One favorite toy or object belonging to the student

Lesson Overview

This lesson is designed as a fun, interactive "getting to know you" session that doubles as a speech motor workout. It focuses on strengthening the muscles for speech and practicing clear articulation through games and creative expression. The activities encourage self-expression and build conversational confidence in a playful, low-pressure environment.

Learning Objectives

• The student will perform a sequence of 3-4 oral motor exercises to increase awareness and control of their lips, tongue, and jaw.
• The student will construct and articulate 5 novel, silly sentences using target sentence starters, focusing on clear speech production.
• The student will share 2-3 pieces of information about a preferred object, demonstrating the ability to organize thoughts and speak in a short, structured turn.

Lesson Activities

Part 1: Warm-Up - Face Yoga! (5 minutes)

Goal: To warm up the speech muscles (articulators) in a fun and engaging way.

1. Set the Stage: Sit in front of the mirror with the student. Say, "Before we can be Speech Superstars, we have to warm up our superstar tools! Let's do some funny Face Yoga."
2. Lion's Breath: "Let's be a mighty lion! Take a deep breath in through your nose, and on the way out, stick your tongue out as far as it can go towards your chin and say 'Ahhhhhh!' Let's do it three times." (Demonstrate with exaggeration).
3. Fish Lips: "Now, let's be a silly fish. Pucker your lips together tightly and then smile as wide as you can. Let's go back and forth 5 times: pucker... smile... pucker... smile..."
4. Ceiling Kisses: "Look up at the ceiling! Now, pucker your lips and try to send 5 big smooches to the ceiling. This gives our lips a great stretch!"
5. Tongue Rollercoaster: "Imagine your tongue is a rollercoaster inside your mouth. First, it goes all the way up to the bumpy part behind your top teeth. Then it goes all the way down behind your bottom teeth. Let's ride the rollercoaster up and down 5 times without moving our jaw."

Part 2: Main Activity - The Silly Sentence Spinner (10-15 minutes)

Goal: To practice sentence construction and articulation in a creative, game-based format.

Preparation (Before the lesson):

• Take the paper plate and divide it into 6 wedges with a marker.
• In each wedge, write a different sentence starter. Examples:
  • "My favorite food is..."
  • "If I had a superpower, it would be..."
  • "Something that makes me laugh is..."
  • "I am really good at..."
  • "My favorite animal is..."
  • "On the weekend, I like to..."
• Create a spinner in the middle using the brass brad and paperclip, or by holding a pencil point-down in the center and spinning the paperclip around it.

Instructions:

1. Introduce the Game: "This is the Silly Sentence Spinner! We will take turns spinning it. Whatever sentence starter it lands on, we have to finish the sentence. The goal is to use our best, clearest 'Superstar Voice'."
2. Teacher's Turn First: You go first to model. Spin the spinner. If it lands on "My favorite food is...", you might say, "My favorite food is pizza with extra cheese." (Slightly emphasize some key sounds you want the student to notice).
3. Student's Turn: Have the student spin the spinner. Encourage them to finish the sentence. Provide positive reinforcement like, "Wow, I heard such a clear 'k' sound in 'cat'!" or "Great job using your tongue to say the 'l' in 'like'."
4. Continue & Differentiate:
   • For Support: If the student struggles to think of an answer, offer two choices. "For your favorite animal, is it a dog or a dinosaur?" If they struggle with a sound, gently model it for them: "Let's try that 's' sound together, make your tongue like a snake... sssss."
   • For a Challenge: Ask a follow-up "why" question. "Oh, your superpower would be flying? Why did you choose that one?" This encourages more complex language.

Part 3: Cool-Down & Application - Superstar Show and Share (5 minutes)

Goal: To apply speech skills in a slightly longer, more personal turn, building confidence in sharing ideas.

1. The Setup: "For our last activity, you get to be the star of the show! Please go get one of your favorite toys or objects to share with me."
2. Create the Prompts: While the student gets their item, quickly write these 3 prompts on separate index cards or pieces of paper:
   • 1. What is it?
   • 2. Why is it your favorite?
   • 3. What is one fun thing you do with it?
3. Show and Share:
   • Have the student hold up their item.
   • Show them the first card ("What is it?") and have them answer.
   • Continue with the second and third cards. This provides a simple structure for them to follow, making it easier to organize their thoughts.
   • Listen actively and praise their sharing and clear speech. "Thank you for sharing about your LEGO car! I loved how you explained why it's your favorite. Your words were so clear and easy to understand!"

Assessment & Observation

Assessment is informal and observational during this lesson. Note the following:

• Oral Motor Skills: Was the student able to imitate the 'Face Yoga' movements? Which ones were easy or difficult?
• Articulation: Listen for overall clarity during the spinner game. Are there any specific sounds that are consistently difficult? (e.g., /r/, /l/, /s/, 'th').
• Language & Engagement: Was the student able to complete the sentences independently? Were they engaged and willing to participate and share?