Anyone who has tried to help their child with homework knows it can be humbling experience. View this presentation to get some practical low tech and high tech tips for helping your child learn vocabulary and write essays and papers.

1. 
Communication and Homework Tools
Practical Language Strategies for Parents
Deena Seifert, M.S., CCC-SLP
Figure of Speech Therapy LLC April 8, 2013

2. Overview
Homework time is a time of
constant struggle for students and their
parents. This is a presentation to discuss
some low tech and high tech strategies you
can use at home to improve your child’s
language skills, decrease her frustration
and increase her confidence.

3. Communication @PPtitudeTM is a company founded by Beth
Lawrence, M.A., CCC-SLP and Deena Seifert, M.S., CCC-SLP to
produce apps, blogs and workshops helping educators, parents,
tutors and speech-language pathologists as they work with student
who have speech and language differences.
Email:
CommunicationApptitude@gmail.com
Check out our blog at
CommunicationAPPtitude.com

5. Beth Lawrence, M.A., CCC-SLP

6. My child is always missing due dates for
projects or can’t remember what to put on
his paper before turning it in.
Organization Low Tech High Tech
What is the student Checklist Create templates in a
being asked to do? word processing program.
Due dates Agenda book Phone or mobile device
Central calendar Mobile Calendar
Post It notes in binder Noodle Tools
Calendar in binder
Organization of Project Folder for each project Noodle Tools (web)
Note cards Evernote (web & apps)
Index Card (app)
Infinote Pinboard (app)

7. The student could
•Have the writing checklist
next to him while he writes
at home, or
•put the checklist in a
plastic sleeve in the writing
section of each binder
Communication APPtitude 2013

8. Vocabulary – Low Tech Strategies
Index Cards are something
most people have in their
homes or offices.
Invest heavily in these and
use them liberally.

9. Learning Vocabulary Terms – Low Tech Strategies
Write the word on one side of
the index card. Students who
are highly visual might prefer to
use different colors.
On the other side of the
card, write the definition.
Break the definition into
parts.

10. Learning Vocabulary Terms – Low Tech Strategies
After creating index cards, have
the child go through them and Words I Know
make a pile of words they know
and words they don’t know.
Take the pile of cards they
don’t know and here the
work begins.
Words I don’t know

11. Learning Vocabulary Terms – Low Tech Strategies
With the pile of words the student doesn’t know work together to
code meaning to the word using past experiences, pictures, and
sayings.

12. Understanding and Recalling Lengthy Definitions
(example from Beth Lawrence)
Definition for city-state:
“A self-governing city that controlled surrounding lands and
villages”
Break it into segments
a self-governing / city / that controlled / surrounding
/ lands and villages
See the complete lesson on our blog: “More Curricular Vocabulary”

13. a self-governing / city / that controlled / surrounding / lands and villages
Rules
See the complete lesson on our blog: “More Curricular Vocabulary”

14. Recalling Dates and Events
Communication APPtitude 2013

15. Vocabulary High Tech Strategies
“Executive Function is defined as a set of mental processes that
help us connect past experience with present action.”
Organizing, planning, initiating behavior, inhibiting impulses and
working memory are the cognitive abilities that are affected.
Some students, especially those with Executive
Functioning difficulties, sometimes find cards too
overwhelming. When this happens, turning to technology
might be the answer.

16. Apps for Vocabulary
• Quizlet (computer, iOS, Android)*
• Evernote Peek (iPad)
• Study Stack
• Open Window Software (PC)
• Flash Card Manager
*My personal favorite

17. Writing - Low Tech Strategies
✓ Be the “scribe” while your child brain storms.
When you find a mistake on your child’s
✓ paper while proof-reading, put a check next
to it and ask them to figure out what is wrong
with the sentence.
Have them read their paper aloud
✓ (“reverbalization”) or read it to them
so they can hear their mistakes.

18. Communication APPtitude 2013

20. Telling or Writing About an Event
What? What?
Where? Who? Typical Situation Less-Typical Situation
Home Dad Eating breakfast – home or out Birthday party
Bedroom Mom Eating lunch – home or out funeral
Living room brother Eating dinner wedding
Dining room sister TV or movie theater sleepover
TV room cousin Video games Sports event
basement friend texting picnic
backyard enemy emailing Skiing/skating
Park/field grandparents Youtube Writing a letter/note
Friend’s house Aunt/uncle Music – instrument or listen Going on vacation
Restaurant Teacher Practicing sports Going on a field trip
Airplane Waiter Reading a book / doing homework Celebrating holidays

21. Research Paper or Project
Low Tech Low Tech High Tech
High Tech
Gathering Print out information and number
each source.
Noodle Tools
Information Easybib.com
Use a 2-pocket folder to store all
their information.
Writing the Write from the outline following it
meticulously.
Paper Type or use a voice generated
Take it paragraph by paragraph. program to write the paper.
Reduce stress.
Proofreading You or your child read parts of the
paper aloud.
Have the computer read the
paper aloud to them to find
their mistakes.
If they don’t find their own
mistake, point it out and have Use spell/check and check for
them repair it. mistakes.

22. Research Paper or Project
Low Tech High Tech
Using a piece of paper, be your
child’s scribe to record ideas quickly. Use Inspiration, Whiteboard,
Brainstorming Notability etc. to quickly write or
Help your child organize the ideas draw ideas.
while brainstorming.
Inspiration turns your brainstorming
ideas into an outline with the click
of a button.
Outlining Use a word processing program
template to organize the outline. Noodle Tools allows students to
create outlines.
Outline Pro

23. Writing Assistance Note-taking Keyboarding
iOS
Jalapeno (app)
WordQ and SpeakQ Sound Note Tap Typing (app)
Abilipad (records as you write)
Android
Notability
PaperPort Notes Typing Tutor
Penultimate Tap Writer
Capture Notes
Smart Writing Tool:
Kidspiration Handwriting recognition
PC/Mac
www.freetypinggame.net
Inspiration Freeonlinetypinggames.com
Funschool.kaboose.com
Bigbrownbear.co.uk
www.Tvokids.com
Dance Mat Typing

24. Backup and Storage
Don’t risk losing a USB memory stick! Back up your
child’s work. Here are just a few possibilities:
•Dropbox – free 2 GB of storage, can work offline and syncs
across all devices
•Google Drive – save and share files online
•iCloud
•SugarSync
•JustCloud.com

25. Thank You!
If your child needs a speech-language evaluation or
tutoring consultation, please call:
Bowman Educational Services
10440 Shaker Drive Unit 108A
Columbia, Maryland 21046
410-290-5955
Deena Seifert, M.S., CCC-SLP
Certified Speech-Language Pathologist
Figure of Speech Therapy LLC
figureofspeech@verizon.net

26. 
Communication and Homework Tools
Practical Language Strategies for Parents
If you would like to see this presentation
again, it will be posted our blog:
www.CommunicationAPPtitude.com