Math CCSS Lessons for the SLP {Describing}

Yes, you read that correctly. Math and SLP are in the same sentence. Even though it’s the complete opposite side of the brain, we CAN work on math concepts and what’s more is that our students NEED us to work with them on math concepts.

Grab a Common Core State Standards Packet and you don’t need to read very far before you start seeing words such as:

describe, identify, compare, contrast, recognize…sound familiar? THIS is what we do 🙂

Or…just look at this sample third grade math question on a PARCC assessment:

Third grade students took a total of 1000 pictures for the year book during the school year.

• Ted took 72 pictures
• Mary took 48 pictures

Part A: What is the total number of pictures taken by the rest of the third grade during the school year?

Part B: Ella took 8 more pictures than Ted took. How many more pictures did Ella take than Mary?

Wowzers these are tough questions. I see vocabulary such as “total, rest of, how many more” that students need to understand in order to answer this question correctly.

Today I’m sharing a few activities from my friend Miss DeCarbo’s class on ways to incorporate both language and math into your therapy room. If you haven’t checked out her blog, she has some AHHHMAZING ways of incorporating oral language into her whole and small group lessons.

One of the easiest ways to work on math is simply having the student bring what they are working on from class to you. We have a unique understanding of language and are some of the best people to be teaching it-whether it comes from math or reading or social studies or science class.

Lately Miss DeCarbo has been working on some fun math activities when one of our friends comes to speech. I have my speech friend bring his work because

1. This gives me a great opportunity to work on some of the language and speech in his math curriculum

and

2. He doesn’t need to make up what he missed when he comes back from speech. Sometimes, he’s even ahead of his friends because he receives my small group support!

 

Check out this fun activity we worked on a few weeks ago. Students had to form a picture using shapes and then write a description for someone else to build.

“I used a hexagon for the head. I used 2 rhombus to make a hexagon for the belly. I used 2 triangles to make the hands. I used the rhombus to make the feet. I used the triangle for the hat.” I was so proud of this little guy!

Since this student is in first grade, let’s look at some of the CCSS standards this activity addresses:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1
Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2
Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.¹

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.6
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

This week, we’ve been working on sorting and explaining the reasoning behind the sorting.

“This side has four vertices and four sides and this side does not.”

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1
Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.6
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. (We’re still working on capitals and punctuation)

 

Just look at all these standards you can work on when you incorporate math and language into your therapy! Here’s a fun little freebie  from me to use in your room. I hang my posters in my room and it reminds me work on math vocabulary!

 

I hope you found some new ways to incorporate math into your lessons. Tell me, how do you work on these skills?