Donna R. Underwood Beginning of School Year Electronic Portfolio

1. Donna R. Underwood Beginning of School Year Electronic Portfolio

2. The collective wisdom of Donna Underwood created by listening and putting to practice what I learn.

3. Classroom Leadership Philosophy My calling to be a teacher, requires that I depend on the wisdom and knowledge given by God. My husband prays for me daily to have wisdom and knowledge and for the students to be reachable and receptive. This prepares me mentally for the day. One of my life scriptures is Titus 2:7-8  (NIV) ”7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” Having said that, I desire to be an effective teacher which entails a relationship with my students that gives them assurance and a trust that I will do everything in my power to help them learn and provide a safe learning environment for them.

4. Classroom management is a fundamental component to a successful classroom and it allows me to teach my students and help them grow and learn to the best of their ability. In order for that to happen, the room is set up to be inviting with student’s seating arranged for the best learning. The rules are posted in the front of the classroom, visible by all. The tone of the classroom is set as the students enter the room with a calm greeting from me.

5. 2) A schedule will be created and must follow the requirements of my school and district which allows them to only be pulled from their classrooms during the designated intervention times. 3) A pleasing and inviting decoration will be placed on the speech room door so that the students will recognize which room they are entering. Since their services in special education are confidential information, we are not allowed to post their names outside of the classroom door. 4) Preparation for the introduction to speech class will be prepared according to the age of the student. All students are brought to the room for this lesson. a. All students review the rules and regulations for speech time which includes transition rules. b. Prior to the Initial lesson, sound cards will be prepared for each individual student to utilize for the speech lessons, so they will be aware of what sounds we are working on and will know what they are expected to practice once they receive their homework calendars. b. Pre-K-2nd – review of the correct tongue placement for each speech sound which entails a review of the parts of the mouth with a “Mighty Mouth Puppet.” This also includes a review of the alphabet and demonstration of the sound/letter correspondences. b. 3rd-higher- review of the correct tongue placement as necessary. Most of these students have been in speech for some time and need a simple review. Am I In the Right Room? Checklist of tasks prior to 1st day of School: 1) Organize my classroom into a pleasing environment for learning which entails no clutter to distract students from the task at hand. a. Rules and regulations as well as any posters that indicate expected behaviors will be posted at the front of the room in order to set the tone for what is expected. Rules for Speech Cart lessons are also reviewed. b. Supplies or manipulatives will be placed in strategic areas for lucrative speech sessions. c. A Horseshoe table will be centered for best learning experience for 1-5 students. On occasion, if more students are in a session at one time, the carpet will be utilized for larger groups. The students are placed in specific sections of the carpet that is their individual space while the lesson is in progress. d. A student computer will be available for students to practice their auditory skills. 1) Once my roll has been established according to the needs and requirements of each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), a detailed log sheet will be created in order to track their progress.

6. Where Am I Supposed to Sit? This is a simple task since my students are all in small groups from 1-5 students and we utilize the horseshoe table. My students are strategically paired for lessons during the preparation of the schedule as much as possible. This allows better lessons and more productive sessions and student success. I also utilize a “speech cart” fitted with necessary supplies utilized for multiple lessons and deficits that is pushed outside of classrooms where the students are pulled in groups of one or two students for short periods to specifically practice on their speech sounds and sent back into the classroom as quickly as possible to prevent unnecessary time out of the classroom. It is important to note that this setting is only used for my younger students. As students mature, they become more concerned that they are being singled out and are easily embarrassed to be seen receiving speech services in front of their general ed peers that may be passing by. The younger students consider it a privilege and fun to participate in the speech activities no matter where they are presented and the whole class wonders why they can’t go too! a) Speech Cart seating: Two stools are available to sit on and the students are directed to sit on each side of me facing me and/or adjacent to one another depending on the lesson/activity that is presented that day. (They are taught the rules for out in the hallway prior to Speech cart lessons)

8. I like to do a student introductory lesson/activity that involves the students sharing something about themselves whether it is their favorite food, favorite sport, favorite vacation, etc. We practice how to introduce themselves to each other. i.e. “Hi, my name is _______. I am in_____ (kg, 1st, 2nd grade). My favorite ____ (food, sport, toy, etc.) is______.” The students feel more relaxed once they know who each other are and are more likely to participate with ease as we practice their individual goals. This is an activity that they are encouraged to participate in, however sometimes they may be a little shy and aren’t ready to verbalize just yet. Another activity that helps prepare my students for their lessons each week is to have them create a speech sound card similar to the one I have prepared prior to class. This gives them an opportunity to practice and recognize what we will be working on and give them a tool to use in my class as well as their own classrooms. In order to motivate my students to practice and work towards their individual goals outside of the speech setting, I present a speech practice calendar that the students will utilize at home that gives simple quick and easy practice exercises Monday through Friday. Their parents are expected to initial each day that the student practices and the calendar is returned to school on the last day of the month and they receive an award from the treasure box. I also like to discuss the outcome of becoming good communicators. As students attain all of their goals and are able to maintain age appropriate speech sounds in the classroom, the playground, and at home, they will graduate from Speech class and get an extra special award certificate and gift. This is very motivating to my students who are ready to transition to a new school and grade. I also like to recognize the students who attained all of their goals for the school year. What Will We Be Doing in This Class? As the students are greeted and enter the room and get situated, we will take a quick tour of the room recognizing the student computer, posters with information that is necessary to review for rules and regulations and to use for referral to achieve their speech goals. We will review the expected behaviors for leaving the classroom and the importance of not disturbing the other groups who may be learning in our shared classroom. I will introduce myself and indicated that I am there to help them become better communicators and explain the importance of being able to express your wants and needs to your teachers, parents, and friends. We will discuss what that entails and how they can attain that task. In order to establish a relationship with my students, over a period of time I like to speak with them individually and find out their likes and dislikes, activities they participate in, and any needs they may have.

9. Procedures to incorporate immediately include: 1) * Introduction of tongue placement and letter/sound practice. This is reviewed several times as necessary. We utilize a mirror and a whisper phone to identify correct production. a. The students will be introduced to the Mighty Mouth puppet and it will be used to describe the parts of the mouth and then tongue placement will be demonstrated for each sound as we review the letter/sound associations. b. The students are provided with a mirror and whisper phone to use as we have our lessons in case, they need to see their own tongue placement and listen to their productions. 2) * I utilize iPads in my therapy to provide visual prompts during the lesson and allow the students to individually use the iPad to practice their sounds and record themselves in order to listen for correct production. They utilize the iPads in this way while I am working with the other student individually for 5 minutes and then they we swap, and I work with the other student individually while the other student utilizes the iPad. In order to allow them to utilize the iPad appropriately, we have a lesson on correct usage and procedure of the iPad app. a. Treat the iPad with care (use gentle touch on the screen, hold it securely so it stays on the desk/table. b. Remain on the app for practicing your sounds unless you’re are given permission to change. (The iPad is set with restrictions to stay on the intended practice app until the teacher enters a code.) c. Procedures for using the given app are reviewed and students practice recording their production. 1a. Touch the picture and listen to the word, repeat the word, push the circle at the bottom of the screen and say your word again, push the green arrow to listen to your recording. If the production sounded like the word you echoed, then give yourself a green check or an “x” if the production needs more work. This allows the students to self-evaluate and allows me to go back and listen to their productions and determine if they understand how their productions should sound. This can also be used for progress data. (The recording portion of the lesson is presented once the students are ready to add this skill to their weekly practice.) 3) * The students will have a lesson to prepare their sound cards on card stock using crayons, markers, and stickers. These are necessary to implement the lessons each week. It gives them a visual and a quick referral for me as I present games. It allows me to quickly gather the needed sounds for their goals/ and or set the iPad for their sounds as necessary. a. The students will be given a variety of items to decorate the card stock. b. They will be instructed to write their speech sounds that will be practiced during the year on the card and given the opportunity to decorate the card to make it individualized and help them take ownership of their goal. These will be utilized as we practice their sounds each week.

10. What Are the Rules in This Class? Students will review the expected behavior for speech class whether it is inside the classroom or when sitting in the hallway beside the speech cart. *Since I am a related service class, I only have a short time to spend with each of my groups and each part that I implement will be very short and may have to be extended over the first few sessions. However, this will be number one to review: An important part of being a good communicator is being able to listen. The students will demonstrate what each Shine Like A Star rule looks like. If time allows, I may have a student demonstrate the wrong way to follow each rule.

12. Shine Like a Star!(In order to shine like a star, we must follow these speech rules) 1. Sit up straight (feet on the floor, back straight up,) 2. Hands in your lap. 3. In your own space. (Remain in your own space, area around your chair/seat) 4. No Noise. (humming, whispering, tapping, etc.) 5. Eyes on the speaker. We will follow these specific rules. If I happen to have a group that is having difficulty following these simple rules, I may consider letting them create one good rule that would help them to take ownership of the rules expected. My students receive a sticker following each lesson if they followed directions and self-managed their behavior appropriately. This usually is a good motivator for them. If, however, they should choose not to follow the directions, the general ed classroom behavior chart may be implemented. From experience, once the student realizes there are consequences for poor choices, they come back to speech ready to work.

13. Who Is the Teacher as a Person? Option #1 for Introducing myself: A fun way to introduce myself to my class is to fill a bag with 5-6 things that represent me and have them pass the bag and remove an item and guess what it means. i.e. shell/sand= love the beach, doll/s, = children/grandchildren/husband, number=amount of years that I’ve been teaching, dog/cat= my pets, music note= love music and singing, bible= love God (In the correct setting) I work in a private Christian school and a public school. Option #2: For older students, a fun activity is to post a list of 5 things about myself in the front of the room and have someone sit at the table and be the writer while the others take turns going to the list and reading one of the items and returning to the writer to have them write it down. Once they each get a turn, it is fun to see what they each reported was on the list and how accurate it is.

14. Will the Teacher Treat Me As A Human? Before I begin to prepare my room for the new school year, my prayer for my students and class that the Lord is placing in my hands is that they can see Jesus in me and that they will feel accepted and important. “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 I tell my students that I care about each of them that my goal as their teacher is to help them become the best person that they can become. I care about them and how they progress in their classrooms and how they communicate with their teachers and friends.

15. Strategies for learning about my students: #1: I try to build upon the teacher/student relationship by showing an interest in them and I always ask them how their day is going or ask what fun thing they did over the weekend. This allows me to have a short conversation during therapy and an opportunity to listen for carry over of their respective speech sound errors. The kids look forward to the opportunity to tell me about themselves. #2: I learn about my students learning style and needs by reviewing their Individual Education Plan (IEP). The information found in their files includes developmental history and family history, and cognitive information which is very helpful when you’re trying to effectively teach a student. The IEP also includes concerns and goals for the school year from the parents’ perspective as well. This eliminates the need to send home a questionnaire to the parents about the needs of their child. #3 As a speech therapist, I have always tried to keep in close contact with my student’s parents/custodians and communicate any needs that I may see and emphasize that if they have any concerns to please contact me and we can discuss them and address any changes in their therapy that will help the student improve. Many times, I become the liaison between the parent and teacher. Collaboration is the key to meeting the needs of each child.

16. In addition, at the beginning of a student’s therapy whether it be at the beginning of the school year or following a transfer to our school, or following Initial placement, I send home a letter explaining who I am and how their child will receive speech services. I encourage them to review my website found on our school’s web pages and to check out the links I have provided to help them understand their child’s difficulties and some apps that will help them practice strategies at home. I also explain how to utilize the homework practice calendar and the rewards that follow a completed calendar. I may also include a handout that explains information about their child’s deficit with suggestions to help their child in this area. My school district provides several avenues to safely and effectively communicate with my student’s parents. When setting up parent meetings, I usually make a phone call using the “Remind” app which records each attempt to contact the parent, send an email through our IEP generator program, and send home a paper copy by mail or in the student’s backpack. On some occasions my relationship with the parent is such that we simply text back and forth. Nothing major is ever discussed through electronic devices because many times the message tone can be misconstrued. Every quarter progress note is sent home to parents to communicate how their child is progressing towards their annual goal.

18. Welcome to Mrs. Donna’s Speech Class! Dear Parents, I’m so excited to serve your child for speech this year. I’m writing to give you some important information about speech class for the 2018-2019 school year. Each month you will receive a practice calendar with simple exercises for your child to practice their speech sounds and language goals at home. Each day that they complete an exercise, please place your initial in the box and send the completed calendar back to school on the last day of the month and your child will get to choose a prize from the treasure box. In order for your child to be successful, practice outside of the speech room is essential for success. If you have any questions, please contact me by the following email donnar.underwood@dcsms.org, or you may reach me by telephone @ 662-393-4585, ext. 116. For the children, Donna R. Underwood Speech Therapist B.S.-ST

19. For more information about My Speech Class, please click on the link below! http://soe.desotocountyschools.org/?PageName=TeacherPage&Page=16&StaffID=191885&iSection=Teachers&CorrespondingID=191885