Increasing Language with Visualization for Upper Grades

Many of our language challenged students are visual learners and we, as SLPs, can tap into this student strength to improve communication.  

I want to highlight a couple of new visual teaching tools that I have used this year with my middle school students and have found very valuable.

1.  Video Shorts:  You know, those witty and fun short clips shown before animated feature films.  These clips are perfect to target inferencing skills, predicting, asking questions, and drawing conclusions.  Many have no words and are also great for social skills of identifying facial expression, body language, and humor.  Follow my new Pinterest board for video shorts and check out Disney video shorts.  

2.  Normal Rockwell Prints:  I live in the town where Norman Rockwell lived when his artwork thrived.  His paintings are found all over the little town of Arlington, VT. I took these pictures at the local high school.  In fact, some of the young subjects in these famous prints are still alive and live in my town.  

Rockwell's paintings and illustrations are known for detail and vivid storytelling which is why visualization programs work so well with his prized prints. 

Try incorporating Rockwell's artwork into your visualizing lessons for amazing language results.  Pair with portions of the Expanding Expression Tool, Lindamood Bell's Visualizing and Verbalizing, or other methods to improve skills of comprehension, inferencing, critical thinking, and expression.  Here is a Pinterest board I've started with lots of Rockwell's work to get you started.  

You may also enjoy this related EET Companion Activity.