Articulation in Sentences
Sentence-level production of target sounds.
Words
Match
How to run it
Let the student read or hear the sentence first and produce the whole thing, not just the missing word. The point is the sound inside running speech; producing rabbit alone is the word-level task they have presumably already passed. When accuracy drops, shorten rather than retreating — cut the sentence to three words around the target instead of going back to the word in isolation. Ten minutes covers the set with repeats on the ones that break.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student works through the card on their own, listening for their target sound.Log as correct
- SignalUse a silent signal you agreed on, such as a tap on the table, when their target sound slips.Log as cued
- AskAsk 'Did that sound right?' and let the student try the word again.Log as cued
- ModelSay the word correctly; the student repeats it, then carries on.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer cards and one target sound at a time.
Fade the signal. Record the student and have them count their own errors afterwards.
Matching IEP goal
During this activity, Student will produce their target sound correctly in words and phrases, self-correcting any error, in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a nonverbal signal.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve sentences with the target word taken out: The ___ is shining (sun). I need a new pair of ___ (socks). The ___ ran down the road (rabbit). She wore a red ___ (ribbon). My ___ hurts (thumb). Sentence level is where most articulation gains stall, because the sound has to survive alongside everything else the mouth is doing, and a carrier sentence is the smallest step up from a word that still counts as connected speech.
What to listen for
Listen for accuracy falling off at a particular point in the sentence. Many students are accurate on a target that lands early and lose it when the word comes at the end, after several syllables of other work. Watch for self-monitoring too: a student who hears their own error and re-says the sentence without being asked has the skill that carries over, which is worth more than a higher accuracy count.
Carrying it home
Ask a family member to listen for the target sound during one predictable routine — the drive to school, or laying the table — rather than all day. Sentence-level carryover needs real sentences, and a family that corrects everything usually ends up with a child who stops talking around them.
What's in this activity
- The ___ is shining. sun
- I need a new pair of ___. socks
- The ___ ran down the road. rabbit
- She wore a red ___. ribbon
- He drank a glass of ___. milk
- The ___ is on the table. lamp
- I found a ___ on the beach. shell
- We sat in a ___. chair
- My ___ hurts. thumb
- The ___ swam in the lake. fish
- Put the toy in the ___. basket
- The ___ barked all night. dog
Questions
- What grades is this written for?
- Second through fifth, where students are typically working at sentence rather than word level.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve sentences play with no account.
- My student is accurate at word level and not here. Is that normal?
- Entirely. The drop from word to sentence is the expected pattern and is the reason sentence level is a separate step rather than an assumed one.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.