About this activity
Twelve spinner outcomes, each asking for the student's own word in a different form: say it three times; say it in a sentence; say it in a whisper; say it in a loud voice; say it five times fast; use it in a question; say it and clap each syllable; spell it, then say it; therapist's turn — you be the judge. Like the board game, it supplies the structure and lets the target come from the student, which is what makes it usable in a mixed group.
How to use it in a session
Set each student's target word before spinning, then let the wheel decide the demand. The value is in the variety: whispering and shouting the same word engage different amounts of effort, and a student whose sound survives both has something more robust than one who has only practised at a conversational level. The you be the judge space is worth landing on deliberately — asking a student to evaluate your production builds the perceptual skill their own monitoring depends on.
What to listen for
Watch which demands break the sound. Five times fast and use it in a question are the two that most often reveal that a correct production is still effortful. Notice whether the student can judge your errors accurately when they get the judging turn — a student who cannot hear your mistake will not hear their own, and that is worth knowing before you spend more sessions on production.
Carrying it home
Two or three of the demands work without the spinner: say it in a whisper, then loud; use it in a question. A family can run those in a minute while waiting for something, which is the realistic amount of home practice most weeks allow.
Questions
- What sound does this target?
- Whichever the student is working on — the spinner supplies the task and you supply the word, so it runs for a whole group with different targets.
- Do I need an account?
- No. It plays free in the browser with no login.
- What ages is it for?
- Kindergarten through fourth grade, and it scales up easily by asking for longer utterances on each space.