/d/ Initial Sentences
Short sentences loaded with word-initial /d/ for sentence-level practice.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Read the sentence, have the student repeat it, then have them say it again without the model. Cue placement as tongue tip on the ridge behind the top teeth with the voice on. Mark the targets on the first pass if the student reads, then remove the marking. Dad digs and I dig too adds a final /g/ right after the /d/ words, so leave it for later in the session. Five minutes covers all eight.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentShow the card and let the student say the whole sentence on their own.Log as correct
- Visual cuePoint to your mouth, or show the mouth picture for /d/, before the student tries again.Log as cued
- Verbal modelSay the sentence at a natural pace; the student repeats it.Log as cued
- Placement cueTongue tip up on the bumpy ridge behind your top teeth, then drop it with your voice on.Log as cued
Adjust it
Drop to phrases: pull out the /d/ word with one word in front of it.
Move to conversation: ask a question about the sentence and listen for /d/ in the answer.
Matching IEP goal
Given sentence cards, Student will produce /d/ in the word-initial position in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Eight short sentences packed with word-initial /d/: The dog and the duck dig. Dad made a donut. The dump truck goes down. Dan and Dot had dinner. The doll can dance all day. Each sentence carries three or four targets, so a single read gives a lot of practice, and the sentences are short enough that a student can say them from memory after hearing them once.
What to listen for
Listen for /d/ holding up across the whole sentence rather than just the first word. Common slips are backing to /g/, so donut becomes gonut, and devoicing to /t/ on down or dime. Notice whether errors cluster on the fourth target, which usually means the sentence is long enough to pull attention off the sound. The duck went down deep puts three /d/ words in a row, a good test.
Carrying it home
Choose one sentence a day and act it out: make the doll dance, pretend to be the dump truck going down. The child says the sentence while doing it. Tying the sentence to a movement makes it more fun and gives a reason to say it several times.
What's in this activity
- The dog and the duck dig.
- Dad made a donut.
- The dump truck goes down.
- The duck went down deep.
- My dad gave me a dime.
- Dan and Dot had dinner.
- Dad digs and I dig too.
- The doll can dance all day.
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Kindergarten through second grade students who have /d/ in words and phrases and are ready for sentences.
- Is it free?
- Yes. The board plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.
- How do I move toward conversation?
- Once these are steady, ask the student questions that pull a /d/ answer, such as what the dog did or what Dad made, so the target comes out in their own words.
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.