Fluency Shaping — Phrase Level
Practice fluency techniques at the phrase level.
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
Stretch the first word and then let the rest run normally. A stretched phrase where every word is slowed sounds unnatural and does not transfer; the technique is a gentle extended start that the rest of the phrase follows. Work up the list by length — my new bike before two chocolate cookies — and stop the moment it starts sounding robotic. Ten minutes is a full pass.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student uses stretched, smooth speech on their own. Listen without reminding.Log as correct
- Visual reminderPoint to the picture or card that stands for the technique.Log as cued
- Verbal reminderSay a short reminder, such as 'Stretch it out.'Log as cued
- ModelSay it yourself using the technique; the student copies, then tries the card again.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to shorter turns: single words or two-word phrases.
Move to longer turns, a new listener, or a little time pressure.
Matching IEP goal
Student will use stretched, smooth speech in short phrases in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual reminder.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve short phrases to stretch: my new bike, after school, a big brown dog, on the playground, my best friend, in the morning, two chocolate cookies, down the street, over the weekend, my little sister, before dinner, a really long day. Phrase level sits between single words and sentences, and it is the level most often skipped — which is why techniques so often fall apart the moment the utterance gets longer.
What to listen for
Listen for over-application. A student stretching every syllable has learned a speech pattern rather than a technique, and it will be abandoned as soon as they are around peers. Watch the longer phrases, where the student has to sustain the easier production past the first word — that is the point at which phrase level starts to resemble real speech.
Carrying it home
Phrases this short come up constantly. Asking a family to notice one stretched phrase a day, rather than monitoring all speech, is a request they can actually keep.
What's in this activity
- Stretch it out: my new bike
- Stretch it out: after school
- +10 more
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Second through eighth, for students who have a technique at word level and need the next step.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve phrases play with no login.
- Should the whole phrase be stretched?
- No. Stretch the start and let the rest run at a normal rate. A fully stretched phrase sounds unnatural, and students abandon anything that makes them sound different from their peers.
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.