/s/ Story Time
Story with embedded /s/ targets for carry-over.
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 it together, then have the student read it alone, then retell it in their own words. The retell is where carryover actually happens — the text supports the sound and a retell does not, and the story has enough structure that a child can hold it. Ask what the problem was, which is a comprehension question that also produces more /s/ words without the page in front of them.
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 /s/, before the student tries again.Log as cued
- Verbal modelSay the sentence at a natural pace; the student repeats it.Log as cued
- Placement cueTeeth close together, tongue tip just behind your top teeth without touching them, sides of the tongue against your top side teeth. Send a thin stream of air down the middle.Log as cued
Adjust it
Drop to phrases: pull out the /s/ word with one word in front of it.
Move to conversation: ask a question about the sentence and listen for /s/ in the answer.
Matching IEP goal
Given sentence cards, Student will produce /s/ 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
A ten-page story with /s/ throughout: Sam sat on the sand by the sea; he saw a small silver fish swim past his toes; Sam's sister Sally sat down beside him; a seagull swooped down and stole the sandwich; Sally was upset, so Sam shared his snack; soon the sun set behind the sea. Longer than a two-passage set, with a real problem and resolution inside it.
What to listen for
Listen for accuracy across the ten pages rather than within a sentence. Ten pages is long enough to see monitoring lapse and recover, which is more informative than a short passage. Watch the /s/ clusters — small, swim, swooped, stole, snack — which are a separate target and usually where a long passage first breaks down.
Carrying it home
A story read aloud to a family member is a realistic home task, and this one has enough plot to be worth listening to. Asking the child to retell it afterwards is the part that matters most.
What's in this activity
- Sam sat on the sand by the sea.
- He saw a small silver fish swim past his toes.
- "Look!" said Sam. "That fish is so fast!"
- Sam's sister Sally sat down beside him.
- She set her sandwich on a smooth stone.
- A seagull swooped down and stole the sandwich!
- Sally was upset, so Sam shared his snack.
- They sat in the sunshine and ate together.
- Soon the sun set behind the sea.
- Sam and Sally said goodbye to the seagull and went home.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- First through third grade, for students accurate on /s/ at sentence level.
- Do I need to sign in?
- No, the whole story plays free in the browser.
- How is this different from the /s/ carry-over story?
- That one is two short passages of four sentences each. This is a ten-page story with a plot, which supports a retell and gives a longer run of connected speech.
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.