/sh/ Carry-Over Conversation Starters
Open-ended topics whose obligatory content words carry /sh/, for carry-over into connected and spontaneous speech.
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
Use this once /sh/ is steady in sentences. Read the card and let the student talk without stopping them in the first minute. Tally /sh/ words as you go — shop, shelf, show, should, ocean, shore, wash, finish, delicious, vacation — and review one or two errors at the end by having the student say that phrase again. The words with /sh/ in the middle, like station, direction and vacation, are useful to count separately. Fifteen minutes covers three or four cards.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentGive the prompt and let the student talk. Listen for /sh/ without interrupting.Log as correct
- Visual cueUse a silent signal you agreed on, such as a tap on the table, when /sh/ slips.Log as cued
- Verbal modelRecast the word that slipped, correctly, and have the student say just that word before carrying on.Log as cued
- Placement cueLips rounded and pushed forward, tongue pulled a little further back than for /s/ and raised. Blow a wide, quiet stream of air.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to sentences: the student plans one sentence with a /sh/ word before speaking.
Fade your signal. Record a minute of talk and have the student count their own errors afterwards.
Matching IEP goal
Given conversation prompts, Student will produce /sh/ in all word positions in structured conversation 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
Ten open-ended topics where the answer has to carry /sh/: describe a shop and what is on the shelves; give directions and mention every station; describe the ocean or the shore on a vacation; explain how to wash a dog and what to do with the leftover shampoo; describe a machine and what you should push if it shuts down. The /sh/ words are built into the content, so the sound gets tested in real talk rather than in drills.
What to listen for
Listen for /s/ in place of /sh/ — sop for shop — which means the lips are not rounding and the tongue has moved forward. A lateral, slushy /sh/ with air going out the sides is different and worth noting. Notice should, which the cards use a lot and which is said quickly; it often slips first. Errors that appear only late in a long answer tell you the sound is still being monitored.
Carrying it home
Ask about a shop, a show or a vacation at dinner and just listen. If you want to help, agree a quiet signal for a missed /sh/ rather than correcting it in the middle of a sentence.
What's in this activity
- Describe a shop you like going into. Say what is on the shelves, what you would show a friend first, and which shelf you should skip.
- Give me directions from this room to the office. Mention every station you pass and what direction you turn.
- Tell me about a vacation you took or a vacation you wish you could take. Describe the ocean, the shore, or wherever you would go.
- Explain how to wash and brush a dog. Finish with what you should do with the wet brush and the leftover shampoo.
- Describe a dish that is delicious to you and disgusting to somebody else. Explain both reactions, and say which one you would push away.
- Talk about a show you finished recently. Describe the main character, then say whether you should have shown it to a friend.
- You are shopping for a gift on a short budget. Describe the shop, the shelf you would check, and your final decision.
- Describe a machine you know how to operate. Explain each action in order, and say what you should push if it shuts down.
- Tell me about a competition you watched or finished. Describe the celebration at the end and who you should have shared it with.
- Talk about a tradition your family has. Describe what you should wear, what you wash or shine beforehand, and how it finishes.
Questions
- When is a student ready for this?
- When /sh/ is accurate in sentences but not yet in conversation.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all ten cards play free in the browser. An account adds session data and goal scoring.
- What is the quickest cue for /sh/?
- Lips rounded and pushed forward, like a quiet shhh for a baby. The rounding alone often fixes a /s/ substitution.
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.