/th/ Carry-Over Conversation Starters

Open-ended topics whose obligatory content words carry /th/, for carry-over into connected and spontaneous speech.

Use with a student — free
Card 1 of 10
Tell me about your birthday. Describe everything you would want that day, from the morning through to the evening.
Say it out loud
This pass0 correct · 0 cued · 0 incorrect · 0/10
Demo — these marks stay on this screen.Save these marks to a student, free →Sign in

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

Check placement quickly first: the tongue tip rests lightly between or just behind the front teeth and air flows over it, with no voice for thumb and teeth and with voice for the and brother. Name a few /th/ words the topic will need, then let the student talk for a minute or two. The brushing teeth and Thursday cards are the most loaded. Fifteen minutes allows four or five topics with review.

Cueing ladder

Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.

  1. Step 1IndependentGive the prompt and let the student talk. Listen for /th/ without interrupting.Log as correct
  2. Step 2Visual cueUse a silent signal you agreed on, such as a tap on the table, when /th/ slips.Log as cued
  3. Step 3Verbal modelRecast the word that slipped, correctly, and have the student say just that word before carrying on.Log as cued
  4. Step 4Placement cueTongue tip peeks out between your teeth. Blow air gently over it: voice off for 'think', voice on for 'this'.Log as cued

Adjust it

Easier

Go back to sentences: the student plans one sentence with a /th/ word before speaking.

Harder

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 /th/ 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 whose key words carry /th/: tell me about your birthday; explain how to brush your teeth properly; compare the weather this month with three months ago; talk about your brother, your sister or another family member; describe a Thursday from beginning to end. Birthday, teeth, weather, brother, Thursday and thirty all come up naturally, along with the voiced /th/ in the, this and they that runs through all connected speech.

What to listen for

Listen for the two /th/ sounds separately. Many students manage voiceless /th/ in teeth and birthday but slip to /d/ on the voiced one in the, they and together, or the reverse. Also listen for /f/ for voiceless /th/, so teeth sounds like teef, and /v/ for voiced, so brother sounds like bruvver. Keep dialect in mind: some of these substitutions are standard in the student's community and are not errors.

Carrying it home

Ask the family to use the brushing teeth card at bedtime, with the child explaining the steps. It is short, it happens every day, and teeth, toothbrush and the come up without effort.

What's in this activity

  • Tell me about your birthday. Describe everything you would want that day, from the morning through to the evening.
  • Explain how to brush your teeth properly. Cover the toothbrush, the timing, and everything people skip.
  • Describe the weather this month compared with the weather three months ago.
  • Talk about your brother, your sister, or another person in your family. Tell me three things about them.
  • Describe a path or a trail you have walked. Tell me what was north of it and whether you would go there again.
  • Tell me about something you think everybody should learn. Explain your thinking, and whether the school would go for it.
  • Describe a math problem or a puzzle that took you thirty minutes. Talk me through how you got there.
  • Talk about two things you do together with your family, and one thing you would rather do without them.
  • Explain the healthiest thing you ate this week and the least healthy. Compare them.
  • Describe a Thursday from beginning to end. Tell me whether it feels different from the other days.

Questions

Why listen to the and they when the topics are about teeth and Thursday?
Because the voiced /th/ in small words like the, this and they turns up in almost every sentence, and it is easy to overlook while listening for the topic words.
Is it free?
Yes, all ten topics play free in the browser. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment.
What grades is this for?
Third through eighth grade.

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 free

Free for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.