Turtle Talk — Slow Rate Cards
Flashcards for practicing a slow speech rate.
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
Let the spelling do the work, then fade it. Reading aaa cooookie produces the target automatically; the skill is shortening the stretch until the phrase is normal length with the easier rate intact. Turtle talk is a good name because it is concrete and does not sound like a correction. Eight minutes covers a subset with the fading step.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student uses a slow, even rate 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 'Slow and even.'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 a slow, even rate in sentences 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 phrases written stretched out: mmmy naaame iiis; I waaant aaa cooookie; caaan I plaaay toooo; whaaat's fooor luuunch; I neeed heeelp pleeease; seeee yooou tomooorrow. The spelling is the instruction — a child reading the stretched version produces a slow rate without needing to be told what a slow rate is.
What to listen for
Listen for the rate reduction without the odd quality. A child stretching every syllable at every opportunity has learned a speech pattern rather than a technique, and peers will notice it — the goal is a slightly slower, easier rate rather than a distinctive one. Watch whether it survives into a phrase the child produces themselves rather than reads.
Carrying it home
Turtle talk is a name a family can use without it becoming a correction. Asking for one turtle-talk sentence at dinner is playful in a way slow down never is.
What's in this activity
- Turtle talk: mmmy naaame iiis…
- Turtle talk: I waaant aaa cooookie.
- Turtle talk: Caaan I plaaay toooo?
- Turtle talk: Looook aaat thaaat dooog.
- Turtle talk: Whaaat's fooor luuunch?
- Turtle talk: I weeent tooo the paaark.
- Turtle talk: Myyy biiirthdaaay iiis sooon.
- Turtle talk: Leeet's gooo ouuutsiiide.
- Turtle talk: I neeed heeelp pleeease.
- Turtle talk: Seeee yooou tomooorrow.
- Turtle talk: Thaaat's myyy faaavorite.
- Turtle talk: I liiike reeecess beeest.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through fifth grade, for rate control in fluency work.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve cards play with no account.
- Won't this make my student sound strange?
- It will if the stretch is not faded. The stretched version is a teaching device; the target is a slightly slower ordinary rate, and shortening the stretch is a planned part of the work rather than an afterthought.
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.