Reprinted from January, 2019…because February, 2021, is COLD and SNOWY in the Midwest!
It’s time for one of my favorite word finding cues! School is cancelled in most Chicago-area schools for the next two days because of the polar vortex. I wrote in an old post about trying to find a word finding cue for “polar vortex.” I came up with “polar for Tex[as]”. I drew a polar bear reaching down over the globe toward Texas.
I remembered to make each syllable very explicit, and encouraged the kids to repeat the words syllable by syllable.
Not being content to reinforce the cue sitting down, I asked each child in turn to stand on my table and act the part of the polar bear. My friend Jason was standing on my table, reaching down to touch the back of David, who was kneeling on the floor playing the part of Texas. Polar vortex, polar vortex, polar vortex. Say the word, but THINK the cue….
And who appeared at my door? The superintendent of schools! How to explain my multi-sensory lesson on retrieving the term “polar vortex”? Oh, my… children standing on tables…. So of course I had the “polar bear” explain to Dr. Superintendent how he learned to retrieve the term more efficiently. It was a hit! (phew….).