Quick and Easy Activities for SLP Data Collection
During one week of each month, I gather some serious data. Sure, I take some type of data most days, but I prefer to spend the majority of my sessions teaching, then 1-2 sessions a month as "data days." So if you're looking to do the same, I've got some super simple activities that work great for "data days!"
Trashketball
If you haven't played Trashketball with your students, you're missing out. If you're not sure what Trashketball is, it's simply basketball played with crumpled paper and a (clean) trash can. This is the BEST game for high engagement and gathering tons of data. My middle schoolers LOVE this activity (they literally ask for it every session). I use tape on the floor to mark 1, 2, and 3 point lines. I've used the Scoreboard Chrome extension to keep score, but usually, I have students keep their own score on the whiteboard. The students complete their task(s), take 2-3 shots, and write their score on the board. I even keep a Trashketball Leaderboard on my board year-round to highlight the top 3 team scores! Up your game by using soft inflatable basketballs, sporty foam stress balls, or even super soft plush sports balls.
This is AMAZING for mixed groups. It's a paid membership site, but many schools and/or districts already have readily available subscriptions. There are so many activities already created by other amazing SLPs and educators available to use in the library, but you can also make your own! An easy way to make your own private Jeopardy board is to pull word lists, comprehension questions, etc. from the free Home Speech Home website and insert them into your board. For mixed groups, I find that making specific categories for each student works well (i.e. title each column with the specific student's name so they know which questions to pick from), but I also frequently use the pre-made templates. I project the screen onto my whiteboard for all of my students to see the game and their scores!
My students are OBSESSED with Would You Rather. I work with elementary through middle school, and they all ask to play this game. This is one of my favorite ways to get data on conversation-level articulation (self-monitoring), sentence structure, answering "why" questions, use of fluency strategies, social language (turn-taking, staying on topic, adequate speaking volume in a small group, etc.), and more. I've created paper AND digital spinner versions for the entire year that are available for FREE by signing up through this link!
Board Games
Obviously, we all love and use board games. Board games are a great way for multiple repetitions and are a simple way to get data points on drill-style goals. If you're looking for digital versions, I suggest the board games available on SafeKidGames.com. My students especially love the Snakes and Ladders game on this site, and I love that it's automated and free!
100 Trial Challenges
There are tons of 100 trial challenges on Teachers Pay Teachers and Boom Cards. These are a great way to get a large number of trials for data collection. They're also engaging because of the variety of ways you can use them. I suggest trying these by Ashley Rossi or these by Peachie Speechie. My students love both versions, and I like how there are so many options to go along with the seasons! Use them with play dough, crayons, scented markers, candy, cereal-- you name it!
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