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Charting the Cs Conference 2025: To Literacy and Beyond Cooperation Communication Collaboration Integrating Language Acquisition Motor Planning (LAMP) into Literacy Education April 30, 2025 Marissa Eastling Sasha Stark Introductions -Marissa Eastling 2001: Started teaching in 2001 as a music and theater teacher 2018: Wanted a career change and started pursuing a masters in special education 2021: Hired as a center - based teacher in Farmington and worked with 5 students (2 were non - speaking, attended a LAMP training with John Halloran and became inspired and obsessed) 2022 - present: A majority of students have been non - speaking and using an AAC device Introductions -Sasha Stark 2011: Hired in Farmington as an SLP at the secondary level 2014: Switched to an elementary school 2015: Created/joined the AT district team (.8 SLP, .2 AT) 2022 - present: Worked alongside Marissa and witnessed the way she has created amazing literacy instruction for her students What is LAMP? A diagram of language connection. with areas that include auditory signals, consistent and unique motor patterns, joint engagement, readiness to learn, and natural consequences. Can be applied to most AAC apps app store logo for the GRID AAC app apple store logo for the LAMP words for life AAC program app store logo for the Go Talk Now AAC app app store logo for the Proloquo2go AAC app app store logo for the Speak for Yourself! AAC app app store logo for the Touch Chat with Word Power AAC app How can I approach literacy with my students? Reading starts with letter recognition Students don’t learn the “alphabet” as in ABCs, they can learn QWERTY Align Letter Recognition with Keyboarding ●Started with the center row of the keyboard (A-S-D-F) ●Target learning 3 letters a week ●Build through the entire QWERTY keyboard A yellow flashcard with a partially eaten apple Yellow flashcard with an orange sun on it and a capital and lower case letter "S." A yellow flashcard with a dolphin jumping over the water and a capital and lowercase letter "D." A yellow flash card with a green frog and a capital and lowercase letter "F" on it. Letter Identification Progression ●Students shown the letter card and asked to locate on their AAC keyboard screen ●Once they identify the letters in QWERTY order, present in a random order. ●When they can quickly identify the letters in random order, remove the letter from the card. Continue to give a audible cue of the letter. ●When the students can recognize a letter with only an audible cue the student can move to review. Review 5 letters each day, alternating between uppercase and lowercase each week. A yellow flashcard with a cream colored kitten looking a butterfly. picture of an ice cream cone on a yellow rectangular background Moving on to Sight Words Follow a similar process as learning letters: ●Start with a flashcard including the motor plan for the word. ●Read the word aloud to the student. ●Model how to say the word. Picture of a light blue flashcard with a LAMP pathway for the word "out." Black arrow identifying the LAMP pathway. Smartboard Set Up A smartboard with a large blue flash card with the word in the center. In the lower left corner there are two symbols showing the pathway for the word who. In the upper right corner there is a smaller image of the LAMP Words for Life home screen. Sight Word Progression ●Once students are able to say the word consistently, remove the motor plan but continue to read the word aloud. ●After the student is able to say the word without the motor plan, show the word and prompt with something like, “What is this word?” A blue flashcard with the word "like." Literacy Stations at Work in the Classroom ●Review ●Learning a new word (Word of the Week) ●Typing ●Worksheet for the new word ●Spelling Special Note: Stations are adapted based on each student’s need. They will have different levels of flash cards and a variety of keyboard setups. Station 1: Review Purpose: Review the location of letters on the QWERTY Keyboard and the motor plan for the sight words Materials: AAC Device, Letter Cards, Sight Word Cards Tasks: •Review 5-6 letters •Review 10-15 sight words Station 1: Review Letters Video Example Review Letters. Play video. Station 1: Review Words Video Example Review Words. Play video. Station 2: Learning a new word Purpose: Increase the student’s exposure to new words Materials: AAC Device, Sight Word Cards, Prepared Book, iPad with loaded Boom Cards A picture of various worksheets with different sight words. Station 2: Learning a new word tasks Tasks: ●Introduce the new word with a flash card and practice the motor plan -Marissa uses an app for this task ●Read a book that targets the new word - keep the flashcard visible with the motor plan ○Marissa uses a purchased TPT bundle with 259 sight words from “A” to “ZERO” (similar product linked ) Station 2: Book Example for ‘IN’ ●Student places the book in front of them. ●Teacher/staff read the words while the student points to the dots under each word. ●Students highlight the word ‘IN’ and says it on their AAC device when it occurs. A page from a paper book. The illustration is a bear peeking out from a box. The page reads, "He is in the box." Station 2: New Word Book Example View Word Book example. Play video Higher Level Book Include materials that interest your students Pictures of the LAMP pathways for the words, "I, See, The, Food." A picture of a family gathered around the table eating a large meal. Book illustration from Learning A to Z Station 2: Higher Level Book Example New Word Book Example 2. Play video. Station 2: Boom Cards Review the new word with the student using their device to say the word each time they come across it Marissa uses ‘I know my sight words ’ created by Natalie Lynn Kindergarten A girl in a construction helmet. The letters "i" and "n" in white squares. Blank white squares. A boy in a detective costume holding a magnifying glass. Twelve file folders with various sight words on them. Station 2: New Word App Example Station 2: Reading longer book. Play video. Station 3: Typing Purpose: reinforce motor plan of the QWERTY keyboard, increase practice of common words (personal, life skills, etc) Materials: Color CodedTyping Strips, personal modified keyboards, iPads/devices, pointer, card holder (if needed) Station 3: Typing Tasks Tasks: Students are expected to type: ○Their name (3 times) ○The month (1 time) ○Two of their reviewed sight words (1 time) ○The new sight word (3 times) ○A sentence with the new sight word (1 time) Example: Keyboard and Typing Strips A black keyboard with the letter keys color coded in groups. The word AMY with each letter in various color boxes. The word MARCH with each letter in various color boxes. The word IN with each letter in various color boxes. The word COME with each letter in various color boxes. The word LIKE with each letter in various color boxes. Station 3: Typing Video Example Station 3: Typing. Play video Station 4: New Word Worksheet Purpose: continued practice of the new word, visual discrimination between words, includes fine motor practice (multi-sensory) Materials: worksheet, scissors, glue, highlighter, dauber Station 4: New Word Worksheet Tasks Tasks: •Complete the pre - writer worksheet focusing on the new word •Every time the student comes across the word they say the word to practice the motor plan on their AAC device Worksheet with pictures of a bear in different things like a bathtub, a box, and a bin. The word "in" is boxes on the bottom of the worksheet. Station 4: Worksheet Video Example Station 4: Worksheet Example. Play video. Station 5: Spelling Purpose: continue exposure to a variety of words, raise awareness of spelling to support future skills, physically manipulate and work with letters Materials: phonics blocks, magnet letters with sheet pan, word cards Station 5: Spelling Tasks Spell the new word with magnetic letters Spell the new word with phonics blocks Students identify a given word from a set of 2-4 wordcards Station 5: Magnet Spelling Example Station 5: Spelling With Magnets. Play video. Station 5: Cube Spelling Example Station 5: Spelling With Cubes. Play video. Station 5: Word Discrimination Station 5: Word Discrimination. Play video. Integrating LAMP into the rest of your day Morning Meeting/Calendar Each student uses a calendar notebook daily. Students are expected to identify the accurate calendar choice as well as say it aloud (via AAC device). LAMP pathways for all of the months of the year. The word "January." A disco ball and a firework. The LAMP pathways describing different types of weather. A picture of clouds, sun, rain, snow and lightening. Math Use AAC Devices to learn and review: ●Numbers ●Shapes ●Colors ●Same & Different ●More & Less Science Choose a handful of words you want to target. Take the time to have students say the words. Using the words multiple times helps to build the motor plan. a yellow spatula, a can of crisco, baggies, a bowl full of ice. A worksheet with black and white pictures of different landforms and names of the landforms above the pictures. Blubber Experiment Playing Games Examples: Matching Games, Interactive Games (Ex: Pop the Pig) Focus on key vocabulary or words/phrases like: my turn, me, spin, go, etc. White flashcards with a colored boarders. The pictures on the flashcards are a pumpkin, kids in costume, a ghost, a skeleton, a scarecrow, a candy bar, a yellow leaf, a girl wearing a mask. White flashcards with an orange boarder. The pictures on the flashcards are a pumpkin, a jack-o-lantern on a blue calendar icon, a ghost, a skeleton, a scarecrow, a red and orange piece of wrapped candy, a green leaf, two yellow theater masks. Prepositions Use books, simple worksheets, manipulatives, games, etc What do you use to make materials? ●Lessonpix ●Canva ●PRC-Saltillo ●AAC Language Lab & Smart Charts Overall Opinions, Tips, & Advice ●Find topics that will engage your students ●Model target words without expectations, especially at the beginning stages ●Use a cueing hierarchy (wait time to see if a student can find a target word, gesture towards the device or first button, use the search function to create a forced path to the word, point to each button of the path) ●Choose the shortest path ●All staff need to work together as a team Charting the Cs logo Thank you! Marissa Eastling, meastling@farmington.k12.mn.us Sasha Stark, sstark@farmington.k12.mn.us