Use Your Tools

Students enrolled in speech therapy have been taught a variety of strategies and techniques designed to help them improve their speech and language skills. These are called "speech tools, and are individualized. The challenge comes when students are asked to use their tools during every day communication encounters. Being able to make a concrete connection between using their tools and a positive outcome can happen using a "hands on" activity of hand polishing Petoskey stones.

We first will study the formation of the Petoskey Stone (which is the Michigan state stone) using books from the library. Hand polishing the stones takes simple tools, time and effort, similar to learning to use and using speech tools.

Each student would get to determine how "polished" they wanted their stone to be, and would need to put forth the required amount of effort. We would have ongoing discussion and filming of the process. We would also discuss how each person has the power to choose how to use the speech tools they have learned and what the outcomes might be. When the polishing was complete we would also have discussion about what each rock looks like, compare before and after pictures, and how the outcome compares to the amount of effort individual students put into the polishing.

After all rocks are polished the students will be producing a book and a film. The content will briefly describe the formation of Petoskey stones, what tools were used to polish the stone as well as what procedures were needed. The book and film will also make a connection between polishing the stones and how much effort it takes to get better at doing something else, like soccer, reading, video games, and talking. After the film and book are produced we will travel to different classrooms to share our story and project.