Session Structure

The goal of this course is to find the ideal session routine for you and your students.
When you fall into a great routine, you’ll feel more confident (and less stressed!) in
your sessions. You’ll also notice that your students are more engaged and that they
make more progress.

Your session structure is how you navigate any

given speech therapy session, and we’ve
broken it down into 5 steps (Check In, Assess,
Teach, Practice, Wrap Up). This is the “heart”
of your therapy, which is why you’ll find those
5 steps in the center of the graphic organizer!

Your individual sessions fit into a larger unit,

which is represented by the outside ring of the
graphic organizer. (Check out the Thematic
Unit course for more info on that!)

[Success Tip] Make a Plan

When would you like to complete your session structure review?
You may want to set aside 2-3 hours and knock it out all at once, or
you may want to watch and implement one lesson a week. (There are
9 lessons, and you’ll want to block o ~15 minutes for each one.)
There is no right or wrong way to do this! Regardless of what you
decide, block o time in your calendar.

I scheduled some time!

Awesome! Let’s do this! Scroll down to check out your action plan.

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Your Action Plan

Action Item Supporting Content

Download the Session Structure workbook Session Structure, Introduction

Reflect on your sessions here Session Structure, Introduction

Choose your focus group/student

Session Structure, Introduction
(Add to your plan here)

Choose a check in strategy

Session Structure, Part 1: Check In
(Add to your plan here)

Choose a probe
Session Structure, Part 2: Assess
(Add to your plan here)

Choose a visual/teaching tool

Session Structure, Part 3: Tech
(Add to your plan here)

Choose a practice exercise

Session Structure, Part 4: Practice
(Add to your plan here)

Choose a wrap up activity

Session Structure, Part 5: Wrap Up
(Add to your plan here)

Organize/prep your session materials Session Structure, Implement

Practice your new session structure (Use

Session Structure, Implement
your Planner as a guide)

Celebrate! Session Structure, Review

Reflect on your progress here Session Structure, Review

Share your wins/challenges in the

Session Structure, Review
community

Decide on your next steps here Session Structure, Review

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Reflection (Pre)
Take a moment to reflect on how your sessions are going.

Need some inspo? Here’s a peek at the Session Structure rubric:

0-2 Surviving 3-5 Maintaining 6-8 Thriving

I do not plan or structure my
sessions. Student engagement is
low, and progress is
unpredictable.
I use routines within my
therapy sessions. Students are
generally engaged. I often
wonder what I could do to
change the structure of my
sessions to maximize student
progress.
I have an optimized routine for
my therapy sessions. My
students are very engaged. I feel
confident that my sessions are
structured in a way that will
maximize student progress.

What’s working well?

What are you struggling with?

How would you like your sessions to look/feel?

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Session Structure Planner
Fill in these sections as you complete the course.

Which group would you like to focus on first?

Day & Time: Monday 8am

Students: A (goal), B (goal), and C (g0al) List your students’ names and one goal per student.

[Part 1] Check In

What strategy would you like to try?

[Part 2] Assess

Which probes would you like to use?

[Part 3] Teach

Which visuals would you like to use?

[Part 4] Practice

Which activity would you like to use? How will you target your students’ goals?

[Part 5] Wrap Up

What strategy would you like to try?

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[Part 1] Check In
Take a moment to review some options for check in activities.

Choose one (or more!) to use with your students.

Do a feeling check in. Here’s one example.

Brainstorm ideas to support your students (e.g., If the student is angry, I can… If
the student is anxious, I can… If the student is sad, I can…)

Action Item
Jot down the activity (or activities) you chose in the Session Structure
Planner.

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[Part 2] Assess
Take a moment to review some options for this part of the session.

Create goal cards. This blog post has a free template.

Option A: Type in your students’ goals.
Option B: Print the blank template. Have students fill in their own goals.

Find your probes.

Check out the SLP Now Materials page (Printable or Digital).
Create your own using this template.

Action Item
Jot down the probes you chose in the Session Structure Planner.

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[Part 3] Teach
Take a moment to review some options for this part of the session.

Find your visuals.

Check out the SLP Now Materials page.
Use materials that you already have.
Create your own.

Action Item
Jot down the visuals you chose in the Session Structure Planner.

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[Part 4] Practice
Take a moment to review some options for this part of the session.

Choose a therapy plan and pick an activity within the plan.

Note: We’ll dive into a lot more detail on how to structure this in the Thematic Unit
course.

Action Item
Jot down the activity (or activities) you chose in the Session Structure
Planner.

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[Part 5] Wrap Up
Take a moment to review some options to help you wrap up your session.
Choose one (or more!) to use with your students.

Check in with students to see how they did/how they’re feeling.

Make a plan for next time.
Choose a homework activity.

Action Item
Jot down the activity (or activities) you chose in the Session Structure
Planner.

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Reflection (Post)
Take a moment to reflect on how your sessions are going.

Need a refresher? Here’s a peek at the Session Structure rubric:

0-2 Surviving 3-5 Maintaining 6-8 Thriving

I do not plan or structure my
sessions. Student engagement is
low, and progress is
unpredictable.
I use routines within my
therapy sessions. Students are
generally engaged. I often
wonder what I could do to
change the structure of my
sessions to maximize student
progress.
I have an optimized routine for
my therapy sessions. My
students are very engaged. I feel
confident that my sessions are
structured in a way that will
maximize student progress.

What did you change?

What is working well?

What are you still struggling with?

Action Item
Share your wins + what you’re struggling with in the community!

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Next Steps
Here are some ideas for next steps:

I still need some help figuring out my session structure.

Post any questions in the community.

Join our live Therapy Planning Session for more tips + tricks.

I want to implement my revamped session structure across my caseload.

Gather probes for all of your students’ goals.

Gather visuals for all of your students’ goals.

I’ve got this! I want to move onto a di erent course.

Look back at your SLP Now Snapshot and decide which course makes the most
sense for you. You can check out all of the courses here.

Action Item
Decide on your next step + schedule some time to get started!

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