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Smooth Speaking Sentences

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Lesson Plan

Flowing Fluency Lesson Plan

Students will practice applying easy onsets, slowed rate, and continuous phonation to structured sentences to improve speech fluency in a supportive, individualized setting.

By focusing on fluency shaping strategies in meaningful sentences, students gain motor planning for smoother speech, build confidence, and learn to generalize techniques to everyday conversation.

Audience

4th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Guided then independent practice with target strategies.

Materials

Structured Sentences List, Fluency Strategy Cue Cards, Timer or Stopwatch, and Student Progress Tracking Sheet

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Strategy Review

5 minutes

  • Greet the student warmly and set a positive tone.
  • Briefly review the three fluency shaping strategies: easy onset, slowed rate, and continuous phonation using Fluency Strategy Cue Cards.
  • Explain that today’s work will use sentences from the Structured Sentences List to practice these strategies.

Step 2

Model & Choral Repetition

5 minutes

  • Teacher models each sentence at a slow rate with easy onset and continuous phonation.
  • Student and teacher say each sentence together (choral reading), focusing on matching the model’s smooth, connected speech.
  • Use the timer to pace each sentence (~10–15 seconds each).

Step 3

Guided Practice: Easy Onset Focus

10 minutes

Step 4

Independent Practice: Slowed Rate & Continuous Phonation

8 minutes

  • Student practices 5 additional sentences independently from the Structured Sentences List.
  • Encourage use of slowed rate and continuous phonation without teacher models.
  • Observe and note strategy use and fluency on the Student Progress Tracking Sheet.
  • Provide brief corrective feedback or praise every 2–3 sentences to reinforce good technique.

Step 5

Feedback & Wrap-Up

2 minutes

  • Review student’s recorded progress and highlight improvements.
  • Reinforce one strategy the student used well and set a small goal for next session (e.g., using easy onset on three new sentences).
  • Assign 5–10 minutes of home practice using the Structured Sentences List and a family member as listener.
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Slide Deck

Flowing Fluency

Practicing Smooth Speech with Easy Onset, Slowed Rate & Continuous Phonation

Welcome the student and introduce the session title. Establish a positive, supportive tone.

Session Objectives

• Practice three fluency shaping strategies: easy onset, slowed rate, continuous phonation
• Apply strategies to meaningful, structured sentences
• Build confidence and motor planning for smoother speech

Review these objectives with the student. Ask them to repeat back the goals in their own words.

Fluency Shaping Strategies

  1. Easy Onset: Begin vowels gently to reduce tension
  2. Slowed Rate: Stretch speech sounds for a calm pace
  3. Continuous Phonation: Keep airflow and voicing steady

Show the cue cards as you review. Point to each strategy on the Fluency Strategy Cue Cards.

Model & Choral Repetition

• Teacher models: “The cat sat on the mat.”
• Student and teacher say each sentence together
• Use the timer for pacing (~10–15 seconds each)

Demonstrate each sentence slowly using all three strategies. Then invite the student to choral read with you.

Guided Practice: Easy Onset

Let’s practice these sentences:
• “My dog likes to run.”
• “I can ride my bike.”
• “We will go to the park.”
• “The sun is shining brightly.”
• “She likes to draw pictures.”

Record on the Student Progress Tracking Sheet.

Select 5–6 sentences here. Cue the student with Fluency Strategy Cue Cards to use easy onset.

Independent Practice

Practice 5 more sentences on your own:
• “Birds sing in the morning.”
• “I read a book every night.”
• “He eats apples for lunch.”
• “They play games after school.”
• “She paints with bright colors.”

Focus on slowed rate and continuous phonation.

Encourage the student to work independently. Observe strategy use and note on tracking sheet.

Feedback & Wrap-Up

• Celebrate improvements you saw today
• Highlight one strategy you used well
• Set a goal: e.g., use easy onset in 3 new sentences next session
• Home practice: 5–10 minutes with the Structured Sentences List and a family listener

Review the student’s progress sheet and highlight one strength. Set a small goal for next time.

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Worksheet

Structured Sentences List

Use the sentences below during your session. Read each one aloud, focusing on the target fluency shaping strategies reviewed on the Fluency Strategy Cue Cards.

Guided Practice Sentences

(Teacher and student practice together – focus on Easy Onset 🪶)

  1. “My dog likes to run.”





  2. “I can ride my bike.”





  3. “We will go to the park.”





  4. “The sun is shining brightly.”





  5. “She likes to draw pictures.”





  6. “He will bring his book tomorrow.”





Independent Practice Sentences

(Student practices independently – focus on Slowed Rate 🐢 & Continuous Phonation 🌊)

  1. “Birds sing in the morning.”





  2. “I read a book every night.”





  3. “He eats apples for lunch.”





  4. “They play games after school.”





  5. “She paints with bright colors.”





Tip: After each sentence, jot down which strategy you used (🪶 for Easy Onset, 🐢 for Slowed Rate, 🌊 for Continuous Phonation) and any notes about how it felt or sounded.

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Activity

Fluency Strategy Cue Cards

Use these quick‐reference cards during speech practice to remind yourself of each fluency shaping strategy. Keep them visible as you work through sentences.

Easy Onset 🪶

Begin vowels gently to reduce tension

  1. Take a soft, quiet breath in.
  2. Start your word as if you’re whispering the first sound.
  3. Ease into the vowel sound smoothly, without a ‘pop.’



Slowed Rate 🐢

Stretch sounds for a calm, steady pace

  1. Pause briefly between each syllable.
  2. Gently stretch out every sound.
  3. Keep a relaxed rhythm—imagine you’re a turtle taking your time.



Continuous Phonation 🌊

Keep airflow and voicing flowing without breaks

  1. Keep your voice ‘on’ from the first word to the last.
  2. Let your speech glide like flowing water—no stopping or hesitations.
  3. Connect words smoothly, avoiding choppy starts and stops.



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Lesson Plan

Smooth Speaking Sentences

Students will apply easy onset, slowed rate, and continuous phonation across structured sentences to improve speech fluency, track their performance, and build confidence in smooth speech.

Practicing targeted fluency shaping strategies in meaningful sentences helps students develop motor planning, reduce disfluencies, and generalize smooth speaking skills to everyday conversation.

Audience

4th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Guided modeling, choral practice, scaffolded then independent application

Materials

Structured Sentences List, Fluency Strategy Cue Cards, Timer or Stopwatch, and Student Progress Tracking Sheet

Prep

Prepare Session Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Strategy Review

5 minutes

  • Greet the student and build rapport
  • Show each fluency shaping strategy on the Fluency Strategy Cue Cards
  • Briefly review: easy onset, slowed rate, continuous phonation
  • Explain today’s goal: using these strategies on sentences

Step 2

Model & Choral Repetition

5 minutes

  • Teacher models each sentence slowly with easy onset and continuous phonation
  • Student and teacher read each sentence together (choral reading)
  • Use the timer (~10–15 seconds per sentence) to maintain pacing
  • Emphasize smooth starts and steady airflow

Step 3

Guided Practice: Easy Onset Focus

10 minutes

Step 4

Independent Practice: Slowed Rate & Continuous Phonation

8 minutes

  • Student practices 5 new sentences independently from the Structured Sentences List
  • Instruct student to focus on stretching sounds (slowed rate) and keeping airflow steady (continuous phonation)
  • Observe and jot notes on the Student Progress Tracking Sheet
  • Provide brief corrective feedback or praise every 2–3 sentences

Step 5

Feedback & Assessment

2 minutes

  • Review the student’s entries on the Student Progress Tracking Sheet
  • Highlight two specific improvements and reinforce one strategy used well
  • Set a home practice goal: 5–10 minutes with a family listener using the Structured Sentences List
  • Encourage the student to aim for easy onsets in three new sentences next session
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Slide Deck

Smooth Speaking Sentences

30-minute individual session for 4th grade
Practice easy onset, slowed rate & continuous phonation using structured sentences.

Welcome the student and introduce today’s session title. Set a positive, supportive tone.

Session Objectives

• Review three fluency shaping strategies
• Apply strategies to guided and independent sentences
• Build confidence and track progress

Review the objectives with the student and ask them to restate in their own words.

Fluency Shaping Strategies

  1. Easy Onset 🪶: Begin vowels gently to reduce tension
  2. Slowed Rate 🐢: Stretch sounds for a calm pace
  3. Continuous Phonation 🌊: Keep airflow and voicing steady

Show each cue card from Fluency Strategy Cue Cards as you explain.

Model & Choral Repetition

• Teacher models each sentence slowly
• Student and teacher read together
• Emphasize gentle starts and smooth, continuous flow

Model each sentence slowly using all three strategies. Invite the student to choral read with you, timing each sentence (~10–15 sec).

Guided Practice: Easy Onset

Practice these sentences together:
• “My dog likes to run.”
• “I can ride my bike.”
• “We will go to the park.”
• “The sun is shining brightly.”
• “She likes to draw pictures.”

Record performance on the Student Progress Tracking Sheet.

Select the guided sentences from Structured Sentences List. Cue easy onset with each sentence and record on the progress sheet.

Independent Practice

Student practices on their own:
• “Birds sing in the morning.”
• “I read a book every night.”
• “He eats apples for lunch.”
• “They play games after school.”
• “She paints with bright colors.”

Focus on slowed rate & continuous phonation.

Encourage independent use of slowed rate and continuous phonation. Observe quietly and note strategy use on the tracking sheet.

Progress Tracking & Feedback

• Review entries on the Student Progress Tracking Sheet
• Highlight improvements and one strategy used well
• Set a goal: easy onset in three new sentences next session

Review the student’s entries on the tracking sheet. Praise specific improvements and reinforce the strategy they used best.

Home Practice & Next Steps

• Practice 5–10 minutes daily with the Structured Sentences List
• Use all three strategies and a family member as listener
• Celebrate your smooth speech progress!

Assign home practice and encourage family involvement as supportive listeners.

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Worksheet

Student Progress Tracking Sheet

Student Name: _______________________ Date: _______________________


Guided Practice: Easy Onset 🪶

(Teacher models & student practices with gentle vowel starts)

  1. Sentence: “My dog likes to run.”
    Strategy Used (🪶): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  2. Sentence: “I can ride my bike.”
    Strategy Used (🪶): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  3. Sentence: “We will go to the park.”
    Strategy Used (🪶): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  4. Sentence: “The sun is shining brightly.”
    Strategy Used (🪶): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  5. Sentence: “She likes to draw pictures.”
    Strategy Used (🪶): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  6. Sentence: “He will bring his book tomorrow.”
    Strategy Used (🪶): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





Independent Practice: Slowed Rate 🐢 & Continuous Phonation 🌊

(Student practices on their own, stretching sounds & keeping airflow steady)

  1. Sentence: “Birds sing in the morning.”
    Strategy Used (🐢/🌊): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  2. Sentence: “I read a book every night.”
    Strategy Used (🐢/🌊): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  3. Sentence: “He eats apples for lunch.”
    Strategy Used (🐢/🌊): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  4. Sentence: “They play games after school.”
    Strategy Used (🐢/🌊): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





  5. Sentence: “She paints with bright colors.”
    Strategy Used (🐢/🌊): ____________________ Rating (1–5): __
    Notes:





Reflection & Next Steps

  • What strategy did I use best today? ________________________________



  • What felt challenging and why? ____________________________________



  • Goal for next session: ____________________________________________



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