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Speaking Topic

The SLP's Guide to Building Better Word Lists

Format
3 hours or 1.5 hours
Presented by
Lauren Kline, M.S., CCC-SLP, A/OGA, C-SLDI
Audience
SLPs and literacy specialists working in speech and reading

Course Abstract

The word list is the quietest decision you make, and one of the most important. The words you put in front of a student shape what they can practice, what transfers, and whether a lesson moves a goal or just fills the time. Most of us were never taught how to build one on purpose. We borrow, we improvise, we grab what is handy.

This course teaches the framework, not the finished list. The goal is not to hand you a stack of words to use on Monday. The goal is to make you the person who can build the right list for any student, any goal, and any setting, because you understand the reasoning underneath it.

We will work from the intersection of speech and literacy, where I spend my days. A word list that serves articulation, decoding, and spelling at once is a different animal than a list built for one skill in isolation, and the clinician or educator who can see all of those layers builds better lists. Whether you are planning a therapy session or a structured literacy lesson, you will leave able to construct word lists that are developmentally sound, sequenced with intention, and matched to the student in front of you.

This is the science of reading through the SLP lens. You bring the students and the goals. I will give you the framework to choose the words.

What You'll Walk Away With

  • ● A repeatable framework for building a word list from any target, rather than relying on borrowed or random lists.
  • ● The reasoning to judge whether a list is developmentally appropriate, well sequenced, and doing its job.
  • ● A way to build lists that serve speech and literacy goals at the same time.
  • ● The confidence to adjust any list for the real students on your caseload or in your groups.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. 1. Explain the developmental and linguistic principles that determine which words belong on a list for a given goal and learner.
  2. 2. Apply a framework for sequencing words according to scope, complexity, and a logical progression of skills.
  3. 3. Evaluate a word list for developmental fit, phonological complexity, and instructional value, and identify what to change.
  4. 4. Construct word lists that support speech and literacy goals together, across articulation, phonology, decoding, and spelling.
  5. 5. Adapt word list construction for diverse learners, including students with speech sound disorders, language-based learning differences, and multilingual backgrounds.

Course Plan

The 3-hour version, broken into six parts:

Part 1: The List Is a Decision

  • ● Why word selection quietly shapes outcomes
  • ● The cost of borrowed and random lists
  • ● Reframing the word list as an intentional clinical and instructional choice

Part 2: What Makes a Word Earn Its Place

  • ● Developmental and linguistic principles behind word selection
  • ● Phonological complexity and why it matters
  • ● Reading the student before reading the list

Part 3: The Sequencing Framework

  • ● Scope and sequence logic, made usable
  • ● Building a progression that supports transfer
  • ● Where speech targets and literacy targets line up

Part 4: Building Lists That Do Double Duty

  • ● Serving articulation, decoding, and spelling at once
  • ● The intersection lens: what SLPs and literacy specialists each bring
  • ● Worked examples that demonstrate the framework in action

Part 5: Build Your Own

  • ● Hands-on construction using the framework
  • ● Participants build lists for their own goals and learners
  • ● Feedback and troubleshooting

Part 6: Evaluate and Adjust

  • ● A method for judging and revising any list
  • ● Adapting for diverse learners and settings
  • ● Q and A and application

1.5-Hour Version

A condensed version focused on the framework and hands-on construction, ideal for a single session or conference slot:

  • ● The list as an intentional decision
  • ● What makes a word earn its place
  • ● The core sequencing framework
  • ● A guided build-your-own using the framework
  • ● Evaluate, adjust, and Q and A

Optional Handouts

These keep the focus on the method, so participants leave able to build their own:

Bring this session to your team

Available as a 3-hour or 1.5-hour training, and adaptable to your audience and goals.

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