My Usual Scaffolding Techniques Weren’t Enough
A few years ago, I worked with a student who really struggled to understand language concepts—especially negation. And believe me, I pulled out every scaffolding technique I had.
I tried making it playful and obvious, pointing to a bird and exaggerating,
“This is not a bird.”
Then I’d model, “Say: This is not a bird,” while shaking my head side to side for emphasis.
If the student answered incorrectly, I’d gasp dramatically, point to the correct picture, and repeat the concept with even more energy. I tried chaining, modeling the whole sentence first and then using the cloze procedure:
- Show a dog → “What’s this?”
- Student: “Dog.”
- “Right! Now—Is this a bird?”
- “NO! It is NOT a bird. It’s a dog.”
Then we’d rewind and try again, this time pausing just before the word not:
“NO! It is….” (waiting… hoping…)
These strategies have worked beautifully for so many of my preschoolers over the years. But not this one. No matter what I did—gestures, cloze tasks, exaggerated intonation—nothing stuck.
And that left me wondering what else I could try.
So I did what many of us end up doing when we hit that wall:
I created my own resource!
I built a structured sequence with controlled visuals, audio cues, predictable routines, and graduated support using Boom Cards. I wanted to monitor the support I provided my students in a systematic and controlled way.
And guess what?
It worked.
This student finally had the structure and repetition they needed to make sense of negation.
That experience completely changed how I think about blending scaffolding with digital learning—especially for students who need consistency, repetition, and a level of support that’s hard to provide in live interactions alone.
Below, I want to walk you through the four levels of scaffolding built into my Negation Boom Cards so you can use this same framework when you create or select digital resources for your students.
Digital Learning Supports Scaffolding in Speech Therapy
“The integration of digital tools into speech therapy represents
a pivotal advancement in the delivery of care for individuals
with communication disorders. This study has illuminated the
transformative potential of technology, demonstrating how digital
platforms, mobile applications, and virtual reality can enhance patient
engagement, accessibility, and therapeutic outcomes. By utilizing these
tools, speech-language pathologists can tailor interventions to meet
the unique needs of their patients, fostering a more personalized and
effective therapeutic experience.”
Journal of Speech Pathology and Therapy Volume 9 • Issue 6
Digital learning doesn’t totally replace hands-on learning—but it can reinforce the sometimes random scaffolding we already do during push-in sessions, circle time, and individual speech therapy. Tools like Boom Cards allow us to:
- control visual and auditory stimuli
- provide immediate corrective feedback
- build predictable routines
- fade supports smoothly
- let students practice independently without frustration
When you’re teaching students who struggle with language concepts, that structure makes a difference.
Let’s walk through a set of Boom Cards to see what scaffolding might look for the concept of Negation.
Level 1: Building the Yes/No Foundation (and Determining What the Student Really Understands)
Level 1 is simple on purpose. It’s the introduction—not to “negation” yet, but to the concepts behind it. Before a child can understand not, they need three essentials:
- A stable yes/no response pattern
- Vocabulary knowledge of the items being compared
- The ability to attend to one picture at a time
This level is your chance to figure out which piece they’re missing.
This is where the “scombie” rule comes in. If I show you a picture and ask, “Is this a scombie?” you can’t answer correctly unless you know what a scombie is. Many of our students struggle not because they can’t answer yes/no questions—but because they don’t know the vocabulary well enough to answer meaningfully.
*If you don’t know what a “scombie” is, don’t worry. It’s a nonsense word I created for illustration purposes.*
What Level 1 Looks Like
- A picture appears: This is a cat.
- Next slide: Is this a cat?
- “Yes” is larger, visually cued, with a smiling emoji
- A moving arrow points to the correct answer
- If they answer incorrectly → the deck resets
- After success, students see two pictures (like a cat and a rooster) with the direction: Find not a cat.
Scaffolds are layered carefully:
- single choice
- then two choices
- then enlarged correct answer
- then crossed-out incorrect answer
How to Use Level 1 in Individual Therapy
Model along with the slide—dramatically shaking your head back and forth for no and emphasizing the “not.” I also love pairing it with the ASL gesture for “not”:
Thumb under the chin → flick forward while saying not and shaking your head.
These little multimodal cues give students an anchor.
Use Level 1 in Circle Time
- Display on a smartboard
- Have the class repeat the sentence on each slide to reinforce what the image is, or is not
- Then call on individual students
- Use gestures and head movements to reinforce meaning
📹 Check out the video clip to see Level 1 in action!
Tip for pacing: If your student answers all questions quickly and confidently, go ahead and move to Level 2—don’t let them lose interest with material that’s too easy.
Level 2: Introducing “NOT” With Strong Visual Scaffolds
Level 2 eliminates the yes/no slides and gets right to the heart of negation.
What Level 2 Looks Like
- Show a picture: This is a donut.
- Next: This is a banana.
- Then an arrow points to the banana with the label: Not a donut.
The scaffolds build:
- side-by-side choices
- larger correct answer
- crossed-out incorrect picture
This level is where many students first feel the meaning of not.
How to Use Level 2 Digitally
- Encourage students to verbalize after the slide:
“A banana is NOT a cat.” - Use error feedback as a teaching moment—review slides, visual cues, and Boom Cards do the correcting for you.
📹 Check out the video clip to see Level 2 in action!
Tip for pacing: When students respond correctly without hesitation, don’t linger. Move on to the next level to keep the challenge high and engagement strong.
Level 3: Fading Supports and Increasing Independence
By Level 3, students are ready for:
- fewer prompts
- less explanation
- more independent reasoning
What Level 3 Looks Like
- This is a donut.
- Not a donut. (showing a pig)
- Find not a donut. (two choices)
Errors produce:
- Auditory feedback: “Oops, wrong answer”
- A simplified screen with only the correct option
- Immediate reinforcement when the correct answer is chosen:
“That’s right. A pig is not a donut!”
This level mimics natural interactions closely while still giving needed structure.
📹 Check out the video clip to see Level 3 in action!
Tip for pacing: If your students are breezing through, it’s a good sign they’re ready for more complexity. Level 4 awaits!
Level 4: Generalization Through Clipart, Categories, Verbs, and More Choices
Level 4 moves into real mastery.
What Level 4 Looks Like
- Clipart instead of photos
- Activities built around:
- action verbs
- categories
- colors
- Choices increasing from 2 → 3 → 4 options
- Standard Boom Learning feedback
This level teaches flexibility—students must apply the concept of not across contexts and examples.
📹 Check out the video clips to see two activities from Level 4
Tip for pacing: Once students can accurately complete these multi-choice activities, they’re ready to use negation in real classroom interactions. If they still need support, repeat tricky items until mastery is secure.
Putting It All Together: Scaffold, Support, Succeed
Scaffolding in speech therapy isn’t just a fancy term—it’s the difference between a student guessing and a student truly understanding. By breaking negation down into clear, predictable steps, giving students repeated opportunities to respond, and gradually fading support, you set them up for success.
Whether you’re using a smartboard in circle time, guiding a small group, or supporting one-on-one therapy, digital scaffolding provides:
- Clear, predictable routines
- Immediate feedback that reinforces learning
- Opportunities for independent practice without frustration
- Gradual progression from highly supported to fully independent
And the best part? Students actually get it. Those tricky concepts like “not” stop being confusing and start being usable in real-life language.
Try It Yourself!
Each level is carefully designed to support your students’ understanding from yes/no questions all the way to independent use of negation in multiple contexts. It also includes a pre- and post-test to measure progress.
✅ Click here to explore the Negation Boom Decks at my Sound Advice for Kids Boom Learning Store
These decks are ready to use in your classroom, during push-in sessions, or individually at a table or on a tablet. Your students get the repetition and scaffolding they need, and you get the peace of mind that comes from knowing the digital supports are designed to build real understanding. And because the activities use scaffolding with Boom Cards, you can easily assign them as homework for practice at home.
Remember: scaffolding works best when it’s intentional, predictable, and layered. Start simple, watch your students’ confidence grow, and celebrate each “Aha!” moment—they’ll be using “not” correctly before you know it.
If you want to more scaffolded resources, check out my Boom Store, Sound Advice for Kids, on Boom Learning.
