If you are not yet using books in therapy, it's time for you to jump on the bandwagon. You can read all about tips for using books in therapy in this post.
Here is my December list of favorite books to use in speech therapy. Can you believe it's almost time for the holidays? I'm ready and it will be here very soon! A note about this month, while I know there are many that do not celebrate Christmas and refrain from holiday related activities in the school setting, this list contains Christmas-themed books.
If you checked in for September, October and November, you know that I don't use all of these books each month every year. I generally choose two per month for grades 1 and 2, separately. I do this because often times the teachers also use these books and I push into classrooms. I also like that my first graders won't know the books I'm using when they get to 2nd grade (not that repeated readings is a bad thing by any means:).
A note about books I use for kindergarten students, as I don't generally use these monthly choices. For me, kindergarten students need their very own set of materials, so my selections vary. For therapy, I will use There Was an Old Lady books, Bear books and familiar rhymes or interactive song books. Last year in my kindergarten push-in classes, I chose to read books by the same author each month for a whole group lesson. Each lesson focused on comparing and contrasting, which was a district focus. We were able to compare authors and illustrators, across stories, characters, and pictured items within each book. Here’s an extra added benefit I witnessed. My caseload students were ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS in our discussion. Their confidence in communicating within my small groups carried over into the large group setting. This year I am choosing books from my one page language book plan (OPLBP) products and I am focusing on character thoughts and feelings throughout our stories.
I've gathered some of my favorite books for December. Below you will find links to the books as well as a long list of general targets and a short "top targets" list to help your therapy planning needs for each book.
Here’s the list of books I have set aside for December.
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Here’s what I target with just about EVERY book:
→Sequencing, retelling, summarizing, story grammar/elements (character, setting, problem, events, consequences, ending/solution)
→Tier 1 describing, Tier 2 vocabulary, synonyms & antonyms
→Comparing & contrasting/similarities & differences
→Basic concepts, direction words, temporal concepts
→WH questions-basic and inferential
→Inferencing-social/pragmatic
→Verbs & pronouns
→Sentence generation-higher level structures, conversational, expansion
→Articulation
Here are my "top targets" for each book.
Inferencing-social/pragmatic
Tier 2 vocabulary
Compare/contrast
Bruce is the victim of mistaken identity...again. This time, the animals are convinced he is Santa. Check out my OPLBP here.
Tier 2 Vocabulary
Retelling
This is a twist on the classic 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and is sure to get your students interested with a pirate-theme. Here is a book companion to check out.
The Wild Christmas Reindeer
Tier 2 vocabulary
Story Grammar
Inferencing-social/pragmatic
Compare/contrast
This is a must read! Your students will love the transformation Teeka makes in carrying out her special job. You might also love this companion.
Mooseltoe
Descriptive language
Rhyming
Tier 2 vocabulary
Moose is quite the organized holiday character, until he forgets the Christmas tree. Check out these interactive notebook activities.
Gingerbread Mouse
Sequencing
Predicting
Tier 1 describing
This book is definitely underrated. Ever year that I bring out this book, the kids just fall in love with it. We do a simple retelling activity, using this free material.
Turkey Claus
Predictions
Story grammar
Compare/contrast
If you started with Turkey Trick or Treat and added Turkey Trouble during the fall, you must bring Turkey Claus into your lesson plans. Turkey is relentless when trying to save himself from being eaten for Christmas dinner. Interactive notebook activities are also available here.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas (not pictured)
Tier 1 describing
Story Grammar
Inferencing-social/pragmatic
The Bear books are such a great series. With consistent characters and sweet stories, your students will love these books. You can take a peek at my book companion.
Olive the Other Reindeer (not pictured)
Story grammar
Problem/solution
Compare/contrast
When Olive, a dog, hears "all of the other reindeer" she instantly decides she must be a reindeer! You can find lots of speech and language activities for this book here.
What are your favorite Christmas-themed books?
Compare/contrast
If you started with Turkey Trick or Treat and added Turkey Trouble during the fall, you must bring Turkey Claus into your lesson plans. Turkey is relentless when trying to save himself from being eaten for Christmas dinner. Interactive notebook activities are also available here.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas (not pictured)
Tier 1 describing
Story Grammar
Inferencing-social/pragmatic
The Bear books are such a great series. With consistent characters and sweet stories, your students will love these books. You can take a peek at my book companion.
Olive the Other Reindeer (not pictured)
Story grammar
Problem/solution
Compare/contrast
When Olive, a dog, hears "all of the other reindeer" she instantly decides she must be a reindeer! You can find lots of speech and language activities for this book here.
What are your favorite Christmas-themed books?
