I love everything about children's books. My favorites are short, easy to read and have great illustrations in them. Incorporating my favorite books into therapy is something I do every week. It makes therapy fun and engaging for my students. I like to select a theme and then gather books, toys and games that go with it. You can easily do this for any book.
- Select a book you love.
- Develop a set of questions that go with the book.
- Select vocabulary words that meet the needs of your groups. I like to use both Tier 1 and Tier 2 vocabulary words, so I can differentiate in mixed ability groups.
- Gather a list of syntax structures used in the book. Look for past tense verbs, pronouns, plurals, compound and complex sentences.
- Find something to compare and contrast in the book. It could be characters, vocabulary words, or other books.
- Gather any games and small toys that go along with the theme.
After that you are ready to use the book to meet the needs of your student.
There are many book companions available on Tpt that can save you time. This Fall I am starting my year talking about the mindset of "I can't do it YET!" Every student is going to decide what they can't do that we are going to target. This is going to be the perfect lead for a theme of Yetis.
I am using the book
Spaghetti With My Yeti. I have created a book companion that targets answering questions, vocabulary words, story elements and the verb ate.
The game Yeti in My Spaghetti goes great with this theme. My game companion has both articulation and language game mats, so it can be used with mixed ability groups.
The last thing I am using is a Feed the Yeti activity. We are going to make a Yeti and feed it. My articulation students are going to feed him spaghetti with articulation targets on them. This Yeti can also be used to retell the story.
Books in therapy can be a great way to target multiple skills in mixed ability groups. Select a book that you love, gather games and materials that compliment the book, follow these easy steps and give it a try.
