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speech and language teaching concepts for Of Thee I Sing in speech therapy​
Frequent Speech Sounds:

/th/ initial
/ld/ final
/ar/ initial
/y/ initial (you)
/h/ initial
/v/ final
/t/ initial

Themes:

patriotic/America
Black History Month
Women’s History Month
self-confidence
history
strength
family
heros
love

Book Details:
Diverse Characters: Yes
Age Recommendation: Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle School

Of Thee I Sing

By Barack Obama

In this poignant letter to his daughters, Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O’Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America’s children.

This heartwarming patriotic/America book can be used in speech therapy to address figurative language. It is also great for noticing illustrations and for targeting historical vocabulary as well as for describing! Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using Of Thee I Sing in speech therapy below:

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

descriptive sequence​

Narrative Concepts:

vocabulary​
theme/message​
illustration study​
figurative language​
adjectives
verbs (action)
verbs (regular past tense)
verbs (irregular past tense)
repetitive text

Vocabulary:

creative, Georgia O’Keefe, imagination, Albert Einstein, advances, brave, Jackie Robinson, respect, grace, healer, Sitting Bull, Billie Holiday, Helen Keller, honor, sacrifices, Vietnam, equality, Jane Adams, hope, MLK Jr., erupt, unyielding, compassion, explorer, Neil Armstrong, Cesar Chavez, family, Abraham Lincoln, slave, American, George Washington, liberty, citizen, courage

Figurative Language:

personification (sunshine spills into the room, braid great ideas, wisdom touched the generations)
hyperbole (strength of a lion)

Grammar:

adjectives
verbs (action)
verbs (regular past tense)
verbs (irregular past tense)

Text Features:

repetitive text

If you are interested in seeing other patriotic/America books to use in therapy, then check out the Narrative Teaching Points Book List for a printable copy.