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Frequent Speech Sounds:

/er/ medial and final
/k/ medial
/z/ medial
/skw/ (squawk)
/v/ initial (valley)
/l/ medial (valley)

Themes:

Thanksgiving
clever-thinking

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

A Plump and Perky Turkey

By Teresa Bateman

Turkeys around Squawk Valley just don’t jump into pots anymore—they are way too smart for that. So the townspeople hatch a clever plan. They host a turkey-themed arts and crafts fair and lure a vain bird into town by advertising for an artist’s model. Peter the Turkey, proud of his well-stuffed form, takes the bait but doesn’t fall for the trap.

This Thanksgiving book can be used to address clever-thinking by the main character. The text is longer but the rhyme pattern makes it an easy read. It is a great book for illustration study and for targeting grammar concepts such as mental state verbs and also compound adjectives! Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using A Plump and Perky Turkey in speech therapy below:

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

complex episode

Narrative Concepts:

vocabulary
theme/message
problem-solving
character analysis
illustration study
inferencing
predicting
sequencing
verbs (mental state)
adjectives (compound phrases)
phonological awareness
repetitive text

Sequencing:

order of types of turkeys

Vocabulary:

plump, downhearted, candidates, jamboree, plastered, startled, intrigued, hearty, jaunty, model, qualify, disappear, camouflage

Character Analysis:

The townspeople thought they were being clever when actually, Pete the turkey outsmarted them.

Grammar:

verbs (mental state)
verbs (linguistic)
adjectives (compound phrases)
adjectives

Text Features:

parentheses
text in the illustrations
thought bubbles
dialogue
repetitive text

Phonological Awareness:

rhyming words
alliteration
multisyllabic words

Inferencing:

Why do think the dog and townsfolk are sticking out their tongues?
Why do you think Pete took the oatmeal bird?
How do you think Pete outsmarted the townsfolk?

Predicting:

Where do you think the turkeys go in autumn?
How will they trick a turkey into going to an art fair?
How will they try to trick a turkey into jumping in the pot?
How will they convince a turkey to come to the art show?
Where do you think Pete went?
Do you think they will find Pete?
What do you think the town will do now that Pete is gone?

Problem Solving:

The townsfolk in Squawk Valley developed a plan to catch a turkey for Thanksgiving. It was a good plan; however, they forgot to take into account the turkey’s ability to camouflage.​

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

If you are interested in using A Plump and Perky Turkey and other Thanksgiving- themed books in speech therapy, then check out these print-&-go cheat sheets. Perfect for when you don’t need a full book companion.