fbpx
speech and language teaching concepts for A Very Big Fall in speech therapy
Frequent Speech Sounds:

/er/ medial
/l/ initial and final
/skw/ initial
/r/ blends (tree, green, ground) 

Themes:

fall
leaves

Book Details:
Diverse Characters: N/A
Age Recommendation: Early Childhood, Elementary

A Very Big Fall

By Emmy Kastner

The weather is pleasant, the view is fine, and everything just feels fresh. But when autumn breezes begin to blow, adventurous Birch, nervous Oak, and grumpy Maple each have their own way of facing the new crispness in the air. The squirrels take pleasure in warning the leaves about the transformations to come: new colors! And more … an actual fall. But will the ground be the end? Or a new beginning?

New situations can be scary but also thrilling, as three adorable autumn leaves, surprised by their turning colors and the promise of the fall to come, discover in this funny and heartwarming story, the perfect tool for any child who struggles with change.

This uplifting fall and leaves book can be used in speech therapy to target character analysis and social/emotional concepts such as fear and accepting change. This book is also great for targeting rich vocabulary, as well as sounds including /er/, /l/, /skw/, and /r/ blends! Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using A Very Big Fall in speech therapy below: 

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

action sequence

Narrative Concepts:

vocabulary
character analysis
illustration study
figurative language
social/emotional
verbs (linguistic)
text features

Vocabulary:

sway, stretch, curious, oak tree, Maple tree, Birch tree, adventure, jealous, elegance, hesitant, impatient

Character Analysis:

Oak doesn’t want anything to change while Birch is curious and ready for adventure. Maple is a little spunky and grumpy and isn’t sure what to think quite yet. When they start to change color, Oak and Birch flaunt their new colors while Maple is slow to change color. When Maple doesn’t change color or fall, she starts to get impatient and then scared when Squirrel tells her about all of the things down below. In the end, they are loved by a little girl and enjoy their time during fall on the ground.

Social/Emotional:

Oak, Birch and Maple learn that everything happens for a reason and that embracing change can be a good thing. This book brings reassurance that joy can be found in change. 

Figurative Language:

personification of the leaves 

Grammar:

verbs (linguistic)

Text Features:

ellipses
capitals
enlarged text for emphasis 

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

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