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speech and language teaching concepts for How to Code a Sandcastle in speech therapy
Frequent Speech Sounds:

/sk/ medial
/pr/ initial
/bl/ medial
/sm/ initial
/k/ initial
/s/ medial
/l/ final

Themes:

summer
ocean
perseverance
problem solving
coding

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

How to Code a Sandcastle

By Josh Funk

All summer, Pearl has been trying to build the perfect sandcastle, but out-of-control Frisbees and mischievous puppies keep getting in the way! Pearl and her robot friend Pascal have one last chance, and this time, they’re going to use code to get the job done. Using fundamental computer coding concepts like sequences and loops, Pearl and Pascal are able to break down their sandcastle problem into small, manageable steps. If they can create working code, this could turn out to be the best beach day ever!

This creative summer and ocean book can be used in speech therapy to address social/emotional issues like perseverance It is also great for noticing character expressions and illustrations and for targeting problem solving and character analysis! Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using How to Code a Sandcastle in speech therapy below:

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

complete episode

Narrative Concepts:

theme/message​
vocabulary​
problem solving​
character analysis​
sequencing​
illustration study​
inferencing​
social/emotional​
text features​

Sequencing:

order of steps it takes to build the sandcastles

Vocabulary:

vacation, sandcastle, moat, code, robot, instructions, specific, sequence, loop, decorations

Character Analysis:

The young girl doesn’t get discouraged when her plans don’t work and keeps trying new ideas without giving up.

Social/Emotional:

She learns that if at first you don’t succeed, try again. She also learns the importance of giving specific directions and breaking steps down into smaller steps.

Text Features:

text features
speech bubbles
diagrams
capitals
change in text color
change in font
list of steps

Inferencing:

How does she feel each time her sandcastle gets ruined?
How do you think Pascal understands code?
How do you think breaking down a big code helps Pascal?
How might Pascal misinterpret what she says?
Why do her instructions have to be super specific?
Why do you think it’s important to tell Pascal everything in the correct sequence?
Why do you think she would use loops in the code?
How does she feel when Pascal gets to work?
What does she think when she sees the pile?
How do you think Pascal is different than humans?
What is she thinking when the castle is ruined again?
How does she feel when she finally figures out the code?

Problem Solving:

When her plans to build a sandcastle keep getting ruined, she has to find another way to make it work.

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