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speech and language teaching concepts for Penguin on Vacation in speech therapy
Frequent Speech Sounds:

/p/ initial
/kr/ initial
/v/ initial
/k/ medial
/sh/ medial

Themes:

Summer
Winter
friendship

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

Penguin on Vacation

By Salina Yoon

Penguin is tired of the snow and cold–so he decides to visit the beach! But when his favorite activities like skiing and skating don’t work so well on sand, can a new friend help Penguin learn how to have fun in the sun? Seasoned, award-winning author/illustrator Salina Yoon’s charming text and bright, energetic illustrations ensure that readers will be clamoring for more Penguin stories–wherever they make their home!

This cute winter, summer, or Penguin-themed book can be used in speech therapy to focus on inferencing and problem solving. It is also great for discussing friendship and character growth. Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using Penguin on Vacation in speech therapy below: 

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

complete episode

Narrative Concepts:

vocabulary
theme/message
problem solving
character analysis
sequencing
illustration study
inferencing
social/emotional
verbs (regular and irregular past tense)
verbs (action)
text features

Sequencing:

order of events that led Penguin on vacation and each new thing he experienced

Vocabulary:

vacation, different, tropical, reached, swelled, expected, learned, lost, journey

Character Analysis:

Penguin is adventurous. When he became bored, he decided to go on vacation to the beach. He was  visit the tropical realized he needed a change of scenery. He tried to do familiar activities while at the beach, but the beach was not what he expected. Penguin began to enjoy his time on the beach after meeting Crab. Penguin is also welcoming. He later shows Crab how to enjoy his snowy home. Once Crab’s vacation came to an end, Penguin anticipated the time when Crab would visit him again. It also appears (based on illustration study) that Penguin taught his penguin friends different beach activities to enjoy in the snow.

Crab is very welcoming and adventurous too! He sees a discouraged-looking Penguin and then offers to show Penguin how to have fun at the beach. Later, he surprises Penguin on the raft while Penguin is heading home after vacation. Crab lets Penguin show him how to have a good time in the snow. When it is finally time for Crab to go home, he leaves Penguin a shell that lets Penguin listen to the sound of the ocean. He also leaves a note behind saying that he will visit again soon and he does.

Social/Emotional:

friendship
boredom
happiness
character growth

Grammar:

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

Text Features:

different font sizing and spacing for emphasis
exclamation points
an exclamation point and question mark combination for surprise reaction
ellipsis

Inferencing:

What is different about the beach compared to the penguin’s home?
Is the beach hot? or cold? How do you know?
How do you know the penguin is having a good time?
How do you know the crab and the penguin became friends?

 

Problem Solving:

Penguin finds a way to experience something different and learn new things through a vacation.

If you are interested in using Penguin on Vacation and other winter- themed books in speech therapy, then check out these print-&-go cheat sheets. Perfect for when you don’t need a full book companion.

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