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using Small Walt in speech therapy
Frequent Speech Sounds:

/pl/ initial
/lt/ final
/g/ initial
/s/ final
/sn/ initial
Themes:

winter
self-confidence
perseverance
Book Details:
Diverse Characters: N/A
Age Recommendation: Early Childhood, Elementary
Buy the Book on Amazon
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Small Walt

By Elizabeth Verdick

Small Walt and his driver, Gus, take on a blizzard! All the bigger snowplows doubt that Walt has what it takes to plow the roads in the storm, but Walt is determined to prove them wrong.

This sweet winter book can be used in speech therapy to address social/emotional issues like perseverance and self-confidence. It is also great for noticing character expressions and for targeting problem solving as well as for predicting! Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using Small Walt in speech therapy below: 

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

complete episode
Narrative Concepts:

vocabulary
sequencing
illustration study
predicting
problem solving
character analysis
figurative language
social/emotional
theme/message
verbs (action)
verbs (linguistic)
verbs (third person singular)
Sequencing:

sequence of events Walt takes to help with the blizzard
Vocabulary:

plows, load, inspects, route, grip, scatter, hums, squawks, blizzard, pelts, muck, drifts, blaze, falter, forge
Character Analysis:

Walt is a small plow and is teased for being too small for a big snowstorm. Despite his size, Walt is chosen by Gus to plow the snow. Walt demonstrates perseverance while on the job and in the end proves that he has what it takes to be a snow plow.
Social/Emotional:

facial expressions
perseverance
Figurative Language:

onomatopoeias
personification of the snow plows
Grammar:

verbs (action)
verbs (linguistic)
verbs (third person singular)
Text Features:

repetitive text
italics
dashes
ellipses
all caps
large font
moving font
Phonological Awareness:

rhyming
Predicting:

Will Walt be able to plow up the hill?
How will the other plows treat him at the end of the job?
Problem Solving:

Walt gets stuck plowing the hill and has to find a way to get to the top.

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