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FOCUS KEYPHRASE:​ speech and language teaching concepts for Turkey Trouble in speech therapy
Frequent Speech Sounds:

/er/ medial
/k/ initial and medial
/st/ medial and final
/th/ initial
/g/ initial
/l/ initial and medial
/j/ initial (just)
/f/ initial
/sh/ initial

Themes:

tricking people to get what you want
Thanksgiving
problem solving

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

Turkey Trouble

By Wendi Silvano

Turkey is in trouble. Bad trouble. The kind of trouble where it’s almost Thanksgiving . . . and you’re the main course. But Turkey has an idea–what if he doesn’t look like a turkey? What if he looks like another animal instead? After many hilarious attempts, Turkey comes up with the perfect disguise to make this Thanksgiving the best ever!

This Thanksgiving-themed book can be used for describing as you compare and contrast Turkey’s disguises with other farm animals. It also has repetitive text, which is great for working on different speech sounds, such as medial /st/ in the word “costume!” Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using Turkey Trouble in speech therapy below: ​​

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

complete episode

Narrative Concepts:

describing
illustration study
compare and contrast
problem solving
character analysis
figurative language
sequencing
predicting
verbs (linguistic)
repetitive text

Sequencing:

order of Turkey’s disguises

Vocabulary:

main course, idea, desperately, costume, worried, almost

Character Analysis:

Turkey is desperate to avoid being this year’s Thanksgiving meal, so tries out different disguises to hide himself. When he discovers that his friend, Rooster, is next in line as a main course, Turkey comes up with the best idea to save everyone’s Thanksgiving.

Figurative Language:

onomatopoeias
idioms

Grammar:

verbs (linguistic)
verbs (mental state)

Text Features:

repetitive text
italics
ellipsis
change in font and color
exclamation points
question marks
“baaa-d idea”

Predicting:

What do you think Turkey will disguise himself as next?

Problem Solving:

Turkey has to find a way to avoid being the farmer’s main course this year. He tries various disguises until he finds the perfect one.

If you are interested in using Turkey Trouble in speech therapy, then check out the book companion with the full lesson plans and activities.

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.