I’m so excited to announce that I’m bringing back Theme Thursday for fall and winter! Swing by each Thursday for tons of fun themes for speech-language therapy! To kick this series back off, I’m starting with a classic fall theme – Apples!
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First up, let’s talk about another Dice Drills craft hack! I adore this packet, because it’s so versatile! You can find this resource in my membership – The Speech is Sweet Club! Check out these fun apples!
This craft is super simple! Here are the directions:
- Print the Dice Drills pages on Astrobrights paper or students can simply color in the squares red, yellow, or green!
- Students trace a circle on the paper or just cut out an approximation of an apple.
- Cut out a rectangle out of brown construction paper.
- Glue the rectangle on the top of the circle (to create the stem).
- Cut out an oval from green construction paper.
- Glue the oval next to the stem to make a leaf!
Voila! Students will love taking their apple home and practicing their words!
Here is a “before” picture:
Your students will also love this Apple Trouble cut and paste craft! It can be found in my Apple Trouble book companion that’s in my membership:
There are also a few games I recommend for an apple theme!
- Apples to Apples Junior – This game is so much fun! It’s perfect for language therapy and or students who are working on making comparisons!
- Attribute Apples – This game is perfect for sorting, classifying, and comparing/contrasting!
- Hi-Ho Cherry-O – This game is a classic and you can usually find it in stores for only $5! Students can compare the different fruits that they gather, work on quantitative concepts, or you can simply use this game as a reinforcer.
- Apple Articulation
- Fall Interactive Articulation Notebook – features an apple activity! This is also found in my membership!
- Apple Themed Lesson Plans
Lastly, there are so many apple-tastic books to use in speech-language therapy! You’ll definitely want to stop by the library to check out some of these great picture books!
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
This is such a fun counting book and I love Pat Hutchins. An apple farmer is excited about all his apples! That is until his animals each stop by to grab one off of the the tree! Luckily, they save an apple for him and they later discover another apple tree! You can use this book to work on:
2) Quantitative Concepts
3) Vocabulary – This is perfect for working on farm themed vocabulary! Students can also compare/contrast the different animals!
Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
This is a wonderful book to use during an apple theme in speech therapy! Annie picks and sorts her apples each fall! She also makes a variety of apple goodies and sells them at the market! Use this book to work on:
2) Vocabulary – discuss all of the things you can make out of apples! You can also sort them into categories (drinks, desserts, snacks, etc)
3) Following Directions – You can also make the applesauce recipe that is found at the end of the book!
Apples by Gail Gibbons
What is a theme without a Gail Gibbons non-fiction book?! haha.. Students will love learning about the history of apples and the science behind them. Use this book to work on:
2) WH Questions
3) Sequencing – Discuss how to plant an apple tree!
Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship by Edward Hemingway
This is a brand new book to my collection and oh my! It is the sweetest story ever! Mac is a happy-go-lucky apple and one day a worm moves in! Mac and his worm, Will, become the best of friends! He’s so happy with his friendship, but one day the other apples realizes he has a worm and they begin to make fun of him! They tease him relentlessly until Will moves out, because he doesn’t want Mac to get bullied anymore! This leads Mac on a journey to find Will again.. seriously, so sweet! This book can be used to work on so many skills:
1) Social Skills – Discuss how to identify and handle bullies. This is also the perfect book for working on friendships.
2) Problem Solving
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
This is such a cute book! It follows an apple tree’s journey throughout all four seasons! It’s barren in the winter and blossoms in the spring. When it’s autumn, two sisters use the apples from the tree to make a pie! You can use this book to work on:
2) Compare/Contrast – Compare the apple tree throughout each season!
3) Inferencing – Have students infer what’s going to happen to the tree each season!
*It looks like this book can only be purchased new from the Scholastic Teacher Club.
Apple Trouble by Ragnhild Scamell
This is possibly my favorite apple themed book! It’s so hard to pin-point a favorite, but I think this is the one! A little hedgehog is ready to hibernate, but an apple falls onto her back and gets stuck! She can’t fit into her nest and seeks out a little help from her friends! It’s funny and endearing! This book isn’t in circulation anymore, except you can still buy it from the Scholastic Teacher Club! If you work in a school, you can order the book! If you don’t work in a school setting, you can buy it used on Amazon or Ebay! Use this book to work on:
There are a variety of sequencing activities found in my book companion!
2) Problem Solving
3) Cause and Effect!
Let’s take another peek inside the companion! It features interactive notebook activities, a flip book, clip cards, and more!
What books do you like to use during an apple theme?!
Thank you for stopping by! Be sure to check back next Thursday, I have another fun fall themed planned for you!