I came across this wonderful book, Around the Table That Grandad Built by Marielle Hill and illustrated by Jamie Kim. It is beautifully illustrated, capturing the liveliness and energy of a family as they gather to help prepare and enjoy a dinner together. Although it is not specific to Thanksgiving, the family celebrates and is thankful to be spending time together around “The Table That Granddad Built”. In addition to the beautiful message about family, this book also celebrates diversity and family helping family.

To purchase a copy of this book, it is available on Amazon >>> USA Click Here >>>CAN Click Here

To check out a youtube read aloud by Derek Cain, visit here >>> Youtube Read Aloud

After you read the book, you can talk about:

1. Book Knowledge > Talk about the pictures on the cover. Try holding out the book upside down to help children learn to fix a book. Point out the title, author, and discuss what the book may be about just by looking at the pictures.

2. Vocabulary > The books is rich with action words, descriptive words, and Level 2 (advanced) vocabulary for different foods, etc. Make sure to introduce and highlight new words throughout the book reading. Point out a few the first reading, and save more words for subsequent readings so as not to overwhelm your child (e.g. 2nd, 3rd, or 4th readings).

3.Story Elements >

  • Characters – Family members
  • Setting – In a kitchen, around the house that Granddad built
  • Problem – It’s dinner time, and dinner is not ready.
  • Action – Everyone chips in and helps, from setting the table, to cooking
  • Outcome- After they finish setting up, the whole family gathers and enjoys a meal together
  • Feelings – Everyone is thankful and grateful to be able to enjoy dinner together. They feel love and happiness.

4. Text To Self > Either before or after the story, make a “text to self” connection where you relate themes from the book to real-world experience.

5. Act It Out > Encourage practice with the newly learned vocabulary, sentence structures and story narratives by encouraging pretend play. Gather a bunch of food/dinner items, flowers, table, and a bunch of guests (e.g. real family, friends, or even stuffed animal guests).

If you are looking for a digital telepractice activity, you can look for playTOK Boom CardsSM called Dinner Tables. Seat the large group of people at the table. Use it to elicit expressive language and pronouns, or use it to target receptive language while following directions.

Dinner Tables - Thanksgiving

Dinner Tables – Thanksgiving

You can find playTOK Dinner Tables Thanksgiving on Boom LearningSM >>> Click Here.

The contents of this blog post are of my own opinion. The content and information contained are not meant to substitute professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your speech-language pathologist, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your child’s condition. 

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