Cloudy with a Chance of Comprehension

It's Wild About Books Wednesday! Each Wednesday I select a book and discuss how it can be used during speech/language therapy. If you're looking for a summer linky please consider joining in on the fun! I hope to collect as many ideas as possible for the next school year. Just use the image below to link back to me.

This week I'm highlighting Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barnett.

I often speak of visualization. I truly believe that it's one of the keys to comprehension, along with the closely related skill of inferencing. But more importantly, it's what ultimately unlocks a love for reading. The mental images we create while reading is what makes it so much fun! Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a great book for teaching visualization.

Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement (2nd Edition) by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis houses one of my favorite reads about visualization. I revisit the chapter entitled "Visualizing and Inferring" over and over again. They discuss how to enable students to "create mental images that go beyond visualizing." Great readers don't simply create pictures in their minds. They hear. They smell. They taste.

I believe this week's pick is perfect for developing this critical strategy. Read this book to your students and encourage them to utilize all of their senses.

Vision: I see giant pancakes falling from the sky!
Hearing: I hear orange juice drizzling on the roof.
Smell: I smell sweet syrup!
Taste: I can taste disgusting pea fog. It's salty and gross! (I don't actually know if peas are salty.. I refuse to taste them haha)

I've also scoured Teachers Pay Teachers for FREEBIES that relate to this book! Here are a couple that caught my eye that may prove useful:

Snatch this cute craft by The Dabbling Speechie HERE.

This mini unit targets comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. It's by Hollie Griffith and can be found HERE.

What are you favorite books for targeting visualization? Here is another one of my faves, check out Visualizing with Camilla Cream.

Have a great day! Thanks for swinging by!