Mittens & Many Words Lesson Plan
Mittens & Many Words
Speech Therapy Lesson Plan • K-2nd Grade
Duration: 25 Minutes
Audience: K-2 Speech Therapy
Why This Lesson?
Developing strong vocabulary, sequencing, and retelling skills are crucial for early literacy and communication. This lesson uses a familiar and engaging story to provide a multi-modal approach to reinforce these foundational language skills.
Objectives
- Identify key vocabulary words related to "The Mitten".
- Sequence major story events in correct chronological order.
- Retell the story using visual aids and targeted vocabulary.
Materials
- "The Mitten" by Jan Brett (book)
- Slide Deck: Mittens & Many Words
- Script: Mittens & Many Words
- Vocabulary Worksheet
- Sequencing Activity Cards
Teacher Preparation
Time
15 Minutes
- Review Jan Brett's "The Mitten" and familiarize yourself with animal order.
- Print and cut out the Sequencing Activity Cards.
- Print Vocabulary Worksheets for each student.
- Optional: Gather physical animal cut-outs or puppets.
Instructional Flow
3 min
Warm-Up
Mitten Chat
Use Script & Slide 1
- • Hold up a mitten or show the slide picture. Ask: "What is this? What do we use it for?"
- • Encourage students to share winter experiences, focusing on descriptive words.
10 min
Reading
Story Time: "The Mitten"
Use Script & Slides 2-4
- • Read aloud, emphasizing key vocabulary (e.g., burrow, snout, quill, paws).
- • Pause to ask predictive questions: "Who is in the mitten now? Who comes next?"
7 min
Practice
Vocabulary & Sequencing Fun
Use Script & Slides 5-6
- • Discuss worksheet words, matching them to images.
- • Distribute cards. Guide students to order animals by their entry into the mitten.
5 min
Closing
Retelling Challenge & Cool Down
Use Script & Slides 7-8
- • Have students retell the story using their cards. Use sentence starters like "First, the ______ went into the mitten."
- • Discuss favorite animals and why. Collect materials.
Speech Therapy Strategy Corner
Visual Cues:
Use the detailed illustrations in the book to support word retrieval for students with expressive language delays.
Sentence Expansion:
Model expanding "Rabbit in" to "The hopping rabbit squeezed into the white mitten."
Mittens & Many Words Presentation
Warm Up:
Mitten Chat!
What is this?
What do we use mittens for?
Have you ever worn a mitten? When?
The Mitten
By Jan Brett
Our Story
Listen carefully to all the animals who want to get inside Nicki's white mitten!
Who's in the Mitten?
Let's read the story together!
"Who is in the mitten now? What animal might come next?"
More Animals!
The mitten is getting bigger and bigger!
Names & Actions
Stretch!
New Words!
The story had some cool new words!
Let's learn what they mean.
Activity:
Use the Vocabulary Worksheet to discuss the words and match them to pictures.
Animal Order!
Who came first?
Who came next?
Let's put the animals in order!
1st
2nd
3rd
...
Retell the Story!
Now it's your turn! Use your animal cards to help you remember the order.
"First, the ________ went into the mitten."
Great Job!
What was your favorite animal and why?
Mittens & Many Words Script
Mittens & Many Words
Instructional Script • Speech Therapy
Lesson Type
K-2 SLP
Visual Cue
Book Action
Student Response
3 Minutes
Warm-Up: Mitten Chat
Display Slide 1 or hold up a real mitten
"Hello, everyone! Good morning! Look at what I have here today. Can anyone tell me what this is?"
Pause for: "A Mitten!"
"That's right, it's a mitten! What do we use mittens for?"
Target vocabulary: Cold, snow, hands, warm, winter.
"Excellent! We wear mittens to keep our hands warm when it's cold outside. Have you ever worn mittens? When do you wear them? What do they feel like?"
10 Minutes
Story Time: "The Mitten"
Transition to Slide 2 & Hold up Book
"Today, we're going to read a very special story called 'The Mitten' by Jan Brett. In this story, a boy named Nicki loses his white mitten in the snow. And guess what? All sorts of animals decide to squeeze inside it to stay warm!"
"As I read, I want you to listen very carefully to find out which animals try to squeeze into Nicki's white mitten. Let's see how many can fit!"
(Read the story. When the mole enters...) "Oh, look! The mole dug his way in! A mole has a tiny, pointed snout. Now, who is in the mitten?"
(Slide 4) "And now a hedgehog with his sharp quills pushes in! Who's in the mitten now? How many animals are there? Do you think more can fit?"
7 Minutes
Vocabulary & Sequencing Fun
Slide 5 - Hand out Vocabulary Worksheet
"That was quite an adventure! Let's review some cool words. Look at the first word: burrow. Can you say 'burrow'?"
"When an animal burrows, it digs a tunnel. Look at your worksheet. Which picture shows an animal burrowing?"
Slide 6 - Hand out Activity Cards
"Now, let's think about the order. Who was the very first animal to go into the mitten? ... That's right, the mole! And who came after the mole?"
"Your job is to put these cards in the correct order, just like they went into the mitten. If you need a hint, think about how much the mitten had to stretch!"
5 Minutes
Retelling Challenge & Cool Down
Slide 7: Show Retelling Prompt
"Now comes the exciting part: we're going to retell the story! Who would like to start? You can say:
'First, the ______ went into the mitten.'"
Vocabulary Worksheet
The Mitten: New Words!
Vocabulary Exploration
Name
1
Match the Word to the Picture!
Draw a line from the word to the picture that shows what it means.
Burrow To dig a tunnel or hole.
Snout The nose and mouth of an animal.
Quill A sharp spine on an animal.
Paws The feet of an animal with claws.
Waddle To walk swaying side to side.
Picture of animal paws
Picture of a pointed snout
Picture of a digging mole
Picture of a duck waddling
Picture of sharp quills
2
Draw and Describe!
My favorite animal is the:
It is:
(Write one word to describe it)
Draw your animal here!
