By the time Presidents’ Day holiday rolls around, I’m ready for a break! But I do love teaching my students about history. One of the ways I do this is by teaching them the history behind certain holidays. I love how I can incorporate vocabulary, themes, fun, and nonfiction all at the same time! I compiled a list of my favorite Presidents’ Day books for speech therapy below. Affiliate links are included, but you can find many of these as read-alouds on other websites.
In addition to promoting literacy, books are perfect for working on many other goals. I can target articulation, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, grammar, MLU, and every other student goal using just a single book! For my older students, I love using Presidents’ Day as a way to practice creative and persuasive writing, too! I often have my students come up with their own campaign slogan as if they’re running for president themselves. I’ll then have them write a paragraph to convince others why they are the person for the job. They love it!
Presidents’ Day Books for Speech Therapy
Grace for President, by Kelly DiPucchio– When Grace discovers there has never before been a female president, she sets her mind to being the first! I love how this book focuses on the best person for the job, and how when you set your mind to something and work hard, anything is possible!
Grace Goes to Washington, by Kelly DiPucchio– In the sequel to Grace for President, Grace learns about the three branches of government. She goes to Washington on a field trip, too. She learns about public service, and how it’s not always easy to make decisions when not everyone agrees.
P is for President, by Wendy Cheyette Lewison- This book explains the process to becoming president, including great presidential vocabulary words such as campaign and candidate. It also has wonderful diversity in the pictures. It explains that despite a few rules such as age requirement and citizenship, there are no limits to who can become the president of the United States!
Presidents’ Day, by Anne Rockwell – This is a great book that follows students as they put on a Presidents’ Day program in their school. It has great multi-cultural pictures, shows national landmarks, and gives quotes from some of the greatest presidents of all time!
First Pets-Presidential Best Friends- My students love this book! It details all of the former presidents and their pets (some of them being pretty crazy!) These are the best books for getting kids excited about history!
Arthur Meets the President, by Marc Brown- Travel with Arthur as he takes a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet the president and visit many famous landmarks….perfect for teaching students about the landmarks and the history behind each one!
Vote! by Eileen Christelow – This is a great book for teaching students about the importance of voting-whether it’s for your favorite candy bar or the President of the United States! It goes through the process our Founding Fathers set for elections, and has great vocabulary and history in kid-friendly terms! Also great to use in November!
The Story of George Washington- A Biography Book for New Readers, by Lisa Trusiani- This is a great nonfiction chapter book chock full of factual information, interesting tidbits, and wonderful vocabulary, perfect for your older elementary students!
The Story of Abraham Lincoln-A Biography Book for New Readers, by Carla Jablonski- This is a great nonfiction chapter book chock full of factual information, interesting tidbits, and wonderful vocabulary, perfect for your older elementary students!
Duck for President, by Doreen Cronin – Continue with Duck’s hilarious antics as he leaves the farm and runs for president!
Additional Materials:
In addition to Presidents’ Day books, I also use my History of President’s Day comprehension packet. I use the Supertoob US Landmark plastic toys for my Presidents’ Day theme as well. They all pair together perfectly to target vocabulary, comprehension, and more. Themes do not have to be elaborate or require tons of stuff!
Do you use Presidents’ Day books for speech therapy? Which ones are your favorite? Let me know!!
