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Whether delivering in-person sessions or running teletherapy, this free Google Slides presentation is an easy, interactive tool to engage your students. It’s beneficial if you need a free preschool lesson plan to display on your SMARTboard or share during a class meet-up.
Initially designed for teletherapy, this digital version of your In the Tall, Tall Grass lesson plan includes visual supports, movable pieces, and backgrounds you can use on Zoom or in person. It’s a great way to target vocabulary, WH-questions, and story retell while keeping your students excited about what’s hiding in the grass.
Here’s how I’ve used it:
We started with morning greetings and an insect-themed brain break song.
Then, we read In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming (Amazon affiliate link).
While I read the book aloud and shared the images, my co-teacher used Google Slides to reveal hidden insects in the virtual grass.
After reading, we played a fun “What’s in the tall, tall grass?” game using the digital backgrounds.
This activity works beautifully for whole-class lessons on a SMARTboard, 1:1 virtual sessions, or small mixed speech groups. Students can describe what they see, answer WH-questions, and even act out insect actions to build language and movement together.
👉 Click the pink button below to grab your free Google Slides preschool bug lesson and have your session ready to go in minutes!
Doesn’t this look super engaging for your students? I would love to know how it goes, so please tag me on social media. Have other fun virtual backgrounds that you use? Let me know! I always need more tools for my speech therapy toolbox. With remote learning, I need all the digital ideas I can get my hands on.
You could also use real toy bugs that you already own and have them land on your head. Just use the ‘STOP VIDEO’ feature to put a new insect on your head. Then, start the video again for the kids to name the insect or give them a CORE word such as “look” to use during the activity.
If you’re looking to bring play-based learning into your In the Tall Tall Grass lesson plan for speech therapy, a bug sensory bin is the way to go! It’s especially effective if you’re creating a preschool lesson plan on bugs and want to support language development in an engaging, hands-on way.
One of my favorite ways to bring this book to life is with a bug-themed sensory bin filled with shredded paper “grass,” mini insects, and story props. You can target WH-questions, spatial concepts, describing words, and basic concepts while your students explore what’s hiding in the grass.
➡️You’ll even find a creative idea for using a grass-style drying rack as an alternative way to “hide” bugs—perfect for in-person sessions!
You can put bug articulation and vocabulary flashcards in the sensory bin too. We provide flashcards for an insect theme in the Themed Therapy SLP membership.
If you’re working on speech sound goals during your In the Tall Tall Grass lesson plan, these spring articulation worksheets are a low-prep way to bring themed practice into your sessions. They’re designed to pair perfectly with the book and are great for mixed groups or quick articulation stations.
Students can color, circle, or dot words while you read the story, or after the read-aloud as a follow-up activity. You can even hide cut-up worksheet words in your sensory bin and have students say each word before placing it on their worksheet.
The no-prep format makes it easy to print and go for:
Individual drill practice
Centers or small groups
Homework or parent carryover
👉 Grab the In the Tall, Tall Grass Spring Articulation Worksheets here:
Spring Articulation Worksheets on TPT
Need an easy-to-use preschool lesson plan on bugs for push-in lessons or small group instruction? My Insect Speech Therapy Push-In Lesson Plans are designed for PreK–2nd grade and are a great fit for pairing with In the Tall Tall Grass lesson plan.
These ready-to-go plans include:
A book read-aloud guide
Movement breaks (like acting out bug actions)
Vocabulary visuals
WH-question prompts
Simple extension activities
You can use them during co-teaching with classroom teachers or as structured small-group lessons. The bug speech therapy activity lesson plans are flexible enough to plug in wherever you need support—perfect for busy SLPs managing mixed groups!
If you’re a member of the Themed Therapy SLP Membership, you already have access to printable resources that work beautifully with In the Tall, Tall Grass. These are great for reinforcing language targets during small groups, centers, or homework.
What’s included:
Book companion cheat sheets to save you planning time
Story maps to support sequencing and comprehension
A simple bug-themed craft that pairs perfectly with the book
Language visuals for describing, WH-questions, and retell
The included craft is great for mixed groups and targets a variety of goals while keeping students engaged through hands-on learning. It’s a fun way to wrap up your In the Tall, Tall Grass lesson while practicing key speech and language skills.
📌 Not a member yet? Learn more about joining the Themed Therapy SLP Membership to access these resources and more!
Adding storytelling props to your In the Tall, Tall Grass speech therapy lesson plan helps boost engagement and reinforce key language skills. Props are especially effective for working on retelling, sequencing, vocabulary, and even iconic gestures to support comprehension.
The Lakeshore Learning In the Tall, Tall Grass Big Book Activity Kit includes interactive pieces that match the bugs and objects from the story. Students can use the props during the read-aloud or afterward to act out what they remember from the book.
Pair the props with:
Your sensory bin
A felt board
The drying rack “grass” to hide and find each bug
This is also a great time to incorporate iconic gestures—movements that mimic meaning (e.g., fluttering fingers for a butterfly or buzzing for a bee). Using gestures while retelling can support comprehension and expressive language development.
🎧 Want more tips on using iconic gestures in speech therapy? Check out Episode 97 of the Real Talk SLP podcast.
For a fun way to carry your In the Tall, Tall Grass lesson outside, set up a bug hunt activity on your school campus! This is a great addition to your preschool lesson plan on bugs and works well for reinforcing language targets in a hands-on way.
All you need is:
Plastic bugs to hide in the grass (Amazon link)
A bug catcher or magnifying glass for exploration (Amazon link)
A clipboard with simple describing or WH-question prompts
Take your students outside and let them “collect” bugs in the grass. As they find each one, you can work on:
Describing the bugs (colors, size, legs, wings)
Answering WH-questions like “What did you find?” or “Where was it hiding?”
Using prepositions: “under the bench,” “next to the slide”
Comparing bugs (e.g., Which one is bigger? Which one has wings?)
Want to extend it even further? Use this free STEAM lesson plan from Preschool STEAM to add observation and drawing to your bug-themed speech session!
This outdoor activity ties in beautifully with the book’s theme and gives kids a chance to move, talk, and explore while working on speech and language goals.
Place bugs or props around the room and have students use prepositions (on, under, behind) to describe where they find them. Or, create grass with construction paper and place around the room. Go around the room looking for grass to find items hiding in it.
Another powerful way to expand your In the Tall, Tall Grass lesson plan is to have students describe the items they find “in the grass” using rich language. Whether you’re using picture cards, sensory bin items, or storytelling props, you can target a wide range of skills:
Describe by attributes: category/group, color, size, shape, number, parts, where you find it, what it does
Use noun functions: “A bee is for making honey” or “A caterpillar is for turning into a butterfly”
Compare and contrast: “How is a beetle like a fly?” “How is a worm different from a caterpillar?”
Sorting: Have students group bugs by number of legs, wings/no wings, or where they live
This activity works great in small groups or with visual sentence starters like “It is ___ because ___” to support expanded utterances and grammar.
With these engaging speech therapy activities, you can build a complete In the Tall, Tall Grass lesson plan for speech therapy that supports vocabulary, articulation, comprehension, and movement—all while keeping your preschool and early elementary students motivated to participate.
Whether you’re using the free Google Slides, exploring bugs with a sensory bin, or heading outdoors for a STEAM bug hunt, these ideas offer flexibility for small groups, push-in lessons, or whole-class therapy.
Don’t forget:
Use the book companion resources and craft in the Themed Therapy SLP Membership
Check out iconic gestures to boost story retell
Try the articulation worksheets for no-prep sound practice
Looking for a preschool lesson plan free or a quick preschool lesson plan on bugs? You’ve got everything you need right here to bring In the Tall, Tall Grass to life in your therapy room.
👇 Grab the free Google Slides presentation below and get started planning your next speech therapy session!
