State and Model the Objective
Tell the children that they will let paper toads soak and float and will read and write long o words with oa, such as toad, road, moan, groan, soak, and float.
 
Literacy Activities
Get a toad off a road

• Display and read words with oa to the children (e.g., float, soak, goat, road, toad, load, loan, moan, groan).
• Have the children write the word toad on slips of paper. 
• Let the children label a picture of a toad (found below) with their slips.
• Create a road with strips of paper or the picture of the road (found below).
• Have the children write the word road on slips of paper to label the road.
• Place a toad by the road and set the picture of the pond (found below) nearby.
• Have the children moan and groan because the toad is on the road.
• Help the toad hop off the road.

Let a toad try to soak and float in a pond

• Explain that toads like being on land or in shallow water.
• Demonstrate soaking the paper toad to see if it will float.

Try to soak and float words in soapy, foamy water

• Let the children write oa words on paper and see if the written words will float.
• Add soap to the water and make the soapy water foamy.
• Let the children see if written words will float in soapy, foamy water.

Croak like a toad

• Comment that toads use their throat to croak. 
• Let the children croak like a toad.
• Have the children boast about how well they can croak.
• Allow the children to boast about being able to float or to gloat about being able to make a paper boat float.

More Practice
Build words

• With the word-building cards (found below), have the children make new words by changing either of the consonants:
  • Change the beginning consonant: toad→ road, moan→ groan, boast→ toast
  • Change the ending consonant: oat→ oak, loan→ load, soap→ soak

Read target words

• Have the children write words on the board to create a word wall (e.g., float, soak, croak, throat, boat, road, oat, moan, groan, roam, foam, load, loan, soap, toast, loaf, goat, coat, coach, boast, gloat, and cloak).
• Engage the children in reading the target text A Toad Soaks and Tries to Float (found below) as a group.
• Read the text again, fading support.

Write about the activity 

• Using the word wall with oa words, give the children suggestions about what they could write about . . .  
  • A toad that roams along on a road 
  • A toad that croaks and soaks but doesn’t float 
  • Soaking and floating a boat in foam or soap
  • Being able to boast and gloat about . . .
  • A toad that floats in a boat with a goat and load of oats
  • Soak a cloak and a coat in soapy, foamy water
  • How they might moan and groan when they can’t . . . (float in a boat, roam down a road, eat toast and jam, etc.)