Overview
The children will pretend to be sheepdogs and shred items as they practice saying the /sh/ sound as in shred, shirt, and shoe.

Literacy Activities
Shred Sh things like a sheepdog

• Tell the children they will act like sheepdogs and that sheepdogs like to shred (tear up) things.
• Give each child a piece of paper and instruct them to write the letters sh on the paper.
• Instruct the children to shred the paper with letters sh and make the /sh/ sound as they shred.
• Comment that the letters sh make the /sh/ sound.

Find out what Shelly Sheepdog shredded

• Minimally shred the letter cards or objects and put them in a shopping bag.
• Show the children the bag and the picture of Shelly Sheepdog and tell them that Shelly Sheepdog shredded things in the shopping bag.
• Have the children pull items out of the bag one at a time.
• Point to the name of the item and say, “What’s this? It’s a ___! What did Shelly do?”
• Have the children respond by saying, “Shelly shredded the ___.”
• Together as a class, while shaking your finger and your head and say “Shame on you, Shelly! You shouldn’t shred ___!”
• Tape each item that Shelly shredded to the board or set the objects on a table.
• Label the objects and have the children underline the letters sh at the beginning of each word.
• Comment that Shelly only likes to shred things that start with the /sh/ sound.

More Practice
Play Pass the Shopping Bag game

• Fill the bag with sh and non-sh picture cards (folded in half).
• Have the children sit in a circle to take turns passing the shopping bag.
• Have each child remove a card and decide if it begins with the letters sh.
  • If the card begins with sh, have the child say the word.
  • If the card does not begin with sh, have the child replace the card in the bag, shake the bag, and pass it along.
• The child will then replace the folded card in the shopping bag, shake it and pass it along.
• Emphasize that the letters sh make the /sh/ sound.

Write the target letter

• Make a shopping list of all the items that you need to buy because Shelly shredded them (support as needed).
• Comment that everything on their list starts with the /sh/ sound.