Overview
The children will drum, hum, and strum as they add sounds to the -um ending to make words such as hum, strum, and drum. 

Literacy Activities
Drum, hum, and strum

• Teach children the Drum, Hum, and Strum song sung to the tune of "Hokey Pokey."
• Pass out instruments to pairs of children and allow them to practice playing their instruments.
• Have the children play their instrument when it is called for in the song, as everyone sings:
  • We can drum, drum, drum. (tap on drum)
  • We can hum, hum, hum. (hum into kazoo)
  • We can strum, strum, strum. (strum guitar)
  • We like to play with -um.
  • We can drum, drum, drum. (tap on drum)
  • We can hum, hum, hum. (hum into kazoo)
  • Dum Ditty Dum-Dum-Dum! (play all instruments at the same time)
• During the song hold up word cards as visual cues to help the children know when to drum, hum, or strum (optional).
• Repeat, allowing other children to take a turn playing the instruments.

Segment -um words

• Say an -um word then have the children drum or clap as they segment each sound (e.g., /d/ /r/ /u/ /m/, drum).
• Repeat with other target words (e.g., strum, hum, gum, sum).
• Segment an -um word by strumming once for each sound in the word then have the children blend the sounds together and guess the word (e.g., /d/ /r/ /u/ /m/, drum).
• Repeat with other words.

More Practice
Read target words in a text 

• Read the Drum, Hum, Strum song together as a class. 
• Read the text again fading support.
• Have the children underline the words that end in -um.

Write about the activity using target words

• Have the children write words from dictation: strum, sum, drum, hum, gum.
• Emphasize the process of blending the beginning sound(s) with the -um ending to spell each word.