Overview
The children will play a game called rag tag. Explain that rag and tag both end in –ag. Make a list of words ending in –ag: rag, bag, tag, wag, drag. Tell the children they will read and write these words.

Literacy Activities
Play a Rag Tag game (similar to duck, duck, goose)

• Display the Wag a Rag song large enough for the children to easily see.
• Read the song together as a group then sing it to the tune of A Tisket, A Tasket.
• Sing the song enough times that the children feel comfortable singing it throughout the game.
• Have the children sit in a circle on the floor.
• Choose a child to be the tagger and give him/her a rag.
• Let everyone sing the Wag a Rag song while the tagger walks around the circle, wagging and dragging the rag.
• Once the song is finished, let the tagger drop the rag behind the closest child and run around the circle.
• Let the tagged child snag (grab) the rag and chase the tagger around the circle, trying to tag him or her with the rag before the tagger sits down in the open seat.
• Let the child with the rag be the next tagger.

Play a Rag Tag game (similar to flag football)

• Choose one child be the tagger.
• Let the other children tuck a rag in their waistband and carry a word card.
• Have the tagger try to ‘snag’ a rag from the other children as everyone chants, “Snag the rag!” during the game.
• The tagger shouts “Tag! I have the rag!” once he or she snags a rag.
• Have everyone read the tagged child’s word card.
• Let the child who was tagged be the next tagger.

More Practice
Identify, blend and manipulate sounds

• With word blending cards, have the children make new words by changing either of the consonants or the vowel:
  • rag → tag, wag → lag, bag → sag, rag → drag
  • drag → drab, tag → tab, rag → ran, bag → bat
  • rag → rug, jag → jog, bag → big, lag → lug

Read target words in texts

• Read the text Wag the Rag and Drag It together as a class/group.
• Read the text again fading support.
• Have the children underline the words that end in –ag.
• Repeat with the lyrics to the song Wag a Rag.

Write about the activity using target words

• Play a “pass the rag” game with children.
  • Have the children sit in a circle and take turns passing a rag.
  • As each child gets the rag, have him/her say a new word that ends in –ag.
  • Write each new word on the board.
  • Repeat the game, but this time, have the children pass a picture of a rag and write each word on the rag.