Overview
The children will learn what makes Tim (display picture of Tim) and Jim (display picture of Jim) different from each other while they read and write words ending in –im such as swim, him, grim, and trim.

Literacy Activities
Tim or Jim?

• Tell children the Tim or Jim? story.
• Next, hold up the picture/word cards and teach the meaning of the words that are unfamiliar to the children. As a class, decide on an action that corresponds with each –im word.
• Assign half of the class to pretend to be Tim and the other half of the class to pretend to be Jim. Have each group sit together.
• Tell the Tim or Jim? story again. Have the children who are pretending to be Tim do the action for any –im word relating to Tim. Have the children pretending to be Jim do the action for any –im word relating to Jim.

Tim and Jim quiz

• Ask the children questions about Tim and Jim (e.g.; Who has a sister named Kim? Who likes to swim?).
• Have the children respond by guessing either “Tim!” or “Jim!”.
• When they get the correct answer, have everybody perform the action pertaining to the –im word used in the question.

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:
  • Tim → Jim; slim → trim; him → swim
  • him → hum; Tim → Tom; swim → swam
  • slim → slip; swim → swig; trim → trick

Read and write target words

• Ask the children if they can think of –im words that were mentioned in the story. Write these down and then have the class read them together.
• Have the children draw a picture of Tim or Jim and write the words that go with that character.