State the Objective

Tell the children that they will act like animals as they practice saying the short-a sound in words that start with the letter A, such as act, animal, alligator, and ant.

Literacy Activities

Act like animals

Note: You may want to explain animals that may be less familiar to the children or add ones from your region that begin with the short-a sound. 

• Tell the children that many animal names start with the short-a sound (e.g., ant, antelope, alligator, anteater, alpaca).
• Explain that the names begin with the letter A, which makes the /ă/ sound.
• Tell the children that they are going to act like animals that start with /ă/.
• Write the word alligator and show the children an action for an alligator (e.g., use arms as snapping jaws).
• Complete the action together and chant, "Act like an /ă/, /ă/, alligator!"
• Tell a child to ask someone to act like an alligator and repeat the chant. 
• Repeat with other animals and actions. Possible options include:
  
  • Make fingers crawl like an ant
  • Pretend to slurp ants like an anteater
  • Leap like an antelope 
  • Chew like an alpaca
  • Snap arms together like an alligator’s jaws

Write the letter A/a

• Show the children the letter A/a.
• Show them the sign for A (put hand to mouth as if eating an apple).
• Ask the children to write As while saying the short-a sound.

Match the target letter and its sound

• Make a list of the words from the activity that begin with the letter A (e.g., animals, alligator, ant, antelope, anteater).
• Let the children circle the letter A in each word while saying the /ă/ sound.