State the Objective
Tell the children that they will find ten pens as they recognize and produce words that rhyme with ten, such as hen, pen, and when.

Literacy Activities
Write with ten pretend pens

• Show the children ten pens or use sticks as pretend pens.
• Point out how ten and pen rhyme, as well as men, pen, and hen.
• Hold 10 pens (or sticks) in one hand and pretend to write.  

Find -en words 

• Read the text A Hen Had Ten Pens (see below).  
• Have the children point to words that end with -en.

Hide ten pens

• Hide the ten pens in separate spots.
• Comment that ten and pen rhyme as the children look for the pens.
• Each time a pen is found, say, “A pen for a hen!”
• After all the pens have been found, count them with the children and say, “Ten pens! Ten pens for ten hens!”

Read words that end in -en

• Make a list of words that rhyme with pen (e.g., hen, ten, when, men) and point out the -en ending.
• Read the words in the list and ask if each one rhymes with then.

Draw something that rhymes with hen

• Let the children draw an item that rhymes with hen (e.g., pen, ten, men).
• Have the children state what they drew and say, “___ rhymes with pen!”

Act out the text Ten Hens Got a Pen 

• Have the children write hen on ten pieces of paper.
• Read the text Ten Hens Got a Pen (see below).
• Ask the children to place a pretend pen on the ten pieces of paper.
• Let the children pretend to be hens and act out the text (optional).
• Reread the text and have the children clap each time they hear an -en word.

Identify, blend, and manipulate sounds 

• Write -en and tell the children that adding an h will make hen.
• Have the children say h + en and blend the parts to make hen.
• Repeat with pen, men, ten.