State and Model the Objective

Tell the children that they will help Yellow Yak yank things into his yard as they listen for words that start with the /y/ sound, such as yard, yes, yellow, and yummy.

Literacy Activities

• Attach a piece of yarn to each picture card.
• Explain to the children that Yellow Yak loves having things in his yard (yellow paper), but he only says “yes” to things beginning with the sound of the letter y. 
• Choose a child to help find a picture card for Yellow Yak to yank into his yard. 
  • If the picture card begins with the sound of the letter y, have the children say, “Yes! Yank the ___ (e.g., yoyo) into the yard!” and place it in the yard.
  • If the picture card doesn’t begin with the sound of the letter y, have the child place it in a discard pile.
• Repeat until all of the children have a turn.
• Point to the picture cards that have the sound of the letter y and have the children repeat each word. 

More Practice

• Give each child three pieces of yellow yarn (one long, two short). 
• Show the children how to make an uppercase letter Y with the yarn. 
• Review the items that Yellow Yak had in his yard that start with the sound of the letter y and have the children yell, “Yes, the ___ (e.g., yarn)!” for each item.