Overview
The children will fit fins labeled with the letter F on fish as they recognize and name the uppercase letter F and the lowercase letter f.

Literacy Activities
Fit the Fins

• Write the uppercase letter F and lowercase letter f on a whiteboard, name the letters, and have the children write the F and f in the air with their fingers.
• Display the large fish picture and point out that the fish is missing its fin.
• Spread the fins facedown on a table or the floor and explain that some of the fins have the uppercase or lowercase letter F.
• Allow the children to take turns picking up a fin and determining as a group if the fin has an F or f on it or a different letter on it.
• Put the fins in a pile and have the children take turns picking a fin, adding tape to its back, and trying to fit the fin on the fish while they are blindfolded.
• Have the other children chant, “Fit the fin!” loudly when the child with the blindfold gets closer to fitting the fin in the right place on the fish and quietly when the child moves farther away.
• Once the fin has been placed on the fish, have the child take off the blindfold.
• Repeat with the other children, then tell the children that only the fins with an F or an f can stay on the fish. Have the children help you find the non-F fins and place them in a discard pile.
• After removing all of the non-F fins, say, "Now the fish just have F fins!"

More Practice
Identify the target letter

• Take all of the fins off the fish and mix them together.
• Have the children choose a fin and show it to the group.
• Decide together if the fin should go in an F pile or an "Other Letters" pile.
• Let the children write the uppercase letter F and lowercase letter f on the large fish picture.