State and model the objective
Tell the children that they will play a game called Hot Robot and hear and say words that rhyme with hot (such as robot, dot, got, and spot). 

Practice the skill within an activity

Hot Robot 

• Set a timer or turn on music.
• Have the children sit in a circle and pass the robot graphic (see below) around the circle while the timer or the music runs.
• Tell the children to pretend the robot is hot, and have them pass it quickly while chanting, “Hot, hot, hot!”
• Ask the child who is holding the robot when the music stops or the timer rings if two words rhyme.
  • Say either two words that end with –ot (e.g., spot and dot) or one word that ends with –ot and one that does not (e.g., hot and shoe).
  • If the two words rhyme, have the class repeat the two words together.
• Give the child who is holding the robot a dot graphic (see below) as a reward for answering the question.
• Continue the game until all the children get a dot graphic. 
• Invite the children to share other words that rhyme with hot, such as spot, hot, not, tot, rot, pot, and dot.

Apply the skill 

Practice rhyming 

• Produce words that rhyme with hot 
  • Remind the children of the words they played with (robot, dot, hot, spot). 
  • Tell them you can think of other words that rhyme with hot (rot, not, pot). 
  • Ask each child to think of a word that rhymes with hot. 
  • If a child doesn't respond in a few seconds, give him/her an option: 
    • "How about dot?" Does dot rhyme with hot?" (Nod your head yes to let the child know that they rhyme)
    • "Do spot and robot rhyme?" (Nod your head yes) 
• Recognize rhyming words 
  • Have the children repeat a set of 2 words (e.g. spot, hot). 
  • Ask the children to put their thumbs up if the words rhyme and thumbs down if the words do not rhyme. 
  • Repeat with other sets of words: (e.g., robot, spot; dot, hot; got, cow; not, pot; caught, duck; tot, rot). 
  • If children do not respond correctly, repeat the 2 words, emphasizing the ending sounds of the words.  

Practice blending and segmenting sounds in words  

• Tap out sounds in words 
  • Have the children blend individual sounds into words by tapping their head (beginning), and toes (end) then clap to say the whole word (e.g. /d/ tap head, /ot/ tap toes = dot clap hands 
    • /d/ /ot/ = dot 
    • /p/ /ot/ = pot 
    • /h/ /ot/ = hot 
    • /sp/ /ot/ = spot