State and Model the Objective
The children will make smiles and smirks as they read and write words that begin with /sm/, such as smock, smile, smirk, and smug.

Literacy Activities
Make a smile and smirk

• Call attention to the /sm/ blend in smock, smile, smirk, and smug 
• Talk about facial expressions that begin with /sm/: smile, smirk, smack, and look smug.
• Pretend to put on an artist’s smock and draw a smile with chalk.
• Make the smile smooth by rubbing the chalk with your finger.
• Smear a smidgen of chalk on the paper to change the expression from a smile into a smirk (small downward turn on one side).
• Instruct the children to put on a pretend smock and smear, smudge, and smooth out a smile.
• Show the children a smug expression and have them draw classmates’ smug faces.

Make paper lips smile, smirk, smack, look smug

• Use the lips graphic and make a slit so the lips can be twisted or pulled to smile, smirk, smack, or be smug.
• Hold up a direction card, have the children read the word and then make their lips do what the sign says.
• Let the children draw a smile, smirk, or smug expression with chalk (optional).

More Practice
Read target words in a text

• Read A Smile or a Smirk text to the children.
• Engage the children in reading the text with you.
• Read the text again with the children, fading support.
• Have the children list and read words that start with the /sm/ blend (e.g., smart, smock, smudge, smack, smile, smell, smidge, small, smudge, smug, smear).

Write about the activity

• Have the children write 1–2 sentences using words from the list they made above (e.g., Smooth the smile).