State and Model the Objective

Tell the children that they will pick up sticks, pack a sack, and read and write words ending in -ck that make the /k/ sound, such as tick, tock, stick, brick, sock, and rock.

Literacy Activities

Make sticks tick tock like a clock

• Read the book Tick Tock by David K. Williams (optional).
• Say, "Tick tock goes the clock," and write tick tock, tick tock, tick tock on the board.
• Let the children click sticks or make a ticking sound for each tick and tock word written on the board.

Pick up words with -ck

• Have the children read the words on each -ck picture card (see below).
• Spread out the picture cards along with optional socks, sticks, blocks, and rocks. 
• Read the Tick Tock chant (see below) with the children.
• Read the chant again, and have the children pick up the items.
• Have the children write the words block, sock, rock, clock, brick, and stick.
• Invite the children to underline the letters -ck that make the /k/ sound.

Pack a sack

• Make a checklist on the board: rock, block, sock, brick, and stick.
• Show the -ck picture cards and any real socks, blocks, sticks, and rocks you may have. 
• Read the Pack a Sack chant (see below) with the children.
• Let the children pack the items in the sack and check items off the list.

Write about stacking and packing blocks

• Have the children make a word wall by writing words from dictation (e.g., tick tock, sock, rock, lick, brick, stick, click, block, sack, pack).
• Dump blocks out of a sack.
• Let the children stack the blocks, knock down the stack, pick up the blocks, and pack the blocks back into the sack.
• Have the children write about what they just did.

More Practice

Identify, blend, and manipulate sounds

• Using the letter cards (see below), have the children make new words by changing the vowel or a consonant:
  • tick → tock, stick → stack, pack → sack, rock → sock, clock → click, knock → block, brick → lick, lock → lack