State and Model the Objective
Tell the children that they will read, write, and play with words that begin with the letters wh, such as whale, white, which, and why. 

Literacy Activities
Ask wh questions about whales

• Write the wh digraph and associate it with the /w/ sound. 
• Write the wh question words on the board (where, when, why, what, which) and read them with the children. 
• Ask and answer wh questions about whales.
  • Where do whales live? (In the ocean.)
  • What do whales do? (Swim.)
  • Why do whales come to the top of the water? (To breath.)
  • When do whales sleep?  (At night.)
  • Which whale is blue: a blue whale, or a gray whale? (The blue whale!)
  • Which whale is not common: a white whale or a gray whale? (A white whale.)

More Practice
Read target words

• Read the White Whale target text (found below) with the children.
• Display the text and ask the children to identify words that begin with the letters wh.

Make a list of words with wh

• Have the children help you make a list on the board of lots of wh words.
• Compare a word that begins with the letter w (e.g., wave) with a word that begins with the letters wh (e.g., whale).

Write about the activity using target words

• Have the children write a few sentences using the /wh/ words on the board. 
• Ask the children to write a when, what, where, or why question about the displayed words that begin with wh.