State and Model the Objective
The children will play a flute, tube, cube, or lute while they read and write words spelled with the long-u–silent-e vowel pattern such as, mute, tune, flute, and cute.  

Literacy Activities
Play music on a flute, tube, lute, or cube

• Show how a straw can be a pretend flute.
• Show how to play a tune on the lute.
• Allow children to bang on a cube-shaped box or block.
• Demonstrate how to play a tune on a tube by blowing across the top of the paper towel roll or rolled up paper.
• Let the children play a flute, tube, lute, or cube.
• Comment that it could be rude to play loud and that they should mute the sound and not be rude.

Mute the sound of the flute, tube, or lute

• Explain that when someone mutes a flute, tube, or lute, they make it quieter.
• Organize a flute, lute, cube, and tube band. 
• Show how to mute, or quiet, the sound by placing a hand on the vibrating flute, tube, or lute. 
• Hold up the Music sign when the children are to make music. 
• Hold up the Mute sign when the children should lower or muffle the sound. 

More Practice 
Read target words/patterns introduced in the activity

• Show words containing the long-u–silent-e pattern: tune, flute, mute, cute, lute, glue, true, rule, due, tube, use, blue, clue, rule, cube, duke, mule, dude, rude.
• Read the words together as a class.

Write about the activity using target words/patterns

• Read the Play a Tune target text to the children.
• Engage the children in reading the target text with you.
• Instruct the children to write words on the paper flute or tube as you say them: tune, flute, mute, lute, cube, tube, rude.
• Fading support as needed, help the children read the target text Mute that Flute!
• Instruct the children to write a sentence or two about what they did using words spelled with the long-u–silent-e vowel pattern.

How to Make a Lute 

1. Take an empty tissue box and cut out a hole on one side. 
2. Attach string or rubber bands on the inside of the hole. 
3. Attach a paper towel roll to the top of the box to form the handle.
4. Begin to strum!