State and Model the Objective
The children will act like a snail and carry mail and then read and write words that end with -ail such as pail, trail, quail, and tail.

Literacy Activities
Be a snail that carries mail in a pail along a trail

• Explain to the children that today they will compare snail mail (mail that moves slowly) with air mail (mail that moves quickly).
• Ask the children if they have ever heard of the term snail mail. 
• Show the children the picture of the snail (found below) and remind them that snails move very slowly.
• Explain that we call it snail mail because the post office slowly delivers the mail.
• Set up a trail with masking tape or chairs.
• Staple a paper handle on a paper cup or bowl to act as a pail for each child.
• Let the children pretend to carry mail in a pail along the trail by walking slowly like a snail. 
• Have the children follow the trail again, this time by crawling with the pail.

Send mail by air

• Let the children send mail via air mail by turning their mail (a piece of paper) into paper airplanes and letting them sail down the trail.
• Optional variation: Add a paper clip at the nose of the airplane so that it is easier for the children to get the plane into the pail. 
   

Let a quail carry mail in a pail

• Tell the children they can pretend to put mail in a pail that’s carried by Mr. Quail, who sails through the air.
• Let a child hold the picture of the quail (found below) and the pail and make the quail sail down the trail to deliver the air mail.
• Comment, “Mr. Quail delivers the mail without fail. We call him the Air Mail Quail. He’s a quail that carries mail in a pail.”
   

More Practice

• Read the Mr. Snail and Mr. Quail Carry Mail in a Pail target text (found below) to the children.
• Engage the children in reading the target text with you.
• Have the students write two to three sentences about slow snail mail or fast quail mail using as many -ail words as possible.