State and Model the Objective
The children will twirl and swirl things and then read and write words that are spelled with -ir and -ur such as twirl, swirl, whirl, stir, curl, and hurl. 

Literacy Activities
Swirl and churn water in a cup

• Read the Make Some Water Swirl target text (found below) to the children, emphasizing the words twirl, swirl, turn, and stir. Provide a small amount of water in a cup. 
• Let the children swirl the cup to make the water swirl and churn.
• Have the children take turns stirring the water with a spoon or stick to make it swirl. 
• Comment on the first and third and the not first and not third child who is stirring the water (i.e., “You are the first to swirl it. You are not the third to swirl it.”).

Twirl to hurl a football

• Crumple up a piece of paper into the shape of a football.
• Explain that the correct way to hurl a football is to twirl it as you hurl it so it will swirl.
• Comment, as the children take turns hurling and twirling the crumpled paper, who is first and who is not first to twirl and hurl the ball.
• State that the second child to get a turn is not first to twirl and hurl the ball.

Twirl a toy top and curl a ribbon 

• Twirl and whirl a toy top or a lid from a bottle.
• Name the tops Swirly, Twirly, Burly, and Whirly.
• Place out cards with /er/ words and see where each top will stop after spinning (e.g., close to the word curl).  
• Take a long, curled ribbon or strip of paper and swirl it around to make it twirl. 
• Read the Whose Turn Is It? target text (found below) to the children.
• Engage the children in reading the target text with you while choosing children to act it out.

Write about tops that swirl, twirl, and whirl

• Display the names of the tops and the synonyms for spinning such as twirl, swirl, whirl, and turn.
• Twirl the tops and see which ones stop whirling and twirling first and which top stops whirling and twirling third.
• Have the children write their answer about which top stopped first and which top stopped third using the names and synonyms displayed.

More Practice
Read target sounds in a text

• Read the A Toy Top Can Twirl, Swirl, and Whirl Around target text (found below) to the children.
• Engage the children in reading the target text with you.
• Read the text together again, this time selecting a child to stand up and do a twirl when you read a word with the /er/ sound.