State and Model the Objective
The children will help a mouse find a blouse and a house and will then read and write words with -ou, such as house, blouse, mouse, ground, and couch.

Literacy Activities
Choose a blouse for a mouse

• Show the children the pattern for a blouse (found below) that a paper mouse can wear.
• Have the children draw, copy, or trace the blouse pattern.  
• Have the children write the word blouse on the paper blouse.
• Let the children fit their blouses on the picture of a mouse (found below).

Draw a house for a mouse

• Let the children draw a house for a mouse that includes:
  • A couch
  • A door for the mouse to go in and out of
  • A blouse
  • A round window
• Have the children write “A house for a mouse.” on the drawing.
• Let the children cut out the door so the mouse can go in and out.
• Make comments about the house: 
  • The mouse found a house.
  • The mouse can go in and out of the house.
  • The mouse can put on her blouse in the house.
  • The house has a couch.
  • The house has a round window.
  • The mouse is proud of her house!

More Practice
Build words
With word-building cards (found below), have the children make new words.

• Change the beginning consonant(s): house→ mouse; found→ ground
• Change the ending consonant(s): count→ couch; mouse→ mouth; house→ hound

Read target words in texts 

• Engage the children in reading the A House for a Mouse target text (found below) with you.
• Have the children make a list of the -ou words found in the text.
• Read the text again, fading support.
• Repeat with the I Made a House for a Mouse target text (found below).

Read about the mouse who has a blouse

• Read the A Blouse for a Mouse text with the children.
• Place paper blouses under a pretend couch.

Write about the activity using target words and patterns

• Let the children write words from dictation (e.g., house, blouse, mouse, round, found, ground, hound, count, couch, mouth).
• Have the children write about the mouse finding a blouse under a couch in her house (e.g., “I found a blouse and a house for the mouse. The mouse found a blouse under her couch. The mouse found her blouse after looking around.”).