Watch Out for That Pouch

Lesson Plan
Target Words:
- out
- pout
- loud
- pouch
- proud
- slouch
- crouch
Materials:
- A circle of cloth, a paper bag, or a real pouch
- Cloth pouch template*
- 1 yard of thread or string (if you are making the cloth pouch)
- Couch sign*
- Picture of a pouch*
- Objects to pull out of a pouch
- -ou word cards*
- Word-building cards*
- Scout for a Pouch target text*
- Watch out for that Pouch! target text*
*Items included below.
State and Model the Objective
The children will scout out a pouch under a couch and will read and write words with the -ou vowel combination.
Literacy Activities
Make a pouch and watch out for the pouch
- Cut out a cloth circle and cut a length of thread.
- Show the children a pouch—a little bag that is tied at the top.
- Show the children how to make a pouch by tying the string around the top of the gathered cloth.
OR
- Make holes in the top of the cloth circle and thread the string through the holes.
- Pull the string tight, cinching up the pouch.
Let a pouch grab something
- Gather a paper bag at the top to look like a pouch, use a real pouch, or use the cloth pouch.
- Let the children put a finger in the “mouth” (the opening) of the pouch.
- Close the pouch by pulling the strings to bunch up the opening.
- Pretend not to be happy and say, “Ouch! You Pouch!”
- Pretend to pout and be a grouch as you say “Ouch!”
- Have the children warn others to watch out for the pouch and keep away from the mouth of the pouch.
Scout for a lost pouch
- Read the Scout for a Pouch target text (found below) to the children.
- Read the text again as a class and help the children act out the following story:
- Label a chair in the room with a Couch sign (found below).
- Slouch down on the couch with the pouch and let the pouch fall off the couch.
- Pretend to pout and be a grouch because you lost your pouch.
- Scout (look) for the pouch.
- Find the pouch and shout, “I don’t have to pout! I’m not a grouch! I found my pouch by the couch!”
Pull something out of a pouch
- Put pennies or other small objects in the pouch.
- Tell the children that people often keep special things in pouches.
- Let the children open the pouch.
- Let the children pull the objects out of the pouch and then count them.
Read words pulled out of a pouch
Put word cards with the -ou vowel combination (found below) in the pouch and then let the children take the words out of the pouch and read them out loud.
More Practice
Word-building
With word-building cards (found below), have the children make new words by changing the vowel(s) or the beginning or ending consonant(s):
- Change the beginning consonant(s): crouch→ grouch; couch→ pouch; scout→ pout; loud→ proud
- Change the vowel(s): couch→ coach; scout→ scoot
- Change the ending consonant(s): pouch→ pout; couch→ count
Read target words in texts
- Engage the children in reading the Watch Out for a Pouch! target text (found below) as a group.
- Have the children raise their hands when they hear the ou vowel combination or circle the words spelled with -ou in the text.
- Read the target text again, fading support.
- Have the children make a list of the -ou words from the text.
- Repeat with the Scout for a Pouch target text.
Write about the activity using target words and patterns
- Have the children write words from dictation (e.g., pouch, couch, ouch, slouch, grouch, crouch, out, pout, doubt, scout, about, loud, proud.).
- Engage the children in interactive writing about their experience and provide verbal or written prompts as needed:
- I made a ____ (pouch).
- I sat on a ____ (couch) with my ____ (pouch).
- I lost my ____ (pouch) and was a ____ (grouch).
- I found my ____ (pouch) under the ____ (couch).
SEEL Target Texts
Scout for a Pouch
Watch Out for That Pouch!
Standards
SEEL lessons align with Common Core Standards. Please see the standards page for the code(s) associated with this lesson.

http://education.byu.edu/seel/library/
69273
Watch Out for That Pouch